Asean Summit, Malaysia on Nov 21, 1015

Asean Summit, Malaysia  on Nov 21, 1015
Asean Establishes Landmark Economic and Security Bloc
"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - Text version)

“….. Here is the prediction: China will turn North Korea loose soon. The alliance will dissolve, or become stale. There will be political upheaval in China. Not a coup and not a revolution. Within the inner circles of that which you call Chinese politics, there will be a re-evaluation of goals and monetary policy. Eventually, you will see a break with North Korea, allowing still another dictator to fall and unification to occur with the south. ….”

“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."
"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)
(Subjects: Who/What is Kryon ?, Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" Managed Business, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)









North Korean defector criticises China in rare Beijing talk

North Korean defector criticises China in rare Beijing talk
North Korean defector and activist Hyeonseo Lee, who lives in South Korea, poses as she presents her book 'The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story' in Beijing on March 26, 2016 (AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

US under fire in global press freedom report

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …

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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Chinese mayors’ academy to open in The Hague

RNW, 30 March 2012

All newly-appointed Chinese mayors will take part in a week-long programme in the Netherlands as part of their training. Deputy Mayor Henk Kool signed an agreement this week in Beijing to establish a European office of the National Academy for Mayors of China in The Hague.

Chinese officials are interested in working together with existing advisory and academic institutes in The Hague in the area of public administration.

“Opening an office of this prestigious academy in our city is an honour for The Hague. This way the ties between The Hague and China will be further strengthened. Many institutes in The Hague can benefit from this,” said Kool.

Rapid urbanisation means more mayors

Because of China’s rapid urbanisation in recent decennia, the need for additional city administrators has increased. The National Academy for Mayors of China has grown accordingly.

The Hague was in the race with London, Paris and Brussels for the mayors’ academy. Last November, a delegation of 25 Chinese mayors paid a visit to The Hague, the first move towards setting up the academy.

The city council has said it will assist China with finding a suitable location for the academy. The first course will start in August.

David Wilcock: March 28, 2012 Interview with Whistleblower “Drake” on Mass Arrests

The 2012 Scenario, by BZ Riger, 2012 MARCH 30 

David Wilcock interviews a top insider, “Drake,” asked by the Pentagon to publicly discuss the mass arrests. “Drake” points us to the website Freedom Reigns for more details.


UPDATE 2:59 PM — INTERVIEW WITH TOP INSIDER ABOUT IMMINENT MASS ARRESTS

I am on the plane to this weekend’s conference in Austin. You are about to hear a stunning interview with Drake, an insider specifically asked by the Pentagon “good guys” to come forward and explain what is going to be done.

I was blown away by the information he was giving. If you didn’t already believe this was really going to happen, this may very well change your mind.

I ran Drake through an extensive validation process with one of my top insiders and he passed with flying colors. He is the real deal.

We have an urgent-status rush transcription order for our Divine Cosmos Transcription Team on this, and will get it posted ASAP.

These are ZIP files. All you have to do is download them, open them and tell them where you want your MP3 to go. It’s that simple — just like our downloadable products. Here they are:




These MP3 files will load into ALL standard MP3 players and also into iTunes. However, iTunes has had some issues with MP3 files lately.

If you try to load these files into iTunes and it crashes, you need to update your iTunes. The current iTunes version 10.6.1 fixes most of these bugs.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Indonesia Wants North Korea to Abandon Rocket Launch

Jakarta Globe, March 30, 2012

Related articles

This March 20 satellite image shows
 North Korean rocket launch pad in
Tongchang-ri.
Indonesian wants North Korea to abandon next month’s planned rocket launch, saying it will undermine peace and stability in the region.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa did not comment directly on concerns debris could land in Indonesian territory. But he said his country was keenly aware of all risks associated with the launch and would closely watch each of Pyongyang’s next steps.

North Korea says the rocket will be launched to mark the centennial of the communist nation’s founder and to put an observation satellite into space.

