Cempaka Asean

China rebel village takes halting democratic step

2012-02-02T03:06:00.001+07:00

Reuters, byJames Pomfret, WUKAN, China, Wed Feb 1, 2012

Villagerswrite ballots at voting booths inside a classroom at a school, turned

into apolling station, at Wukan village in Lufeng, Guangdong province

February1,2012. (Credit: Reuters/Bobby Yip)

(Reuters) -Residents of a restive village in southern China held a symbolic election onWednesday, a small step towards grassroots rights in a centre that is now abenchmark of rural defiance against land grabs and corruption that blightvillages nationwide.

Therebellion last year against abuse of power and the illegal sale of hundreds ofhectares of farmland in coastal Wukan have become a benchmark of rural defianceagainst land grabs and corruption that blight villages nation-wide.

More than6,000 villagers streamed into a school amid brilliant sunshine. The open-airelection was held in a courtyard before a red election banner as patrioticsongs blared from speakers.

At the endof polling, villagers burned unused ballot papers and clapped in jubilation ata largely orderly and trouble-free poll with turnout well over 80 percent.

"Thisfar exceeded our expectations," said Yang Semao, a village elder whohelped officiate. "It shows our passion for democracy."

Earlier,Xue Jianwan, daughter of village protest organizer Xue Jinbo, who died inpolice custody last year sparking further protests, visited her father'smemorial in the village square before voting. His body, which family memberssaid bore marks of torture, has yet to be returned by authorities.

"Thisis something my father would have hoped for," she said, bursting intotears after casting her ballot. "We just want to do our best to fulfillhis final wishes."

The pollwill select an independent election committee to oversee upcoming ballots,including one for the village committee on March 1.

WithChina's top leadership jockeying for power ahead of a succession in the autumnthat will usher in a new generation of leaders, the smooth handling of theWukan unrest has been paramount for Guangdong's Communist Party boss Wang Yang,one of the country's most prominent officials.

Severaldozen police in green uniforms and caps guarded the entrance of the school,with several police vans nearby.

Flanked bysea and mountains in a remote pocket of the economic powerhouse of Guangdongprovince, villagers had looked forward to Wednesday's ballot after sufferingunder the previous Communist party village secretary, toppled in last year'sturmoil after decades in the post.

"For40 years we've never had a proper election," said a bouffant-hairedvillager named Chen Junchao ahead of the election of the 11 election committeemembers by around 7300 eligible voters.

"I'venever seen these papers before," said Chen, clutching a white ballotregistration slip stamped with a red ink government seal. "I was cryingwhen I saw this."

Not allwere optimistic. One young woman with a baby swaddled against her said she wasconcerned a power struggle was under way for the March 1 village committeeseats that could see some of the old corrupt guard regain influence.

"I'm alittle worried for the future," she said, declining to give her name.

A fewvillagers scuffled angrily with election officials, saying they were issued novoter registration slips and refused permission to vote. Otherwise, pollingappeared smooth, though underlying bitterness and suspicion remained.

UNREST LEDTO ELECTORAL STEPS

Village-levelelections are common, if still stage-managed by the Communist Party. Thesituation in Wukan, however, is unique in that its fledgling electoral stepswere wrought from the jaws of unrest.

Afterrioting in September, residents expelled the old village guard and barricadedthemselves in for a 10-day stand-off in December.

The moveforced concessions from Wang's provincial government, which acknowledged therehad been mistakes at the local level and granted the village a chance to wipethe slate clean and elect true people's representatives.

TheCommunist Party, which maintains single-party authority across the government,from Beijing to the province, city, county and township, wields absolutecontrol, but began experimenting with grassroots democracy in the 1980s underthen paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.

The approachto Wukan contrasts sharply with the response to recent unrest among ethnicTibetans, who have been met with truncheons and bullets that killed severalprotesters in Sichuan province. The success of his approach could be pivotalfor Wang's prospects to advance to the top echelons of power at the CommunistParty's 18th Congress later this year.

Whilegrassroots level elections are common, so are efforts to influence the outcomefrom above.

"Before,if someone wanted to get elected, they'd spend 30,000 yuan ($4,700). Today,they spend 10 times that. This is really indicating the competitiveness goingon," said Baogang He, chair of international studies at Deakin Universityin Australia and author of "The Democratization of China."

With Wukan,he said: "Everyone is watching, so this time it's probably unlikely. Butnaturally it happens. Maybe they will hold dinners, then hand out cigarettepacks."

Few expectthe ripples of Wukan's experiment with more democracy to spread far.

"I thinkif higher ups don't intervene and they reach a truly fair election, then we arehopeful about the situation in Wukan," said Li Fan, director of the Worldand China Institute in Beijing. "But overall, we are not optimisticbecause top-down intervention is common."

(Additionalreporting by Sisi Tang in Hong Kong, Editing by Brian Rhoads and Ron Popeski)

Thailand backs Twitter censorship policy

2012-01-30T21:36:00.000+07:00

Thaigovernment becomes first to publicly endorse Twitter's decision to permitcountry-specific censorship of content

guardian.co.uk,Kate Hodal in Bangkok, Monday 30 January 2012

Yingluck Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, has vowed to protect the
monarchy over the internet. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA

Thailandhas become the first government to publicly endorse Twitter's controversialdecision to censor messages in certain countries.

Twitterannounced last week it would permit country-specific censorship of content thatcould violate local laws, prompting debate worldwide over freedom of speech.

InThailand, where censorship laws are already heavily enforced, the informationand communication technology minister, Jeerawan Boonperm, called Twitter'sdecision a "welcome development" and said the ministry alreadyreceived "good co-operation" from internet companies such as Googleand Facebook.

The Thaigovernment would soon be contacting Twitter to "discuss ways in which theycan collaborate", she told the Bangkok Post.

In China,the state-run Global Times also endorsed the new rules in an article on Monday:"It is impossible to have boundless freedom, even on the internet and evenin countries that make freedom their main selling point," it said.

Twitter isblocked in China, but many users access the site by accessing externalnetworks.

Accordingto the regulations, a tweet from Thailand could be blocked at the request of anindividual, a company, or the government. However, while it will be invisibleto users in Thailand, the tweet can still be seen by users in other countries.

Thailandhas some of the toughest censorship laws in the world, ranking it 153 out of178 in Reporters Without Borders' 2011 Press Freedom Index. Thailand'slese-majeste regulations inhibit defamatory, insulting or threatening commentsabout the royal family, which are punishable by up to 15 years in prison, butunder Thailand's 2007 computer crimes act prosecutors have been able toincrease sentences.

Last year,a 61-year-old Thai national was jailed for 20 years for sending defamatory textmessages about the monarchy, while a Thai-US citizen received a two-and-a-halfyear prison sentence for translating a banned biography of the king.

While theinformation ministry has blocked thousands of websites in recent years – mostlyrelated to online gambling, pornography and lese-majeste cases – Monday'sendorsement comes at a time of heightened tension over censorship rules.

Alese-majeste monitoring centre was opened in December and is manned 24 hours aday by staff trawling the net for offensive material. Facebook users alreadyface potential jail time if they click "like" or "share" onany sites deemed offensive to the monarchy, while anyone sending a link,forwarding or revisiting websites with lese-majeste content also need beware,authorities have said.

Despiteopen and repeated calls for relaxed censorship laws, Yingluck Shinawatra lastweek said the monarchy should be respected and vowed to "protect theinstitution, not exploit it".

Thailand'sendorsement on Monday could have profound ramifications across the region, saidSunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch Thailand, while it already "adds moredamage to an already worrying trend in Thailand".

"Twittergives space to different opinions and views, and that is so important in a restrictedsociety – it gives people a chance to speak up," he said. "But ifthis censorship is welcomed by Thailand, then other countries, with worserecords for human rights and freedom of speech, will find that they have anally."

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Aung San Suu Kyi draws crowds on Burma election campaign trail

2012-01-29T15:48:00.003+07:00

BBC News, 29January 2012

Crowds gather wherever Aung San Suu Kyi goes

Burma:Battle for Democracy

Burma'spro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is visiting the coastal town of Daweion a political tour ahead of by-elections on 1 April.

It is thefirst time she has ventured outside Rangoon for several months. The visit isseen as a test of how freely she and her party are able to campaign.

Thousandsgathered to see the 66-year-old Nobel peace prize winner, who was released fromhouse arrest in 2010.

Burma'smilitary-backed government has embarked on a cautious reform process.

Aung SanSuu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) is contesting all theavailable constituencies in the coming by-elections.

She herselfis seeking office in the rural township of Kawhmu.

An NLDspokesman told the BBC Ms Suu Kyi's visit to Dawei was intended to helporganise the local party ahead of the elections.

However,this is much more than just an administrative trip, says the BBC's SoutheastAsia correspondent, Rachel Harvey.

Wherever MsSuu Kyi goes, crowds gather, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman who waskept under house arrest for 15 of the last 23 years.

In Daweithey stood by the road chanting: "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi."

AFP newsagency quoted her as telling supporters: "If we move in the rightdirection our country will have many opportunities. We are eager to seizethem."

Reformprocess

The Burmesegovernment is planning to build a huge industrial complex in Dawei, which couldtransform the region.

Earlierthis month the authorities cancelled plans for a coal-fired power plant therebecause of environmental concerns.

This waswidely seen as a victory for local activists and a sign that the process ofreform is developing, says our correspondent.

The poll inApril will be the first time that Ms Suu Kyi will participate directly in anelection. She was under house arrest in 1990 when the NLD won the election by alandslide. It was not allowed to take power.

The NLDboycotted the 2010 election that saw the military-backed civilianadministration of President Thein Sein replace the military junta.

The newadministration has since entered into dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and has changedthe electoral laws that led to the NLD boycott.

Dutch pension fund ABP sues Goldman Sachs

2012-01-29T03:08:00.001+07:00

RNW, 28January 2012

(Photo:ANP)

Dutchpension fund ABP is suing US investment bank Goldman Sachs for knowinglyselling it junk mortgages and providing misleading information.

The ABPpension fund for government and education employees is the largest pension fundin the Netherlands and among the three largest in the world. Prior to the 2008US mortgage and bank crisis, ABP invested large sums in bonds linked to USmortgages.

ABP accusesGoldman Sachs of misinforming the pension fund as to the credit worthiness ofthe bonds, which proved to be far riskier than the bank had suggested. Thiseventually caused ABP to suffer significant losses. ABP will not disclose theexact amount of the losses it suffered, a spokesperson announced on Saturday.

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UAE speaker praises RI as democratic Muslim country

2012-01-29T01:41:00.001+07:00

Antara News, Sat, January 28 2012

(ANTARA/Nila Fu'adi)

Jakarta(ANTARA News) - United Arab Emirates (UAE) Parliament Speaker Mohammad AhmadAlmour has praised Indonesia as an exemplary OIC (Organization of the IslamicConference) member country for its consistent adherence to democracy andtolerant Islamic culture.

Accordingto the chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives Inter-ParliamentaryCooperation Body, Hidayat Nurwahid, here Saturday Ahmad Almour praisedIndonesia as a predominantly Muslim country that successfully practicingdemocracy,

The Westhad often said that Democracy and Islam could not go hand in hand and that thetwo could even come into conflict with each other, said Hidayat citing Almour`sstatement at the Islamic parliamentary meeting in Palembang.

"Althoughthe majority of its population is Muslim, Indonesia consistently implementsdemocracy and it is therefore the pride of OIC," Hidayat quoted Almour assaying.

Hidayatalso said the United Arab Emirates parliament hoped Indonesia could play a moresignificant role in straightening out the West`s negative view of Islam inrelation with democracy.

Thereforemany misunderstanding views about Islam can be reduced and Islam is notidentical with terrorism.

"Indonesiais famous for treating quests in friendly, courteous and respectful ways. Thechairman of the Parliament of UAE really appreciates this," said MarzukiAlie, Speaker of Indonesia`s House of Representatives on the same occasion.

Arabcountries want the stigma of Islamic terrorism can be eliminated throughIndonesian good relations with Europe and America.

"Theythought Indonesia could be an agent for having good relations and appreciatedby the US and Europe," he said.

Indonesiacan show that democracy is not contrary to Islamic values and Islam is notterrorist, but the violence arises recently only committed by a small group ofextremists that does not represent Islam.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Press freedom under pressure in spite of Arab spring

2012-01-27T16:37:00.001+07:00

RNW, 26January 2012, by RNW News Desk

(Photo: ANP)

Pressfreedom in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen has dropped drastically in the past year.The annual index for press freedom by NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) showthat press freedom in Eritrea, North Korea and Turkmenistan continues to be poor- just like in other years. RSF describes these countries as “absolutedictatorships without civil rights”.

