Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 23rd March

In this Bulletin…

- Report may find China a currency manipulator;
- Hong Kong air pollution at all-time high; and
- New genetic microchip to assess Australian waters.

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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China’s Yuan currency is on centre stage globally as a U.S Treasury Report is due out soon. It will officially give an indication whether China is manipulating its currency.

If China is found to be manipulating its currency, countervailing duties will be imposed. If not, the Treasury will have to spell out why China is not controlling the Yuan’s exchange rate.

How China reacts to being labelled a currency manipulator will draw global attention from economists and foreign policy experts.

For an analysis on this issue, visit The Epoch Times.

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Hundreds of Beijing 2003 SARS survivors are suffering from crippling disabilities caused by experimental treatments, reports NTDTV.

More than 300 SARS survivors were treated with the hormone Glucocorticoid. However, it left them with degenerative conditions that cause scarring of the lungs, death of bone tissue and depression.

One doctor involved in the treatment said the hormone was experimental. He called the patients, victims and said life for them is harder than death.

Officials were warned about the dangers of the treatment in 2003, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the Beijing Health Bureau admitted the treatment was debilitating.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Hong Kong’s air pollution levels have reached epic proportions, and people are being warned to avoid the outdoors.

Reports say some Air Pollution Index (API) readings were more than double the level at which people should stay indoors. The API is a ratio of the concentration of pollutants in the air, including sulfur dioxide and lead.

The extremely high levels trail severe sandstorms thousands of kilometres to the north around the Chinese capital.

Officials are saying the sandstorms have intensified Hong Kong’s worsening smog problems.

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North Korea has decided to put a U.S. citizen on trial for illegally entering the country, its state-run news said.

The American is 30-year-old Aijalon Mahli Gomes from Boston, according to North Korean reports. It said his crime has been confirmed but did not give further details on the incident.

In late January, North Korea said it had detained an unidentified American. Last week, the U.S. said North Korea allowed a diplomat to visit the detainee. The diplomat was from the Swedish Embassy.

The U.S. has not named the American detainee.

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

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The Indian state of Kerala says Coca-Cola must pay US$47 million dollars in compensation for environmental damages to the southern Indian state.

The state has accepted findings from an investigation into allegations of environmental damage against the Palakkad district plant; one of Coca-Cola’s largest plants in India.

The plant was forced to close in 2005 after activists and local residents protested.

The company is accused of depleting the groundwater in the area, as well as damaging farmland and the local environment, by dumping waste between 1999 and 2004.

Coke says the findings are unfounded.

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A genetics microchip holding the DNA patterns of more than 42,000 marine-life organisms will be used in Sydney, Australia by aquatic ecologists.

The chip will allow scientists to quickly assess water quality and biodiversity at any site. It will also let them look at a larger range of species. Where once they were limited to viewing about 40 species they can now look at tens of thousands.

The broader range will provide a faster, more accurate picture of the health of a body of water.

The scientists did their own DNA sequencing of about 10,000 of the 42,000 organisms in Sydney Harbour.

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