CRI 中国国际广播电台 2010-04-18

Broadcasting Time: 07:00-08:00, GMT+08:00, 2010-04-18

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

In This Edition

The death toll 1 climbs to over 14 hundred from a devastating 2 earthquake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, with over 300 still missing.

A lingering volcanic 3 ash plume 4 extended no-fly restrictions 5 over much of Europe.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says any revision of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "must be done by independent countries who do not own nuclear weapons".

And the U.S. government has accused investment bank Goldman Sachs of defrauding 6 investors 7 by failing to disclose conflicts of interest in mortgage investments it sold as the housing market was collapsing 8.

Hot Issue Reports

Relief Materials to Get Quake-hit Yushu

Despite the high altitude and unfavourable weather conditions, both of which are complicating 9 rescue efforts in the quake-hit Yushu prefecture of northwest China's Qinghai Province, officials say they are confident they can deliver relief materials to quake survivors 10 in time.

Volcano Cause Wider Flight Chaos 11

A lingering volcanic ash plume extended no-fly restrictions over much of Europe on Saturday, as scientists warned that activity at a volcano in Iceland had increased and showed no sign of abating 12.

Scientists say that because the volcano is situated 13 below a glacial ice cap, the magma is being cooled quickly, causing explosions and plumes 14 of grit 15 that can be catastrophic to plane engines if prevailing 16 winds are right.

An expansive cloud of grit hovered 17 over parts of western Europe on Saturday, triggering extended flight bans that stranded 18 people around the globe.

"(I'm) beside myself because I've got no money left, don't know where to go, what to do, on my own. So, yeah, (I'm) completely lost."

"It's an absolute nightmare. Nobody tells you anything. They said they were going to come down and tell us within the hour, and nobody came down and told us anything until the next day."

"They're providing us with food and water and drinks and blankets. Obviously, the floor's hard, but we've gotten through the night."

Forecasters said light prevailing winds in Europe - and large amounts of unmelted glacial ice above the volcano - mean that the situation is unlikely to change in the coming days.

Southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano began erupting for the second time in a month on Wednesday, sending ash several miles into the air.

Ahmadinejad Addresses Opening of Nuclear Conference

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that any revision of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "must be done by independent countries who do not own nuclear weapons".

The five-year review of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, will be held at UN Headquarters in New York next month.

"The presence of those who possess nuclear weapons, particularly the American government, will impede 19 the formation of an agreement and just commitment."

The United States and its allies are pressing for the quick adoption 20 of an array of tough sanctions to pressure Iran into starting negotiations 21 regarding its nuclear programme, which they suspect is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charge, saying it aims to use the programme to generate electricity and for other peaceful purposes.

In US President Barack Obama's recent announcement of a new US nuclear strategy, which included a vow 22 not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them, Iran and North Korea were pointedly 23 left out of that pledge because Washington accuses them of not co-operating with the international community on non-proliferation standards.

European Leaders Have to Cancel Their Trip to Poland Due to Hazardous 24 Flying Conditions

Thousands of mourners gathered within and outside Warsaw's Gothic cathedral late on Saturday to pay their respects to President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria during evening mass.

Primate 25 Henryk Muszynski paid high tribute to the president in the congregation.

"He was a great patriot 26 and a great Pole, a builder of solidarity 27 and a free Poland. He fought with a great determination for the ideals of solidarity. He believed in the winning of solidarity ideas despite many difficulties and martial 28 law."

The bodies of the first couple were brought to the cathedral late on Saturday and will remain there overnight until they are taken early on Sunday to Krakow for the state funeral.

The thickening cloud of volcanic ash over Europe caused some world leaders - including President Barack Obama, German Chancellor 30 Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper - to cancel plans to attend Sunday's state funeral.

Earlier, Presidential Palace spokesman Jacek Sasin stated it was the will of the family that under no circumstance the date of the funeral be changed.

