'Instant chicken' scandal: McDonald's admits Liuhe was supplier

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2012-12-27

A McDonald's outlet in Beijing. (Photo/CNS)

McDonald's has finally admitted that the company at the center of China's "instant chicken" scandal was one of its suppliers, the state newswire Xinhua reports.

The global fast food chain had initially denied it did business with the Shandong-based Liuhe Group, a major supplier to rival KFC, which was discovered to have used excessive antibiotics and illegal hormones and chemicals to speed up the growth of its broiler chickens.

Following continued public and media scrutiny, however, McDonald's now says that Liuhe was in fact one of its "second-tier" or "downstream" suppliers, although it has stopped buying chicken from the company since Dec. 18 and samples of McDonald's products have subsequently been tested by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.

McDonald's had been reluctant to comment after the scandal first came to light, only previously publishing a notice on its official Chinese microblog claiming that all its chicken products had passed stringent quality controls and met government standards after independent third-party laboratory testing.

A McDonald's China spokesperson said that the restaurant chain was not directly stocked by Liuhe and that quality controls of its second-tier suppliers are carried out by its first-tier suppliers.

According to Xinhua, second-tier suppliers provide the basic raw materials, while first-tier suppliers process the raw materials into chicken products. McDonald's does not deal directly with second-tier suppliers and relies on its first-tier suppliers to enforce quality controls, the spokesperson added.

The world's largest fast food chain added that it also conducts quality checks on every batch of its chicken products but has so far not found excessive antibiotic levels in Liuhe's chicken, while hormone levels are not tested as part of the checks.

A spokesperson from China's Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday morning that the scandal is still under investigation but all suspect chicken farms and processing plants have been shut down.

A KFC outlet in Shanghai.
anim(Photo/Xinhua)

Related Articles:

KFC admits excessive antibiotics were used in its chicken

Liuhe exec admits drug sales make up large part of chicken trade

CCTV exposes drugged chickens at KFC and McDonald's supplier

'Instant chicken' scandal may force safer practices in China

Shanghai to punish persons responsible in KFC hormone scandal

KFC suspected of concealing results of food safety tests

Ghana told to free Argentine ship Libertad by UN court

BBC News, 15 December 2012

Related Stories

• Argentina asks UN to free ship
• Argentine ship crew return home
• Argentina 'firm' over seized ship

The ARA Libertad is being manned
 by a skeleton crew in the port of Tema

A UN court has ordered the release of an Argentine naval ship impounded by Ghana over a debt dispute.

The UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in Germany, ruled that the ARA Libertad had immunity because it was a military vessel.

The ship has been held in the port of Tema since October when a local court ruled in favour of a financial fund.

The fund says it is owed $370m (£233m) by the Argentine government as a result of its debt default a decade ago.

A skeleton crew has stayed on board the three-masted training ship since about 300 personnel and naval cadets flew home in October.

The tribunal in Hamburg ordered that Ghana should "forthwith and unconditionally release the frigate ARA Libertad" and ensure the ship and its crew can leave Ghanaian waters.

It set a deadline of 22 December for the ship to have left the port.

Tribunal president Shunji Yanai ordered that the vessel should be resupplied if needed.

The court said that holding the ship was "a source of conflict that may endanger friendly relations among states".

Last month, sailors on board the Libertad reportedly drew guns on Ghanaian officials after they tried to board the vessel to move it to another berth.

Immunity 'violated'

An agent for the Ghanaian government who was at the court said after the ruling that it would "carefully consider the tribunal's order with a view to ensuring that it is given effect."

Financial fund NML Capital has so far not commented on the ruling.

NML is a subsidiary of US hedge fund Elliot Capital Management, which is one of Argentina's former creditors.

Argentina had argued that the seizure violated the immunity of military vessels under international maritime law.

In 2001 and 2002, Argentina defaulted on more than $100bn of debt. Most of these loans were subsequently restructured, giving creditors about 30% of their money back.

However, some creditors including Elliot chose to hold out, pursuing the Argentine government through the courts. 

