NEW YORK: Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim Helu remained the world’’s richest person, but Asia is where today’’s big money is flowing, Forbes magazine said in its 2011 list of the world’’s billionaires. Slim, who is almost unknown to the general public outside Mexico, weighed in at a staggering $74 billion of net wealth thanks to his telecoms empire. Already the top dog last year, he increased his fortune by $20.5 billion dollars. In a now familiar second place was Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $56 billion. The relatively lowly ranking reflected his enormous philanthropic give-aways over the year, Forbes said. Next up was US investment guru Warren Buffett and Bernard Arnault from the luxury goods group LVMH with $50 billion and $41 billion respectively. But outside this cozy billionaires” club, a tidal wave of money is flowing across Asia, which helped lift the total world population of billionaires to a record 1,210 from 1,011 last year. The United States still leads with just over 33 percent of the world’’s mega-rich, but that is down from about half a decade ago. Surging forward is the Asia-Pacific region, which overtook Europe for the first time. “The global economy is recovering, but it’’s not spread all across the board,” said Steve Forbes, editor in chief of the business magazine. “The list reflects the extraordinary changes taking place in the global economy.” The billionaire surge saw an increase in China from 69 to 115, Hong Kong from 25 to 36, India from 49 to 55 and across Asia-Pacific as a whole from 234 to 332. There are “literally millions of people around the world who have the opportunity to be creative,” Forbes said. European gains, led by Russia’’s commodities barons, were largely due to Asian appetite for raw materials, or, in the case of LVMH, luxury goods. “China really set the tone this year,” said Forbes senior editor Luisa Kroll. “Asia for the first time has more billionaires than Europe.” Kroll said the dynamics behind Asian success were booming stock markets and business-friendly governments. “It is much easier to get rich today if you go live in Shanghai. If I were 22 years old and an entrepreneur and maybe could speak Mandarin… I”d high-tail it there,” she said. With much of the world still feeling the aftershocks of a deep recession, the annual ritual of the billionaires list can at first seem out of touch with reality. But Forbes editors said most of the names on the list were themselves people who had made good after overcoming difficulties and failures. “These are people, contrary to the Hollywood myth… these are very scrappy individuals, very focused individuals,” Forbes said. Kroll said people who become billionaires need luck and determination, but also a little extra. “They are unique people. Sometimes I think they”re a little offbeat,” she said. Herewith the top 25 richest billionaires, with country of citizenship and main company or other source of wealth, according to Forbes magazine’’s 2011 list: 1. Carlos Slim Helu. Mexico. Telecom. $74 billion. 2. Bill Gates. United States. Microsoft. $56 billion. 3. Warren Buffett. United States. Berkshire Hathaway. $50 billion. 4. Bernard Arnault. France. LVMH. $41 billion. 5. Larry Ellison. United States. Oracle. $39.5 billion. 6. Lakshmi Mittal. India. Steel. $31.1 billion. 7. Amancio Ortega. Spain. Zara. $31 billion. 8. Eike Batista. Brazil. Mining, oil. $30 billion. 9. Mukesh Ambani. India. Oil and gas. $27 billion. 10. Christy Walton and family. United States. Wal-Mart. $26.5 billion. 11. Li Ka-shing. Hong Kong. Diversified. $26 billion. 12. Karl Albrecht. Germany. Aldi. $25.5 billion. 13. Stefan Persson. Sweden. HM. $24.5 billion. 14. Vladimir Lisin. Russia. Steel. $24 billion. 15. Liliane Bettencourt. France. L”Oreal. $23.5 billion. 16. Sheldon Adelson. United States. Casinos, hotels. $23.3 billion. 17. David Thomson and family. Canada. Media. $23 billion. 18. Charles Koch. United States. Manufacturing, energy. $22 billion. 18. David Koch. United States. Manufacturing, energy. $22 billion. 20. Jim Walton. United States. Walmart. $21.3 billion. 21. Alice Walton. United States. Walmart. $21.2 billion. 22. S. Robson Walton. United States. Walmart $21 billion. 23. Kwok Thomas and Raymond and family. Hong Kong. Real estate. $20 billion. 24. Sergey Brin. United States. Google. $19.8 billion. 25. Larry Page. United States. Google. $19.8 billion. (AFP)
