Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Satruday 15th November

U.S. President George W. Bush addresses G20 leaders during an official White House dinner ahead of the Summit on Financial Markets in Washington, DC. (Steffen Kugler/AFP/Getty Images)

In this Bulletin…

- US FDA holds up China food imports;
- Army captures west coast of Sri Lanka; and
- G20 summit on the global financial crisis amidst more bad news

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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High unemployment rate has hit earthquake-stricken area six months after the Wenchuan earthquake causing difficulties for reconstruction works, according to Radio Free Asia. The major earthquake which occurred in May in Sichuan province caused tremendous loss of life and property.

The deputy mayor of Yingxiu town, the town most seriously affected by the earthquake says that the unemployment rate in the town has reached 70% and around half of his family and friends do not have jobs.

According to statistics, around 1.5 million people lost their job due to the earthquake in Sichuan and the in hard-hit areas the unemployment rate is as high as 80 per cent.

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The Global Quit CCP (Chinese Communist Party) Service Center has expressed that the rampant toxic foods which has caused panic around the world have prompted some Chinese people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party.

Some Shenzhen residents have said that they have learnt that the root causes of poisonous foods is the corrupt Chinese Communist system and they want to make a clear distinction from the CCP. The declared so by using a pseudonym to quit the communist party on the Epoch Times website.

The general public in mainland China has expressed that because of the collusion between businesses and official bodies, poisonous foods were covered up deliberately, and even now people still worry about the safety of their basic diet.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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The US Food and Drug Administration has taken the unusual precaution of holding up many food imports from China at the border as suspected health risks.

The foods, mostly Chinese snacks, will undergo testing for poisonous contaminations at the cost of the importer before being released. The order now places the burden of proof on Chinese companies to ensure that their products are safe before they are shipped to the US.

The order was made on Thursday, as the FDA continued to receive information from domestic and overseas sources about melamine and other contamination moving through the food chain to different food commodities.

US ports of entry must now detain foods from China made with a range of ingredients including milk.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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Solutions to the global financial crisis were the centre of discussions of a special G20 Leaders summit at the White House, hosted by US President George W Bush, in Washington DC today. The summit is being held amidst further examples of the impact of the worst international financial crisis since the great depression.

At the summit US President Bush said that the global financial crisis can only be stopped by the G20 team working together.

Today it was announced that the Euro-zone has entered recession for the first time since the establishment of the European Union and comments have been released by financial analysts that US banks have already eaten up more than one quarter of the trillion dollar bailout package offered by the US congress.

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The extension of the Russian Presidential term by two years is one step closer today, with the easy passing of a bill in the State Duma. Once legislated, the bill will extend the term of presidency from four years to six.

Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev proposed the bill to a surprised Russian public and parliament last week. The bill will be the first to amend the Russian constitution since it was enshrined at the fall of communism and the establishment of the Russian Federation in 1993.

The bill passed through the Duma very easily by 358 votes to 58, with dissent only coming from the now small Communist Party. Dissenters sarcastically questioned why the bill has been rushed through the parliament as they already see an unprecedented concentration of power and strict authoritarian regime in government.

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Sri Lanka has announced today that its army has seized the western coast of the country. Analysts see it as a strategic move to set up a possible future attack into the heart of Tamil Tiger rebel territory.
Among the areas captured is the strategic area of Pooneryn, held by rebels since 1993, its position allows the army to almost surround the rebel capital of Kilinochchi.

The military announcement comes in the same week that Sri Lanka’s 2009 budget passed a reading in parliament, it includes record defence spending of 177 billion rupees ($1.61 billion).

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