Therevolutions in the Arab World have led to significant shifts in the index.Syria fell to de 176th place out of a total of 179 countries. According to RSF,large-scale censorship, violence and manipulation by the regime is makingworking as a journalist in Syria impossible. Bahrain and Yemen, where theopposition parties have been forced into silence, have also dropped in theindex.

Tunisia, thecountry where the Arab spring began, is going in the right direction.Nevertheless, the new democracy cannot be said to have a free and independentpress according to the RSF report. The report is also pessimistic about thesituation in Egypt, where “the military leaders are continuing the dictatorialpractices of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.”

Africa

In Africa,press freedom has increasingly come under pressure in the past year. Eritrea isstill at the bottom of the list, and in Uganda in particular oppression by theregime has increased considerably. RSF is, however, positive about South Sudan,which seceded from Sudan last year. The new country has risen to what the RSFcalls a respectable 111th place.

LatinAmerica

In LatinAmerica, press freedom in Chile has dropped to number 80. According to the RSF,security troops in particular have prevented the freedom of information ofstudent protests. Press freedom in Cuba in 167th place still scores lowest inthe region, Jamaica and Costa Rica are in the highest places in the region.

Worldpowers

There isalso criticism this year of press freedom in the largest world powers. Chinahas dropped into the fifth before last place; the Chinese government hasincreased its control over the press and information and increased censorshipof the internet. The United States fell to 47th place, mostly because of numerousarrests of journalists who reported on the Occupy Wall Street protests.Likewise Russia fell to 142nd place on the list.

The PressFreedom Index is traditionally led by European countries. Finland and Norwayare both at number one, with a Estonia and the Netherlands sharing third place.

The 10 topcountries in the Press Freedom Index:

1. Finlandand Norway

3. Estoniaand the Netherlands

5. Austria

6. Icelandand Luxembourg

8.Switzerland

9. CapeVerde

10. Canadaand Denmark

The 10countries with the least press freedom:

1. Eritrea

2. North Korea

3. Turkmenistan

4. Syria

5. Iran

6. China

7. Bahrain

8. Vietnam

9. Yemen

10. Sudan

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Dutch FM under fire as activist stands trial in Japan

2012-01-27T05:24:00.001+07:00

RNW, 26January 2012

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Fair trial for Dutch activist in Japan?

Foreign Minister
Uri Rosenthal

ForeignMinister Uri Rosenthal has dismissed criticism that he is not doing enough forDutch environment activist Erwin Vermeulen, who is on trial in Japan. Theminister told Dutch news agency ANP that he is doing everything possible withininternational regulations, and more.

MrVermeulen was arrested in mid-December for allegedly pushing a Japanese hotelemployee while taking photos of the transport of captured dolphins in theJapanese town of Tajii. Mr Vermeulen, who works for environmental organisationSea Shepherd, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Critics,including the Dutch Animal Rights Party, say the trial is politicallymotivated. Minister Rosenthal has dismissed this and the suggestion that MrVermeulen will not have a fair trial, saying: “The Netherlands considers Japanto be an orderly, democratic state where the rule of law applies”.

MinisterRosenthal also rejects suggestions that the Dutch government's position on thiscase is influenced by trade and political relations with Japan.

The trialof Mr Vermeulen is taking place amid the continuing debate on whaling. TheNetherlands' position in this debate is that Japan should adhere to theinternational rules which allow only limited whaling. Sea Shepherd is involvedin the international anti-whaling campaign, as well as the campaign to end theannual slaughter of dolphins in Japan.

Mr Vermeulenhas been visited twice by a Dutch consul and has also been offered legalassistance.

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Australian PM Flees Aboriginal Protesters

2012-01-26T22:43:00.003+07:00

Jakarta Globe, January 26, 2012

Australian prime minister Julia Gillard, center, is escorted by police and
bodyguards out of an award ceremony after aboriginal tent embassy
demonstrators, protesting the settlement of Australia some 224 years ago,
tried to get into the building in Canberra on Thursday. About 200 protesters
trapped Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott in a
Canberra restaurant before police arrived to clear a passage for the pair. (EPA Photo)

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Sydney.Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott werebundled out of a Canberra building on Thursday after it was besieged byAborigines angry at Abbott’s call for the 40-year-old “Aboriginal Tent Embassy”to be demolished.

What islittle more than a hut near Parliament House is a totem of Aboriginal activismand a must-see building for tourists visiting the national capital.

Gillardslipped and almost fell as she was hustled out of the building by securitypersonnel and through a cordon of protesters chanting “shame” and “racist.” Theprime minister lost a shoe as she was dragged to her car by security officers.The demonstrators chased the car, banging on the hood and the roof.

No one wasinjured and no arrests were made.

Tentembassy founder Michael Anderson accused Abbott of “inciting racial riots” bypicking Australia’s national day to call for the site to be cleared.

AustraliaDay symbolically marks the arrival of white settlers in 1788 and theproclamation of British sovereignty over what was then claimed to be anuninhabited island.

“You’ve got1,000 people here peacefully protesting, and to make a statement about tearingdown the embassy — it’s just madness on the part of Tony Abbott,” Andersonsaid.

IndigenousAustralians number around 500,000 out of a population of 23 million.

Suicidesare twice the national average, murders are six times as high and Aboriginesare 11 times more likely to be imprisoned than other Australians.

Most liveon welfare and 60 percent of Aboriginal pupils do not finish high school andonly 12 percent go on to some form of higher education.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Davos Forum’s Global Elite Damaged by Year of Scandals

2012-01-25T06:11:00.001+07:00

Jakarta Globe, Simon Kennedy, January 24, 2012

Employees install a sign for the World Economic Forum on the Congress
Center in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. Some 1,600 economic and political
leaders, including 40 heads of states and governments, will converge at the chic
ski town for the 42nd edition of the five-day forum that opens today. (AFP Photo)

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Davos Manis approaching his annual Alpine get-together with humility after spending thepast year getting fired, arrested, belittled and occupied.

When theWorld Economic Forum’s conference gets under way in the Swiss ski resort today,several past stars will be missing from the swirl of policy debates andcocktail parties.

News Corp.chairman Rupert Murdoch is embroiled in a phone hacking scandal. Oswald Gruebelquit as chief executive officer of UBS after a $2.3 billion loss fromunauthorized trading. Philipp Hildebrand left the Swiss National Bank in afuror over his wife’s currency transactions. Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned asInternational Monetary Fund managing director after sexual-assault charges,later dropped, were filed against him.

As“OccupyWEF” protesters build igloos under the eye of Swiss security forces, theleaders of this year’s Davos may try to profit from the mistakes of theirpredecessors by embracing transparency and ethics.

CitigroupCEO Vikram Pandit, a co-chairman of the meeting, is calling for the financialindustry to be more open amid panel discussions with such titles as “Is20th-century capitalism failing 21st-century society?”

“Davos Manhas taken on the lessons of recent years and is asking how to do thingsdifferently,” said Richard Edelman, president and chief executive of publicrelations agency Edelman, who is attending the conference. Businesses andpolicy makers are having to “process accurately the vox populi.”

The needfor them to do so is demonstrated by Edelman’s annual poll on trust, releasedon Monday in conjunction with the Davos meeting. Trust in government fell arecord 9 percentage points to 43 percent, while faith in business slid to 53percent from 56 percent.

Thecredibility of CEOs slid 12 points to 38 percent, the largest drop in nineyears, and banks and financial services remained the two least trustedindustries. The online survey questioned a total of 30,600 people in at least25 countries from Oct. 10 to Nov. 30 last year.

“Davos Manis not this caricature of the rich and powerful person,” Klaus Schwab, founderof the forum, said on Monday.

“Davos Manis a person who, as I define it, should be concerned with the present state ofthe world and who should be ready to engage and contribute so that the state ofthe world is improved.”

The term“Davos Man” was created by the late Samuel Huntington, a professor at HarvardUniversity in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to describe those with internationalvisions who view governments’ only use as easing “the elite’s globaloperations.”

The 42ndannual meeting of the World Economic Forum embodies the “1 percent,” to use thephrase popularized by the young protesters who spent more than eight weeksoccupying New York’s Zuccotti Park last year.

Amongscheduled attendees are bank CEOs such as Pandit and Jamie Dimon of JPMorganChase and corporate chiefs Peter Voser of Royal Dutch Shell and Cisco Systems’John Chambers. At least 70 billionaires are to be present, including investorGeorge Soros and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. They will join about 2,600 otherdelegates discussing the world outlook.

The imageof financial, corporate and governmental powers have taken a hit as the“occupy” protests, the Arab Spring uprisings and recent marches in Moscowhighlighted rising unemployment and income inequality, said Tina Fordham,senior global political analyst at Citigroup and a member of the forum’s GlobalAgenda Council. It helps shape the forum’s work.

There is “areduced willingness to tolerate the perceived excess of elites and the oldsocial order, and heightened potential for protests to cause disruption,violence and pressure to alter the legislative agenda,” she said.

Noteveryone has gotten the message. Three years after he used the Davos stage topledge Russia wouldn’t turn toward “isolationism and unbridled economic egoism”and as he seeks to return to the presidency, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin isfacing the biggest protests against his rule in 12 years. They were sparked byalleged fraud in the Dec. 4 parliamentary election, in which his United Russiaparty retained power.

In thefinancial world, Davos Man took a pay cut. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, whois scheduled to attend the forum, had his 2011 pay reduced by 25 percent from ayear earlier. Goldman Sachs cut average compensation and benefits expenses 21percent in the same period.

IanBremmer, president of Eurasia, a New York-based investment consultancy, detectsa generational transition. While Murdoch, 80, began posting on Twitter lastmonth, it’s executives less than half his age who will be more alert to the demandsof consumers and to accepting less privacy given the rise of social media, hesaid.

As youngerleaders “start taking a role and grow in influence and importance, then you’llsee a different sensibility in terms of how they interact with the globalpublic,” Bremmer said.

There willbe plenty of room for them.

Murdoch isabsent again. A year ago, he canceled his participation in a panel discussionat the forum as British police stepped up an investigation into phone-hackingallegations by News Corp. newspapers.

News Corp.spokesman Jack Horner said Murdoch was busy this year.

Gruebel,who two years ago was privately huddling in Davos with counterparts to discusshow to reassert their influence with regulators and governments, quit inSeptember after UBS fell victim to a rogue trader.

High-profilelocals are also missing from Davos this year. Hildebrand, who as a studentworked in the resort as a bell boy and limousine driver, is a no-show after heresigned as SNB president this month. His credibility was questioned followingthe disclosure his wife bought $504,000 in the days before the SNB imposed acurrency cap on the franc.

Two formerDavos stars have been incarcerated in the past year. Strauss-Kahn, who as IMFchief used a Davos debate four years ago to push governments to ease fiscalpolicy, is back in Paris after being arrested in New York and charged withattempted rape and sexual assault.

Saifal-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the former Libyan dictator, was named a YoungGlobal Leader at the forum in 2006. He was captured by rebels in November whiletrying to flee to Niger a month after his father was killed in Libya’soverthrow.

Some of thefalls from grace reflect the aftershocks of the recent credit crisis and theresulting pushes for greater income and democratic equality, said NarimanBehravesh, chief economist at Englewood, Colorado-based IHS and a Davosdelegate.

“Severeincome disparity” was cited as one of the greatest threats to global prosperityover the next decade in the forum’s annual review of risks published on Jan.11.

Organizershave made some nods to the emerging theme. The opening panel on capitalism inmodern times will involve Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Sharan Burrow,general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation. Later in theweek, the role of business in society will be discussed, as will whether banksare a cure or curse for the world economy.

“The focuson ethics and responsibility and social justice will be much greater this timearound,” said Behravesh.

Bloomberg

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Iraqis condemn U.S. Haditha sentence as insult

2012-01-25T05:41:00.001+07:00

Reuters, byFadhel al-Badrani, FALLUJA, Iraq | Tue Jan 24, 2012

(Reuters) -A three-month jail sentence for a U.S. Marine sergeant accused of leading amassacre of 24 civilians in Haditha is "an insult to all Iraqis," arelative of one of the victims said Tuesday.

