Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Sunday 26th April

In this bulletin …

-Twenty dead in tourist bus crash;
-Severe sandstorms hit northwest China; and
-North Korea urged back to talks.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Two more people have die due to the injuries they sustained after a crash between a tourist bus and a truck in southwestern China, raising the death toll to 20 in total.

The accident occurred early on Saturday morning in the remote province of Yunnan, when a truck smashed into the back of the bus, causing it to flip over and skid along the highway.

Another 21 people were injured, three of whom remain in hospital with life-threatening conditions.  The death toll included the two people in the truck.

The bus was packed with tourists mainly from Beijing, and it is still uncertain whether any foreigners were involved.

China’s roads are extremely dangerous, largely due in part to rampant careless driving.

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In northwest China a sandstorm has battered the region covering homes, streets and cars in brown dust and leaving the skies a murky yellow, as reported by NTDTV

The sandstorm swept across five major regions of northwest China, including Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It delayed numerous flights stranding thousands of passengers, caused schools to close down and has caused massive losses to agriculture.

The sandstorm hit Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu province, in the morning and reduced visibility to less than 500 meters.  In some areas, the sandstorm lasted over 16 hours and visibility fell to around 20 meters.

Desertification of China’s west and Mongolian steppes has made spring sandstorms worse in recent years. They are now reaching as far away as South Korea and Japan, turning rain and snow yellow.

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And now here’s the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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North Korea is being urged by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to return its obligations to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Earlier, North Korea announced it had started re-processing spent fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear plant.

Mrs. Clinton said she hoped the US and its partners would be able to resume discussions with Pyongyang.

Pyongyang pulled out of six-party talks last week, in response to world condemnation of a recent missile test.

The reprocessing is a possible move towards producing weapons-grade plutonium.

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Two US journalists are to face trial after they were arrested by North Korea near its border with China.

Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, who work for Current TV, were detained on the 17th of March.

North Korea said it had decided to charge the two women after completing an inquiry into their “crimes” accusing them both of illegally crossing the border from China.

State media announced earlier this month that it would put the reporters on trial for “hostile acts” and illegally entering the country.

The latest announcement appears to indicate an investigation has been completed to support formal charges, although what those charges are precisely remains unclear.

The Associated Press says the women could face up to five years in prison if convicted of espionage.

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And now for our Shen Yun quote of the day

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Tonight is the last night the Shen Yun will be in Sydney for their final performance at the famous NIDA theatre.

Gary, a retired art teacher attended the matinee show and had this to say. The whole show was fantastic… I was most impressed by the backdrops with all the beautiful scenic pictures.

As Sydney farewells the Shen Yun troupe, eager audiences in Los Angeles will be awaiting them.

Visit www.divineperformingarts.com to find out when this spectacular show will be in your local city.

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