News & Reports 2011-02-19

Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

In This Edition

Chinese authorities step up spot checks of fresh milk supplies, with reports swirling 1 that a toxic 2 substance found in milk powder a couple of years ago is now making resurgence 3.

Mourners call for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy 4, as they bury those killed during an assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought the army's tanks into the streets.

Belgium breaks Iraq's world record of 249 days without government.

And we'll have a professor from Britain's Warwick University share his views on the international credit rating system following major economic problems.

Hot Issue Reports

Revived Worry over Milk Power, Ministry 5 Says No Leather Protein Tested

Chinese authorities are stepping up spot checks of fresh milk supplies, with reports swirling that a toxic substance found in milk powder a couple of years ago is now making a resurgence.

Thousands in Bahrain Mourn Deaths, Dozens Killed in Libya Protests

Thousands of mourners have called for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy, as burials took place Friday, after a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought the army's tanks into the streets.

The outcry against Bahrain's Sunni monarchy reflects an escalation 6 of the demands from the Shiite majority in the tiny island nation.

The attack on a protest encampment in Bahrain's capital has left at least five dead and more than 230 injured.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa says the crackdown was necessary.

"The country was walking on the brink 7 of a sectarian abyss. So it was a very important step that had to happen.

Police took every care possible. There's nothing that guarantees, that mishaps 8 would happen, and that unfortunately led to deaths, but now deaths are investigated."

In Libya, soldiers have also been deployed 9 on the streets of the country's second biggest city of Benghazi, after thousands of people took to the streets overnight to protest the security forces killing 10 of more than 20 protesters.

The killings 11 have come as opponents of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's leader for more than 40 years, have designated a day of protest to try to emulate 12 the uprisings in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.

Al-Arabiya TV is reporting that Libya, the holder 13 of the Arab summit's rotating presidency 14, is now delaying the summit amid the unstable 15 situation in the Arab world.

Meanwhile in Yemen, the streets of Sanaa appear calm, despite calls on social networking sites urging Yemenis to join a so-called "Friday of Rage" in all Yemeni cities.

In Aden, in the south of Yemen, hundreds of protesters demonstrated until the early hours, demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years.

"Change is imperative 16, but through peaceful democratic means guaranteed by institutions."

"We ask the President to take care of Yemeni people, to look after everyone, not just certain groups. We want him to take care of poor people."

For more on analysis on the protests in the Gulf 17 and North Africa, we spoke 18 earlier to Li Guofu, Director of the Center of Middle East Studies, at the China Institute for International Studies.

That was Li Guofu, Director of the Center of Middle East Studies, at the China Institute for International Studies.

Presidential Election in Uganda Begins, Mouseveni Expected to Win

Voters in Uganda have been casting their ballots 19, in an election that is widely expected to see incumbent 20 Yoweri Museveni extend his 25-year grip on power.

Edward Scicluna is European Union's Chief Observer in Uganda.

"We are glad to observe that no significant violence has taken place and the process is done in a peaceful manner. That is very, very important and is the foundation of everything."

This voter says he hopes his vote will make a difference.

"It's a human right, it is our civic 21 right to decide who leads us into the next five years and we hope that it shall matter."

Opposition 22 threats of street protests and the looming 23 start of oil production has raised the stakes in the vote - just the second multiparty election to be held in Uganda in 30 years.

Museveni faces a record seven challengers.

The president faces his stiffest competition from former ally and personal physician Kizza Besigye.

Belgians 'Celebrate' 249 Days Without a Government

What would be a humiliation 24 for many has now turned into a party for Belgium, as people in the country mark 249 days without a government, a figure that they are treating as a world record in political waffling.

On every other day, the crisis pits the leaders of Belgium's 6 million Dutch-speakers against those of the 4.5 million French speakers.

But people from across the country put aside their differences to celebrate the occasion.

Around 500 Belgian demonstrators gathered in the French-speaking student town of Louvain-la-Neuve, to mark what many claimed is a new world record.

"We are here to show how fed up we are, because it is not about the languages, it is not about the different communities, it is about one country, we have a common history and we want to have a future, and that's it, we are fed up, we are really fed up."

Some are calling this the "Fries Revolution".

Fries, like the king and the under-performing national football team, are one of the few symbols that still unites Belgians.

Q&A: How to Reform of the Credit Rating System?

The world's credit-rating agencies have been under a bit of fire in recent years, given that many of them have been unable to accurately 25 predict major economic problems.

Some have pointed 26 the finger at the agencies for not being able to predict the current European debt crisis, among other things.

For more on the international credit rating system, our Zheng Chenguang ealier talked with Timothy Sinclair, a professor in the field of international credit rating system with the Warwick University in the UK.

That's Timothy Sinclair speking with our Zheng Chenguang.

Mars "Landing"

People taking part in the "Mars-500" project, a simulated journey to Mars, have been conducting experiments on the red planet's virtual surface, simulating the terrain 27 of Mars. Russia's Alexander Smoleevsky and his Chinese college Wang Yue are now stepping onto the surface of the imaginary Red planet to collect soil samples.

China Olympic Athletics 28 Team Choose Leeds as Base

As the countdown continues to the Olympic Games in London in 2012, many federations 29 are now entering their final phase of preperations.And for most, that means deciding where they will be based in the host country as they look to acclimatize. The Chinese squad 30 has announced that it will be based in Leeds in the northern region of Yorkshire, England.

Tibet-related Movies to Release

Two Chinese movies shot in Tibet are now being unveiled.

The first movie is called "Once upon a Time in Tibet" ("西藏往事"), which will open on March 25th.

It revolves 31 around a struggling romance between a troubled American Air Force pilot and a Chinese woman during the Second World War.

Another adventure film "Zhuan Shan"(转山) produced by Chen Kuo-fu, is adapted from a bestselling novel of the same title, and recounts the danger and excitement of a young man from Taiwan who cycled solo from Lijiang in Yunnan to Lhasa.

During his nearly 2,000 kilometer journey, he only spent 1,300 yuan, or $200 US dollars.

Media Digest

From the Chongqing Evening News: Police in Chongqing this week had to react quickly, after discovering a toddler riding a three-wheel mini bike on a busy highway in the city.

The three-year-old boy, named Wei Wei pedaled on the highway which goes from Chongqing to Yibin in Sichuan for about a kilometer when he was finally spotted 32 by traffic police.

The boy says he didn't know how he got to the highway. He "only followed others."

Wei Wei's grandma says he was riding the bike around their block about 3 kilometers away from the highway.

She suddenly recalled she forgot to turn off cooking gas and hurried home before telling the boy to stay where he was.

When she returned 10 minutes later, the boy was gone. Police eventually caught up to the adventurous 33 youngster in traffic, and safely returned him to his grandmother.

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

From the Shanghai Daily: The Huayi Brothers Media Group is now set to work with the District of Jiading District in Shanghai to build, what is being described as a grand Culture Town.

The Culture town is going to be set up in an existing Industrial Zone in Jiading.

The total cost of the Town hasn't been revealed, but the investment is expected to be in the range of several billion yuan.

The Culture Town will cover an area of over 666-thousand square meters.

Construction will start at the end of this year and the first phase should be completed in 2013.