Many nations, however, view it as a cover for testing long-range missile technology, in violation of a UN ban.

Brics’ move to unseat US dollar as trade currency

City press,Thandeka Gqubule and Andile Ntingi,  2012-03-25    

South Africa will this week take some initial steps to unseat the US dollar as the preferred worldwide currency for trade and investment in emerging economies.

Thus, the nation is expected to become party to endorsing the Chinese currency, the renminbi, as the currency of trade in emerging markets.

This means getting a renminbi-denominated bank account, in addition to a dollar account, could be an advantage for African businesses that seek to do business in the emerging markets.

The move is set to challenge the supremacy of the US dollar. This, experts say, is the latest salvo in the greatest worldwide currency war since the 1930s.

In the 30s, several nations competitively devalued their currencies to give their domestic economies an advantage over others.

And this led to a worldwide decline in overall trade volumes at the time.

The north will be pitted against the entire south in a historic competitive currency battle – whose terrain has moved to the Indian capital New Dehli – where the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa) nations will assemble next week.

China seeks to find new markets for its currency and to lobby to internationalise it throughout the Brics states.

For China this is not a new game. In 2009, senior Chinese banking officials issued a statement that the international monetary system was flawed owing to an unhealthy dependence on the US dollar and called for a “super-sovereign” international reserve currency.

Experts say Beijing’s first step is to internationalise its currency (by expanding its reach beyond China), liberalise it (to allow its value to be determined by the market instead of actively managing it as they currently do) and then make it a reserve currency for many nations in the developing world.

Africa’s largest bank, Standard Bank, says in a research document: “We expect at least $100 billion (about R768 billion) in Sino-African trade – more than the total bilateral trade between China and Africa in 2010 – to be settled in the renminbi by 2015.”

The bank anticipates that the use of the renminbi will lower transaction costs in Africa, thus lowering the barriers to doing business.

It also says that the Chinese will be more successful in transacting in renminbi in Africa than anywhere else because most currencies are weak and somewhat localised.

Not only will the US dollar be challenged, but also the entire international financial regime – led by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – which has been dominant since the end of World War II.

South Africa’s place in the emerging international financial regime is set to be enhanced.

Zou Lixing, vice-president of the Institute of Research of the China Development Bank, told the Brics preparatory meeting recently that “although the economic aggregate of South Africa is small relative to the Brics, South Africa provides a gate for the Brics to get access to the huge African market”.

The five-member nations have collectively called for an end to the tacit agreement between the US and Europe that ensures that the head of the World Bank is an American citizen, and the International Monetary Fund head is European.

They have proposed that an emerging market candidate be fielded when the term of the current World Bank head, Robert Zoellick, expires in three months.

Fundacao Vargas, a member of the Brazilian delegation, said Brics could confront “existing governance structures”, and seek to strengthen the blocs’ influence in established institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, while creating alternatives.

The demand for greater political say in international affairs dovetails with China’s expected rise as a financial superpower in the next eight years.

Vargas showed the preparatory meeting projections indicating that China’s economy will have eclipsed that of the US by 2020, hence the promotion of the renminbi as the preferred currency of the south.

The renminbi has traditionally traded at a deliberately lower exchange rate, which gave a huge boost to China’s domestic economic sectors and enabled its booming industrialisation and growth.

The US and other trading partners have long accused China of being a “currency manipulator”.

Last week, Brazil declared its commitment to keep its own currency – the real – low. Its finance minister, Guido Mantega, reiterated his November 2010 declaration that a global currency war has broken out.

He said: “We do not want to lose our manufacturing sector.

We will not sit back and watch while other countries devalue their currencies.”

Brazil and China cried foul last year when, through a slew of initiatives dubbed QE2 – Quantitative Easing Two – the US indirectly devalued its currency by pumping about $600 billion into its economy to protect the economy from sliding back into recession.

South African economists were in two minds about the moves to extend the influence of the renminbi.

