Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 27th January

In this bulletin …

-Sixth confirmed case of deadly avian flu in China;
-European parliament members send strongly worded invitation to Eutelsat; and
-Rio Tinto completes Chinese smelter sale.

***********************************

A 29-year-old man from Guizhou province in China has been confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 avian flu.

According to the BBC’s report on the 25th of January, this is the sixth confirmed case of the H5N1 infection, and also the 35th since 2003.

Twenty-three people who have been infected have died.

The report also said, the authorities were monitoring others who had come in contact with the man, but no one has been found to be infected.

********************

With the Chinese New Year here, the globally famous Divine Performing Arts splendour shows, continue their resoundingly successful performances in all capital cities across the globe, all of which are receiving tremendous praise and standing ovations from all their audiences.

When interviewed by the Epoch Times, several people from mainland China felt heartened and inspired by the feat of the Divine Performing Arts shows.

They said the DPA shows were not only the hope of China, but also a great event and blessing for the whole world, as they are reviving the true traditional culture of China, which has been long suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Divine Performing Arts is sponsored by the Falun Gong Association and many people who have seen the Divine Performing Arts performances have expressed their veneration and gratitude towards Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong.

************************************

Three members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have sent a second, more strongly worded invitation to the European satellite company, Eutelsat, over concerns that they have caved to pressure from the Chinese communist regime, reports the Epoch Times.

The France-based private company terminated broadcast of the network, New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), into China on June, 2008, citing technical reasons.  July 10 investigative reports by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed, however, that the broadcast cut was a premeditated act, owing to influence from the Chinese regime ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

On January 15, the European Parliament, one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world, passed a resolution calling on Eutelsat to resume NTDTV’s broadcast and clarify its reasons for suspending the broadcast.

For the original story from Epoch Times: http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10838/

********************

Rio Tinto has completed the sale of its half stake in the Chinese aluminium smelting business Alcan Ningxia for $125 million.

Rio, which is trying to sell up to $30 billion in assets to pay off a debt, acquired its stake in the Alcan Ningxia joint venture when it bought the Canadian-based aluminium group Alcan in late 2007.

Alcan Ningxia is capable of supplying up to 160,000 tonnes of aluminium smelting capacity a year.

********************

The Kosi  river, which five months ago displaced millions of people in India and Nepal, has now been diverted back to its original course.

In the middle of August 2008, the river burst its man-made embankment in Nepal close to the Indian border and went massively off-course.

Millions were affected and nearly 400 people died in the ensuing floods in India’s eastern Bihar state,and tens of thousands of people in Nepal were left homeless in the floods.

**************************************************
And now for our Divine Performing Arts quote of the day
**************************************************

Our Divine Performing Arts quote of the day is from a New York doctor, Mr. Arthur Becmarrtz who attended the Divine Performance Arts performance on the January 24th at Radio City Hall.

Mr. Becmarrtz  said he plans to go to China this year and thought that the show would be a great introduction to Chinese culture.

This is what he had to say about the show:

“It’s absolutely beautiful, the colour, the music. Everything is very relaxing, it’s very different.

Don’t miss out on this extraordinary show. Go to www.divineperformingarts.org and book your ticket online.

********************

“Asia Cast … Keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the world.”