Twitter CEO defends 'principled' data request policy

Google – AFP, 26 June 2013

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo speaks during a discussion on social

media on June 26, 2013 at the Brookings Institution (AFP, Mandel Ngan)

WASHINGTON — Twitter is holding to a "principled" policy on national security data requests and will "push back" in some cases to protect the privacy of its users, its chief executive said Wednesday.

Dick Costolo, appearing at a forum at the Brookings Institution in Washington, declined to comment on whether Twitter had specific requests under the vast data-gathering program called PRISM made public this month.

But he said the popular messaging service maintains its policy of allowing users to be informed of any requests from authorities, both in the United States and abroad.

"We've been very clear about having articulated a very principled policy around access to user data," he said.

"When we receive a valid, legal request in the countries in which we operate we will abide by the rule of law."

He added that for "other requests that may be more broad in scope and not specific legal requests that don't meet our principle... we will push back on."

Twitter was not among the nine Internet firms cited in documents for providing access to the secretive National Security Agency, which seeks to identify potential terrorist threats from abroad.

Costolo steered clear of questions on why Twitter was absent from the list, which includes Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple.

But he noted that Twitter has gone to court in certain cases to fight "gag" orders and to allow users to be in informed of how their own data is used.

"We feel that our users have a right to know when their information is being requested," he said.

"This is not just something we deal with in the US, it's something we deal with in all the countries (where) we operate."

Costolo also defended the messaging platform in the face of criticism from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who branded Twitter as a "troublemaker" inciting protests against his rule.

"The beauty of having this open public platform that allows everybody around you to see and hear what you think is that... that it's this public town square. That's what it is. We don't editorialize what's on it," he said.

"We don't say, 'If you believe this you can't use our platform.' You can use our platform to say what you believe... The platform itself doesn't have any perspective on this. It's a vehicle for people to give their perspective."

Spending spree: Saudi billionaire Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal has announced today
that he is investing $300 million into social
networking site Twitter

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SBY Apolgizes to Singapore and Malaysia For Haze

Jakarta Globe, June 24, 2013

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gestures while Greenpeace
 International executive director Kumi Naidoo and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono
 look on during a visit aboard Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship, which was
anchored in Jakarta on June 7. (AFP Photo)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has offered a formal apology to Singapore and Malaysia for the haze that has been blanketing both countries as a result of forest fires in Riau.

The president blamed the forest fires on both humans and nature, saying the winds in Sumatra that were headed towards Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines had contributed to the thick haze.

“For this incident, I as the president would like to apologize especially to Singapore and Malaysia and hope they would understand. Indonesia did not want this to happen and we are trying to overcome this responsibly,” said Yudhoyono in a press conference at the State Palace on Monday.

Yudhoyono also criticized the Riau administration for its slow response to anticipating the haze from the beginning and called on provinces prone to forest fires to focus on containing fires in their respective areas.

“To be honest, I think Riau was quite slow in anticipating this from the beginning. But there’s no need to play the blame game. Let’s just [work] to overcome the haze and fires immediately,” he said.

Earlier, the president took to Twitter to say he would take strict action against companies involved in burning forests to clear land for new plantation areas.

“Indonesia will seriously overcome the forest fires in Riau and will take stern action against foreign companies that were involved,” the president tweeted on Monday.

Yudhoyono said the government was still working hard to contain the fire, adding the forest fires in Riau not only caused haze at home but also in neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia.

Both neighboring countries have lodged protests and offered help to contain the forest fires. 
Yudhoyono said efforts to contain fires from the land turned out to be ineffective and that’s why the government had deployed helicopters.

“The government is deploying two Bolco helicopters and one Colibri helicopter to contain hotspots in Riau. The efforts through land have been ineffective,” he said.

Minister of Environment Balthasar Kambuanya previously said there were indications that eight Malaysian-owned companies were involved in setting off fires to open new plantation areas in Riau.

The eight companies implicated are Langgam Inti Hiberida, Bumi Rakksa Sejati, Tunggal Mitra Plantation, Udaya Loh Dinawi, Adei Plantation, Jatim Jaya Perkasa, Multi Gambut Industri, and Mustika Agro Lestari.