Related Articles:

Seized Argentina navy ship Libertad leaves Ghana

Argentina takes ship dispute with Ghana to UN court

Jersey puts stop to vulture funds circling its courts

Britain's Arms and oil bosses refuse to attend corporate responsibility inquiry

Among the loans underwritten by the Export Credits Guarantee
Department  was one for £35m to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe for
the purchase of five of BAE Systems' Hawk fighter jets. 
Photograph: PA

Britain owed millions for weapons used by autocratic regimes

Former Indonesian president General Suharto. Britain lent 
the country  more than £630m at a time when Suharto 
was stifling demonstrations. Photograph: AP

The Changing of the Guard

Related Articles:

Bizarre Claim for $1 Trillion

CONFIRMED: The Trillion-Dollar Lawsuit That Could End Financial Tyranny

SaLuSa channeled by Mike Quinsey – Dec 14, 2012

“… There are some beautiful souls of compassion and love who know nothing about Ascension, and they will also join up with the Lightworkers. As the changes are put in hand there will be much to do for those who are enlightened and wish to serve others. For a while needs such as healing will be handled in many different ways, until you all have access to local centers with modern healing facilities. Some difficulties may arise until your society has been fully integrated into the new way of life. Having been brought up in the Space Age you will of course adapt to it very quickly. New technologies will overcome most of your problems in quick time, and we are urging our Earth allies to push forward with the promotion of free energy devices.

General conditions on Earth are getting worse due to weather variations, and also interference in markets that are being manipulated for gain. Whether it be food or money, speculators continue to bring misery in a world that is already in a turmoil. However, these conditions will not last very long and not allowed to be repeated. Big business and especially the banks will be totally re-organized, so as to ensure there is never again a collapse like you recently experienced. Monetary systems will in any event change, and a fairer system of valuation introduced. It will result in honest trading and put an end to corrupt practices. As we have told you many times, wealth also will be re-distributed and we are already starting to recover hidden caches of valuable metals. Add to it St. Germain's World Trust Fund, and you will have sufficient to ensure that everyone is above the poverty levels that so many are experiencing now.

Money and valuables acquired honestly will be kept in possession of the bona fide owners. However, anything else that has been obtained dishonestly will be recovered. A feature of your future lives will be that criminality will disappear, as such actions will not enter the minds of those who have ascended. Consciousness levels will be so high that honesty in all dealings can be taken for granted. Plus the fact that people that are cared for and have their needs covered, are happy and at One with everyone else. Yes, Dear Ones so much is about to change that you have nothing to worry about, but please exercise patience while matters are being sorted out. Our absence so far is not to be seen as a deliberate act on our part, as we would have liked to come out openly some time ago. However, what you are achieving by your own endeavors is a credit to your intent to see the way clear to Ascension. We have helped of course to stop interference that would seriously hamper your work. …”

Constitutional Court Rejects Review to Transfer Lapindo Mudflow Compensation

Jakarta Globe, December 14, 2012

Victims of the Lapindo mud flow rally in front of the State Palace for World Human
 Rights Day. The protestors demanded the government prosecute those responsible
for a mud volcano that inundated much of their town. (JG Photo/Safir Makki) 

             

Related articles

• Sidoarjo Mudflow Victims Seek Answers
• Taxpayers Still Footing the Bill For Sidoarjo Mud
• Kontras: Sidoarjo Victim’s TV Apology to Bakrie is Shameful
• Lapindo Mudflow Money Might Help Aburizal Bakrie Win Presidential Race
• Desperation Drives Indonesia's Protesters to Jakarta

The Constitutional Court has rejected a request to transfer the full burden of compensation covering all the land affected by the Lapindo mudflow, to the oil and gas company owned by the family of Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

Several people including former Airlangga University lecturer Tjuk Kasturi Sukiadi and author Ali Azhar Akbar had filed a judicial review questioning why money from the state budget was being used to compensate a mistake made by the company, Lapindo Brantas.