Bombs in Pakistan Refugee Camp Kill at Least 41

Two suicide bombers 32 dressed in burqas blew themselves up on Saturday in a camp for internally displaced people fleeing military offensives in northwestern Pakistan. A government official said 41 people were killed and 62 were wounded in the attack.

The two suicide bombers struck six minutes apart at a camp in the Kacha Pukka area of Kohat, a tribally 33 administered region close to the Afghan border. They were dressed in burqas, the all-encompassing veil worn by conservative Muslim women in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Inyat Khan, a bomb disposal squad 34 official confirmed after an investigation 35 that two suicide attacks had happened.

"We collected evidence, the pieces of two suicide jackets, one head and three legs of the suicide bombers. Thirty people died in these explosions."

The blasts occurred at a food distribution point. There is no claim of responsibility, but that is not unusual when bomb attacks kill ordinary Pakistani citizens.

The Army Commander in Charge of Restoring Order in Thailand

Thailand's prime minister has put the country's army commander in charge of restoring order in the wake of bloody 36 political unrest.

The Army chief was appointed deputy prime minister after a botched raid on Friday to arrest antigovernment protest leaders.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke 31 on Friday in a special television broadcast on all stations.

"Before Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban was handling all the emergency situations. Right now, we decided 37 to make the command line more effective and swifter. I have made an order to change the person in charge to Anupong Paochinda, the Chief of the Army."

Anupong's appointment appears to be an attempt to send a signal that the prime minister is willing to raise the stakes by letting the army take direct charge of security.

Troops have failed to clear "red shirt" protesters who have besieged 38 Bangkok during the past month.

A major attempt to clear one of the two main protest sites last Saturday ended in fierce clashes that left 24 people dead and more than 800 injured.

Light News

Bakiyev's Departure Eased Discontent in Kyrgyzstan

Shots fired by Kyrgyzstan's guard service into a crowd of protesters in the capital Bishkek on April 7th has intensified 39 public discontent with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

On Thursday, Bakiyev flew to neighboring Kazakhstan under a plan negotiated by the U.S., Russian and Kazakh presidents, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Interim 40 leader Roza Otunbayeva showed the Associated Press what she said was a formal letter of resignation handwritten by the president.

Otunbayeva also said on Friday the country would push for an international investigation into the violence.

"Bakiyev won't evade 41 justice. He will not be able to hide anywhere in the world. None of the relatives or allies of Bakiyev that were with him until the end have been allowed out of the country."

Bakiyev's departure has raised hopes for a quick settlement of the crisis in the former Soviet 42 republic.

It is unclear how long he will remain in Kazakhstan.

SEC Accuses Goldman Sachs of Securities Fraud

The U.S. government has accused investment bank Goldman Sachs of defrauding investors by failing to disclose conflicts of interest in mortgage investments it sold as the housing market was collapsing.

The Securities and Exchange Commission says in a civil complaint that Goldman failed to disclose that one of its clients helped create subprime mortgage securities that Goldman sold to other investors.

Art Hogan is Chief Market Analyst 43 at Jeffries and Co.

"The SEC (Securities and Exchanges Commission) is saying Goldman was deceptive 44 and misleading in the way they marketed a particular product."

Goldman Sachs denies the allegations. In a statement, it calls the SEC's charges "completely unfounded in law and fact" and says it will contest them.

Two European banks that bought the securities lost nearly one billion dollars.

The SEC is seeking to recoup profits reaped on the deal through unspecified fines and restitution 45 from Goldman Sachs.

Final Rallies ahead of Turkish Cypriot Vote for New Leader

Turkish Cypriots will vote on Sunday for a new leader in an election cast as a choice between a dovish incumbent 46 striving for reunification with rival Greek Cypriots and a hard-line challenger seeking to bolster 47 a breakaway state.

Opinion polls indicate that most of the 164-thousand voters in the Turkish Cypriot north of the divided island will vote for right-winger Dervis Eroglu to replace Mehmet Ali Talat.

"I believe for the Turkish Cypriot people, Mr. Eroglu will win. We trust him. I don't trust Talat. Eroglu I trust."