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich

(Reuters)

StaffSergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, pleaded guilty Monday at a military base inCalifornia to dereliction of duty and faces a maximum sentence of three months'confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of his pay for three months and areduction in rank.

"Thissentence gives us the proof, the solid proof that the Americans don't respecthuman rights," Ali Badr, a Haditha resident and relative of one of thosekilled, said. "This is an insult to the victims and an insult to allIraqis."

The lastAmerican troops pulled out of Iraq in December more than eight years after theU.S.-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The Hadithakillings, along with the abuse of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison and a 2007shooting spree by security contractors in Baghdad, sullied America's imagearound the world.

KhalidSalman, a lawyer for the Haditha victims' relatives, said he could not believethe sentence and had to check that it was true.

"Thisis not a traffic felony," said Salman, who had a cousin killed in themassacre.

Hecriticized the length of time it took to bring the case to justice and vowed toappeal on behalf of the relatives to a U.S. court. He said the verdict"undervalues Muslim blood."

Wuterichwas accused of being the ringleader in a series of November 19, 2005, shootingand grenade attacks that left two dozen civilians dead in Haditha, a city westof Baghdad that was a hotbed of insurgent activity.

His guiltyplea was part of a deal with U.S. military prosecutors in which more seriouscharges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault were dismissed.

Saleemal-Jubouri, the head of the human rights committee in the Iraqi parliament,said: "It (the three-month sentence) is a violation of Iraqis' dignity anddoes not match the size of the crime committed and underestimates the value ofhuman life."

He said thecommittee would convene Wednesday to discuss the sentence and called on theIraqi government to issue a strong condemnation.

In the 2004Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal U.S. troops photographed themselveshumiliating and intimidating detainees.

InSeptember 2007, Blackwater workers shot dead at least 14 Iraqi civilians inBaghdad's Nisour Square, an incident that provoked protests in Iraq andprompted the government to deny the company a licence.

"Thisis a disgraceful sentence for an inhuman crime that lines up with the AbuGhraib scandal and Nisour Square massacre," said Hussein Ali, a40-year-old Baghdad engineer.

"Historywill mention this sentence and will show how the Americans have a black historythat disrespects human blood."

(Reportingby Fahdel al-Badrani; Editing by Jim Loney and Robert Woodward)

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Afghan mother in 'extremely rare' sextuplets birth

2012-01-25T02:56:00.001+07:00

BBC News, 24January 2012

Doctors say that the six babies - who have not been named yet -
are well but under-weight

RelatedStories

An Afghanmother has given birth to six children at a hospital in the northern city ofMazar-e-Sharif.

The womanwas not aware she was carrying more than one child and had not receivedfertility treatment.

Doctors saythe mother arrived in hospital on Monday and gave birth on the same day tothree boys and three girls. It was her first pregnancy.

Doctors saythat having six children without fertility treatment is extremely rare.

Afghanistanhas one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world.

'Brave'

The mother,named as Sharah, 24, arrived in Mazar-e-Sharif hospital from a remote villagein Balkh province.

Sharah is exhausted after the
unexpected birth of her six children

ProvincialHealth Director Mirwais Rabi told the BBC that all six babies are well butunder-weight, with one only weighing about 700g (25oz).

Mr Rabisaid the sextuplets were being kept inside incubators and a special team ofnurses and doctors are looking after them.

The motheris said to be in good health but exhausted.

Doctors saythat had they been aware that she was carrying six children, she would havebeen in hospital at least several days in advance.

The BBC'sBilal Sawary in Kabul says Sharah's story has made headlines on Afghantelevision and radio stations.

"Sheis brave, she is amazing," one resident said, "I don't know how shecarried six children. The government should help her now."

A 2010survey revealed that infant and under-fives mortality rates appeared to bedecreasing.

Experts saythat despite recent improvements, Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerousplaces in the world to be a pregnant woman or a young child.

One in 10children in Afghanistan still dies before they are five years old, the surveysaid.

Tourists in India told to avoid 'human safaris' as row widens

2012-01-22T00:52:00.000+07:00

SinceGethin Chamberlain revealed how Andaman Islands tribes people were being bribed and bullied into 'performing' for tours, India's government has taken up thecause of ethical tourism. But some travel companies still offer titillatingtrips to remote areas to see their indigenous people

Joanne O'Connor: do homework before booking 'cultural tour'

guardian.co.uk,Gethin Chamberlain, Saturday 21 January 2012

AndamanIslanders 'forced to dance' for tourists. Link to this video

They areholidays billed as an opportunity to enter another world, a chance to see theworld's last primitive tribes up close in their natural environment.

Thebrochures tease and at times, critics say, titillate. Take the Delhi-based AcesIndian Tours, which invites visitors to travel to see the Bonda people, anancient tribe found in the remote hilly regions of the state of Orissa. Thewebsite breathily offers to provide an insight into utterly different lives."On the northwest of river Machkund", it states, "live thewildest, rudest and possibly the most interesting tribe known as Bonda Tribe.The scanty dress of the Bonda women and homicidal tendency of Bonda males makethem most fascinating people."

It is thiskind of exotic invitation that has now come under unprecedented scrutiny inIndia, raising ethical issues that also apply to similar tours in other remoteregions of the world.

Every year,thousands of western tourists visit India in search of the exotic. But twoweeks after an Observer investigation exposed the degradation of "humansafaris" in the Andaman Islands – which are in Indian territory – thecountry's travel industry has entered a bout of soul-searching. The Observerexposed video evidence that Jarawa tribeswomen had been bullied into dancingfor convoys of visitors on the islands' main road. The reaction has beenfurious. Sonia Gandhi, leader of the ruling Congress party, has taken a personalinterest in the 400-strong Jarawa's fate and is understood to be frustrated bythe lack of action to protect them. At a meeting last week of the powerfulNational Advisory Council, which she chairs, members denounced the"deplorable situation of the exploitation of the Jarawa tribe".

Theinvestigation has now prompted the home minister, P Chidambaram, to demand theinterrogation of those responsible. He has flown to the Andamans to tellofficials there to act swiftly to prevent further abuse of the tribe. Tribalaffairs minister V Kishore Chandra Deo said: "It's deplorable. You cannottreat human beings like beasts for the sake of money. Whatever kind of tourismis that? I totally disapprove and it is being banned."

But whatabout elsewhere in India, and in other parts of the world? In the case of theJarawa, there is little doubt that the tribespeople have been exploited byunscrupulous locals and insensitive visitors. Elsewhere, ethical lines areusually more blurred, but the risk of damaging contact with vulnerablecommunities is very real.

In 1989,India introduced the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention ofAtrocities) Act in an attempt to protect indigenous communities from"indignities, humiliations and harassment". But with the number oftourists across the world expected to hit a billion this year and previouslyinaccessible places beginning to open up for more and more people, how closeshould travellers be allowed to come to vulnerable communities?

One of themost popular destinations in India is Orissa, where tour operators promisesightings of the insular Bonda when the tribespeople leave their homes to go toa market in the village of Onkadeli. Entry into the Bonda's own villages isillegal: the tribe do not invite attention and many dislike being photographed,but the market offers a way to view them, and the tours continue. Even thestate tourist board uses images of the tribe in its adverts.

Royal IndiaHolidays, with offices in India and the US, offers a tribal tour of Orissawhere it promises tourists can "see the lifestyle of tattooed, heavilybeaded, nearly naked tribal people, their day to day activity and theirextremely primitive way of living".

The companysays it is recognised by India's ministry of tourism. Its brochure describes atrip to the Jeypore area of Orissa: "After breakfast, an excursion to thenearby hills where most amazing and fierce Bondas Tribes (naked people) reside.They are also known as Remo meaning 'people'. The Bonda are generally semi-clothed,with the women characterised by the wearing of thick silver necklace bands. Thetribe is one of the oldest and most primitive with their culture little changedin over a thousand years. The best way to view members of the tribe is by goingto local markets held every Thursday."

Companyowner Newton Singh told the Observer that most tours in Orissa focused on thetribes. He said he believed that the company was operating within the law butit relied on local agents in Orissa. He said he understood the objections andwould review the tours. "I don't want to do anything against the laws ofhumanity," he said.

Bhubaneswar-basedDove Tours offers a tour of Orissa in which, it explains, "the area wevisit is the home of the approximately 6,000 members of the fierce Bondas(naked people). They live in the remote hills and keep themselves isolated …They can only be seen when they come to trade at the local market, and we musttime our visit to coincide with the weekly market day."

GaganSarangi, speaking for the company, said it operated within responsibleguidelines and only dealt with tourists who would respect the tribe. He saidforeign tourists were barred from the Bonda's area, but it was still possibleto spot them in the markets. "We are totally against any kind of unethicalpractices in the tribal area," he said.

SurvivalInternational, which campaigns on behalf of tribal peoples, is sceptical thatsuch a high-minded approach is reflected by what takes place on the ground. Thecharity's director Stephen Corry said: "We are now in the 21st century,not the 19th. Colonialism should be a thing of the past. Tribes are notcultural relics, nor should they be treated like animals in a zoo.

"Theyare not ancient or backward, but adapting like everybody around us to achanging world. This should entitle them to the same rights and freedoms as thevery tourists who are taking their photographs.

"Promotingtours by using derogatory terms such as 'primitive', and advertising their'nakedness', shows a clear lack of respect."

Corry saidtour operators had no right to promote tribal people as a tourist attraction."Forcing them to dance in return for sweets and biscuits, for theamusement of onlookers, is only possible where they're viewed as somehow lessthan fully human," he said. "Sadly, the existence of human safaris inthe Andamans is not isolated, but replicated in other areas of India. It iscrucial tourists boycott such unethical 'attractions', so there is no fuel inthe market to drive such tasteless practices."

Associationof British Travel Agents spokesman Sean Tipton said the travel industryrecognised the necessity of regulating and monitoring interaction betweentourists and tribes. "Customers should always seek permission beforetaking photographs of indigenous people, or indeed any local people. This is amatter of courtesy and cross-cultural sensitivity."

SueOckwell, for the Association of Independent Tour Operators, was also keen toemphasise that its member companies were against the sort of "tackytourism" seen in the Andamans. "The aim of Aito is to ensure thathost destinations and local people at tourism destinations benefit from tourismas well as those who take tourists," she said.

"Unfortunately,exploitation does still occur – from child prostitution to the type of practicedescribed in the Andamans. It requires action by UK tour operators andassociations such as Aito and Abta and it also requires action by governmentsin the destinations affected. It is only by working together that this sort ofbusiness can be stamped out."

Clearly,though, more needs to be done. Blogging about a visit to Onkadeli, one touristnoted that the attention of tourists was clearly unwelcome to some of thetribal people: "There were a few tourists around (including myself) andtruth be said, it all felt a little rude and intrusive! Some of the adivasis[indigenous tribes] were clearly uncomfortable with camera-wielding tourists,so I started to only take pictures with their permission. This would almostalways result in my having to part with 10 rupees [about 13p]!"

Britishtravel firm Audley Travel, winner of three Guardian-Observer travel awards forbest small tour operator, offers tours to Orissa in which it promises sightingsof the Bonda tribe, despite acknowledging that photographing them may bebanned. The company said it firmly advocated responsible tourism and only tookindividuals or couples.

"Theyare accompanied by tour guides who are well briefed on the cultural sensitivityof the situation, particularly photography. Our clients themselves areintelligent, informed travellers whose last intention would be to 'gawp' atlocal people."

Meanwhile,in the Andaman Islands, police say they have made some progress in identifyingthose responsible for filming the video publicised by the Observer, which isnow believed to have been shot in September or October of 2008. "Thepolice team is questioning several tour operators and taxi drivers of the cityin an effort to track down the source of the video," said S B Tyagi, superintendentof police. Officers have raided several shops in the town in an attempt toseize videos of the Jarawa that have been circulating among tour operators andwhich are sold to tourists.

Policeannounced on Thursday that a senior officer had been placed in charge ofmonitoring the road and said they had arrested two tour operators named in theObserver report.

Thelieutenant governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhopinder Singh, hasbeen ordered to take action to prevent further exploitation of the Jarawa.Tribal affairs minister Krishna Chandra Deo described the incident as"disgraceful and a shame on all of us" and said the tribe should betreated as humans, not aliens.

As thecountry digests the implications of the scandal, Corry said touristsconsidering visiting tribal areas needed to think very carefully about thelong-term effects on tribal peoples, instead of the "fleeting thrill ofthe experience or the glory of the story once back home".