The Sidoarjo mudflow in East Java — which began erupting in May 2006 after the blowout of one of Lapindo’s natural gas wells — destroyed hundreds of homes, swamped 720 hectares of land and displaced thousands of people.

The company only agreed to compensate victims within the boundaries of the affected area.

The applicants had asked for a review of article 18 and 19 of the 2012 Law on State Budget — which said the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency (BPLS) could use the funds from the state budget to compensate the victims whose land in three villages located outside of the map of the affected area were damaged, costs which Lapindo refused to pay.

They said the state budget should not be used to compensate the mistake made by the company.

But the court considered that allocating the state budget to handle the problem created by the mudflow outside the map of the affected area did not eliminate the responsibility and obligations of Lapindo Brantas.

“[The court] declares rejecting the whole request of the applicants,” chairman of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD said on Thursday as quoted by Antarasumbar.com.

The court judge Anwar Usman said the government had shared the compensation responsibility with Lapindo Brantas, adding that Lapindo were still responsible for compensating those who lived within the affected area map, while the government covered the compensation for those who lived outside the map of the affected area.

“If the government did not share the responsibility to solve the problems of Sidoarjo people, they would have been suffering without legal certainty,” Anwar said.

“Buying the land and building outside the map of the affected area as part of the mitigation effort on mudflow eruption is not against the constitution. The court consider the applicant's request to review [the law] was legally not proven and baseless.”

Related Articles:

Compensation Dispute on Sidoardjo Mudflow Disaster

‘Graft at Work’ in Lapindo Mudflow Probe

Bleak day for British banking as Libor arrests follow record fine for HSBC

HSBC hit with £1.2bn fine by US regulators, while SFO arrest three in connection with investigation into interest rate rigging

The Guardian, Jill Treanor, City editor, Tuesday 11 December 2012

HSBC had allowed drugs traffickers to launder billions of dollars and
 billions more to be moved to countries facing sanctions. Photograph:
Mike Segar/Reuters

The reputation of Britain's banking industry took a fresh battering when HSBC was slapped with a record £1.2bn fine by US regulators for money laundering and sanctions busting, the first arrests were made in the Libor-rigging investigation, and nationalised Northern Rock handed the taxpayer a £270m bill to compensate customers affected by a mistake in its paperwork.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) detailed how HSBC, Britain's biggest bank, allowed drug traffickers to launder billions of dollars in the US and billions more to be moved across borders to countries facing sanctions, such as Burma, Cuba and Libya.

The department spared HSBC a criminal prosecution only because it considered the bank too big to prosecute. Listing a catalogue of mistakes by HSBC over almost a decade, the DoJ admitted that "collateral consequences" were a factor in its decision not to pursue criminal charges. Those consequences, it said, could have included a ban on doing business in the US, resulting in huge job losses.

The fine being paid by HSBC, and a five-year deferred prosecution agreement which will keep the bank under intense scrutiny and restrict top executive bonuses, was even larger than the £940m HSBC had warned it might face to settle the allegations in July.

HSBC's chief executive, Stuart Gulliver, apologised for the events which included laundering $881m (£547m) for two drug cartels in Mexico and Columbia and accepting $15bn in unexplained "bulk cash", across the bank's counters in Mexico, Russia and other countries.

The embarrassment heaped on HSBC came just hours after close rival Standard Chartered, based in London, was forced to pay out a total of £415m to US regulators for breaching sanctions with Iran.

The Serious Fraud Office announced on Tuesday it had arrested three British men, aged 33, 41 and 47, in connection with its criminal investigation into the rigging of the benchmark interest rate. The investigation was sparked when Barclays was fined £290m by regulators in June for Libor manipulation. None of the three men arrested worked at Barclays.

The fines are just the latest setback for an industry which is reeling from the revelations in the Libor investigations at Barclays, where traders offered each other bottles of Bollinger to fix rates. The scandal prompted the departure of Barclays' chairman Marcus Agius, chief executive Bob Diamond and Barclays also received a £480,000 fine from Spanish authorities for under-rating the risk of bonds it sold to clients in 2008.

