Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 18th September

In this Bulletin…

- Chinese officials hide actual death toll of the dam-breaking accident.
- A hoax report leads Nigeria’s main television station to shut down; and
- A stampede in Indonesia kills 21 people.

-But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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China resources reported the exact death numbers of the “September 8th” dam-breaking incident in Shanxi Province has been updated to at least nine times the amount of deaths than what an official initially said.

The dam walls suddenly broke in the morning of September 8, with silt and sand spreading across two kilometres, around 30 hectares of area, causing destruction and death.

Hong Kong China News Service said the death toll is increasing rapid and has accused the officials as either been secretive or just ignorant.

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China resources reported China Sanlu Group has offerd 3 million Yuan RMB to the Baidu website to remove any negative news about the “poisonous babies milk” incident.

Baidu officials said the public relations of the company Sanlu Group did come to meet Baidu twice and requested them to do so, however, these requests have been declined by Baidu.

The Baidu Employer expressed because this proposal violated the fair and transparent principles they have consistently adhered to, they thus rejected the proposal.

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And now for the rest of Asia Cast
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According to the Epoch Times, US Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama expressed views on relations with China published by the American Chamber of Commerce on Monday, providing a glimpse into how their potential administrations would deal with the complicated relationship that the United States has with the most populous nation on earth.

As the U.S.-China trade deficit continues to grow, Senators McCain and Obama expressed a pressing need for a change of the communist regime’s currency practices, making Chinese products “unfairly cheap.” Last year alone, the trade deficit with China hit a record—$256.3 billion.

Republican nominee McCain, who previously said that he would not impose tariffs on Chinese imports, chastised China for not allowing the value of its currency, the yuan, to rise against the dollar.

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A hoax report saying President Umaru Yar’Adua will resign due to ill health has led to a main television station in Nigeria to be down after broadcasting it.

The hoax was originally distributed in an email claiming to come from Nigeria’s state news media, and was picked up by the television station and a foreign news agency.

The report caused some panic because the President has serious kidney problems.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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The Red Cross has started to send thousands of Zimbabweans emergency food packages as part of an effort to keep the southern African nation from plummeting into famine, the global aid agency said.

Food is in short supply causing a widespread of malnutrition earlier this year when Mr Mugabe banned many non-governmental groups and charities from working in the country after accusing them of supporting the opposition in elections.

Mr Mugabe, who has been accused in the past of using food as a political weapon, lifted the ban last month.

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A stampede in Indonesia has left at least 21 people dead and several others injured, according to local officials and media reports.

The crush happened as people waited for charity handouts from a wealthy family in the East Javan town of Pasuruan.

The cash handouts, of up to $4 per person, are a tradition during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”

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