Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 26th November

In this Bulletin…

- Heavy fog causes travel chaos across China;
- Taiwanese company turning scrap computers into gold; and
- Arrests expected in Philippines massacre.

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

Extreme weather conditions continue to cause chaos across China. The latest incident to strike central and eastern regions is heavy fog.

Two people were killed and 14 injured in a 32 vehicle collision on Tuesday. Dozens of highways have been closed and flights remain grounded.

In some areas of Shandong Province visibility was less than three metres. In Shaanxi Province, the fog stranded hundreds of drivers on highways for days.

More than 100 flights were cancelled in central China. Traffic on waterways and rivers was also stopped.

The National Meteorological Center said the fog is not expected to burn off for a few days.

Watch NTDTV for more.

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

Amnesty International has received information that a worker from a Beijing NGO has returned to her family home in Fujian Province after being released from police custody.

Lu Zhuang worked for the Open Constitution Initiative, a legal aid and research organization known as Gongmeng in Chinese.

On July 19, she was detained by police along with Xu Zhiyong, the founder of the organisation. According to her friends, police sent Lu back to Fujian province on August 23.

Lu has only had limited contact with friends and family since her release. Police have warned her not to speak to the media about her detention.

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

And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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

A Taiwanese company recycling electronic waste is literally turning old computers into gold.

Super Dragon Technology Industry takes in 18-thousand old computers a month. The company is able to produce around a kilo of gold and over 12 thousand kilos of copper from two-months-worth of computers.

The circuit board inside each PC board contains approximately three US dollars in metals.

The companies general manager, Ken Wu, told NTDTV they are trying to develop other green business opportunities by utilising the fibre glass pellets made from crumbled up circuit boards. They are currently producing plastic sculptures as well as turning some of the fibreglass into landscaping and construction materials.

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

Vietnam’s government has approved plans for a nuclear power project despite critics raising safety concerns.

The draft law on nuclear electricity was approved by three-quarters of the deputies present in the single-chamber national assembly.

According to the government’s plans, at least one reactor should be operational from 2020. Four reactors are being planned in total. They could meet up to 30 per cent of Vietnam’s power needs by 2050.

A booming economy means the country’s energy needs are growing by an estimated 15 per cent annually on average.

Critics have objected that the country lacks workers qualified to operate the plants. They also have concerns relating to the planed security guarantees, notably relating to nuclear waste.

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

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

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

At least 57 unarmed civilians are now known to have been massacred in the Philippines on Monday.

A spokesman for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said those responsible were expected to be arrested before Friday.

Spokesman Cerge Remonde said the deaths were the result of a political clan war, not Muslim secessionism in a troubled region.

State-run media said that the paramilitary force suspected of having a role in the massacre has been disbanded by the authorities.

The Philippine government is under intense pressure to find the culprits responsible for planning and carrying out the abduction and killings of politicians, lawyers, journalists and reportedly some bystanders.

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

An iceberg warning has been issued to shipping in the southern Pacific Ocean after more than 100 were spotted drifting towards New Zealand.

Some of the icebergs are 200 metres in size. It is thought that they have broken off from an Antarctic ice floe.

Many scientists have said they believe these segments will break up long before reaching the New Zealand coastline.

The last time such a large flotilla was spotted so nearby was in 2006.

Maritime New Zealand has issued the alert to vessels in the area although it is not a major shipping lane.

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

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