Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Wednesday 4th October

In this Bulletin…

- Landslide dangers from filling of Three Gorges Dam;
- Floods in Vietnam leave dozens dead; and
- Burmese leaders meet U.S. delegates.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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China’s state council has given the green light to fill the Three Gorges Dam, situated along the Yangtze River in central Hubei Province, over one hundred feet higher, something experts warn is known for triggering landslides.

As 17 years of work on the dam comes to completion, in the city of Chongqing, the influx of water into the dam has caused mountainous areas to become unstable.

Water expert Professor Wang Weiluo told SOH Radio that according to research done by the U.N., a major cause of dam-triggered earthquakes is increased water pressure pushing onto the rocks when the water levels of dams is increased.

See more on this at NTDTV.

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Chinese scientists tinkering with the weather caused millions of tons of snow to fall on Beijing over the weekend, delaying 523 flights from the capital and infuriating passengers, reported The Epoch Times.

The Beijing Weather Modification Office induced the first snow of the season, a month earlier than usual, after firing 186 silver iodide capsules into the clouds, according to Weather China.

The snowfall inconvenienced more than 10,000 airline passengers and delayed 523 flights at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

Read more on this at The Epoch Times.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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The death toll from severe flooding in Vietnam triggered by a tropical storm has risen to about 90, officials say.

Tropical storm Mirinae caused widespread damage in central provinces when it struck on Monday.

Hundreds of houses were destroyed and tens of thousands of people stranded by flood waters, local reports said.

In the worst-hit province of Phu Yen, the disaster committee described it as the most devastating flooding in more than 30 years.

Some 2,000 soldiers have been sent to help with the rescue effort. Disaster officials said information was still trickling in from isolated areas and the death toll could rise.

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The price of gold has touched an all-time high of US$1,095 and five cents an ounce in London, after a large sale of the precious commodity by the International Monetary Fund to India.

Buyers moved in after the IMF decision to sell 200 tonnes of gold to India’s central bank.

Gold and other commodity prices have surged recently as investors have moved away from the US dollar.

The sale to India was nearly half the 403.3 tonnes of gold the IMF has targeted for sale over the coming years.

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

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Afghan police may have been infiltrated by the Taliban to carry out the fatal shootings of five British soldiers in Afghanistan, said UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The British military blamed Tuesday’s attack in Helmand on a rogue Afghan policeman, but Prime Minister Brown said possible Taliban involvement was being examined.

The Grenadier Guard, two fellow guards and two Royal Military Police died. They had been mentoring Afghan police.

Prime Minister Brown also said that Taliban have claimed responsibility for the incident, however, a BBC Kabul correspondent later said the Taliban had not admitted to carrying out the attack.

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Two senior United States envoys, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and his deputy have held separate talks with Burma’s Prime Minister Thein Sein and detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is the highest level contact between the two governments in more than a decade.

Mr. Campbell met the prime minister in the capital, Naypyitaw, before flying to Rangoon to meet Ms. Suu Kyi.

No details of either set of talks has been released yet, however the fact that Suu Kyi was seen in public and was allowed to meet such a high-level U.S. delegation is being seen as positive.

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