The Forestry Ministry and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) as well as other related ministries had sent teams to the fields to ensure efforts to contain the fires were successful and to take legal measures against people or companies that violated regulations to start a fire to clear lands.
Meanwhile, Sime Darby Plantation denied that its subsidiaries in Indonesia were involved in the fire.

“There have been no area-expansion activities in the operational areas of Tunggal Mitra Plantation, and Bhumireksa Nusa Sejati in Riau since April 2013. 
This needs to be emphasized given the planting process of oil palm trees can only be done every 20 to 25 years, not every year,” said Inasanti Susanto, head of Minamas Plantation Corporate Communications in a press release on Monday.

Inasanti said Sime Darby Plantation strictly adopts a zero burning policy in its operational areas and the policy has been implemented since 1985. 
However, Inasanti admitted a small portion of its plantation areas were inhabited by local residents to comply with Indonesian laws that require companies to protect  local residents who lived around the operational areas.

Riau Police said it has arrested two people suspected of setting of fire in Riau, including a former Bank Rakyat Indonesia official identified as HP. 
“One of them , S (64), a resident at Rupat Utara, Bengkalis, is being processed by the Bengkalis Police and the other one is HP (56), a Rokan Ilir resident.

‘‘They cleared the land by starting fires,” said National Police spokesman Sr Comr Agus Rianto at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.
Agus said that both men were farmers and were not related to any companies.

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Indonesia hikes fuel prices despite popular anger

Bangkok Post – AFP, 22 Jun 2013

Demonstrators tussle with police during a

 protest against the impending oil price

 increase in Surabaya city in eastern 

Java island on June 21, 2013. 

Indonesia on Friday announced the first hike in fuel prices since 2008 despite violent protests against the unpopular measure, as Southeast Asia's top economy seeks to reduce crippling subsidies.

Demonstrators tussle with police during a protest against the impending oil price increase in Surabaya city in eastern Java island on June 21, 2013. Indonesia on Friday announced the first hike in fuel prices since 2008 despite violent protests against the unpopular measure, as Southeast Asia's top economy seeks to reduce crippling subsidies.

Energy Minister Jero Wacik said the price of fuel would go up more than 30 percent on average from Saturday, in a bid to slash handouts which gobble up a huge chunk of the national budget and have caused concern among investors.

"This is a very difficult decision and the government made this choice as a last resort," Hatta Rajasa, coordinating minister for the economy, said in a televised address to the nation.

"The global crisis has impacted our economic growth... We need to take steps to improve the health of our economy."

The move to cut one of the few government handouts in Indonesia has already sparked anger, with thousands fighting running battles with police outside parliament Monday as lawmakers voted on measures paving the way for an increase.

In the hours leading up to the hike, long lines formed at petrol stations as car and motorbike owners sought to fill up with subsidised fuel before the price rocketed. Police were standing guard at many stations.

Police were out in force in major cities across the country as the announcement was made, but protests were small and largely peaceful.

The price of a litre of petrol will go up 44 percent from 4,500 rupiah ($0.46) a litre, one of the cheapest in Asia, to 6,500 rupiah. For a litre of diesel, the price will rise 22 percent to 5,500 rupiah.

Following a marathon parliamentary session on Monday, lawmakers agreed on a revised budget that included a package of measures to compensate the millions of poor people likely to be hit hardest.

Poor households will receive $15 a month each for the next four months to offset the impact of the fuel hike, which is expected to cause the cost of everyday goods to go up as they will be more expensive to transport.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had insisted on the measures before any fuel hike, which comes at a sensitive time as parties gear up for elections in 2014.

"The government is aware that the policy will result in inflation which will affect the purchasing power of those on low incomes," Rajasa admitted on Friday, but added that the government was providing "social protection".

Yudhoyono has been seeking to lower the huge subsidies for some time and last year came close. But parliament rejected the measure in the face of huge protests, which were far bigger and more violent than this year's.

Concern has been growing among international investors about the failure to cut the subsidies which are blamed for a widening current account deficit, as demand for fuel increases and the government is hit with ever bigger bills.

The urgency for action increased last week after the rupiah, which had already lost value due to the ballooning deficit, plunged to four-year lows after a sell-off on emerging markets that hit Indonesia hard.