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BEIJING: Asia rang in the Year of the Rabbit on Thursday with blasts of fireworks, colourful lion dances and prayers that the bunny will live up to its reputation for happiness and good fortune in 2011. From Sydney to Singapore to Pyongyang, the Lunar New Year was marked by a thundering barrage of firecrackers, by family feasts, musical performances — and rabbits galore. In Beijing and Shanghai, as in cities and towns across China, fireworks lit up the sky at midnight as millions of revellers celebrated the arrival of the new year. The salvo rumbled on through the early hours of Thursday. Fireworks are set off to ring in the year and ward off evil spirits but each year hundreds are reported hurt or killed in accidents across the nation of 1.3 billion people, and firefighters in tinder-dry Beijing were on high alert. “We let off firecrackers to chase away the ”nian”, a bad animal in Chinese legend. That way, it will not come and disturb you…. It’’s tradition,” said Wang Kuang, one of many visiting the huge temple fair in Beijing’’s Ditan Park. A five-star hotel in the northeastern city of Shenyang was gutted by fire early Thursday, in what police said was a blaze triggered by the festive explosives, Xinhua news agency reported. No one was hurt. Snow and chilly weather across much of China did not dampen the cheer of an estimated 700 million merry-makers who had travelled home for the holiday or were on the move — an annual exodus that swamps the nation’’s transport grid. The holiday, which runs through next week, is the only time that many of the country’’s estimated 230 million migrant workers are able to visit their parents, husbands, wives or children. Families typically gather for several days of feasting and partying, while youths receive cash gifts of red envelopes, or “hong bao”. People also visit temples, burning incense and praying for health and wealth. Amid public concerns about soaring food and housing prices, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged in his New Year’’s message this week that the country’’s leaders would work to keep inflation in check and curb real estate speculation. The Internet is driving a Chinese New Year rabbit-related spending frenzy, with thousands of online discounts offered for everything from alcohol to food and trips. People are also rushing to buy bunnies as pets, but animal rights activists fear the cuddly creatures could suffer from neglect or be abandoned once the novelty has worn off. The rabbit, occupying the fourth position in the Chinese zodiac, is closely linked to the moon and symbolises happiness and good fortune. In Taiwan, those hoping to try their luck early in the new year are snapping up lottery tickets, with the jackpot, due to be unveiled on Friday, expected to reach Tw$1 billion (US$33 million) after eight consecutive rollovers. US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent Lunar New Year greetings, with Clinton pledging that Washington would “forge constructive relationships” throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In Sydney, organisers were planning a vibrant street parade for Sunday night expected to draw 100,000, and dragon boat races in the city’’s Darling Harbour. In South Korea, more than 31 million people, or 62 percent of the population, were expected to be on the move this week. Highways were jammed and flights sold out. Relatives separated by the world’’s last Cold War frontier will gather near the border with North Korea for annual events publicising the plight of divided families. In the North, where the holiday was only restored in 1989, leader Kim Jong-Il attended a Lunar New Year concert symbolising “the indomitable heroic spirit” of the communist state’’s army and people, official media said Thursday. Many — including brokerages — are banking on the sensitive rabbit to usher in a calm 12 months after the Year of the Tiger brought a spate of deadly natural disasters to China such as earthquakes and mudslides. But the bunnies in a video cartoon that went viral on the Chinese Internet were anything but tranquil. Their revolt against brutal tiger overlords — a thinly veiled swipe at China’’s communist rulers — was a huge hit before the video was yanked by online censors. And in Malaysia, flash floods have ruined the holiday mood, with key roads closed to traffic and the train service to Johor state and neighbouring Singapore cancelled. “How do you expect me to think of Lunar New Year celebrations?” Lim Jun Den, a businessman in Segamat town who estimates he lost nearly $100,000 worth of electronics merchandise, was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.