Economist and academic Peter Draper told City Press recently that the decision to establish a Brics development bank and to enlarge the renminbi's sphere “is political and related to the current political dynamics within the World Bank” and the established international financial system.

Tom Wheeler of the South African Institute of International Affairs said developments in New Delhi (India) were “giving substance to the previously (and) loosely arranged economic block”.

- City Press

A bank employee counts U.S. dollar notes during a photo
 opportunity at a bank in Seoul on May 4, 2010. Asian countries
 are looking to double their reserves in an effort to rely less
on the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters Photo)
.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chinese, Russian presidents vow to lift bilateral ties to new level

English.news.cn   2012-03-29

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with his Russian counterpart
 Dmitry Medvedev in New Delhi, capital of India, March 28, 2012.
(Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
            
NEW DELHI, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev discussed bilateral ties and other issues of common concern here on Wednesday, agreeing to promote China-Russia relations to a new level.

During their meeting on the sidelines of the fourth BRICS Summit, which groups China, Brazile, India, Russia and South Africa, the two leaders agreed to make joint efforts to lift their all-round strategic cooperation partnership to a new level.

Hu said the two countries last year charted the course and set the goal for the development of the bilateral relationship in the next decade and developed a plan for cooperation in various fields.

The move had given fresh impetus to the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Hu said.

Hu expressed hope that, in the current complex and ever-changing international situation, China and Russia could take a more active stance to implement major consensus on bilateral cooperation, maintain close high-level contacts and bolster political support for each other.

Meanwhile, efforts should be made to secure the smooth operation of various cooperation mechanisms to further advance collaboration on major projects covering such fields as trade, the economy, energy, aerospace, high-technology and culture, Hu said.

He said the two sides should jointly ensure the success of the Year of Tourism in each country and expand exchanges between their young people.

Medvedev said frequent high-level contacts and prompt exchange of views on bilateral ties and other major issues were of high importance in ensuring bilateral relations stayed on the right track.

He said Russia was ready to maintain regular exchanges of high-level visits and close communication.

Last year, two-way trade between the two countries hit a record high, he said, adding that energy cooperation on major oil and nuclear energy projects progressed smoothly.

Medvedev said Moscow was confident of meeting the goal of achieving 100 billion U.S. dollars in bilateral trade per year by 2015 and 200 billion dollars by 2020.

On the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organziation (SCO) summit, to be held in China this summer, Hu said China placed great importance on the meeting, which would be the first gathering since the organization entered its second decade.

Hu said China was ready to work with Russia to yield more results at the summit on charting the course for future development and advancing the pragmatic cooperation among the SCO members.

Medvedev said he believed the summit would be a success and further promote the rapid and sound development of the organization.

The two presidents also exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Hu said China and Russia shared a common stance on maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula.

He said the present situation on the peninsula was particularly complex and sensitive.

China was ready to continue cooperating with Russia and urged all the relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint, Hu said, calling for improved relations through dialogue and contacts to safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula.

Medevdev said Russia shared China's view on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, pledging to continue to maintain close communication and coordination with China on the issue.

On the Syrian crisis, Hu said both China and Russia shared the stance that the international community should respect Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and its people's choice.

He said China supported the mediation efforts of U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan and was ready to work with Russia and the international community to play a constructive role in properly resolving the Syrian crisis.

Medevdev said Russia was ready to work with China to push for an immediate end to violence, prevent the intense situation from escalating and urged the Syrian government and all other parties to resolve the issue peacefully.

The two presidents agreed to make join efforts to yield desirable results at the BRICS summit.

They also pledged to strengthen pragmatic cooperation and coordination on international affairs among the members and send a signal of unity, confidence and win-win cooperation to the outside world.