The rest of Britain's banks are now braced for a series of fines from the Financial Services Authority for manipulation of Libor. The Royal Bank of Scotland and Swiss bank UBS are expected to settle with the FSA in the coming days and both will face huge fines.

Taxpayers were forced to take more pain from the five-year-old banking crisis after the nationalised "bad bank" part of Northern Rock revealed a blunder in the information it had sent to borrowers. The error has landed Northern Rock Asset Management with a bill for £270m to repay 152,000 customers the interest they had paid for the past three years – the equivalent to £1,755 per customer. Lord Oakeshott, the Liberal Democrat peer, calculated that was the equivalent of a contribution of £8 to £10 per taxpayer. "This is £270m straight out of the taxpayers' pocket. I've been repeatedly assured in parliament that there was no black hole in Northern Rock. UK Financial Investments and the Treasury didn't know what they were talking about," he said.

At HSBC, Gulliver was at pains to insist that the bank was "a fundamentally different organisation" now to the one which allowed the breaches of US rules to take place. The focus turned on his predecessors, including the former chairman Stephen Green who was awarded a peerage and a role as a trade minister two years ago.

"Lord Green is not only a senior minister in the government, but an adviser to George Osborne on banking and a member of the cabinet committee on banking reform. He cannot continue to duck detailed questions about his time in charge of HSBC," said Chris Leslie, shadow financial secretary to the Treasury.

A spokesman for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, which Green represents, said that Lord Green had already said that he shares the bank's regret for the events. But campaigners for "better banking" urged HSBC customers to move their money. "Sorry is not good enough. The size of this fine shows just how flawed our financial system is and how morally bankrupt many UK banks are. Ultimately its bank customers that will pay the price for HSBC's criminal activity," said Laura Willoughby, chief executive of Move Your Money.

Related Article:

HSBC blasted for 'stunning failures over oversight'

HSBC to pay £1.2bn over Mexico scandal

SBY Hails Sports Minister's Resignation as 'Good Example'

Jakarta Globe, December 07, 2012

Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng testifying in the trial of ousted
 Democratic Party Treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin at the corruption court
in Jakarta on Feb. 22, 2012. (EPA Photo)   

Related articles

• Breaking News: Indonesia's Sports Minister Resigns
• Update: KPK Slaps Now-Suspect Andi With Travel Ban Over Hambalang Graft
• KPK’s Abraham Pledges ‘Positive’ Action Soon in Hambalang Graft Probe
• House Leaders Pressed on Hambalang Inquiry
• Fire Andi Mallarangeng, ICW Advises Yudhoyono

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday that he respected and appreciated the decision of Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng to resign, hailing it as "a good example of responsibility shown by someone who is facing legal problems."

Yudhoyono said that as patron of the Democratic Party, he had also accepted Andi's resignation from the party's Board of Patrons.

Andi, who was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday over the Hambalang sports center graft case, is the first active government minister to resign over suspicion of corruption.

Yudhoyono said that Andi, who used to be his spokesman, cited three reasons for resigning. First, his inability to perform his duties effectively after being slapped with a travel ban; second, to not disturb the performance of the cabinet and not be a burden to his fellow ministers and the president; and lastly, to be able to concentrate on facing his legal problems.

"After listening carefully, and reading the letter of resignation, I have accepted and approved the resignation," Yudhoyono said in a televised press conference shortly before noon on Friday.

"I hope that justice can be upheld fairly and truthfully in this country," he added.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad announced on Thursday that Andi was named a suspect on Dec. 3 for abuse of power to benefit himself or others, and causing losses to the state. The charge carries up to 20 years in jail and fines of up to Rp 1 billion.

The suspicion was related to the Hambalang sports center graft case. The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), which performed an audit on the project, said it was full of irregularities that had potentially cost the state up to Rp 243 billion in losses.

The results of the audit also showed that Andi was responsible for presiding over procedural malpractice related to his ministry’s budgeting. The minister allowed his secretary, Wafid Muharram, to sign the Hambalang procurement contract, against a government regulation requiring contracts of more than Rp 50 billion to be signed by the minister.

