Images from Asia February

The Tori Passage at the Fushimi Shrine in Kyoto, Japan .The columns
symbolize Inari the god of wealth. Each passage has been donated by
a Japanese business. Photo: FlickR User Stéfan / Creative Commons.

Dhaka (Bangladesh) traffic has been called one of the 7 wonders of
the modern world. To be fair, this is a street adjacent to New Mar-
ket and isn’t really a normal traffic road. For example, rickshaws
are prohibited. Bangladesh has been promoting the use of natural
gas (CNG) for over a decade resulting in significant reduction in
smog. Photo & Text: FlickR User: joiseyshowaa / Creative Com-
mons.

Two Babas at Bashantapur, Kathmandu waiting for tourists to bestow a blessing onto them. Locals call these Babas commercial Babas as they only approach foreigners for a blessing. Many have left their jobs as they can make more money putting on the garment of a Baba every day posing for photographs with tourists and giving flowers. These two have been depicted in multiple travel guides as their career has been spanning over a decade. Photo: FlickR User ilkerender / Creative Commons

Citizens walk in the blossoming river bank park in Chengdu,
capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Feb. 25, 2010.
Flowers bloom as the temperature rises in Chengdu.(Xinhua/
Jiang Hongjing)

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Photo Editor: Ingmar Zahorsky

China power consumption in January grows by 40pct

Xinhua quoted the National Energy Administration said in a statement that China electricity consumption in January 2010 grew 40.14% YoY to 353.1 billion kilowatt hours.

The NEA said the electricity con- sumption volume was 2.7% higher than that in December 2009. Con- sumption in the primary industry sector topped 7 billion kWhs last month up by 23.5%YoY.

Secondary industry consumption rose 45.99% to 262.4 billion kWhs and the tertiary sector demand was up 25.61% to 39.8 billion kWhs.

According to the statement resi- dential power use rose 25.9% to 44 billion kWhs. - Xinhua

Reception held on occasion of Chinese Spring Festival in Nepal

A grand dinner reception was hosted by Nepal's Araniko Society in the Nepali capital Kathmandu on Thursday to mark the Chinese Spring Festival.

The program was attended by Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Vice-Chairman of the Nepali Constituent Assembly Purna Kumari Subedi, Minister for Education Ram Chandra Kuswaha, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Qiu Guohong, among others.

Speaking at the program, Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said, "Like in Nepal, various festivals are celebrated and observed in China. New Year celebration is one of them."

"Each year the whole Chinese people whether they live inside or outside China, celebrate this festival as a first traditional holiday of the year," he added, wishing the warmth of New Year to all Chinese people.

According to Chinese lunar calendar, there are 12 animals to symbolize the year in which a person is born, and the coming year is Tiger year.

"I was told that there is a tradition and belief that those who born in Tiger Year are true friends, wary of strangers, fighting spirits, quite decisive, sensitive and deep thinking, courageous and troublesome temper," M.K. Nepal added.

Highlighting bilateral relation between the two nations, Nepal said, "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1955, we have been enjoying close relations based on five principles of peaceful co-existence. From the first day of establishment of our bilateral diplomatic relations, Nepal and China have continuously enjoyed cordial and satisfactory bilateral relations."

Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal (R) draws prize for
participants during a grand dinner reception hosted by Nepal’s
Araniko Society to mark the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival in
Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, Feb. 11, 2010.(Xinhua/He Xianfeng)

Lauding the role played by China in the process of Nepal's development, M.K. Nepal said that during the last five decades of bilateral diplomatic relations, China has extended generous supports to Nepal in areas like infrastructural development, education, health, hydropower, industrial development.

"China has made tremendous progress in the fields of economy, social and technology in the last 30 years. The Nepali people take China's such remarkable achievements positively and seek to take advantage from it to for our economic development and social advancement," he said.

He said that Nepal expects China's support particularly in the areas of infrastructural development, hydropower generation, tourism and human resource development would be very important for laying down basic foundations to achieve our aims of rapid economic growth and social transformation in Nepal.

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Qiu Guohong said, "The year 2010 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China. The Chinese side is ready to make joint efforts with the Nepalese side to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, strengthen the neighborly friendship, and further promote the mutual benefit cooperation and enhance the comprehensive relationship of cooperation."

"At the juncture point of bidding farewell to year of Ox and embracing the new year of Tiger, I would like to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes to those Nepalese people who are engaged in promoting the friendship between the two countries for many years, " Qiu added.

Likewise, President of the Araniko Society Harish Chandra Shah Shah said that every year Nepal marks Chinese New Year by organizing various programs with the leadership of Araniko Society. "Araniko Society is the alumni organization of Nepalese individuals who studied in China and can speak Chinese language.

According to Shah, Araniko Society aims to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries and promote various level of exchange programs in education, health and cultural sectors.

During the program, Nepalese students studying Chinese performed cultural instance of both countries.

Source:Xinhua

Kim inspects army unit stressing enhancing combat capability

PYONGYANG (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), inspected the command of Korean People’s Army Large Combined Unit 630, the official news agency KCNA reported on Monday.

Kim said all the soldiers of the unit have discharged their duty in a responsible manner, guarding with high vigilance, against possible aggression by enemies. He also set tasks for the unit as guidelines to increase its combat capability.

Kim visited the library and other entertainment and cultural facilities. He was very pleased to hear that all the soldiers of the unit have become avid readers. “The revolutionary habit of reading established in the whole army is an unusual feature which can be found only in our army,” he said.