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Australia's Aborigines can be discriminated against under
sections 25 and 51 of the constitution. Photograph: Gary Calton

NASA Produces and Promotes New LENR Video: Nuclear Power Coming Soon To Your Home

2012-01-22T00:38:00.001+07:00

MNISPEL, By Dr. MarkD. Nispel, January 12, 2012

NASA is allin and claiming to “be working on another way of producing energy withefficient nuclear power.” NASA as anorganization apparently suddenly wants to be seen as in the forefront of thisnew thing they see coming. Pretty coolactually.

NASA hasproduced and featured a video presenting LENR as a technology. The video features Dr. Joseph Zawodny, SeniorResearch Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center. The video highlights the potential of havinga LENR nuclear power generation device in your home to provide all the powerneeds of your home as the “easiest” implementation, even though it couldpotentially be used even for transportation and infrastructure. The technology is “clean” producing noionizing radiation or waste.

See thevideo highlight on the right of the NASA technology gateway page here.

The videodirectly is here.

In themeantime, A. Rossi continues to move apace claiming he is working on puttinghis e-cat LENR device intoproduction. He is working with NationalInstruments to complete his design. Heclaims that the first small home units that generate electricity and can heat /cool the home will be in production by the end of 2012 for around $1500 and heplans on producing a million the first year after they get going. See here and here.

Twointeresting notes:

1. The NASAvideo avoids using the term “cold fusion.”

2. The NASAvideo interestingly right toward the end uses an image to represent LENR
somewhat abstractly which it attributes to the US Navy SPAWAR within the video(see lower left).

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"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - New !

Gay "honor killing" movie shakes Turkey up

2012-01-22T00:12:00.001+07:00

Reuters, byEce Toksabay, ISTANBUL, Fri Jan 20, 2012

(Reuters) -On a hot summer's day in 2008, 26-year-old physics student Ahmet Yildiz wasshot dead when he popped out from his Istanbul apartment to buy ice cream.

The mainsuspect in the killing, a fugitive still wanted by Turkish police, is Yildiz'sfather, who could not accept that his only son was in a homosexualrelationship.

The case,widely believed to be Turkey's first gay "honor killing", hasinspired a movie "Zenne", which opened on January 13 and explores gaysexual identity and prejudice in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey.

"We hadthe movie idea in mind right after our dear friend Ahmet was killed," saidCaner Alper, writer and co-director of the movie. "His story needed to betold."

Yildiz wasborn into a wealthy religious family in the ancient city of Sanliurfa, inTurkey's impoverished and conservative southeast, but moved to cosmopolitanIstanbul during his university years, seeking more freedom as a gay man.

InIstanbul, Yildiz started a new life and made new friends; he also began a gayrelationship and eventually moved in with his boyfriend, who witnessed Yildiz'smurder from the window of their apartment on the Asian side of the city dividedby the Bosphorus Strait.

In themovie, Yildiz's character is encouraged to come out of the closet by a malebelly dancer, or zenne, and a German photographer who has moved to Istanbulafter a personal crisis in Afghanistan, where he accidentally caused the deathof several children during a photo shoot. Both are fictional characters.

In reallife, Yildiz's coming out as a gay man was seen as an affront in his deeplypatriarchal and tribal family, even though his parents adored him, a cousin,Ahmet Kaya, told the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey.

LOOKING FORA "CURE"

Yildiz'sfather had urged him to return to their village and to see a doctor and an imamto "cure" him of his homosexuality and get married, but Yildizrefused.

"Ahmetloved his family more than anything else and he was tortured aboutdisappointing them," Kaya was quoted as saying in the foundation's report.

After hewas killed, the family did not claim Yildiz's body for a proper Islamic burial-- an indication of the deep shame the family felt and that they had ceased toconsider him one of their own. He was buried instead in a "cemetery forthe nameless."

"Theone scene I wasn't able to distance myself from the character I played as anactor was when Ahmet apologized to his father for being gay on the phone after comingout," Erkan Avci, a young actor who played Yildiz, told Reuters.

"It'ssuch a great tragedy, so cruel and inhumane that anybody has to apologize forwho he is."

Avci drewparallels between Ahmet's situation and his own as a Kurd from Diyarbakir provincein a country whose Kurdish minority has long complained of discrimination andinequality.

"Itwould have been immoral for me to turn down this role, as a man who had toapologize for years for being Kurdish," he said.

"Zenne",which won five awards at Turkey's most prestigious film festival, the AntalyaGolden Orange, has received a huge amount of attention in mainstream media andis reported to be having reasonable success at the box office.

With a $1million budget, including financial support from the Dutch embassy, it openedin a luxury movie theatre in one of Istanbul's most fashionable neighborhoods.

Gays arenormally depicted in Turkish movies as colorful and exaggerated secondarycharacters who add a comic element - hardly the main character of a story.

"Zenne"tackles head-on such sensitive issues as gay society, prejudice and equalrights for Turkey's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

"'Zenne'is a very special film for us. It brings to the screen some of the importantissues for the LGBT cause such as hate crimes, the complications for gay men toforego the mandatory military service and coming out," said Umut Guner,spokesman for the Ankara-based Kaos GL, a LGBT group.

PREJUDICE

The filmhas not been welcomed in conservative circles.

Islamistdaily Vatan called it "homosexual propaganda" by a gay lobby bent on"legitimizing perversion through their so-called art."

Despitebeing the only suspect, Yildiz's father is still at large and is being tried inabsentia.

Friends andactivists, who have attended some of the hearings wearing masks bearingYildiz's portrait, say the authorities lack the will to find the perpetrator.

Alper and MehmetBinay, co-directors of the movie and together as a gay couple for 14 years,said they heard their friend Yildiz receive death threats from his family overthe phone.

Yildizfiled an official complaint but failed to receive any protection, they said.

"Honorkillings," or crimes carried out against mostly women and young girls seento have tainted the family's name, are not uncommon in Turkey, particularly inpoor and rural areas.

TheEuropean Union, which Turkey wants to join, has repeatedly urged Ankara to takea tougher stance against such crimes.

MILITARYPRACTICES

Turkey isoften held as an example in the Middle East for marrying Islam and democracy,but Turkish gay activists say Ankara's human rights record is far from perfect.

Onepractice particularly abhorred by rights groups is the method by which gay mencan be exempted from the required 16-month military service: they have to provetheir homosexuality in medical tests and are compelled to provide photos ofthem having sex with other men.

In themovie, two characters undergoing one such examination are forced to wearmake-up and dress in women's clothes, while doctors perform anal examinations.

Accordingto Article 17 of the health regulations of the Turkish Armed Forces,homosexuality is considered a "psychosexual deviance."

"Turkeyis going through a democratization process, and the army needs to enter thisphase, too," said Binay.

"Wedon't live in a dream world and we don't expect it to happen all of a sudden insuch a deep-seated institution, but at least they could stop the humiliatingpractices against gay men."

Turkishrights groups reported 24 killings of gay and transsexual individuals in thelast two years. In most cases, courts reduced the sentences or the perpetratorswere not found.

In a reportlast year, Amnesty International urged Ankara to draw up laws preventingdiscrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and to punish perpetratorsof homophobic attacks.

The EU in aseparate report also last year said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderpersons in Turkey "continued to suffer discrimination, intimidation andviolent crimes".

LGBTactivists say they get little sympathy from the AK Party, in power for adecade, which has its roots in political Islam and is known for its sociallyconservative stance.

Selma AliyeKavaf, Turkey's former Women and Family Affairs Minister, made waves in 2010when she said homosexuality was "a biological disorder, a disease thatneeds to be treated".

The currentinterior minister accused an outlawed armed organization with "engaging inevery kind of immorality, including homosexuality".

DirectorBinay said he hoped the movie would help to change views both among governmentofficials and the wider society, but believed that would not happen overnight.

"Thesemovies will be made in Turkey as long as those from different identities refuseto learn to live together."

(Editing byIbon Villelabeitia and Sonya Hepinstall)

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator,Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? …. “

"The Humanization of God" – Jul 16, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Benevolent Design, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Guides and Angels, Communication with God, Wars in Heaven ?, The Love of God, (Old) Souls, Global Unity,.... etc.)

“… Do angels exist? Absolutely, but not as you think or have been taught. Are there helpers? Absolutely, but again, not like you think. When angels visited Humans in ancient days and the events were written about by those who were there to witness the experience, I can guarantee it was a lot different than they could express on paper. When an angel appears before a Human, it looks like a swirling ball of energy, sometimes even fire that is not hot and does not consume anything. Angels are not in Human form and never have been. They are multidimensional beings, not in 3D. Yet you want to put skin and wings on them and give them a name! Why? It makes you feel better about them. We understand that…”

“The 2012 Ostiary - Angels Among You” – Dec 30, 2012 (a message from Metatron channelled by Tyberonn)

Atlanta Jewish Times owner says sorry for Obama 'hit' column

2012-01-21T06:10:00.001+07:00

AndrewAdler says he deeply regrets writing a column suggesting Mossad agents shouldconsider 'a hit' on the president if he fails to support Israel

guardian.co.uk,Chris McGreal, Friday 20 January 2012

Andrew Adler said he wrote the column on Obama to get a reaction from
readers. Photograph: Shahar Azran/WireImage

The ownerof a Jewish newspaper in Atlanta has said he deeply regrets writing a columnsuggesting that Israel consider "a hit" on Barack Obama if he standsin the way of the Jewish state defending itself.

AndrewAdler told the Guardian he wrote the column in the weekly Atlanta Jewish Times"to get a reaction" from the paper's readers.

"Theheadline for the column was: 'What would you do?' That's what I wanted tosee," he said. "It's got like a Dr Phil reaction: what were youthinking? I feel really bad it did that."

The columnasks readers to imagine that they are the Israeli prime minister, BinyaminNetanyahu, confronting the threat posed by Hezbollah and Iran's nuclearprogramme while also under pressure from a US president with an "Alice inWonderland" belief in diplomacy over force.

Adler laysout what he says are the three options available to Netanyahu: attack Hezbollahand Hamas; defy the US – which is willing to let "Israel take a lethalbullet" – by striking against Iran's nuclear facilities; or a thirdoption.

"Three,give the go-ahead for US-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemedunfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice-president to take his place,and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping theJewish state obliterate its enemies," Adler wrote in a column thatappeared in print by not online.

"Yes,you read "three" correctly. Order a hit on a president in order topreserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this TomClancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea hasbeen discussed in Israel's most inner circles?"

Adler wenton to ask: "How far would you go to save a nation comprised of 7 millionlives – Jews, Christians and Arabs alike? You have got to believe, like I do,that all options are on the table."

Adler saidhe understood why readers might interpret his writing as suggesting that Israelis seriously considering assassinating the US president but that is not what hemeant.

"No,no, no. It's unfathomable, unthinkable," he said, adding: "I'mdefinitely pro-Israel to the max."

Adler saidhe intends to repudiate the column in the next edition of the paper.

"I'veput my pen in my mouth," he said. "I'm writing a retraction to thecolumn."

The AtlantaJewish Times was founded in 1925 as the Southern Israelite. Adler bought thepaper three years ago. It has a circulation of several thousand copies a week.

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"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

"If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening."

Myanmar president says 'there's no turning back' on reforms

2012-01-20T19:38:00.000+07:00

Deutsche Welle, 20 January 2012

Thein Sein is a former general who
has chosen the path to reform

Myanmar'spresident has vowed to keep up the reform process, urging the West to lifteconomic sanctions. Meanwhile, the opposition is gearing up for Aprilelections.

"Weare on the right track to democracy," President Thein Sein confidentlydeclared in an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday. Theleader of Myanmar's nominally civilian government promised not to turn back ondemocratic reforms initiated since March last year.

He alsourged the West to lift sanctions, arguing that the conditions for lifting suchpunitive measures had been met by the new administration, which has releasedpolitical prisoners and scheduled parliamentary elections for April 1."What is needed from the Western countries is for them to do theirpart," he added.

The US, theEuropean Union and others imposed stringent economic sanctions on Myanmar whilethe country was still under military rule, but the former general who now leadsMyanmar said they hurt ordinary citizens much more than the junta leaders andwere holding back economic progress.

Negotiations are underway with
several armed ethnic groups

Theinternational community has praised the overtures to democracy but is keeping aclose eye on the upcoming vote, which is seen as a major test of theadministration's democratic ambitions, before making any commitments to liftingsanctions.

