Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Saturday 17th April

In this Bulletin …

- Over 1000 found dead from China earthquake;
- External explosion in South Korea found to sunk ship; and
- Peace plan on whaling to go forward this year.

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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Over 1,000 people have been found dead from the massive earthquake that struck China’s Qinghai province. The official number of those killed stands at 1,144.

Four-hundred and seventeen are still missing and 11, 744 have been injured, a rescue spokesman told state media.Thousands have lost their houses, forcing them to sleep outdoors in freezing temperatures.

Rescue workers have supplied food, tents and medical supplies, but they say more is needed.

The urgent search for survivors continues with soldiers, civilian rescue workers and Buddhist monks using pickaxes, shovels and their bare hands to pick through the rubble.

Premier Wen Jiabao has promised to an all out effort to rebuild the area.

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Parents in Southern China who violate family-planning rules will be forced to be sterilized, state media has reported.

More than 1,300 people have been detained by family planning authorities in Puning, a city in the southern province of Guangdong.

The officials are detaining those parents who have refused to undergo the surgical procedure in the past.

They are being kept at local government buildings and lectured on family planning rules.

Family planning policies in China limit families to one child, with exceptions given to rural farmers, ethnic minorities and other groups.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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China’s decrease in the export of rare earth minerals may cause problems for the U.S Department of Defense, a recent government report showed.

The report showed growing concern’s that if China did reduce the supply of the much-needed minerals, it could impact critical military uses.

Rare earth minerals are used in almost every electronic device, from cell phones to guided missiles. China holds 97 per cent of the production of these minerals.

The U.S is now looking for other avenues to obtain rare earth materials, should China continue to reduce their export of the rare earth materials.

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A South Korean investigator has found that an external explosion was the most likely cause of the mysterious sinking of a naval ship.

Yoon Duk-yong, the co-head of a government-appointed team to investigate the March 26 sinking of the corvette Cheonan, said that his findings are based on first round investigations of the stern wreckage.

He added that a detailed investigation was still to be made and they would not leave out any possibilities.

Of the 104-man crew aboard the Cheonan, 58 men were rescued from the sea on the night of the explosion. Thirty-eight bodies have so far been recovered and eight are still missing.

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A UN report has found that the assassination of ex-Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, in 2007 could have been prevented.

The report also added that the following inquiry into her death was ruined. It was found that not enough security measures were taken by the government of then President Pervez Musharraf.

The report concluded that police purposely did not investigate the murder properly, as they feared intelligence agency involvement.

However, an aide to President Musharraf said the report was a not true.

A rally in the city of Rawalpindi by the independent UN commission of inquiry urged the authorities to launch a credible, serious investigation into Ms Bhutto’s death and bring those responsible to justice.

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A final decision on a plan to compromise between whaling nations and their opponents will almost certainly come to governments this year.

Sources say the plan may involve Japan accepting quotas below current levels. However Iceland is not accepting proposed catch limits and an international trade ban.

Several anti-whaling countries see the plan as the only way to limit whale hunting.

But other countries may hold out for a complete end to the practice.

The package may be finalised and lodged with the International Whaling Commission by next Thursday.

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“Asia Cast … Keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the world.”