A bank employee counts U.S. dollar notes during a photo
 opportunity at a bank in Seoul on May 4, 2010. Asian countries
 are looking to double their reserves in an effort to rely less
on the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters Photo)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Asia Set to Double Reserve Pool as Europe Squeezes IMF

Jakarta Globe, March 28, 2012

A bank employee counts U.S. dollar notes during a photo
 opportunity at a bank in Seoul on May 4, 2010. Asian countries
 are looking to double their reserves in an effort to rely less
on the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters Photo)
              
Related articles

Asian policy makers are preparing to double a $120 billion reserve pool to defend the region against shocks, reducing their reliance on traditional backstops such as the International Monetary Fund as Europe saps resources.    

Officials meeting in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh this week will discuss boosting to $240 billion the so-called Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization agreement, a foreign- currency reserve pool created by Japan, China, South Korea and 10 Southeast Asian nations that took effect in 2010, said Wei Benhua, director of the fund’s surveillance unit in Singapore.    

Asian nations, holder of more than half of global reserves, are looking within themselves to protect the world’s fastest- growing region as Europe and the US struggle to recover from the worst economic slump since World War II. The IMF, which bailed out South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand during the 1997- 98 Asian financial crisis, estimates that the euro area will take up about 80 percent of its total credit in 2014.    

“The global financial crisis and Europe’s debt crisis show that when markets become irrational or extremely volatile, countries need all the resources they can get,” said Tai Hui, Singapore-based head of Southeast Asian economics at Standard Chartered. “When there are trillions sloshing around in foreign-exchange reserves in Asia, adding another $120 billion is very small.”                        

Crisis Prevention    

The aim of a larger reserve pool is “crisis prevention,” said Wei, who heads the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office in Singapore and is a former deputy director at China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Deputy finance ministers from Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea will discuss the plan this week and submit it to their ministers for a May approval, he said.    

The countries have bolstered cooperation since the regional crisis almost 15 years ago, when Thailand’s baht devaluation set off a plunge in neighboring currencies and sparked a financial meltdown. Central banks are also diversifying their reserves and moving into yuan-denominated assets, while increasing bilateral currency swaps to support trade and investment.    

“The expansion is necessary because Europe’s crisis, though it appears to be calming down for now, hasn’t completely disappeared,” Fumihiko Igarashi, Japan’s Vice Finance Minister, told reporters March 26. “There remains the risk of the contagion and we should enhance Asia’s resilience which may be caused by fund withdrawals by European lenders from Asia. We need to prepare for the worst case scenario.”    

Help from developed countries and the global institutions led by them may be limited as Europe’s debt crisis is prolonged. European ministers meet this week to discuss enlarging their crisis fund as the cost of saving the region’s economies from bankruptcy exceeds 385 billion euros ($514 billion).                        

Europe’s Options    

Euro-area finance ministers are weighing their options on the temporary European Financial Stability Facility, which manages rescue programs for Ireland, Portugal and Greece, and its permanent successor, the European Stability Mechanism. They may decide to increase their crisis fund to a total capacity of 692 billion euros from a current limit of 500 billion euros when they meet March 30, a euro-area official said.    

Reports in Thailand today showed exports rose for the first time in four months while manufacturing slumped for a sixth month in February. The US may report a rebound in durable goods orders, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists.    

The Chiang Mai Initiative supplements existing international financial arrangements through currency swap transactions among member nations if needed, or can act as a backstop for those facing balance-of-payments or short-term liquidity difficulties. The swap agreements have not been tapped.                        

Access to Reserves    

The proposed increase in the Chiang Mai Initiative will be a fraction of the foreign-currency holdings that Asian nations have accumulated, totaling more than $6.5 trillion. China alone has about $3.2 trillion of reserves, followed by Japan’s holdings of more than $1.2 trillion.    

The pool widens access to reserves that will allow countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, recipients of IMF bailouts during the Asian crisis, to defend their currencies in times of turmoil. The IMF loaned more than $100 billion to the two nations and South Korea, and governments were forced to cut spending, raise interest rates and sell state-owned companies in return.    