Suu Kyi inpower

"I amsure that the Parliament will warmly welcome her," Thein Sein said ofpro-democracy icon and opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi, who is running inthe April by-elections and expected to win if the polls are conducted in a freeand fair manner.

Thein Seineven hinted she could eventually become a member of his government. "Ifone has been appointed or agreed on by the parliament, we will have to acceptthat she becomes a cabinet minister," he said.

Suu Kyi, aNobel Peace Prize laureate, was released from around 15 years of periodic housearrest at the end of 2010. She had been detained in 1989, ahead of a landslideelection win by her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in 1990. Thejunta refused to recognize the victory, however, and proceeded to rule thecountry for the better part of the next two decades.

Now, SuuKyi and her party are gearing up for their first poll battle since the 1990elections. "Am I looking forward to it?" Suu Kyi recently asked at apress conference. "I am not sure I think of it as anything other than hardwork. But I am not afraid of hard work."

Thein Sein has hinted Aung San Suu Kyi
might join the government

Some havesaid that Suu Kyi's election could legitimize the regime, but her supportersdisagree: "Aung San Suu Kyi will try to have some influence on the otherMPs so that the democratization process is accepted by everyone," NLDmember Khin Myat Thu told news agency Agence-France Presse.

'Eternalpeace'

Meanwhile,Thein Sein insisted in the Washington Post interview that his government wascommitted to ending the long-running ethnic conflicts that have plaguedMyanmar, and that it was currently communicating with all armed groups.

"Soonwe will try to achieve an eternal peace in the country. However, this willrequire time," he said.

On Friday,Myanmar state media said that the government and ethnic minority Kachin rebelshad agreed to hold further negotiations to find an end to the bloody conflictin the far north.

Peace dealshave already been met with the Shan and Karen ethnic groups in the past month.

Author:Anne Thomas (AP, AFP)

Editor: Darren Mara

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Australia set to recognise Aborigines as first people of continent

2012-01-20T19:29:00.002+07:00

JuliaGillard says 'time is right to say yes to an understanding of our past' asreport recommends end to state discrimination

guardian.co.uk,Alison Rourke, Friday 20 January 2012

Australia's Aborigines can be discriminated against under sections 25
and 51 of the constitution. Photograph: Gary Calton

Australiais poised to make historic changes to its constitution, recognising Aboriginesas the country's original inhabitants and removing the last clauses ofstate-sanctioned racial discrimination.

The amendmentscould be put to the Australian people in a referendum before the next generalelection in 2013, after the prime minister, Julia Gillard, endorsed theunanimous findings of a panel of 19 experts.

Section 25of the constitution recognises that states can disqualify people, such asAborigines, from voting. Section 51 says federal parliament can make laws basedupon a person's race. Both were put in the constitution in 1901 to preventcertain races from living in areas reserved for white people or from taking upcertain occupations.

The primeminister, Julia Gillard, welcomed the report. "We are big enough and it isthe right time to say yes to an understanding of our past, to say yes toconstitutional change, and to say yes to a future more united and morereconciled than we have ever been before," she said.

The panel'sreport followed public consultation with more than 4,500 people and more than250 public meetings. The panel's co-chair, Aboriginal elder Professor PatrickDodson, urged bipartisan support for the proposals.

"Thisis a time when truth and respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeoples needs to be achieved through the recognition in our constitution,"he said. "Strong leadership and our national interest are critical for ournation to go forward."

WhenAustralia became a federation in 1901 there were only two references toAborigines in the constitution: one denied federal parliament the power to makelaws with respect to Aboriginal people in any state, while another excludedwhat it termed "Aboriginal natives" from the census. Both of thosesections were scrapped in a 1967 referendum (by a majority of 90%), leaving aconstitution that made no mention whatsoever of indigenous people.

Referendumsin Australia have historically been hard to pass. Only eight out of 44 havesucceeded since 1906, partly because any alteration to the constitution must beapproved by a "double majority". This demands that, as well as amajority yes vote being required nationally, a majority must also be reached infour of the six states.

Theopposition leader, Tony Abbott, has said he will study the document. "Wehave some reservations about anything that might turn out to be a one-clausebill of rights but we accept that millions of Australians' hopes and dreams areresting on constitutional recognition of indigenous people," he said.

The reportalso called for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages to berecognised as the country's first languages. It calls for continuing respectfor these cultures, languages and heritage.

Thegovernment aims to hold the referendum at or before a general election, due in2013.

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Palestinians say Thailand recognises their state

2012-01-20T01:47:00.000+07:00

Antara News, Thu, January 19 2012

RelatedNews

Ramallah,Palestinian Territories (ANTARA News/AFP) - The Palestinian foreign ministrysaid on Thursday it had received a letter from the Thai government formallyrecognising a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines.

A ministryofficial told AFP the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations received aformal letter from Thailand saying it recognises a Palestinian state on the1967 lines late on Wednesday.

The movewas hailed on Thursday by foreign minister Riyad al-Malki.

"Thailand`srecognition of a Palestinian state is the first of the New Year 2012 and is anew achievement for Palestinian diplomacy," he told the official newsagency WAFA.

Malki saidthe announcement brought to 131 the number of countries who recognise aPalestinian state within the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War.

Palestinianpresident Mahmud Abbas also thanked Thailand for the move, WAFA said, andconfirmed the letter was handed over by Thailand`s UN mission in New York.

"PresidentMahmud Abbas thanks Thailand`s king and government for its official recognitionof the Palestinian state," the Abbas statement said.

"Officialprocedures have begun on the establishment of diplomatic relations."

ThePalestinians have sought to boost their international standing and support asnegotiations with Israel remain stalled over the issue of settlementconstruction.

In 2011,they won recognition from a slew of countries, as well as membership at the UNcultural agency, UNESCO.

They alsopresented a bid to join the United Nations as a full member, over oppositionfrom Washington and Israel, a request that is still being considered by theinternational body.

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

ASEAN cultural show, exhibition in Jakarta soon

2012-01-17T21:14:00.001+07:00

Antara News, Tue, January 17 2012

RelatedNews

Jakarta(ANTARA News) - The Association of South East-Asian Nations (ASEAN) in aneffort to promote its member countries` lives in various fields is to hold anASEAN Cultural Show and Exhibition 2012 in Jakarta later this month.

(ANTARA/Basrul Haq)

The head ofthe ASEAN Secretariat`s public outreach and civil society department andassistant director of community affairs development, Durudee Sirichanya, saidthe ASEAN Cultural Show and Exhibition 2012`s mission was to showcase theeconomic, social and political aspects of the lives of the peoples in the ASEANregion.

"Theevent is not just to promote ASEAN cultures, but all aspects of the lives ofthe peoples in the region," said Sirichanya in Jakarta, Tuesday.

She saidthe event was also an effort to help form an ASEAN Community as called for atthe 2011 ASEAN Summit.

Accordingto Sirichanya, the ASEAN Secretariat was very actively involved in ASEANcommunities through many events.

"Wewant to see ASEAN communities getting closer to and able to help each other inorder to increase the economic, social and political growth of theregion," she said.

"Withthe spirit of `One Vision, One Identity, One Community, we will strengthenASEAN`s position in the global world," she added.

The ASEANCultural Show and Exhibition 2012 will be held at Gandaria City in Jakarta,January 20-22 and the committee will feature art and culture from the ten ASEANmember countries which will be packed into various shows, music performancesand exhibitions.

The eventwill be officially opened on Friday, January 20, by ASEAN Secretary-GeneralSurin Pitsuwan, a representative of Indonesia`s foreign ministry, DjauhariOratmangun, and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.

"Wehave also invited representatives of 52 countries including members of theASEAN Plus," said Sirichanya.

FamedPhilippine singer Maribeth would present special songs in English and Bahasa atthe opening of the first ASEAN Cultural Show and Exhibition. Next year`s eventwould be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

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Girl Band Challenges Old Conservatism in Burma

The members of Me N Ma Girls, all in their early 20s, travel to rehearsals
in traditional outfits, because the shorts and tank tops they rehearse in would
raise eyebrows in Rangoon. After decades of military rule, Burma is slowly
opening to new forms of culture. (Photo courtesy of Me N Ma Girls)

Hong Kong post goes to Dutch conductor

2012-01-17T06:10:00.001+07:00

RNW, 16 January 2012

Award-winning Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has been named chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

He will take over the post in September at the start of the new season and succeeds his compatriot Edo de Waart.

In November, Mr Van Zweden stepped down from his position as chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra after having been associated with them for seven years. Among his current posts is that of music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the United States.

Iraq detains US contractors

2012-01-17T06:03:00.001+07:00

RT.com, 17January, 2012

US private security contractors securing the site where a roadside bomb
exploded near the Iranian embassy in central Baghdad (AFP Photo /
Ahmad Al-Rubaye)

What is theend result of a nearly-nine year war between Iraq and America? Over 100,000violent deaths, the execution of Saddam Hussein and now the detainment of anundisclosed number of US contractors.

Less than amonth after the last US troops walked out of Iraq, American officials areadmitting that left behind in Baghdad were a number of contractors held by theforeign government, some for as many as three weeks. The number of civiliancontractors detained by Iraqi officials, Doug Brooks of the DC-basedInternational Stability Operations Association tells the New York Times, was inthe “low hundreds,” and although all have been released, it doesn’t rule outthe possibility of future imprisonment of Americans in Iraq.

Following along-anticipated withdrawal promised at the beginning of the Obamaadministration, the transition of US troops out of Iraq is proving to be notwithout complications. Finally in charge of their own country, the Iraqigovernment is turning the tides on the American personnel who have governedoverseas for the last eight-plus years.

America’sembassy in Baghdad houses around 15,000 US-affiliated persons, but now with thewar officially over, Iraq is warning the US and others that they better play bytheir rules if they want to stay,

“Iraqalways welcomes foreigners into the country, but they have to come throughlegally and in a way that respects that Iraq now has sovereignty and controlover its land,” Ali Moussawi, an adviser for Prime Minister Nuri Kamalal-Maliki, tells the Times.

Accordingto the report from the Times, the massive detainment is being waged as Iraqisbegin enforcing their own rules and Americans are no longer apt to use theirown military to put themselves above the local law of the land. The USwithdrawal was almost postponed when Washington plead with Baghdad to allowAmerica to keep its troops in Iraq — and have them granted immunity from Iraqilaw — which was met with rousing opposition and eventually the end of the war.Now that Iraq is back to governing Iraq, they are warning Americans that theymean business.

Followingthe last migration of troops, writes the Times, Iraqi authorities largelystopped the practice of issuing and renewing weapons licenses and otherauthorizations to many Americans working as contractors overseas. What wasleft, as a response, was thousands of Americans in Iraq with expired permits,allowing authorities overseas legitimate reasoning for rounding them up.

In a letterto US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the incident, theInternational Stability Operations explains the seriousness of the detainment,pleading that “While private organizations are often able to resolve low-leveldisputes and irregularities, this issue is beyond our ability to resolve.”Given that the removal of troops received such widespread support in both theUS and Iraq, however, it might be a moment before Washington steps up and triesto take on their latest challenge.

The Timesreports that most of the detainments have occurred at the Baghdad airport andat other checkpoints around the capital city, where Iraqi authorities haveasked American and other foreign occupants, to provide documentation. When theyare unable to do so, they are then ushered into detainment facilities.

“We have toapply our own rules now,” Latif Rashid, a senior adviser to the Iraqipresident, tells the Times. Rashid adds that tensions between Iraqis andAmerican military contractors have been high for ages, which should not come asa surprise given that US-hired security agents have been blamed for severalhigh-profile incidents that left Iraqi civilians slain.

“The Iraqipublic is not happy with security contractors. They caused a lot of pain,”Rahis tells the Times. “There is a general bad feeling towards the securitycontractors among the Iraqis and that has created bad feelings towards them all.”

Speaking oncondition of anonymity, one US military official tells the Times that thedetainment is “primarily an adjustment of our standard operating procedures aswe adapt our people and they adapt their security forces to the new situation.”

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"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)

“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....

... What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems...."

China, Saudi Arabia pledge to promote exchanges, cooperation

2012-01-16T05:29:00.001+07:00

English.news.cn 2012-01-15

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) holds talks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 14, 2012.
(Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

RIYADH,Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China and Saudi Arabia pledged to work together to furtherexpand all-around exchanges and cooperation as Chinese Premier Wen JiabaoSaturday unfolded his official visit to the Middle East kingdom.

