AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Saturday 4th July

In this Bulletin…

- Cyber, not nuclear, war greatest threat to global security;
- Beijing’s claims of economic growth questioned; and
- New dinosaurs discovered in Australia.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Security experts are warning that a cyber war is much more real threat to global security than a nuclear strike and that it could bring major cities around the world to a standstill, says The Epoch Times.

Society relies on countless computer systems for the operation of banking systems, traffic networks, hospitals and even electricity grids. These are now becoming the focus of a new security front worldwide.

There have been an increase in cyber attacks on UK telecommunications and utilities and earlier this year state-sponsored hackers had broken into computers critical to the functioning of the electricity grid network in the United States.

It is widely understood among analysts that Russia and China that are responsible for the majority of the cyber attacks, but officials from the two countries consistently deny it.

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The validity of thousands of published Chinese clinical trials for assessing new medical treatments has been called into question, according to new research funded by the Chinese Medical Board of New York.

Randomised control trials are considered the gold standard for assessing the safety of new drugs and medical procedures.

When researchers looked at thousands of trials in China they found that 93 per cent did not meet the recognised standards for randomly assigning patients to either the treatment or control group.

An unusually high number of trials also reported a positive outcome favouring the treatment under analysis.

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A recent study on the number of small to medium sized Chinese companies that have shut down due to the current financial crisis has cast doubt on Beijing’s statements over economic growth, says The Epoch Times.

A survey by The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences found 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 doing so.

Official figures from the Chinese regime reported a 6.1 per cent growth in GDP for the first quarter.

But, 99 per cent of Chinese industry is composed of small and medium-sized companies. Previously they accounted for more than 60 per cent of national GDP, 50 per cent of national revenue, and 75 per cent of urban employment.

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

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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The trial of Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been delayed by Officials in Myanmar yet again. A spokesman for her political party – the National League for Democracy – said no reason was given.

The delay is the latest in a string of postponements and comes as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in the Asian nation for talks with government officials.

Ban was disappointed at the news that his request to meet with Suu Kyi had been rejected as it was apparently one of the most important objectives of his visit.

Ban is in Myanmar at the invitation of the ruling military junta for talks that are expected to include the detention of Suu Kyi, as well as the detention of other political prisoners.

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In the Philippines, a policeman has been arrested for the murder of journalist Crispin Perez.

The shooting, in central Mindoro Occidental province month, is one of scores of alleged murders of journalists by members of the security forces.

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous places for reporters, and conviction of the killers is rare.

The latest attack on a journalist took place last week, when radio commentator Jonathan Petalvero, in southern Agusan del Sur province, was killed. No arrest has been made.

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines said 59 journalists have been killed since 2001, when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to power.

Reporters Without Borders has previously called for the United Nations to to investigate political murders in the Philippines, particularly of journalists.

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The discovery of three new species of dinosaur in Australia suggests that it may have had a more complex prehistoric past than previously thought.

The two plant-eating and one carnivore dinosaurs date back 98 million years and were found in outback Queensland. They are the first large dinosaurs unearthed since 1981.

It not only presents us with two new amazing long-necked giants, but also our first really big predator, said John Long, head of sciences at Museum Victoria.

Scott Hocknull – lead author of the discovery published in the online journal PLoS One – said there were still hundreds more fossils from the dig to prepare.

Australia’s dinosaur fossil record has been extremely poor compared with North America, South America and Africa, making these finds particularly significant.

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