Written on February 3, 2011 | Posted in
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JAKARTA: Indonesian soldiers on trial for the alleged brutal abuse of two Papuans should be charged with torture rather than the minor offence of disobeying orders, says Amnesty International. The three soldiers appeared Thursday before a military tribunal, after the online broadcast of a video showing the torture of unarmed men sparked an outcry. But they were charged with disobedience to orders rather than more serious crimes such as illegal detention and abuse. In the video, posted on YouTube last year, soldiers place a burning stick to the genitals of an unarmed man and threaten another with a knife as part of an interrogation about the location of weapons. “Amnesty International urges the Indonesian authorities to ensure that the three soldiers… (are) tried in full criminal procedures for torture or similar crimes,” Amnesty’’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director Donna Guest said. Military prosecutors have said they lacked evidence of torture because the victims would not testify, despite the existence of a CD of the video and detailed statements given by the victims to human rights groups. According to the National Human Rights Commission, the victims would like to testify but were terrified of military reprisals, and had not received adequate safety guarantees. “Amnesty International believes that the civilian courts are much more likely to ensure both prosecution for the crimes involving human rights violations and protection for witnesses than the military system,” Guest said in a statement received by a French news agency. Indonesia had pledged to rein in military abuses in regions such as Papua and the Maluku islands in return for renewed US military exchanges. The soldiers face a maximum sentence of two and half years in jail.
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LONDON: Amnesty International urged Pakistan on Monday to tackle human rights violations ahead of a visit to Britain by President Asif Ali Zardari, which has become clouded by a diplomatic row over terrorism. On the eve of President Zardari’s arrival in London, Amnesty International said the worsening security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had left thousands of civilians dead and over a million displaced, and urged Islamabad to take action. “The conditions are right for Pakistan to show its seriousness about political solutions to the human rights violations, poverty, and a constitutional rights vacuum in the northwest,” said Amnesty International Asia-Pacific head Sam Zarifi. “President Zardari should take this opportunity to announce specific, major reforms, like the abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) that treat northwestern Pakistan like a human rights-free zone,” he said. The FCR is a colonial-era law that applies only to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
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HANOI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday accused North Korea of a “campaign” of provocation as an Asia-Pacific security forum descended into recriminations over tensions on the Korean peninsula. A North Korean spokesman reacted by warning of a “physical response” to new US sanctions and condemned massive US-South Korean naval exercises due to begin Sunday in the Sea of Japan as “gunboat diplomacy”. “Here in Asia, an isolated and belligerent North Korea has embarked on a campaign of provocative, dangerous behavior,” Clinton said in prepared remarks to foreign ministers gathered at the region’’s biggest security dialogue. “Peaceful resolution of the issues on the Korean peninsula will be possible only if North Korea fundamentally changes its behaviour.” Clinton is expected to ask China to do more to rein in its communist ally during talks later Friday with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
After four consecutive days of hot weather, the sky opened up and consistent rain greeted the players as Japan and Papua New Guinea took the field for the East Asia-Pacific Women’s Trophy final. Japan captain Ema Kuribayashi won her fourth toss in a row, electing to bat first against an experienced PNG line-up. Japan found the conditions difficult at the start, and coupled with an outstanding spell of bowling from PNG opening bowlers Pauke Siaka and Tanya Ruma, found themselves at 36-1 after 20 overs when play was stopped due…
YOMITAN: Protesters on the Japanese island of Okinawa are planning a mass rally Sunday against a US airbase in a row that is dominating national politics and souring ties with Washington. Up to 100,000 demonstrators, including Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima and more than 30 town mayors, are expected at the event in Yomitan, near Kadena Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Asia-Pacific region. Many on the subtropical island chafe at the heavy American military presence, a legacy of Japan’’s World War II defeat to the United States, complaining of noise, pollution and frictions with US soldiers. The issue has come to threaten the political future of centre-left Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has been pressured by both Washington and his left-leaning political allies to find a solution to the emotional dispute. The row centres on the locally unpopular US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which under a 2006 pact with Washington was to be moved from the crowded city of Ginowan to the quieter coastal Henoko area of Okinawa. Hatoyama, after taking power in September in a landslide election, said the base may be moved off the island instead. But a search for alternative locations has met with more local protests. The prime minister has set himself a deadline of late May to resolve the issue, while the United States maintains it wants Tokyo to stick with the original plan.
Police officers in the Australian state of Victoria are investigated for sharing a racist e-mail on police computers.
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UNDP statistics released the ‘2010 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: Power Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific Asia’. According to this report Pakistan’s Human Development Index (HDI) showed a slight improvement of 1.28% and reached 0.572. However my dear country Pakistan is still ranked at 141 out of
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