China andSaudi Arabia have treated each other as equals with respect and theircooperation has been fruitful since the establishment of diplomatic ties 22years ago, said Wen while meeting Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

In recentyears, despite the fact that international and regional situation became evercomplicated and volatile, the two countries have strengthened high-levelexchanges and promoted political mutual trust, said Wen, adding that the twohave always demonstrated mutual understanding and support on issues involvingtheir core interests and of major concern.

The premiersaid the decision to lift bilateral ties to an even higher level has shown thetwo nations' firm commitment to jointly face challenges and protect commoninterests as the world situation is undergoing profound changes.

China wouldlike to work with the Saudi side in deepening exchanges and cooperation invarious aspects so as to benefit the two peoples and promote world peace anddevelopment, Wen added.

He said thetwo sides should expand trade of crude oil and natural gas and energy-relatedcooperation as to deepen their energy partnership.

Wen alsoasked the two countries to promote investment cooperation. The Chinesegovernment encourages well-established Chinese companies to participate inSaudi Arabia's infrastructure construction such as railway, sea ports,electricity and telecommunications, he said.

The twonations could also enhance security and law enforcement cooperation and promotepeople-to-people exchanges in areas like education and sports, as well asbetween the two nations' youths.

Nayef saidSaudi Arabia and China enjoy a time-honored history of exchanges, adding thatthe Saudi people have friendly feelings toward the Chinese people and expect evenbetter bilateral ties.

With jointefforts, bilateral ties have moved forward continuously with remarkableachievements in bilateral cooperation, he said, added that the partnership hasbright prospects.

Nayef saidSaudi Arabia is willing to further boost political mutual trust with China,expand bilateral cooperation in economy and trade, energy, infrastructure,culture, press, and security, promote friendship between the two peoples, andlift bilateral ties to a higher level.

Wen arrivedhere on Saturday evening after a short official visit to Nepal on the same day.

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Kuwait Police Abused Transgender Women: HRW

2012-01-16T03:29:00.000+07:00

Jakarta Globe, January 15,2012

Rasha Moumneh, researcher for the Middle East and North Africa Human
Rights Watch (HRW), speaks during a press conference in Kuwait City on
Sunday, where HRW accused Kuwaiti police of torturing and sexually abusing
transgender women and called on the Gulf state to hold officers accountable.
(AFP Photo)

Relatedarticles

KuwaitCity. Human Rights Watch on Sunday accused Kuwaiti police of torturing andsexually abusing transgender women and called on the Gulf state to holdofficers accountable.

In areport, the New York-based group said that police have been using a “discriminatory”amendment to the penal code passed by parliament in 2007 which arbitrarilycriminalizes “imitating the opposite sex.”

Transgenderwomen are individuals who are born male but identify themselves as female.

Thearbitrary and ill-defined provisions of the law have allowed numerous abuses totake place against them, said the 63-page report based on interviews with 40transgender women, as well as with interior ministry officials, lawyers,doctors, and members of civil society.

Theaccusations were based on the accounts of the 40 victims “all of whom gavealmost a similar story on what they faced,” Rasha Moumneh, HRW’s Middle Eastand North Africa researcher, told a press conference in Kuwait City.

“We havemet with officials from the interior ministry ... and presented the findings tothem but have not yet received any response,” Moumneh said, adding that HumanRights Watch does not know the exact number of transgender women in Kuwait.

Kuwaitipolice have a free rein to determine whether a person’s appearance constitutes“imitating the opposite sex,” without any specific criteria being laid down forthe offence, the report said.

Transgenderwomen reported being arrested even when they were wearing male clothes and thenlater being forced by police to dress in women’s clothing.

In somecases documented by Human Rights Watch, transgender women said police arrestedthem because they had a “soft voice” or “smooth skin.”

“No one —regardless of his or her gender identity — deserves to be arrested on the basisof a vague, arbitrary law and then abused and tortured by police,” Sarah LeahWhitson, HRW’s Middle East director, said in a statement.

“TheKuwaiti government has a duty to protect all of its residents, including groupswho face popular disapproval, from brutal police behavior and the applicationof an unfair law,” the statement said.

Abusesinclude degrading and humiliating treatment, such as being forced to strip andparaded around police stations, being forced to dance for officers, sexualhumiliation, verbal taunts and intimidation, HRW said.

“In severalcases, Human Rights Watch found that police officers took advantage of the lawto blackmail transgender women into sex,” the report said.

Redress forthese violations was difficult for fear of retribution and re-arrest, said therights watchdog.

“HRW callson the Kuwaiti government to repeal the amendment to article 198, criminalizingimitating the opposite sex,” the report said.

Pendingrepeal of the law, the interior ministry should issue a moratorium on arrestsof individuals and the government also should work to protect transgenderindividuals, it said.

Agence France-Presse

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

Equality now!

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 12/03/2011

A group of participants march in front of their gay pride flag during the annual

Pride March in Manila, Philippines, Saturday. Lesbians, gays, bisexual and

transgenders called for the urgent need to pass the anti-discrimination bill

and for government protection from hate crimes committed against them.

(AP/Pat Roque)

Ratings agencies should not serve as crisis amplifier: China

2012-01-15T04:32:00.000+07:00

English.news.cn, by Wang Fan, 2012-01-14

BEIJING,Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- France was stripped of its triple-A credit rating on Fridayin a swathe of downgrades in the eurozone, which dealt a blow to the eurozonemembers faltering in the debt crisis.

TheStandard and Poor's (S&P) downgrade move, though containing some legitimateconcerns, also raised fresh doubts over the credibility of ratings agencies.

France hasbeen struggling to secure its top-notch rating for months. After several roundsof austerity packages and a massive economic overhaul, its overstretched publicfinances showed no clear signs of easing up.

From thisperspective, S&P's downgrade is legitimate in some sense, but the timing isdubious.

Just oneday ago, European shares and the euro rose on positive comments on the region'soutlook from the European Central Bank and the news of a successful Spain'sbond auction.

Meanwhile,ten-year bond spread of debt-ridden countries over that of German has alsonarrowed overtime, a key measure of investors confidence.

Spain,Italy and some peripheral countries have waken up to the severity of theirstructural flaws and introduced a flurry of financial measures to boost theirproductivity.

As crisisis showing tentative signs of receding, the S&P's overwhelming downgradehas once again weighed on the market and dented investors' confidence.

Having anestimated 95 percent of the global market for credit rating, the three ratingsagencies - Moody's, S&P and Fitch Rating, played a pivot part in providingassessment of the ability of countries and companies to pay their debts.

For thisreason, it is of great importance for them to be objective and professional inanalyzing the market situation. Otherwise, their incorrect information on thecredit risk will inflict catastrophic consequences on the global market.

The 2008financial crisis has provided such a cautionary tale. It is the failure ofratings agencies to assess some risky financial products that contributed tothe spread of the toxic assets and fuelled the global crisis.

Meanwhile,investors and markets should wane their over-reliance on assessment of thecredit ratings agencies and make their own judgements about the marketsituation.

With greatpower comes with great responsibility. In this connection, the ratings agenciesshould use their power with caution to avoid becoming an ominous amplifier ofthe ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe.

As globalinvestors should be warned about the major risks of the European debt mess,ratings agencies should also do their honest job and not repeat their pastmistakes to win back the trust of global investors.

Editor: Fang Yang

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The Large Families that rule the world

Ma Ying-jeou wins: sighs of relief in Taiwan after youthful democracy passes test in peaceful polls

2012-01-15T03:55:00.002+07:00

Relief inChina and US as the voters give another term to president who negotiated closerties with Beijing's regime

guardian.co.uk,Tania Branigan in Taipei, Saturday 14January 2012

Supporters of Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou cheer on as they watch
the vote counting on Saturday. Photograph: Wally Santana/AP

The rainthat swept the city streets, blurring lights and muffling the blare of klaxons,perhaps helped to dampen passions. Outside the Kuomintang's Taipeiheadquarters, the victors smiled under thin plastic hoods, cheering in reliefas much as in celebration. Across town, the defeated opposition's supportersseemed subdued.

Taiwanesepolitics are vibrant, emotional, sometimes dirty and occasionally violent. Somemight have expected stronger reactions after a race too close to callculminated in yesterday's re-election of incumbent Ma Ying-jeou, who hasoverseen an unprecedented rapprochement with China.

But themuted response to his victory – he took 51.6% of the vote to challenger TsaiIng-wen's 45.6% – echoed an unusually calm campaign. Some observers think thisyouthful democracy's fifth presidential election offers hope that its politicsare evolving from what one voter described as "two parties shouting ateach other".

Theimproved performance by the Democratic Progressive party (DPP) also indicatesthat voters will continue to have an alternative to the Kuomintang. Some hadfeared the party was sliding to oblivion after its disastrous performance in2008. Ma saw off an impressive campaign by the DPP's Tsai, who would have beenthe first female president. "This is not my personal victory; this victorybelongs to the Taiwanese people," the 61-year-old told supporters.

Tsaistepped down as DPP leader as she conceded defeat. A third candidate, JamesSoong of the People First party, polled just 2.8% of the vote.

The result was a relief for Beijing, displeased by the re-emergence of thepro-independence DPP, despite Tsai's care in moderating the party's rhetoric.The election was watched closely in Washington, amid fears of potentialinstability.

"Beijing,Washington and even Australia will all breathe better with a Ma victory,"Bruce Jacobs, a China expert at Monash University in Australia, told the AssociatedPress.

Beijingclaims sovereignty over the self-governed island and has refused to rule outmilitary action if Taiwan declares formal independence. But hostility hassoftened under Ma, under whose regime the two sides have struck an important economicdeal and established the first direct air, postal and shipping links since thedefeated Kuomintang retreated across the strait after losing the Chinese civilwar six decades ago.

While pollshad shown Tsai edging towards her rival at one point, the scale of the victorygave Ma an unequivocal mandate, said Jonathan Sullivan, an expert on Taiwan atNottingham University. "Ma was very clear about what he was offering ...if people didn't want that they had the opportunity to say so."

TheKuomintang campaign suggested voters faced a choice between the benefits of thecloser economic ties he has forged and uncertainty under Tsai. Meanwhile, theDPP accused Ma of failing ordinary voters and pledged to improve the lives ofworkers.

It is nothard to find diehard supporters on either side who accuse the Kuomintang ofselling out Taiwan or the DPP of being dangerous firebrands.

But one DPPactivist sought to put the contest into a broader perspective. "If we winor lose – to me, even getting here today is a remarkable achievement,"said Chiu Chui-chen, hours before polls opened. Chiu, 61, spent five years inprison during the 1980s due to his pro-democracy activities. Back then, he hadstruggled to imagine voting. That Taiwan did not see presidential electionsuntil 1996, and elected its first non-Kuomintang leader four years later, helpsexplain why politics is a passion here.

The closingrallies on Friday night epitomised the carnival spirit, with tens of thousandspacking each venue. Their roars of approval rivalled the volume of bullhornsand vuvuzelas as they waved flags and cheered their candidates on. Outside theBancai sports stadium, where Tsai held her final event, vendors did a brisktrade in T-shirts, dolls and other campaign paraphenalia.

Hourslater, voters clambered onto buses and trains, travelling hours across theisland to reach their registered polling station. Around 200,000 returned fromoverseas to cast their vote.

Across theTaiwan strait, where the Chinese Communist party has limited coverage of thecontest, at least some Chinese citizens were watching. The popular Sina Weibomicroblog service even posted an election counter. "Saw Taiwan election onWeibo. I hope China can have elections too. But the country's situation doesn'tallow that," wrote one user.

In Taipei,Chinese tour groups said they had been told to stay away from campaigning andsome had even been told to stay inside on polling day. "[China's leaders]don't want a lot of mainlanders coming here and watching democracy inaction," said Stanley Rosen of the University of Southern California, whowas in Taiwan to watch the election. "They like to show the legislatureand people fighting each other... [It's the idea that] democracy is inherentlyunstable."

Taiwan'selectoral history is certainly troubled. In the most notorious incident, DPPincumbent Chen Shui-bian was shot on the eve of the 2004 poll. The incidentremains controversial, not least because of its impact on the next day's vote,which he won by just 0.2%; opponents claimed he had staged it.

This racehas seen allegations – denied by Ma – that intelligence services spied on Tsaifor the Kuomintang's political benefit. That resonated because of the party'sauthoritarian history. Meanwhile, Tsai denied Kuomintang claims that she hadbenefited inappropriately from a role in a state-backed business.

