Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 11th February

In this Bulletin…

- Tons of tainted milk-powder found in China’s food supply;
- Nepal med students protesting dowry system; and
- Afghan avalanche traps thousands, kills 165.

But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day

[audio]

For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

Our SOH focus on China is next

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In an update to the melamine-tainted milk powder still running through China’s food supply, recently 72 tons of tainted milk powder has been found in China’s northern Ningxia region.

According to China’s state-run news, another 100 tons could already be in stores. Authorities reportedly say the tainted milk is left over from the 2008 melamine milk scandal.

A Chinese dairy company received 170 tons of the tainted milk powder as a debt payment last July. The company then repackaged most of the milk, and sold it to five companies in Inner Mongolia and the southern provinces, Guangdong and Fujian.

See more on this story at NTDTV.

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China has recently imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 105.4 percent on imports of American poultry products.

Analysts say the higher anti-dumping duties may not be justified.

America already imports half of all China’s chicken feet imports, an item treated as a delicacy in China. This means the price sold to China could be relatively higher than that of the U.S. already.

China’s Commerce Department said it would start the tariffs on February 13th, the eve of Lunar New Year celebrations.

For more on this story, visit The Epoch Times.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Nepal medical students have started a campaign against the dowry.

Doctors are said to be those taking the highest dowry. Yet some medical students joining the campaign say doctors cannot be called educated if they give importance to dowries.

Pointing out the growing trend, one student said that ten of her classmates have already decided not to marry men demanding dowry. Dozens of male medical students vowed that they would not accept dowry.

It was reported in the past two years, two women died while two more were beaten up and thrown out of their houses owing to dowry-related disputes.

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In New Delhi, an Indian lobby group has launched the zero-value rupee to fight bureaucratic corruption.

Created by a group that helps those who are forced to grease the palms of civil servants, the protest note is literally worth only the paper it is printed on.

The note looks similar to a real 50 rupee note and was first distributed to students in Tamil Nadu to encourage them to reject India’s tip & bribe culture.

In India many have to pay extra in tips or bribes for government services such as getting a driving license, or avoiding attentions of a policeman.

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

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A well-known artistic photographer is being charged with slandering the nation of Uzbekistan through her work.

She had been facing up to three years in prison for a series of photos critics said portrayed the people of Uzbekistan as backward and poor.

However, after a guilty verdict, the judge said the photographer would be automatically pardoned under an amnesty.

The artist said her work focused on women’s rights. Her photos depict scenes of rural life in Uzbekistan. She said she will appeal the charges.

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Thousands of people were trapped by an avalanche in Afghanistan that left at least 165 dead. The avalanche had blocked a main north-south road on a mountain pass.

Villagers, rescue workers and soldiers used bulldozers and shovels to try and free the thousands trapped.

Witnesses said the cascades of snow had swept at least two buses and nine cars from the Salang Pass road into a valley floor below.

Fourteen of the rescued survivors were trapped in a bus buried under snow for 37 hours, and Afghanistan’s public health minister said that another 135 people had been injured.

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