Still, regional safety nets do not erase the need for global ones, Singapore central bank Managing Director Ravi Menon said in January. It is in the interest of Asian countries to have the IMF continue playing an “active role” in the region and complement regional financing arrangements such as the Chiang Mai Initiative, he said.                      

Capacity Diminished    

“Where a crisis is largely regional in nature, contagion can be rapid and the capacity of a regional safety net can be diminished,” Menon said. “Global safety nets may well be necessary as a complement in situations like these.”    

Swap agreements have been used to increase currency liquidity during emergencies. The US Federal Reserve and other central banks established swap lines in December 2007 to boost dollar liquidity. The use of the swaps peaked at $583.1 billion in December 2008, with deals encompassing 14 other central banks. The swap arrangements were revived in May 2010 when the debt crisis in Europe worsened.   

With Asia continuing to lead global growth and being the recipient of capital inflows as investors seek higher returns, Standard Chartered’s Hui said it’s timely for officials to boost regional safety nets.    

“When the emergency does hit, you always wish you have more rather than less,” Hui said.

Bloomberg

China scandal: Police chief Wang Lijun 'sought UK talks'

BBC News, 28 March 2012

Related Stories 

Wang Lijun is currently being
investigated
The police chief at the centre of China's biggest political scandal for years sought a meeting with UK officials hours before he fled to a nearby US mission, the BBC has learnt.

Wang Lijun did not show up as arranged at the UK consulate in Chongqing, UK government sources told the BBC.

Instead he allegedly tried to defect at the US mission in nearby Chengdu.

The events led to the removal from office of his boss, Bo Xilai, one of China's leading political figures.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Beijing says the events triggered the biggest scandal to engulf China's ruling Communist Party in recent years.

In recent days it has been claimed that Wang Lijun had concerns that a British citizen, Neil Heywood, who died in China last year, had not died accidentally.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

RI proposes anti-nuclear legislation model at Seoul Summit

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Seoul | Tue, 03/27/2012

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
JP/Ricky Yudhistira
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono submitted a proposal to world leaders at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea on the use of legislation to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to promote nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Yudhoyono, according to South Korean spokesperson Han Choong-hee, has suggested that every participating nation should be equipped with legislative models to help each respective government speed up the ratification of nuclear-concerned conventions and initiatives.

“A lot of initiatives have been started on nuclear security, yet they also have to be reflected in the laws of each individual nation,” Han said on Tuesday in the summit’s morning plenary session, where leaders of all 53 participating countries deliver short speeches.

“The legislative model should also include a checklist that can provide guidelines for respective countries on their legislative processes,” he told international reporters covering the summit, held at Seoul’s COEX Center.

No Indonesian officials, however, were available to elaborate further on Yudhoyono’s proposal. 

Related Article:


Chinese President Hu Jintao (7th R, front) poses for a group photo 
with other leaders attending the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (NSS)
 in Seoul, capital of the Republic of Korea (ROK), March 27, 2012. The NSS
morning plenary session started here Tuesday. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

The king and i: Swaziland plans social media lese-majesty law

Africa's last absolute monarchy to ban Facebook and Twitter users from insulting King Mswati III

guardian.co.uk, David Smith in Johannesburg, Monday 26 March 2012

King Mswati III is facing growing protests over his undemocratic regime.
Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images

Swaziland is planning a censorship law that will ban Facebook and Twitter users from criticising its autocratic ruler, King Mswati III.

Africa's last absolute monarch is facing growing protests over his undemocratic regime, which has pushed the tiny mountain kingdom to the brink of bankruptcy.

But Mswati's justice minister, Mgwagwa Gamedze, told the Swazi senate: "We will be tough on those who write bad things about the king on Twitter and Facebook. We want to set an example."

The government was finalising a law that will make it illegal to insult the king on social networks, Gamedze said.