But KevinHsu, the 24-year-old policy director of the First Voters group – a bodyencouraging political participation by the young – said that overall thecampaign had benefited Taiwanese democracy.

"Comparedwith the [previous] elections, it's been peaceful and reasonable. We haven'thad unrest. We haven't had bullets. Our democracy is young, but it's a learningprocess every four years."

YuChen-hua, of the election study centre at National Chengchi University, notedthat there had not been "much passion" in the race. Tsai had reachedout to voters with a more rational tone than predecessors, who had tended touse strong rhetoric to consolidate support, he said.

"Therewere doubts in the DPP about whether Tsai had the right kind of personalitybecause she is very much like a university professor, rather than a streetfighter," said Christopher Hughes of the London School of Economics. Buther "academic, pragmatic style" had turned out to be a real asset forthe DPP, he added. He suggested she had alienated voters by returning toold-school street campaigning tactics in the last week. Even so, she restoredher party's credibility after the last election, when Ma crushed Frank Hsiehwith 58% of the vote to 42% .

"Ithas shown the two-party system is strong. In 2008, there were real fears thatthe DPP was finished," said Hughes.

TheKuomintang has a reduced majority thanks to the simultaneous legislativeelection, although it still boasts 64 seats to the DPP's 40. Smaller partiesclaimed nine places. About 74% of Taiwan's 18 million voters are thought tohave cast a ballot on Saturday, slightly below 2008 figures.

Despite thecooler tone of the race, voters said young Taiwanese people still cared aboutpolitics. "My generation is not as aggressive [about politics] as thepeople you always see on TV. People have got more rational," said JosephChiu, a 30-year-old salesman. "But it's not that they are less passionateor that they are indifferent. They have just learned to respect eachother."

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Saudi king dismisses religious police head

2012-01-14T07:26:00.000+07:00

Google/AFP,13 January 2012

Saudi KingAbdullah (AFP/File, Hamad Olayan)

RIYADH —King Abdullah dismissed the head of Saudi Arabia's powerful religious police onFriday, replacing him with a more moderate cleric, state news agency SPAreported without giving reasons.

SheikhAbdullatif Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh a member of the country's most powerfulreligious family, was named in place of Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Humain, to head theCommission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

SPA gave noreason for the change.

KingAbdullah, a cautious reformer, appointed Humain in 2009 to head the"mutaween" which ensures the strict application of the country'sultra-conservative version of Islam, as a step towards reforming it.

Humainhired consultants to restructure the organisation, met local human rightsgroups and consulted professional image-builders in a broad public relationscampaign.

Thecommission also investigated and punished some out-of-control officers formisbehaviour.

It launchedregular training sessions as well, including five-day courses on "skillsto deal with witches and sorcerers" and the three-day "skills to dealwith tourists."

This cameafter a number of cases in recent years outraged even Saudis and embarrassedthe government.

In 2002,they reportedly prevented firemen from entering an all-girls school that wasablaze because of the segregation-of-sexes policy, and blocked the girls fromescaping because they were not wearing the obligatory veil.

Fourteengirls were trampled to death and 50 hurt in a stampede after the fire brokeout.

And thearrest a few years ago of an American businesswoman meeting a man in a SaudiStarbucks sparked a US complaint.

The newchief is noted for his moderate views on segregation.

In 2010, hebacked the head of the religious police in Mecca, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, who wasbriefly sacked and then rehabilitated after saying Islam does not categoricallyrequire segregation and that shops could remain open during prayer time.

Thereligious police prevent women from driving; require them to shroud their facesand bodies in all-black, shapeless abayas; block public entertainment and forceall commerce, from supermarkets to petrol stations, to come to a halt at prayertimes, five times a day.

They arethe reason Saudis do not have cinemas, that unrelated men and women cannot workin the same office and that young men fear their cellphones will be searchedfor "illicit" photos and messages from unrelated girls.

Althoughthey fall under the interior ministry, they operate with great autonomy.

Theymaintain a close alliance with both the courts -- where all the judges areIslamic clerics -- and the powerful Grand Ulema, the supreme council ofreligious scholars who define the Islamic rules governing life.

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Myanmar releases prominent dissidents in latest reform gesture

2012-01-13T22:04:00.000+07:00

Deutsche Welle, 13 January 2012

The government says as many as
650 prisoners were released

The Myanmargovernment says it has released over 600 prisoners in a much-awaited amnestyoffering. Among those freed were prominent dissidents and protest leaders, manyof whom had been dealt life sentences.

Theleadership in reclusive Myanmar has continued its drive to usher in democraticreforms by releasing some of the country's most prominent dissidents fromprison.

Among thosecovered by the prisoner amnesties were several leaders of the 88 GenerationStudents Group, which was behind the 1988 and 2007 anti-government protests,according to Win Htein, executive for the opposition National League forDemocracy (NLD) party.

Otherprominent prisoners released included former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who wasremoved from office in 2004 by the then-ruling military junta.

Acollection of ethnic minority leaders were also set free, such as Shan rebelleader Khun Tun Oo and Buddhist monk Shin Gambira, who led protests in 2007.

Khin Nyunt was removed from
power with little explanation

Accordingto state TV, around 651 prisoners were released as part of the amnesty.

The releaseof political prisoners, prisoners of conscience and ethnic minority leaders haslong been a precondition set by the international community for looseningsanctions on Myanmar, which have been in place since an army crackdown onprotests in 1988 which ended in the killing of an estimated 3,000 people.

Reformdrive

Thenominally civilian government under President Thein Sein has taken significantsteps since coming to power in 2010 elections to set the nation on a reformpath.

OnThursday, the government signed a ceasefire deal with major ethnic Karen groupwhich had put up one of the world's longest-running civil conflicts for greaterautonomy. Peace with Myanmar's minorities is also a precondition for the easingof Western sanctions.

The ethnic Karen has fought a
decades-long war for autonomy

Thein hasalso taken steps to open dialogue with democracy icon and opposition leaderAung San Suu Kyi, who had spent the majority of the last 21 years under housearrest before her release in November 2010.

The nextchallenge for the country will be by-elections scheduled for April. The NLD wasallowed to officially register for the elections after being declared illegaland ordered to disband by the junta ahead of the 2010 polls. Suu Kyi hasindicated she will make a tilt at parliament in the elections.

Author: Darren Mara (dpa, Reuters)

Editor: Anne Thomas

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Dutch Queen Beatrix calls headscarf row 'nonsense'

2012-01-13T05:46:00.001+07:00

BBC News, 12January 2012

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The queen was said to have heaved
a deep sigh over the row

QueenBeatrix of the Netherlands has dismissed as "real nonsense" adomestic political row over her wearing of a headscarf while on a trip to theGulf.

She wasreacting to questions in parliament tabled by Geert Wilders's Freedom Party(PVV) which claimed she "legitimises the oppression of women".

QueenBeatrix wore a gown and headscarf first on Sunday on a visit to Abu Dhabi andagain on Thursday in Oman.

Herofficials said she had acted out of respect for Islamic tradition.

DuringThursday's visit to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the Omani capital,Muscat, the queen wore a red shawl over her hat while Princess Maxima who wasaccompanying her also had her head covered.

Dutch TVsaid that by also wearing gloves, the queen had covered herself even more thanin Abu Dhabi.

The PVV, ananti-Islam party that props up the Dutch minority government without being partof the coalition, described her wearing of a headscarf on Sunday as a "sadspectacle".

Reporterswith the royal party in Muscat on Thursday described the queen as heaving adeep sigh, while saying she was not surprised by the row.

PrincessMaxima also spoke out, according to Dutch media, pointing out that two-thirdsof students in Abu Dhabi were women.

Althoughthe queen regularly speaks to the Dutch press at the end of a royal tour, herfrank remarks about a domestic political party are being seen as unprecedented.

Queen Beatrix, who is in Abu Dabi, wore a headscarf when
she visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. (Photo: ANP)

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Court upholds law banning Palestinian spouses from living in Israel

2012-01-13T00:28:00.001+07:00

Rulingdenounced as racist but one judge said: 'Human rights are not a prescriptionfor national suicide'

guardian.co.uk,Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem, Thursday 12 January 2012

A man waves the Palestinian flag at the separation wall between Israel and
Palestine. Most Palestinians who marry Israelis are banned from living in
Israel. Photograph: Oliver Weiken/EPA

The supremecourt has narrowly voted to uphold a law which bans thousands of Palestinianswho are married to Israelis from living in Israel. The ruling was denounced asracist by human rights organisations.

Following afive-year legal battle, the court ruled the Palestinians could pose a securitythreat. "Human rights are not a prescription for national suicide,"wrote Asher Grunis, one of the judges in the 6-5 majority ruling.

The law,which was introduced in 2003 as emergency legislation during the secondintifada (Palestinian uprising), has prevented thousands from the West Bank andGaza from living with their spouses who are generally Israeli Arabs.

Manyfamilies are forced to move out of Israel, live apart, or live togetherillegally in Israel.

Exemptionscan be granted for Palestinian men over the age of 35, or women over 25.However, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing Israeli-Arabs,only 33 out of 3,000 applications for exemptions were granted last year.

The232-page judgment was in response to a number of petitions which argued the lawinfringed the basic right to family life of Israel's 20% Arab population. Thecourt ruled: "The right to a family life does not necessarily have to berealised within the borders of Israel."

One of theminority judges, Edmund Levy, wrote: "This law is greatly harmful. Itsdamage resonates. Its legislation is a formative event in the history ofIsraeli democracy."

Among thoseawaiting the decision was Taysar and Lana Hatib, who married six years ago. Heis from the northern Israeli city of Acre; she was originally from Nablus inthe West Bank.

Lana has atemporary residency permit which must be renewed annually, and which prohibitsher from driving a car.

"Thedecision is proof that one shouldn't have any faith in the Israeli judicialsystem," Taysar told the Israeli news organisation Haaretz. "It isclear that the supreme court is influenced by the wave of fascism and racismsweeping Israel and the judges weren't expected to act in any other way."

The ruling,he said, put an end to hopes for a normal life.

Adalah, oneof the organisations which challenged the law, said: "The supreme courtapproved a law the likes of which do not exist in any democratic state in theworld, depriving citizens from maintaining a family life in Israel only on thebasis of the ethnicity or national belonging of their spouse.

"Theruling proves how much the situation regarding the civil rights of the Arabminority in Israel is declining into a highly dangerous and unprecedentedsituation."

TheAssociation of Civil Rights in Israel, another petitioner, said it was "adark day for the protection of human rights and for the Israeli high court ofjustice".

The law wasracist, it said, and would "harm the very texture of the lives of familieswhose only sin is the Palestinian blood that runs in their veins".

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New sex scandals hit Australia's military forces

2012-01-12T18:54:00.003+07:00

BBC News, 12January 2012

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Australia's defence forces have been
hit by several scandals, prompting
wide-ranging reviews

Australia'smilitary has been hit by more sex scandals, after a local news channel obtaineddocuments under freedom of information laws.

Thedocuments detail "serious breaches of discipline", includingallegations of sexual assault, child pornography, rape and drug-dealing.

ChannelSeven said over 100 incidents had been reported in the last year.

TheAustralian Defence Force said in a statement it had "responded promptly tothese incidents".

"Defencehas no tolerance for misconduct or security breaches," the statement said,adding that "it had referred "criminal matters to relevant civilauthorities".

'Hot IssuesBriefs'

This is thelatest in a string of allegations of abusive and sexist behaviour in the ranksof the Australian Defence Force.

A review byAustralia's human rights commissioner in November said women in Australia's topmilitary academy faced "widespread low-level sexual harassment" -although the review said conditions had improved over the last decade.

The reviewwas ordered in the wake of a sex scandal at the Canberra-based AustralianDefence Force Academy where two cadets were accused of secretly filming afemale cadet having sex and broadcasting it on the internet.

The latestset of documents, known as Hot Issues Briefs, was retrieved after a freedom ofinformation request by the Channel Seven News network.

The mostcommon complaint was sexual assault, with more than a dozen cases reported overan eight-month period, Australian media reports say. Many of the allegationsinvolved the Navy, where misconduct on four warships is apparently beinginvestigated.

One caseinvolves a senior officer on the HMAS Success who reportedly video-taped sexualencounters with junior officers.

Sevenmonths earlier on the same ship, a female sailor said she had been assaultedduring a port visit to Singapore.

A reportlast year found that sailors aboard the HMAS Success engaged in"predatory" behaviour and drunken misconduct.

