Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Wednesday April 21

In this Bulletin…

- Thousands in China affected by Iceland’s volcano ash cloud;
- Team of 20 Sherpa to recover remains on Mount Everest; and
- Young Australians skittish about home-ownership.

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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The huge ash cloud from Iceland’s recent volcanic eruption has not only caused air travel issues across Europe but all over the globe, including China.

Chinese airlines have cancelled and delayed flights to most European destinations. It has left thousands of passengers stranded, reports NTDTV. In total, at least 23 flights in Beijing have been cancelled.

Pressure has built for European Union authorities for a solution as closures of Europe’s airspace have cost the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars.

Aside from passengers being stranded, the import and export business has suffered all over the world.

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Two Chinese human rights lawyers who defended Falun Gong practitioners in court have been notified their licenses will be revoked.

The move is part of China’s crackdown in punishing lawyers who dare take on Falun Gong cases.

The lawyers had withdrawn from a court in protest six months ago. Their move was in response to a judge depriving them of their legal rights to speak in defence of Falun Gong practitioners.

They are being charged with seriously disturbing court order and interfering with normal legal proceedings. Once a law license is revoked in China, one can never practice law again.

More on this story at The Epoch Times.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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In what can be called the world’s most treacherous casualty recovery, 20 Sherpa mountaineers plan to remove bodies of climbers who died on Mount Everest.

The treacherous stretch known as Mount Everest’s “death zone” has claimed some 300 lives since 1953.

The expedition is to start on May 1. They will set up camp at the south Col, some 8,000 metres above sea level.

Every Sherpa on the team has climbed the 8,850 metre peak at least once. One Sherpa has made the trip 14 times.

Dangerous conditions have made removing climbers’ remains from the death zone nearly impossible.

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Thailand’s army has warned it will use live ammunition against red-shirt anti-government protestors. Use would be decisive.

The red-shirts later called off their march to Bangkok’s Silom business district. They said they wanted to avoid confrontation with the army.

A Thai military head told reporters they had to keep a distance between troops and demonstrators. If protestors broke the line, they would use tear gas. He said further, if the line was broken, they would need to use weapons to deal with them decisively.

Some parts of the military still deny using live ammunition during the deadly April 10 protest.

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

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Philippine communist rebels claimed victory after killing four policemen and injuring seven on Tuesday. The ambush was called a show of force before national elections by the Philippine military.

A New People’s Army (NPA) statement to news agencies claimed responsibility for the attack. The NPA had no casualties, it added.

Local military say an attempt to intimidate people ahead of May elections is likely the motive behind the ambush.

The NPA guerrillas are the armed wing of the underground Philippine communist party.

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A new survey finds more young Australians see themselves as lifelong renters as plans for home-ownership are decreasing.

More than half of the generation Y members surveyed said the prospect of heavy debt has soured their hopes for owning a home.

Data was released by the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia and Bankwest. It showed that the number of those worried about debt rose more than 10 percentage points since last November.

One in three generation Y respondents, those born between about 1980 and the early 1990s, said they expect to be permanently locked out of the housing market.

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