The move follows comments last week by the Swazi senator Thuli Msane over how online activism was spiralling out of control and threatening the king's reputation. "It's like, the moment Swazi people cross the border to neighbouring countries they begin to go on a campaign to disrespect their own country and king," she said. "Surely there is something that must be done with them. There must be a law that can take them to task."

Although internet penetration is low among Swaziland's 1.2 million people, networks such as Facebook and Twitter have been used to organise public protests, including a student demonstration on Monday against cutbacks in higher education.

Pius Vilakati, spokesman for the Swaziland Solidarity Network, condemned the planned crackdown. "The government is desperate right now. They are trying anything to stop people talking to each other," he said. It would be difficult for them, because people will always talk and continue to talk."

Vilakati predicted chaos if the law was enforced: "I don't think Swazis will take it lying down."

He said even so-called independent newspapers in Swaziland were heavily censored by the government. "They say there is free speech in Swaziland. But if people are not allowed to criticise the leadership, there is no free speech."

Last month, the sacked editor of the Swazi Observer newspaper reportedly fled the countryin fear for his life.

Educated at Sherborne school, in the UK, Mswati has 13 wives and hosts an annual reed dance at which he can choose a new bride from tens of thousands of bare-breasted virgins. Opposition parties are outlawed and political activists are routinely detained or assaulted.

The king's fortune is estimated at about $100m (£64m). There was anger last month when the royal family and military received extra money from the national budget. Swaziland, a former British protectorate, has the highest HIV rate in the world, and two-thirds of the population live in poverty.

Mswati has endured unprecedented protests because of a deepening financial crisis. Last year, thousands of students and activists took to the streets, prompting a forceful response from police. More protests are planned in coming weeks.

Swaziland's crackdown follows similar measures in Zimbabwe, where a man was arrested last year over an allegedly subversive message he posted on Facebook. He was later cleared of all charges.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Obama tells North Korea: have the courage to pursue peace

US president warns Pyongyang to change its ways in order to avoid 'more broken dreams' and further isolation

guardian.co.uk, Associated Press in Seoul, Monday 26 March 2012 

Barack Obama speaks in Seoul ahead of an international summit on nuclear security

Barack Obama has urged North Korean leaders to "have the courage to pursue peace" and said failure to do so would mean a future without dignity, respect or hope for the country's people.

Obama stood by his call for a world without nuclear weapons, saying the US had more than it needed and could cut its arsenal without weakening its security or that of its allies.

That assessment put him on a collision course with congressional Republicans, who say any significant cuts would undermine America's ability to deter aggression.

Speaking at Hankuk University, Obama said North Korea needed to change its ways because continuing down the same path would lead to "more broken dreams" and isolation.

His remarks came a day after he visited the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea and described the experience as witnessing a "timewarp" of despair.

He told North Korean leaders: "By now it should be clear. Your provocations and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not achieved the security you seek – they have undermined it. Instead of the dignity you desire, you are more isolated."

As Obama spoke at the international nuclear summit, tensions rose on the Korean peninsula. Seoul warned that it might shoot down a North Korean rocket carrying a satellite if it violates South Korean territory. The US says the launch amounts to a test of North Korea's rocket weaponry.

Obama said he was speaking of a wish for further nuclear reductions as the president of the only nation ever to use nuclear weapons and as a protective father eager to erase the threat of nuclear annihilation.

On the sidelines of the summit, he met the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Both leaders acknowledged continued tensions between their countries on key issues, including Syria and missile defence.

Later on Monday, Obama met President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, and was due to talk to the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, whom he was expected to ask for help in dealing with North Korea.

Obama said the international community had made progress in reducing the nuclear threat, but added that "we're under no illusions".

"Even as we have more work to do, we can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need," he said. "I firmly believe that we can ensure the security of the United States and our allies, maintain a strong deterrent against any threat, and still pursue further reductions in our nuclear arsenal."

Obama reiterated his warning to Iran, which the US and its allies say is defying its international obligations by pursuing an illicit nuclear programme.

