Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Wednesday 22nd April

In this bulletin…

- Foreign capital withdrawal increases sharply in China;
- World is facing recession; and
- Two Top Sri Lanka Rebel Officials Surrender.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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According to the Vice President of China’s Supreme People’s Court, Xi Xiaoming, results in a survey have shown a dramatic increase in court cases which are related to more and more foreign capital being withdrawn from China.

Court cases involving disputes regarding foreign capital have increased nearly 20 per cent and the number of cases involving foreign investment withdrawal and abandonment of assets has spread rapidly across the country.

And while the numbers of private enterprise owners filing for bankruptcy has significantly increased as well, over half of those private enterprise owners filing bankruptcy have chosen to flee the country to avoid debts, in some cases with the company’s money.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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A two-year survey by state scientists has uncovered 180 miles of hidden sections of the Great Wall in China reports NTDTV.

The hidden sections are located between Hu Mountain in the northern Liaoning Province and Jiayu pass in western Gansu Province.

The newly discovered sections were constructed during the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries, but were covered up by sandstorms over the years.

The Great Wall is made of brick, stone, and packed earth. Its construction started 2,000 years ago. Its purpose was to keep out invaders from the north.

Mapping of the Great Wall will continue for at least another year. Researchers will now focus on sections built during the Qin and Han Dynasties two millennia ago.

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Eight feet and seven inches tall, Zhao Liang is now considered China’s tallest person.

After doctors measured Zhao’s height when he went to a hospital for an operation on his left foot, they found that he is eight feet and seven inches tall, which makes him t3.9 inches taller than the current tallest man in China, Bao Xishun.

Zhao’s attending physician said that he is healthy and there are no complications related to his height.

Zhao’s mom, Wang Keyun told reporters that her son’s recovery process has been successful. She said he was careful not to over eat after surgery and “only ate 14 steamed buns for lunch.”

Wang’s second biggest worry is about his marriage, she said, “He has not even found a wife; my hair has turned white worrying about it.”

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The global economy is set to decline by 1.3 per cent this year, in the first global recession since World War II, according to a new survey by the International Monetary Fund.

This is worse than the predicted outlook in January when it said the world output would increase by half a percent in 2009.

It blames the continuing overhang of losses in the financial sector which is now estimated to be at $US4 trillion dollars, four times higher than predicted just one year ago.

This year, the UK economy is projected to shrink by 4.1 per cent, Japan by 6.2 per cent, Italy by 4.4 per cent, and Germany by 5.6 per cent. The US economy is projected to decrease by 2.8 per cent while China’s economy is projected to decrease by 6.5 per cent this year and 7.5 by 2010.

The survey states that although the U.S. economy may have suffered most from intensified financial strains and the continued fall in the housing sector, Western Europe and advanced Asia have been hit hard by the collapse in global trade.

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

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As Sri Lankan government forces push deeper into rebel territory, Sri Lanka’s military says two top Tamil Tiger rebel officials have surrendered, leading to speculation that the rebels may soon be defeated.

The government has taken an aggressive stance to eliminate the Tamil Tiger rebels who have been fighting for over 25 years to create an independent homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Over 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

The army says the rebels have been cornered into an area about eight square kilometers in the northeast and they believe top rebel leaders are in that area.

Human rights groups are accusing the Tamil Tiger rebels of using civilians as their human shield against government forces who advance and are believed to be coming upon a final assault.

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In related news, Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians are occupying a tiny strip of coastal land that is being controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels according to satellite photos released by the U.S. State Department.

Officials concerned about the civilian’s well-being are saying the satellite images show 25,000 tents are in the area and that 125,000 people are trapped between the two fighting forces.

The military estimates about 81,000 people are believed to have escaped harm in recent days and claim to have rescued 35,000.

The Sri Lanka government says it is on the verge of ending the long conflict with the rebels and has turned a deaf ear to international pleas to call for a cease-fire because of heavy shelling, rocket fire and gunfire near civilians.

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And now for our Shen Yun Performing Arts quote of the day

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Mr. Yakimishyn, a Ukrainian dance instructor, singer/songwriter, and composer, was in the audience at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, capital of Alberta, Canada for the opening show of the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts Company.

Mr. Yakimishyn came to see the Shen Yun performance with his wife last year, and they could not resist coming back to see this year’s show with all new programs.

He said, “It is very beautiful, graceful, flowing, dynamic, dramatic. I love all the different patterns, the different story lines. It’s a very beautiful show, very wonderful.”

He said he very much liked the promoting of peace, love and humanity which he says he can relate to as a dancer and a performer himself.

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

SOH is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

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