Andi has maintained his innocence.

"I am certain that the many accusations that have been leveled against me are not true," Andi said on Friday morning after announcing his resignation, adding that he hoped that "truth and justice" would eventually prevail.

He also said that he had yet to receive an official copy of the travel ban imposed on him or the document declaring him a graft suspect.

"I respect the decision of the KPK and will follow whatever legal process is necessary. I am ready to fully cooperate in settling this Hambalang case," Andi said.

"Whoever is guilty should legally be held responsible, but those who are not guilty should also be declared not guilty," he said.

Andi, a US-educated political scientist, has been known as a close adviser to the president on certain political issues. He is also said to be very close with Yudhoyono’s family.

Rolls-Royce warns it may face corruption charges

MSN China, AFP, 12/06/2012

Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce said it may be prosecuted over alleged "malpractice" in Indonesia and China after passing on information related to bribery concerns to Britain's fraud office.

Rolls-Royce warns it may face corruption charges

"It is too early to predict the outcomes, but these could include the prosecution of individuals and of the company," Rolls-Royce said in a statement, released on Thursday.

The British group said it had "passed information to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) relating to concerns about bribery and corruption involving intermediaries in overseas markets."

It added: "This follows a request for information from the SFO about allegations of malpractice in Indonesia and China. Investigations by Rolls-Royce have identified matters of concern in these, and in other overseas markets."

Rolls-Royce said it would co-operate fully with the SFO.

"I want to make it crystal clear that neither I nor the board will tolerate improper business conduct of any sort and will take all necessary action to ensure compliance," said Rolls-Royce chief executive John Rishton.

"This is a company with exceptional prospects and I will not accept any behaviour that undermines its future success," he said in the statement.

Rolls-Royce added that it had significantly strengthened its compliance procedures in recent years, including the introduction of a new ethics code.

"As a further measure, Rolls-Royce will appoint an independent senior figure who will lead a review of current procedures," it announced on Thursday.

China, South Korea to boost local currency usage under trade pact

Want China Times, Lin Tien-wei and Staff Reporter 2012-12-06

A ad for renminbi services on a street of Hong Kong. (File photo/CNS)

South Korea's central bank said on Dec. 4 that it will enter a 360 billion yuan (US$59 billion) currency swap agreement with its Chinese counterpart in mid-December. This will support trade currency settlements made by local companies in each country by using a yuan-won swap line.

This move is expected to boost bilateral trade between China and South Korea and promote the globalization of the renminbi.

South Korea's Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported that the central banks of the two countries will each open an account in the other country's central bank and deposit their local currency into a lending account. The renminbi deposits made by South Korea in China's central bank will be lent to Korean importers through the Bank of Korea for payments due to China's export enterprises. Likewise, Chinese firms can also obtain renminbi-denominated loans when exporting to South Korea.

In other words, under the agreement, South Korean firms will be able to borrow renminbi-denominated funds for trade settlements from local banks, and the BOK will lend renminbi-denominated funds secured under the currency swap line with the People's Bank of China.

If the currency swap agreement is implemented smoothly, it will encourage renminbi and won usage in bilateral trade. "We plan to arrange similar agreements with Japan and other Asian countries after this," a BOK official said.

The report said that South Korea's central bank planned on selecting lending banks to have them sign agreements related to foreign exchange loans. This would also impose restrictions on loan quotas.

To help decrease an over-reliance on the US dollar, China has aggressively promoted cross-border trade settlements using the renminbi and has signed currency swap agreements with several countries to improve the usage volume for the currency, the report said.

It added that the move would also help reduce companies' exposure to currency risks and transaction costs, as well as ease external vulnerability by decreasing a reliance on major reserve currencies.

China is South Korea's largest foreign trade partner. Last year, bilateral trade between the two countries touched US$245.6 billion, which was an 18.5% growth year-on-year. About 25% of South Korea's exports were targeted at China. Amidst growing bilateral trade, only 3% of the transactions were settled using the renminbi or the won, while most were settled using the US dollar. The currency swap agreement was signed in 2011 during a visit to Seoul by China's vice premier Li Keqiang.

