Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 7th July

In this Bulletin…

- Another town in China dying;
- CCP official GDP questioned; and
- Worlds oldest Bible on internet.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
**********************

The town of Xianghe in Hunan Province, is now suffering serious poisoning from a chemicals factory that has for years been completely ignoring societal and environmental safety.

Recently two people from the Xianghe Chemical Factory have died as a direct result of cadmium poisoning with many more in critical conditions.

A local told SOH reporters that even with the recent shut down of the factory, due to complete negligence by officials and the company, the top soil in the village is completely contaminated by heavy metal poisons and the entire village is, and will suffer, long term cornice illness from this disaster.

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

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences reported a recent survey showing that 40 per cent of China’s small and medium-sized companies have closed down, and another 40 per cent are on the verge of closing down during the current financial crisis.

Moreover, 99 per cent of China’s industry is composed of small and medium-sized companies which contribute more than 60 per cent of GDP, 50 per cent of national revenue, and 75 per cent of urban employment.

This report, therefore, raises a question about the Chinese regime’s report of a 6.1 per cent GDP growth rate for the first quarter.

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

In an almost movie like spoof, U.S. marines in Afghanistan have been fooled by Afghan insurgents when they dressed up as woman.

Locked in a stand-off with U.S. Marines at the town of Khan Neshin, in south Afghanistan near the Helmand River, the militants ran into a multiple-room compound, the U.S. military said.

After finding out that there were civilians within, an interpreter organized for the civilians to be released.

When everyone had come out and dispersed, the marines found that there was no one remaining and had realized that the men had dressed up as woman and walked out with the others.

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

The brutal murder of an Egyptian woman last week has caused huge protests toward the German people and government.

Sherbini, 33, was stabbed to death in a court house by the man who she was suing for calling her a terrorist, while she was wearing a head scarf and playing with her son in a play ground, in the German city of Dresden.

Hundreds of Egyptians took part Monday in the funeral of Marwa Sherbini.

The crime is believed to be racially motivated toward Muslims. The man known as Alex A, attacked Sherbini at the court house and stabbed her 18 times before turning and stabbing her husband.

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

On Monday a series of agreements was met while President Obama visited Russia to further the progress of the two nation’s relationship, which for years has suffered from the stalemate of the past.

U.S. President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev concluded on such issues as nuclear arms reduction, as part of a broader effort to strengthen ties between the one-time Cold War rivals.

Obama stated that too often the United States and Russia only communicate on a narrow range of issues or let old habits within their bureaucracy stand in the way of progress. Both sides are committed to reductions within the treaty.

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

The world’s oldest known Christian Bible goes online Monday, and Juan Garces, the British Library project curator, said it should be no surprise that the ancient text is not quite the same as the modern one, since the Bible has developed and changed over the years.

The controversial text will know be in the hands of the greater world and many are wondering what kind of reception it will receive.

Discovered in a monastery in the Sinai desert in Egypt more than 160 years ago, the handwritten Codex Sinaiticus includes two books that are not part of the official New Testament.

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

“Asia Cast… keeping you across the to pheadlines from Asia and the World.”