"Iran's leaders must understand that there is no escaping the choice before it. Iran must act with the seriousness and sense of urgency that this moment demands," he said. "Iran must meet its obligations."

He said a "new international norm" was emerging to deal with the intransigence of Iran and North Korea. "Treaties are binding. Rules will be enforced. And violations will have consequences," he said. "Because we refuse to consign ourselves to a future where more and more regimes possess the world's most deadly weapons."

Obama said the US was moving, with Russia, to eliminate enough plutonium for about 17,000 nuclear weapons and turn it into electricity. He said an earlier agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear arsenals under the New Start treaty was "the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades".

"When we're done, we'll have cut American- and Russian-deployed nuclear warheads to their lowest levels since the 1950s," he said.

But he said the two countries had more work to do to bridge their differences, including their approach to violence in Syria. The US has sharply criticised Russia for opposing UN security council action calling on Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, to leave power.


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Group hopes N. Korea concert spurs understanding


"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

“…..   Here is the prediction: China will turn North Korea loose soon. The alliance will dissolve, or become stale. There will be political upheaval in China. Not a coup and not a revolution. Within the inner circles of that which you call Chinese politics, there will be a re-evaluation of goals and monetary policy. Eventually, you will see a break with North Korea, allowing still another dictator to fall and unification to occur with the south. ….”

Sunday, March 25, 2012

South Korean Activists Call For End of Atomic Power

Jakarta Globe, March 25, 2012

A protester shouts slogans during a rally opposing the Nuclear Security
 Summit in Seoul on Saturday. Leaders from more than 50 countries will gather
in Seoul for a March 26 to 27 nuclear security summit focusing on measures
to protect nuclear materials and facilities and to prevent illicit trafficking.
(Reuters Photo)
            
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Seoul. South Korean environment activists protested Sunday, calling for world leaders to abandon atomic energy completely as world leaders gathered in Seoul for a nuclear security summit.

Leaders or top officials from 53 countries including US President Barack Obama will meet on Monday and Tuesday for a summit aimed at reducing nuclear stockpiles and stopping them from falling into the hand of terrorists.

But the activists who convened in downtown Seoul accused world leaders of seeking to expand nuclear energy programs, despite last year’s quake and tsunami-triggered meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima plant.

“Outcry from Fukushima calls for abandonment of all nuclear development!” read a banner held by one of the protesters.

“No nuke export! No nuke power!,” read another banner.

The protesters, who police said numbered about 3,000, called for major nations with nuclear capabilities to cut their stockpiles more quickly, instead of focusing on pressuring weaker countries into abandoning their programs.

“Emerging countries will never give up their nuclear ambitions unless current nuclear powerhouses come forward first to make disarmament efforts,” the organizers said in a joint statement.

Agence France-Presse

Related Article:

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

" .... Let us talk for a moment about Japan, and then I'll close the day of messages. There are thousands of souls on my side of the veil and they're just fine, more than fine. We have spoken so often of what happens at the Wind of Birth. I told you, before they even came in, they saw the potential. I looked in their eyes. "You may not last long. You know that, don't you? You're coming into this planet and you may not be here very long. And the passing that you will have with your family will not be pleasant, if any ever are. Why would you come in anyway?" I want to tell you what they said. When a soul has the mind of God, it understands fully what generates peace and what generates energy shift. You can clearly see what generates what the planet needs the most when you are about to arrive. So they said, "We're going to be part of one of the biggest compassion events the planet has ever seen." One earthquake, one tsunami. All of those who left that day will change the earth forever. And it already has. It was the same for the last tsunami as well.

Every single one of them on my side of the veil is getting ready to come back. Many old souls were involved, and just for a moment, if they could give you any information, if they could talk to you right now, if they could speak your language and look into your eyes, they would thank you for your compassion for them and those who are left. And they would say, "Be with those family members who are still alive. Enter their hearts every day and give them peace and keep them from crying, because we're OK." .... "