While the two countries have agreed to adopt the existing currency swap to boost the use of local currencies in bilateral trade settlements, Taiwan is the only economy among Asia's Four Little Dragons that has not signed a currency swap agreement with China yet. This could mount pricing pressure on Taiwanese companies exporting to China.

Related Articles:

China, Australia in talks over direct currency trading

Taiwan hopes to add RMB to foreign reserves within a year

China says Indonesia buys bonds in interbank market

African central banks included in RMB bond placement

China offers $20bn in loans to Africa

China and Brazil in $30bn currency swap agreement

China and Japan will start direct currency trading

Brics’ move to unseat US dollar as trade currency

Indonesia’s Global Ranking Drops in Latest Corruption Index

Jakarta Globe, Ethan Harfenist & Erwida Maulia, December 05, 2012

Students demonstrate in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
 office in Jakarta on Tuesday, demanding that the antigraft body get to the bottom
of the Bank Century bailout scandal. Indonesia ranks 118th in this year's Corruption
 Perceptions Index rankings released by Transparency International this week,
dropping from 100th last year. (JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal) 

        

Related articles

• Japanese Man Gets Three Years for Bribing Indonesian Judge
• Cooperation Needed to Curb Graft, SBY Says
• Chevron Staff Still Held
• Cabinet Secretary Reports to KPK 3 Ministries for Budget Collusion
• Former Taxman Dhana Gets Seven Years for Graft, Money Laundering

Berlin-based Transparency International has released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2012, with Indonesia sliding in this year’s rankings despite increased foreign investment and a bigger global profile.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy was ranked 118th out of 176 countries polled, down from 100th out of 183 the year before, and tied with Madagascar, Egypt, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

According to Transparency International’s website, the index “scores countries on a scale from 0 [highly corrupt] to 100 [very clean]. While no country has a perfect score, two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating a serious corruption problem.”

Indonesia scored 32 on the scale. The anticorruption watchdog used nine surveys on the country to determine its ranking.

Transparency International Indonesia manager Franky Simanjuntak said on Wednesday that Indonesia performed worse than the Philippines this year, which ranked 105th, when it had traditionally ranked lower than Indonesia.

But Vietnam, which fared better than Indonesia last year, dropped to 123th position in the 2012 index.

Most other countries in the region, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, again performed better than Indonesia, at 5th, 54th and 88th, respectively. 

Laos finished at 160th and Myanmar at 172nd.

Franky said this year’s score could not be compared with those in previous years, which used a scale from 0 to 10. Indonesia scored 3.0 in 2011.

“We use a different method now. And with this new method, starting from this year we can compare year-on-year scores,” Franky said, adding that the previous method did not actually allow comparisons of year-on-year figures.

“But with the 30-something score, we can say that Indonesia remains in the cluster of countries with significant corruption problems, relative to other countries surveyed,” he added.

Denmark, Finland and New Zealand shared the 1st position in this year’s rankings, scoring 90, followed by Sweden and Singapore.

Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia shared the bottom place, scoring 8 each.

Related Article:

Newly Built Bridge Collapses in Sulawesi, Killing Child

Indonesian NGO to Build School in Gaza

Jakarta Globe, November 30, 2012

An Indonesian NGO is securing funds to build a school in the recently

battle-torn Gaza Strip. (AFP Photo)        

Related articles

• Foreign Business Schools Eye Indonesians
• Israel Slams Abbas on Gaza Support Ahead of UN Bid
• Indonesian Hard-Liners Register Volunteers to Wage Jihad Against Israel
• Celebrations, Recriminations as Gaza Truce Holds
• Gaza Truce Comes Into Effect After Week of Bloodshed

An Indonesian NGO announced on Friday plans to build a school in the Gaza Strip, as construction of the first Indonesian hospital in the conflict-ridden region is reportedly nearing completion.