However, the price hike could lead to economic pain in the short term, analysts have warned.

Credit-Suisse said in note the hike "will likely hit already weakening investment growth, dragging down GDP growth further".

Indonesia's economy grew at 6.02 percent in the first quarter, the slowest pace in more than two years.

Fuad Welcomes Tax Haven Transparency

Jakarta Globe, By Dion Bisara, June 17, 2013

Fuad Rahmany, director general of tax in the Finance Ministry, is
skeptical about tax havens giving up their privileges. (GA Photo/Defrizal)

An Indonesian official applauded tax haven countries joining an agreement on international tax transparency. But he said developed countries needed to do more to altogether eliminate the unfair tax advantages some jurisdictions enjoy.

Fuad Rahmany, director general of tax in the Finance Ministry, said the convention made it easier for his office to search for offshore accounts belonging to Indonesian nationals.

“There is progress because of tax haven jurisdictions wanting to join the convention,” Fuad Rahmany told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

Fuad’s comment came after ten territories and self-governing regions tied to Great Britain agreed on Saturday to sign a convention known as the Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters, to which more that 50 countries have acceded, including Indonesia.

The cooperation of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Anguilla, Montserrat, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man was secured as part of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s push to close global tax loopholes ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland from June 17-18.

Still, Fuad was a little sceptical that the offshore investment destinations would give up their privileges so easily.

“What I really want to know is that those jurisdiction really have good intentions in signing the agreement, because [offshore tax advantages] have [thus far] been their only selling point,” Fuad said.

“For me, the most important thing is in the implementation,” he said.

“It would be meaningless if [their intention is] to release so little information that we cannot draw any conclusions from it.”

Fuad said he wants developed countries to make a concerted effort to eliminate tax abuses entirely. “I want them closed down. The world will be fairer and more transparent if such jurisdictions, where paper companies are listed, are gone,” he said.

Developed jointly by the Council of Europe and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in the beginning in 1988, the convention is designed to help tax authorities tackle tax evasion and avoidance, while respecting the fundamental rights of taxpayers.

The cooperation includes automatic exchange of information, simultaneous tax examinations and international assistance in the collection of tax debts.

Indonesia signed the convention in 2011, but has yet to ratify it.

This year the Indonesian government has seen tax revenues fall due to plummeting commodity prices.

The tax revenue target in the government’s revised 2013 budget was adjusted downward to Rp 1,148 trillion ($116 million) from Rp 1,193 trillion originally.

Fuad said it was likely that Indonesian companies were among those with funds stashed in tax havens — money the government needs.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Offshore Secrets

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Mexico and Indonesia Can Work to Bring Asia and Latin America Closer

Jakarta Globe, Jose Antonio Meade Kuribrena, June 15, 2013

(JG Image)

Mexico’s multilateral engagement stems from a basic principle of our foreign policy — to play a responsible and increasingly influential role in the construction of emerging international constructions.

To this end, we need to engage key partners, and many of whom currently found both across Asia and Latin America.

Both regions have become key players whose political and economic weight cannot be overlooked as the world sets out to secure a better standard of living for the world’s population based on more effective international institutions, deeper cooperation on development and more democratic decision-making processes.

Both regions rank high in Mexico’s priorities, as President Enrique Pena Nieto’s recent activities have shown, such as a very productive visit to China and Japan last April and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s successful recent state visit to Mexico, welcoming in a new era of relations between the two countries.

Equally important has been Mexico’s work with Latin American partners in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States created in Mexico in 2010 and in the Pacific Alliance, a multilateral and ambitious Latin American integration effort centered on free trade and a clear orientation toward Asia.

Indeed, both the Asia-Pacific and Latin America stand as fresh engines of growth in a world with a need for renewed cooperation, dialogue and leadership among industrialized countries striving for economic recovery and political revitalization.

This is why the Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation matters as a tool to facilitate and strengthen cooperation between our countries, and serve as an important piece in the new global architecture we are creating.

Working relationship

Similarities as emerging nations may lead to plenty of opportunities to work together on joint development projects that will greatly benefit our societies.

Cross-regional dialogue within FEALAC means the possibility to exert a positive influence in areas such as sustainable development, climate change, the UN Millennium Development Goals, the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Round and much more.