"Who is the winner? Turkey is the winner, because who (ever) wants Turkey, he is going to win. It will not make any difference if Mehmet Ali (Talat) or if Eroglu wins."

A Turkish Cypriot swing to the right has sparked fears that slow-moving reunification talks between Talat and Dimitris Christofias, the island's Greek Cypriot president, could be scuttled 48.

Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a short-lived coup 29 by supporters of a union with Greece.

Red Bull Take Front Row After Thrilling Climax 49 to Qualifying

Red Bull stormed to a qualifying pole at the Shanghai Grand Prix with two fine laps at the death in the final qualifying phase.

There were chaotic 50 scenes at the climax to the qualifying session with pole position changing hands four times in as many minutes.

Media Digest

Chinese High Economic Growth Rate Sparks Overheating Concerns

China's trade surplus shrank by about 80 percent year on year in the first quarter. However, a double digit 51 GDP growth rate powered by fixed-asset investment and domestic consumption has surpassed the momentum 52 of previous years over the same period, proving that the government's fight against the worst global recession in decades is bearing fruit.

By tapping into the huge potential of its domestic demand, an editorial in China Daily argues that China is well poised 53 to sustain its stronger-than-expected economic recovery.

Rather than signs of an overheating economy, many economists 54 believe economic growth may slow down in the second half of 2010 according to People's Daily Online.

As economic growth during the same time last year was relatively 55 low, it's too premature 56 to say that China's economy is overheating based on the high year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2010. Compared to the impact of low figures from last year, economic indexes are only at the "normal growth" level.

The editorial points out that the country's consumer inflation remained at the mild level of 3 percent in the past quarter, according to estimates. However this "so far, so good" consumer price level has not been enough to calm all concerns about overheating.

The editorial still warns that while the current consumer price index may not necessarily point to imminent 57 inflation, policymakers should be aware of the looming 58 perils 59 of rapid growth.

According to customs figures, the rise in prices has played a much bigger role than the increase in the volume of imports of raw materials in accelerating China's import growth in March, resulting in the first monthly trade deficit 60 in the past 70 months.

The editorial concludes that under such circumstances, a domestic investment boom will likely fuel more imported inflation to choke the country's sustainable growth. First quarter growth figures may look good, but that only prove the success of the country's previous stimulus 61 package. What China and the world economy need is a successful exit strategy.

Beijing News: Beyond the Symbolic 62

A minor 63 detail in etiquette 64 calls for state leaders to be welcomed by their compatriots at the airports of the countries they travel to on official visits.

The cancellation 65 of this ritual during Chinese President Hu Jintao's recent trip to the United States was welcomed by Chinese citizens both at home and abroad. There were no welcome banners from the overseas Chinese in the U.S. when Hu arrived at the airport in Washington on Monday.

An editorial in the "Beijing News" says the end of this welcome ritual indicates state leaders have placed priority on the interests of the people rather than symbolic and ostentatious ceremonies. It is also a reflection of a change in the concept of power.

The move is part of a reform of such rituals over the past three decades. In 1978, the ceremony to welcome foreign state leaders was relocated from the Beijing airport to the Great Hall of the People, and students were no longer organized to welcome foreign guests on both sides of Chang'an Avenue in the capital. In the 1980s, ceremonies to see off and welcome state leaders before and after their overseas trips were also canceled.

By abandoning such rituals, state leaders are observing the "people-first" principle of government. They are also sending a message to their local counterparts that there is no need to focus on ostentatious and symbolic procedures. Instead, they need to think about using their authority for the good of the people.

The editorial believes that this is a good way for government leaders to earn real respect and trust from the people they are supposed to serve. By eliminating such ceremonies, they save the taxpayers 66 money and allocate 67 national resources to where they are truly needed.

The editorial suggests that local leaders follow suit and carry out substantial actions to serve the interest of the people rather than take pleasure in symbolic ceremonies that embellish 68 their power and prestige. It says that doing so would earn them no less respect from the public.