“We’ve secured a plot of land in Bait Lahiya, North Gaza, [which is] about 5,000 square meters. We will immediately kick off construction,” the director of Aksi Cepat Tanggap, Doddy Cleveland, told Indonesian news portal antaranews.com in Gaza on Friday.

Doddy is in Gaza with several Indonesian lawmakers and representatives of various other Indonesian NGOs, including Dompet Dhuafa and the National Committee for the People of Palestine (KNURP), who brought billions of rupiah in humanitarian aid.

He didn’t elaborate on any details concerning the project.

ACT’s website, actforhumanity.or.id, says that the school’s construction was part of the organization’s Sympathy of Solidarity for Palestine program, which includes medical support and clean water aid.

It will be a primary school, and ACT said it had secured a permission and a pledge of support from Palestine’s Ministry of Education to develop the school.

“The Indonesian school in Gaza will have an environmentally friendly design, which will be easy to rebuild if the school is damaged. Basic materials will be taken from the Gaza Strip area... we will partner with the locals to build the school,” the ACT says.

The hospital is also being built in Bait Lahiya. Its construction was halted earlier this month after Israeli rockets almost hit it several times.

It is not clear yet whether construction has resumed.

Another Indonesian NGO, Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), initiated the trauma center and rehabilitation hospital. It has collected Rp 21.9 billion ($2.3 million) in donations from Indonesians to support its foundation, out of the estimated total need of Rp 60 billion, according to tempo.co.id.

Related Article:

Indonesia to Consider Israel Ties Only With Fully Independent Palestine

SRI Now Waiting for Sri Mulyani to Come Aboard

Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita, November 30, 2012

Former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono)

Related articles

• Parties Linked to Sri Mulyani, Tommy Back in the Race
• Theater of The Absurd, Indonesian Politics Style
• Aburizal-Sri Mulyani Ticket in 2014 Makes for Intriguing, but Unlikely, Pair
• Golkar Party Considers Sri Mulyani for 2014 VP Ticket
• One Test Down, but Many More to Come

The fledgling political party with lofty ambitions to nominate former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati for president in 2014 said on Thursday that it had everything in place to proceed.

Efika Rosemarie, a spokeswoman for the Independent People’s Union (SRI) Party, said the party was optimistic that Sri Mulyani would return to Indonesia once her term as a managing director of the World Bank finished at the end of 2013.

“We’ve already prepared her political vehicle, so when she comes back to Indonesia, she’ll be ready to roll,” Efika said.

“We want Sri Mulyani to run for president, not for vice president.”

Sri Mulayani, who is in no way affiliated with the party, has acknowledged SRI’s intention to nominate her but has not said whether she will run for president.

The party’s reaffirmation of its intent comes days after the body overseeing polling authorities ruled that SRI and 17 other parties that failed to pass the first part of the administrative verification process could still contest the 2014 elections.

Jimly Asshiddiqie, the chief of the Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP), announced on Tuesday that his organization had approved a request from the Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) and election watchdog Sigma that the General Election Commission (KPU) allow previously rejected parties to run in the elections.

On Thursday, SRI chairman Damianus Taufan warned the House of Representatives not to question the DKPP’s decision, saying that such a move would be considered meddling in the democratic process.

“It’s possible that they could try to meddle with the KPU commissioners later. That could compromise the KPU’s independence in carrying out its responsibilities,” he said.

Nobel peace laureates call for Israel military boycott over Gaza assault

Letter with 52 signatories including artists and activists also denounces US and EU 'complicity' through weapons sales

guardian.co.uk, Chris McGreal in Jerusalem, Wednesday 28 November 2012

A man looks at the ruins of a Hamas police station destroyed by an Israeli
air strike in Gaza City. Photograph: Oliver Weiken/EPA

A group of Nobel peace prize-winners, prominent artists and activists have issued a call for an international military boycott of Israel following its assault on the Gaza Strip this month.

The letter also denounces the US, EU and several developing countries for what it describes as their "complicity" through weapons sales and other military support in the attack that killed 160 Palestinians, many of them civilians, including about 35 children.