Firstly, it is important to agree on a strategy to revitalize the Forum itself, give it more international visibility and lay the groundwork for increased and truly bi-regional cooperation among member countries.

Successful practices and experiences can be shared with other organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the CELAC-European Union summit mechanism to identify viable proposals to help deepen relations between all regions involved.

To improve the way specific groups go about their tasks by, for instance, reinforcing methodology and establishing terms of reference and monitoring guidelines, as well as exploring more general ways to strengthen cooperative organizations’ structure and high-level meeting strategy.

It is regarding this that relationships between Indonesia, a rapidly developing and diverse country, become more crucial than ever.

Mexico’s role

In this spirit, it is important to underline that Mexico stands ready to implement all the recommendations included in FEALAC Vision Group’s report.

We are aware of the importance of this moment in the history of relations between East Asia and Latin America.

Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and one of the fastest growing economies in the region.

As co-chair of this 6th Forum’s meeting, Indonesia will certainly facilitate making progress to improve development strategies in our respective regions.

To Mexico, Indonesia is a gateway to Asia. Our diplomatic relations are reaching the 60-year mark and we can say that over this period our governments and societies have adapted successfully to the many challenges we have faced, with our economies contributing responsibly to finding solutions to global issues concerning us all.

Multilaterally, Mexico and Indonesia cast similar votes in the United Nations 85 percent of the time, meaning our countries do share a significantly common perspective on global issues.

Besides, Mexico and Indonesia are also part of key multilateral forums — like the G20, APEC and certainly FEALAC — where our input and leadership have proved fundamental for establishing the foundations for numerous agreements that led to concrete action by all actors.

This anniversary is indeed a welcome opportunity to take stock of what we have achieved already and to identify the areas requiring a closer look.

Such an appraisal will show our excellent relations for six decades can serve as a solid foundation for fine-tuning a partnership that has flourished politically, economically and culturally, and will hopefully continue to do so well into the future.

Last March I was honored to welcome Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marty Natalegawa, to Mexico City.

On that occasion, I stressed the importance of giving more content to our relations by signing the agreements we have already negotiated and finalized, in areas as diverse as air transport, tourism and health, to mention a few.

As part of my visit to Indonesia this week, I would like to convey to the Indonesian government and people a message of friendship and cooperation from President Pena Nieto.

I would also like to convey his intention to participate in the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Bali next October.

Indonesia’s priorities for this summit coincide with many of Mexico’s development objectives, which add to our interest in joining forces with the Indonesian government in making the APEC meeting a success.

Mexico and Indonesia represent the good tides and fair winds that currently benefit both Latin America and Asia Pacific. Let us take advantage of this circumstance to come closer and work hand in hand for the benefit of our peoples.

Sixty years of friendship are undoubtedly a solid base on which to build a common future.

Jose Antonio Meade Kuribrena is Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Backed by the Net, Infoladies help rural women

Deutsche Welle, 13 June 2013

They bike hundreds of miles to bring advice and medicine to thousands in remote, impoverished villages. DW has honored the work of Bangladesh's 'Infoladies' with the 2013 Bobs online activism award.

Mahfuza Akter would have rather gone to university, but her family couldn't afford the fees. After finishing high school, the country girl had practically no chance of getting a job in her native district of Gaibandha in northern Bangladesh. But luck stroke in 2010 when she managed to get a job as a so-called "Infolady." For this extraordinary profession, the 25-year-old requires a bicycle, some high-tech devices and plenty of organizational skills.

Warm-hearted welcome

Equipped with a laptop, a digital camera and an Internet-connected mobile phone, Akter rides to towns within her community every day and offers a variety of ICT-based services as well as legal advice to villagers at their very doorstep. For instance, she helps people communicate with relatives via Skype, finds solutions to agricultural and development issues, and even assists young villagers in writing job application letters.

She also helps the elderly measure their daily blood sugar levels and visits pregnant women who want to manage their weight. If required, Akter even accompanies them to the local administration office to apply for financial assistance.

 Infoladies provide a variety of
services to people in remote villages

As few doctors ever travel to the regions InfoLadies regularly visit, the women are often the only form of medical advice available and when they get stuck on a case, they can call a team of experts ready to assist them wherever they may be.