Seven Newsalso said the document contained "a handful of child porn charges, drugdealing and rape allegations," AFP reported.

One reviewis already being conducted into the treatment of women throughout theAustralian military which will be completed in 2012.

A separatereview, ordered by the Department of Defence, has received more than 1,000allegations of abuse, ABC News reported late last year.

Reviewshave also been ordered into the use of alcohol and social media in themilitary.

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Burma government signs ceasefire with Karen rebels

2012-01-12T16:49:00.003+07:00

BBC News, 12January 2012

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General Mutu Saipo of the Karen
National Union (C) welcomed Burmese
officials as the talks opened

Burma'sgovernment has signed a ceasefire deal with Karen rebels, a government officialtold the BBC.

Theagreement came at talks between officials and the Karen National Union (KNU) inHpa-an, the capital of eastern Karen state.

Both sidesagreed to a ceasefire, to open communication offices and to allow passagethrough each other's territories, the official said.

The Karenhave fought for greater autonomy for more than 60 years.

Prior tothis deal, it was the only major group that had not reached a peace agreement.

A ceasefireis only a first step towards a durable peace, but it is a crucial sign of a newdetermination on both sides to try to resolve a bitter, decades-long conflict,says the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey.

Thegovernment has negotiated ceasefires with 17 other insurgent groups since 1989.

Last year,talks were held near the Thai-Burma border with several ethnic groups,including the Shan and Karen.

In December2011, a deal for a ceasefire was reached between the local government andanother major ethnic rebel group, the Shan State Army-South.

Sanctionscondition

Efforts toend conflict are part of a larger bid by the military-backed nominally civiliangovernment that came to power in November 2010 after Burma's first elections in20 years.

This is oneof the key demands of Western governments before sanctions that have beenimposed on Burma can be lifted.

The peacetalks in Hpa-an were led by Railway Minister Aung Min, who is also the leaderof the State Peace Deal Commission, and by General Mutu Saipo of the KNU.

It is notclear what, if any, concessions have been made to reach this truce, ourcorrespondent adds, but it is understood there are plans for further talks inthe future.

Civilunrest has flared since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. Thefighting has displaced thousands of ethnic minority members, many of whom havefled across the Thai border.

There arestill tens of thousands of refugees living in camps in Thailand.

The ultimategoal of a long-term peace agreement between the government and all the ethnicgroups could still take some time to materialise.

In theKachin state, another ethnic rebel area, there continues to be reports ofclashes, even though President Thein Sein has issued an order to ceasefighting.

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Leaked documents reveal US diplomats actually work for Monsanto

2012-01-12T05:34:00.001+07:00

NaturalNews, by: Anthony Gucciardi, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

See allarticles by this author

(NaturalNews)Biotech giant Monsanto has been genetically modifying the world's food supplyand subsequently breeding environmental devastation for years, but leakeddocuments now reveal that Monsanto has also deeply infiltrated the UnitedStates government. With leaked reports revealing how U.S. diplomats areactually working for Monsanto to push their agenda along with other keygovernment officials, Monsanto's grasp on international politics has never beenclearer.

Amazingly,the information reveals that the massive corporation is also intensely involvedin the passing and regulations concerning the very GM ingredients they areresponsible for. In fact, the information released by WikiLeaks reveals justhow much power Monsanto has thanks to key positions within the United Statesgovernment and elsewhere. Not only was it exposed that the U.S. is threateningnations who oppose Monsanto with military-style trade wars, but that many U.S.diplomats actually work directly for Monsanto.

What theleaked documents reveal -- Military style trade wars, government corruption

In 2007 itwas requested that specific nations inside the European Union be punished fornot supporting the expansion of Monsanto's GMO crops. The request for suchmeasures to be taken was made by Craig Stapleton, the United States ambassadorto France and partner to George W. Bush. Despite mounting evidence linkingMonsanto's GM corn to organ damage and environmental devastation, theambassador plainly calls for 'target retaliation' against those not supportingthe GM crop. In the leaked documents, Stapleton states:

"Countryteam Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causessome pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but thatalso focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured ratherthan vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should notexpect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the currentpath has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen Europeanpro-biotech voices."

The undyingsupport of key players within the U.S. towards Monsanto is undeniably madeclear not only in this release, but in the legislative decisions taken byorganizations such as the FDA and USDA. Legislative decisions such as allowingMonsanto's synthetic hormone Posilac (rBGH) to be injected into U.S. cowsdespite being banned in 27 countries. How did Monsanto pull this off?

The biotechjuggernaut managed to infiltrate the FDA positions responsible for the approvalof rBGH, going as far as instating the company's own Margaret Miller as DeputyDirector of Human Safety and Consultative Services. After assuming thisposition, Miller reviewed her own report on the safety and effectiveness ofrBGH.

Many USdiplomats pawns of Monsanto's GM agenda

While itmay be shocking to you if you are not familiar with the corrupt influence ofMonsanto, the cables also show that many US diplomats are pushing GMO crops asa strategic government and commercial imperative. Interestingly enough, theU.S. focused their efforts toward advisers to the pope specifically, due to thefact that many Catholic figureheads have openly voiced their opposition to GMfoods. With this kind of political influence, is it any wonder that many foodstaples are now predominantly GM? Nearly 93% of U.S. soybeans are heavilymodified conservatively, with many other staple crops coming in at similarnumbers.

U.S.diplomats have unique opportunities to spread honest and intellectual campaginsthat can serve to better mankind and end suffering, however they are insteadspreading the roots of Monsanto deeper and deeper into international territory.As a substitute for the betterment of mankind, these paid-off diplomats are nowspreading environment desecration and health destruction.

As if therewasn't already enough information to reveal Monsanto's corruption, the biotechgiant also spends enormous amount of money lobbying government each year.Monsanto spent an astonishing $2 million lobbying the federal government in the3rd quarter of 2011 alone, according to mainstream sources. Why so much cash?The government lobbying focuses on issues like regulations for GM crops andpatent reforms. This 'legal' form of persuasion is the reason governmentagencies like the USDA and FDA let Monsanto roam freely.

Satisfyinggovernment officials' financial vested interest is all that matters whendealing with corrupt mega-corporations like Monsanto. As long as thesefinancial ties continue to exist, Monsanto will continue to reign over the foodsupply and continue to wreak devastation to the environment, ecosystem, andhumankind.

Sources forthis article include:

http://naturalsociety.com/us-start-trade-wars-with-nations-opposed-to-monsanto-gmo-crops/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/03/wikileaks-us-eu-gm-crops

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9RL51J81.htm

http://213.251.145.96/cable/2007/12/07PARIS4723.html

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1677871/fearful-of-genetically-modified-crops-youre-too-late

About theauthor:

AnthonyGucciardi is a health activist and wellness researcher, whose goal is centeredaround educating the general public as to how they may obtain optimum health.He has authored countless articles highlighting the benefits of natural health,as well as exposing the pharmaceutical industry. Anthony is the creator ofNatural Society (http://www.NaturalSociety.com), a natural health website.Anthony has been accurately interpreting national and international events foryears within his numerous political articles. Anthony's articles have been seenby millions around the world, and hosted on multiple top news websites.

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Girl Band Challenges Old Conservatism in Burma

2012-01-11T22:31:00.001+07:00

Jakarta Globe, January 11, 2012

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Withsensual choreography and provocative outfits, Burma’s first girl band pushesthe limits of artistic acceptability in this socially conservative country.

But whentheir parents call, asking why they are not home at 10 p.m., the five bandmembers scurry back to being deferential daughters. “We are living twodifferent lives,” said Lung Sitt Ja Moon, who is known onstage as Ah Moon. “Wedo what we want to do onstage, and then we go home to our parents.”

The band iscalled Me N Ma Girls, a play on “Myanmar girls,” referring to an alternativename for the country. They are battling conservative parents, governmentcensorship and boyfriends who think it is outrageous that they go onstage insuch skimpy outfits.

“We try ourbest to be hot, but not too sexy,” said Wai Hnin Khaing, another band member.

Burma isemerging after years of dictatorial military rule and isolation. There is talkthat the censorship board, which vets songs, articles and movies, will beabolished. Government-sanctioned art and traditional, ankle-length sarongs arebeing challenged by the prospect of more Western-inspired entertainment,clothing and lifestyles.

“Peoplethink that if a girl is wearing something too sexy, she’s not normal,” said AhMoon, whose preacher father is still grappling with her career choice. “Theythink she’s a bad girl.”

The membersof Me N Ma Girls, all in their early 20s, often travel to rehearsals dressed intraditional outfits. The denim shorts and tank tops they rehearse in wouldraise eyebrows on the streets of Rangoon.

The bandmembers do not see themselves as rebels. All five have college degrees:chemistry, zoology, mathematics, Russian and computer science. They are tappinginto a trend by Burma’s younger generation to embrace Western pop culture.

Me N MaGirls released its first album in December and has been raising its profilewith a recent string of concerts in Rangoon. The band is the creation of anAustralian dancer and graphic designer, Nicole May, who came to Burma threeyears ago and teamed up with a Burmese, Moe Kyaw. He initially financed theeffort.

May chosefive women from 120 candidates who responded to an ad for a band called TigerGirls. “I wanted five girls who had energy and magnetic attraction,” she said.

But herwinners did not have the South Korean look Moe Kyaw was aiming for:light-skinned with willowy bodies.

“I wasskeptical,” he said in response to e-mailed questions. “If you were to ask meif I thought they had the looks for a successful girl band, I would say no.”

Moe Kyawsaid he initially relented because he thought that the girls were talented andthat looks were not everything. “This was during the days of Susan Boyle,” hesaid, recalling the unprepossessing Scottish singer who soared to stardom on aBritish TV talent show.

But hechanged his mind. A year ago, the partners parted. The girls followed May andchanged their name to Me N Ma Girls.

The notionof an all-girl band is still novel here, said Heather MacLachlan, a professorof music at the University of Dayton and the author of a recent book, “Burma’sPop Music Industry: Creators, Distributors, Censors.”

The bandsings about love and heartbreak and boy-meets-girl situations that might bebenign in other cultures but rankle in a society where children live with theirparents until they are married.

In thevideo for their song “Festival,” the girls dance in a sweaty nightclub and takea dip in a swimming pool. They peer over sunglasses as they sing the suggestivelines: “Hey, you! Are you happy? You want some?”

“I’ve NEVERseen girls behave like that, ever,” MacLachlan wrote in an e-mail, referring toBurmese girls.

As popmusicians in Burma, Me N Ma Girls face a unique set of problems. The powerregularly goes out in one of their practice locations and the roof leaks duringthe rainy season. The censors barred the band from using colored wigs lastyear. “Tipping” the censors eases the process.

Growingname recognition has yet to translate to financial success.

Wai HninKhaing’s mother makes a living selling pork salad on the street for 200 kyat,or about 25 cents, a plate.

LalrinKimi, who goes by Kimmy onstage, grew up in a mountain village near the borderwith India, an area that suffers from famine and plagues of rice-eating rats.She lives with her siblings in Rangoon and makes a living singing in bars andrestaurants.

Her fatherdisapproved of her joining the band. “He wanted me to do only gospel songs,”she said.

The girlshave big dreams.

“I wantthis band to hit Hollywood!” said Su Pyae Mhu Eain, the zoology major, known asCha Cha.

Cha Cha’sown experiences inspired a song about a breakup, featuring the chorus, “You area liar!” The song’s video was shot in Bangkok late last year.

For most ofthe band, that trip was the first time outside impoverished Burma. Theymarveled at Bangkok’s mass transit, the malls and the anonymity of a big city.

“I feltfreedom there,” Kimmy said. “We could wear whatever. We didn’t need to careabout other people. Here, if we wear shorts, we get teased.”

The bandalso saw the libertine side of Bangkok, including a sex show. “There were somany things we don’t see in Myanmar,” Kimmy said. “Prostitutes — so many!” (Theshow, which featured one particularly explicit sex act, was too much for ChaCha. She ran to the ladies’ room and vomited.)

The girlsare planning a return early this year, where they will perform with other bandsfrom Burma. In the meantime, they focus on rehearsals, and keeping theirparents soothed.

Band memberHtike Htike Aung received a text message from her mother after one recentrehearsal carried over to midnight.

“Do youknow you still have parents!” the message read, followed by more pleading: “Mylittle daughter, call me back!”

She returnedhome and found her mother waiting for her with a home-cooked meal.

“She nevergoes to sleep until I get back,” Htike Htike Aung said. “I felt so bad.”

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