The 52 signatories include the Nobel peace laureates Mairead Maguire and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel; the film directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach; the author Alice Walker; the US academic Noam Chomsky; Roger Waters of Pink Floyd; and Stéphane Hessel, a former French diplomat and Holocaust survivor who was co-author of the universal declaration of human rights.

"Horrified at the latest round of Israeli aggression against the 1.5 million Palestinians in the besieged and occupied Gaza Strip and conscious of the impunity that has enabled this new chapter in Israel's decades-old violations of international law and Palestinian rights, we believe there is an urgent need for international action towards a mandatory, comprehensive military embargo against Israel," the letter says.

"Such a measure has been subject to several UN resolutions and is similar to the arms embargo imposed against apartheid South Africa in the past."

The letter accuses several countries of providing important military support that facilitated the assault on Gaza. "While the United States has been the largest sponsor of Israel, supplying billions of dollars of advanced military hardware every year, the role of the European Union must not go unnoticed, in particular its hefty subsidies to Israel's military complex through its research programmes.

"Similarly, the growing military ties between Israel and the emerging economies of Brazil, India and South Korea are unconscionable given their nominal support for Palestinian freedom," it says.

The letter opens with a quote from Nelson Mandela: "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

The other signatories include John Dugard, a South African jurist and former UN special rapporteur in the occupied territories; Luisa Morgantini, former president of the European parliament; Cynthia McKinney, a former member of the US Congress; Ronnie Kasrils, a South African former cabinet minister; and the dramatist Caryl Churchill.

Related Articles:



The Jewish-Palestinian Declaration (1997)

UN recognizes Palestine as non-member observer state

NO voters:

US

Israel

Canada

Czech Republic

Panama

Marshall Islands

Micronesia

Naura
Palau

Israel said to ease restictions on Gaza fishing and farming

Israel Army, Mossad 'halted Iran attack alert' from Netanyahu, Barak

"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Text version)

“… Let us talk about the swords: When you hear the word sword, the first thing that occurs to you is battle. The Bridge of Swords is a battle and we told you that as well. Swords are metaphoric and they mean many things, so let us describe the things we mean them to say to you.

Number one: They are indeed a weapon in a battle. There is a battle coming. "Kryon, does that mean there's going to be a war?" Potentially, yes. Right now we will tell you that the Middle East cooks itself. You've noticed, haven't you? What do you know about the Middle East, dear one? Let's start examining things for a moment. What energy did you grow up in? What was the energy of the Middle East? In the '40s, what was the energy? With the establishment of the state of Israel, you built a wall of hate, both sides. The wall was so thick that the children of both sides were taught to hate one another as soon as they were able to understand the language. They were told who their enemies were. Now, where were you then?

Some of you weren't here yet. By the time you arrived, in your youth, were you aware of the Middle East? Not particularly. "What's the hatred about?" you might ask. What if I told you it's about a family feud? Two sons of a Jewish master are involved. One founded the Arabs and one remained a Jew. They don't want to hear this, but they are all Jews. (Don't tell them this.)

If you look at the lineage, it's pretty obvious and yet it's a complete and total set-up for either solution or war. The set-up would have this world ending in a conflagration that would have been brought about by this hatred. That's in the prophecy of Nostradamus and your scripture, but it is no longer the prophecy of the planet. Yet the hatred still exists. The hatred is as great today as it was then, but where was all the terrorism 40 years ago? It was isolated.

Those in Israel and Palestine and surrounding areas took the brunt of it, but now it's seemingly everywhere - and you're worried. Why would this be? The answer is that the old energy was happy to have this hatred contained, for it would keep it going and never involve outsiders. Outsiders tend to bring unwanted light to the party. Suddenly, the whole earth is involved and can see the entire scenario before them. The old guard wants war, just like all the eons before them. The ones on the bridge are holding the light and showing the earth how to cross. Even many younger ones in Israel and Palestine and Iran are holding light! It's all around the old guard and they are furious, for they are losing the "battle of hatred." …”

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)