For her services, Akter is often "paid more than the standard rate," she says. Sometimes customers even invite her to stay in for lunch. "I enable people to do things they would otherwise find difficult to do," she explains, adding that villagers often hold Infoladies in higher regard than even teachers or doctors.

Reaching out to women

Only about five percent of the South Asian country's population has access to the Internet. The government has set up rural information centers called "Pallitathya Kendra," but they are not used frequently.

"With the help of the Infoladies people living in remote areas now have the same sort of access to information and services as people living elsewhere," says Hossain Mosharrof, deputy director of Dnet, a Bangladeshi company specializing in social projects.

Dnet is the company that launched the InfoLady initiative in 2007. There are currently around 70 Infoladies working mainly with women and girls as well as with disabled and elderly people, connecting them to the rest of the community.

The fact they are all women is not a coincidence. "The project is about women helping one another and leading self-determined lives," adds Mosharrof, stressing the importance of mutual support, particularly in Muslim communities.

For Akter, becoming an Infolady wasn't easy. She had to undergo a strict assessment process to see if she had the skills required to work with different interest groups in the country side such as farmers and the unemployed. But after completing a 30-day training program she was ready to go. "My mother broke out in tears when I handed over my first pay check," she remembers. Today she makes around 140 US dollars a month, enough to put some money aside.

'A revolutionary project'

The Infoladies project won DW's 2013 The Bobs award for the best in online activism in the Global Media Forum category, which focuses on "the future of growth."

"It is a revolutionary project which closes social, cultural and digital gaps," said jury member Shahidul Alam. "Because of the Infoladies, many people now have access to their fundamental rights."

Dnet aims to have 12,000 Infoladies by 2017

The project founders are convinced of the iniative's potential. "The model is both financially and socially sustainable," says Mosharrof. Since the central Bangladesh Bank acknowledged the project as an innovative and viable model, the Infoladies have received "special conditions" for loans at local banks.

Dnet is seeking expand and increase the number of Infoladies to 12,000 by the year 2017. There are also plans to export the model to other countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Sri Lanka.

Tax Break for Eco-Friendly Car Producers Now Official: Minister

Jakarta Globe, ID/Damiana Ningsih, June 5, 2013

A model poses next to a car displayed at the Indonesia International
Motor Show 2012 on Sept. 20, 2012. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

The government has officially issued a decree to support the production of low-cost, environmentally-friendly cars in Indonesia, a minister confirmed on Wednesday.

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said on Wednesday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed the 2013 decree number 41 on luxury items tax, which includes vehicles, on May 23. The decree was legalized on the same day by Legal and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin.

“This regulation will cover some programs related to eco-friendly cars, support conservation of energy use and [the use of] alternative energy, for example low-cost and green cars, hybrid, electric cars and cars using biofuel. It will curb taxes and boost demand for greener cars,” he said.

Hidayat said no luxury tax would be imposed on cars or station wagons with engine capacity of up to 1,200 cc and with a minimum fuel consumption of 20 kilometers per liter.

Tax exemption would also apply to diesel or semi-diesel vehicles of up to 1,500 cc, also with minimum fuel consumption of 20 kilometers per liter.

The current tax for new vehicles ranges from 10-75 percent depending on engine size. Only emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, are tax exempt.

Some analysts have forecast that the policy could eventually boost Indonesian vehicle consumption by a third.

Indonesian auto sales, buoyed by an expanding middle class, hit a record 1.1 million last year though the figure is expected to be slightly lower this year because of likely fuel price increases and higher downpayment requirements.

Hidayat said the automotive industry could now launch eco-friendly car production in line with the regulation. He added that the regulation was aimed at spurring a long-term movement toward sustainability, rather than immediate commercial interests.

“Relating to the price [of the vehicle], even though there was a pricing set by the Ministry of Finance, I wish for flexibility. The pricing should be as fair as possible when complying with the adopted technology. Don’t make it solely as a commercial purpose,” Hidayat said.

Previously, Astra International said the company would delay production of its eco-friendly vehicle, the Ayla, until government regulations on low-cost, green cars were finalized.

