Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Sunday 22nd March

In this Bulletin…

- Head chefs lift lid on toxic additives;
- Shocking footage show China lying again; and
- World Bank predicts up to 2 percent down turn.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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Another finding of harmful additives being put into Chinese made products has come to the light of day in China.

Mr Li, a baker from Xi’An has revealed to the Huashangbao newspaper that bleaches and even DDT is added to the Chinese buns to improve texture and size.

Mr Li revealed that he was taught this way, and that the cheapest way that bakers use to improve the look and texture of the buns is to add burning sulphur to the dough.

Over recent years the shocking findings of poisonous and harmful China made products has caused some countries to ban China made products, which has angered the Chinese Communist Regime.

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In recent days the head chefs of seven famous seafood restaurants in Qingdao’s Sifang district revealed the extent of malpractices and food safety violations at those restaurants.

They have revealed the use of duck meat marinated in Sheep urine to make cheaper fake mutton, the rampant use of carcinogenic dyes used to make seafood look fresh and yeast fermentation in place of oyster meat.

The chefs have come to the public because many of the practices that they are uncovering may well be harmful to consumers health. Many of these practices are done merely to reduce the overheads of their meals so as to make a greater profit.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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A rare and shocking piece of video footage has been revealed by the Tibetan Government in Exile showing the severe treatment that the Tibetan people received at the hands of the Chinese Communist Regime during the protests in Lhasa last year.

The focus globally has been the footage of a young Tibetan being tortured by Chinese Authorities. It shows him where he was reportedly fired at, beaten with an electric baton, burned with cigarettes, and his right foot was pierced by a nail.

The Chinese Communist Regime had firmly denied that any Tibetan person had been tortured.

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Three million people took to the streets in a second round of protests in France on Thursday. The economic crisis has hit all countries hard and many French are angered by the reports of rampant corporate excess in this time of financial crisis. They are centering their protest toward the president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Thousands chanted and held up placards with the words “Get lost you little jerk!”, a comment made by Sarkozy to a protestor at an agriculture show. There was a brief clash between youth and police at the end of the main union rally in Paris but no other clashes were reported.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network

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Gaza war veteran soldiers have revealed that war crimes were committed during the 22 day Israeli offensive that ended in January, a campaign that Palestinians and human rights groups have said warranted war crimes probes. The unwarranted killing of civilians and vandalism were amongst the experiences shared by the soldiers.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak responded to the accusations by repeating Israel’s description of its armed forces as the most moral in the world. The military said its judge advocate-general had ordered an investigation of the alleged incidents.

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Bob Zoellick, World Bank President has said that rapidly approved stimulus plans worldwide could spark another crash in financial markets. This was projected at a forum in Belgium on Saturday. The World Bank has stated it expects a global economic decline of between 1 to 2 percent, and has stated that Global economic recovery won’t come until 2010.

According to an IMF report, the world’s economic powers will struggle to break even in the New Year, while developing nations’ economies will surge by up to 4.5 percent.

Our world has not seen a 2 percent drop in the global economy since World War II or the days of the Great Depression.

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And now for our Shen Yun quote of the day

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Priya Raju, Director of Kripalaya Dance Academy in Tulsa U.S.A saw the show and had this to say:

She said it was wonderful with incredibly intricate dance movements and amazing colours. She expressed that she felt privileged to see the show.

Experience true Chinese culture like never before as Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music in gloriously colourful and exhilarating shows.

The Divine Performing Arts world tour is coming to a city near you soon. Don’t miss out, visit www.divineperformingarts.org today.

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