Kim also praised the unit as an exemplary unit not only in military training, but political and ideological education as well.

Kim also inspected the renovated Hyangsan Hotel and enjoyed an art performance given by KPA Itinerant Youth Art Squad, the KCNA reported.

China-ASEAN free trade area starts operation

NANNING (XINHUA) China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) kicked off the world’s largest free trade area (FTA) embracing developing countries Friday as businessmen and trucks loaded with vegetables and fruits thronged border markets.

Dozens of trucks, mostly carrying dragonfruit from Vietnam, were waiting to be unloaded Friday morning at the Tianyuan Fruit Trade Market, one of China’s largest market for fruit import, at the Pingxiang Port in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

“The establishment of the free trade area is really good news for me,” said Liu Yuzhen, who has been trading fruits for 16 years.

She now sells more than 10 tonnes of apples, pears, oranges and other fruits to southeast Asia every day, and hopes her business will expand as the FTA will facilitate the customs clearance and reduce the logistics cost.

The China-ASEAN FTA covers a population of 1 billion and involves about $450 million of trade volume.

The average tariff on goods from the ASEAN countries is cut down to 0.1 percent from 9.8 percent. The six original ASEAN members, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, will slash the average tariff on Chinese goods from 12.8 percent to 0.6 percent.

By 2015, the policy of zero-tariff rate for 90 percent of traded goods is expected to extend between China and four new ASEAN members, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Vice Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said earlier the establishment of the FTA will promote the regional economic integration, benefiting companies and consumers.

China and the ASEAN launched their cooperation dia- logue in 1991 and signed the China-ASEAN Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Cooperation in 2002.

India to set up National counter terrorism center by 2010

NEW DELHI (XINHUA): In the wake of terror threats looming in the country, India Wednesday expressed the need of bifurcation of its Home Ministry to deal with internal security better and set up National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) by the end of 2010.

“Subjects not directly related to internal security should be dealt with by a separate ministry or should be brought under a separate department in the Ministry of Home Af- fairs and dealt with by a minister, more or less independently, without referring every issue to the home minister. The home minister should devote the whole of his time and energy to matters relating to security,” Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in the national capital.

Stressing that terror attacks or even threats are mostly hurting civilians, the minister proposed the formation of National Counter Terrorism Center by the end of 2010, and suggested sweeping powers for it to be the nodal agency tackling terror in India.

“Such an organization does not exist today and it has to be created from scratch. I am told that the United States was able to do it within 36 months from September 11, 2001. India cannot afford to wait for 36 months. India must decide now to go forward and India must succeed in setting up the NCTC by the end of 2010,” Chidambaram said.

“Twelve to 13 terror attacks neutralized in 2009 which could have been like Mumbai or Delhi attacks. Sooner than you think, there might be another crisis like the hijack of IC-814 and we need to restructure the security apparatus to avert such tragedies, “ he added.

The minister also said India needed more foot soldiers to fight terrorism as the response during last November’s Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed the lives of over 170 people, was inadequate.

“We need to recruit 400,000 policemen. They all need to be well trained and equipped. It’s better to have no policeman rather than having a bad one,” he said.

Nepal to face critical shortage of doctors

KATHMANDU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nepal is likely to face a critical shortage of doctors due to medical brain-drain out of the country.

According to Monday’s THT Online report, dissatisfied with the salary and perks, a physician in the capital Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital is packing off to the Philippines.

“The remuneration provided by the government hospital has failed to attract me to stick in the job,” said the residential doctor at the hospital requesting anonymity.

The doctor said that she was unable to survive in the insignificantly low salary. She works 12 hours a day in the hospital and pockets 11,000 Nepali rupees (some 148 U.S. dollars) as monthly salary.

Bir Hospital is located in central Kathmandu.
It was the first hospital in Nepal. Some of the
finest doctors of the country work at Bir Hospital.
Photo: Ingmar Zahorsky / CHINAsia Update

Two months ago, the government had hiked the salary of doctors by 3,500 rupees (some 47.2 dollars), following a string of protests. But the physicians consider the amount too paltry to motivate them.

In addition to the low salary and perks, doctors cite wanton behavior of the public including the recent incidences of attacks on hospitals and medical personnel as a de-motivating factor for doctors to stay in the country.

Senior physicians say the rush for greener pastures could have debilitating impact on the country’s ability to fight diseases.

“If the exodus continuous at the present level in 10 years the government hospitals will be emptied of doctors,” warned Dr Kedar Narsingh KC, president of Nepal Medical Association (NMA).

The brain-drain figures unveiled by the NMA are staggering. If the latest statistics is anything to go by, out of the registered 9,000 doctors, only 4,000 are currently serving the nation. The remaining ones have either left the country or are in a process to emigrate.

According to the report, among those 4,000 doctors currently in the country, 75 percent of them are serving in the private hospitals and clinics. The government hospitals are virtually dry with merely 900 doctors, many of them already heading for greener pastures.

According to NMA, the medical drain is fuelled largely by the state inability to tap qualified and trained human resource through salary and perks and that it lacks a clear-cut policies in health sector.

“The government has not reviewed its health policy since 1985 and the posting of medics is based on the old provision,” he added.

The doctor-patients ration in the countryside, outside the Kathmandu Valley is even more worrisome with a doctor having to serve at least 30,000 patients. In the urban areas, the doctor- patients ratio stands at 1:1000.