Astra Daihatsu Motor opened a new plant in Karawang, West Java, in April that has a production capacity of 120,000 units per year. Daihatsu had set a goal to produce 3,000 Ayla cars per month in the facility.

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China leader Xi Jinping n Trinidad and Tobago

BBC News, 1 June 2013

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It was the first visit by a Chinese head of state
to Trinidad and Tobago

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held meetings with the leaders of Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr Xi is the first Chinese head of state to visit the Caribbean nation.

The leaders of the two countries said their talks had focused on improving co-operation in the energy sector. Trinidad and Tobago has large oil and natural gas resources, while China is the world's largest consumer of energy.

Mr Xi is also travelling to Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States.

'Key partner'

"We both agree to actively advance co-operation in key areas of energy, minerals and infrastructure development and also to advance our cooperation in new energy, telecommunications and agriculture," Mr Xi said after meeting Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Ms Persad-Bissessar said her country sees China "as a key business partner and potential new market for our energy products".

Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine said Trinidad was hoping to benefit from China's strategy "to move the country away from coal and towards natural gas".

Mr Xi also announced that China would loan Trinidad and Tobago $250m (£165m) to build a children's hospital.

Trade between the two countries has been growing, with figures from the International Monetary Fund suggesting it has gone up from $174m to $450m over the last six years.

On Sunday, Mr Xi will meet with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla.

Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan (R) is seen alongside Trinidad and Tobago PM
Kamla Persad-Bissessar (L) in Port-of-Spain, on June 1, 2013. Peng has
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New Zealand, China May Allow Direct Currency Conversion for Trade

Jakarta Globe, Jun Yang & Tracy Withers, May 27, 2013

China’s yuan was the 13th most-used currency in global payments in April,
 according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
(Bloomberg Photo/Jerome Favre)

New Zealand and China are in talks about making their currencies directly convertible, aiming to reduce costs as trade between the two countries is targeted to surge 33 percent in the next two years.

The talks were initiated during New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s visit to China last month, his spokeswoman Lesley Hamilton said by telephone on Sunday, confirming an earlier report in the Wall Street Journal. The negotiations are in an early stage and are progressing without a specific timeframe, she said.

New Zealand’s exports to China jumped 32 percent in the first quarter, surpassing shipments to Australia for the first time, led by dairy products, logs and meat. The currency talks are underway as New Zealand targets NZ$20 billion ($16.2 billion) in two-way annual trade with China by 2015 from about NZ$15.2 billion in the year ended March.

“By having direct convertibility, that would reduce the transaction cost of doing business with China,” said Jane Turner, economist at ASB Bank in Auckland. “It reduces the cost of hedging and the risk of currencies moving against you, and you can become more competitive in your pricing.”

The People’s Bank of China on Monday raised the daily yuan fixing to 6.1811 per dollar, the strongest level since a peg ended in July 2005. The currency rose 0.08 percent to 6.1281 per dollar at 9:50 a.m. in Shanghai. The New Zealand dollar fell to 80.76 US cents at 2:30 p.m. in Wellington.

New Zealand’s sales to China amounted to NZ$2.31 billion in the three months ended March 31, Statistics New Zealand said in an April 26 report. Exports to Australia fell 7.3 percent to NZ$2.17 billion, the lowest since early 2008 and the first calendar quarter it fell behind China.

New Zealand became the first developed nation to sign a free-trade agreement with China in 2008. In the 12 months through March, exports rose 25 percent to NZ$7.41 billion, still lagging behind NZ$9.74 billion of shipments to Australia.

Direct trading between the yuan and the Australian dollar began last month, making the Aussie the third currency to be directly convertible with China’s, following the US dollar and the Japanese yen. Direct trading means the fixing will be computed without involving a cross rate with the dollar.

China’s yuan was the 13th most-used currency in global payments in April, according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. Its share of global payments rose to a record 0.74 percent in March, according to figures from the financial messaging platform.

Bloomberg

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"The U in Kundalini"- Oct 18, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Kundalini, Unification, EU, Nobel Peace Prize 2012, Middle East, South America, Only 5 Currencies on Earth, Old Souls, Duality will dismiss, 3D Humanity will melt with Multi dimensional higher self, Global Unity… etc.)