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International
Monday, April 14, 2014
Bali News
International
Monday, April 14, 2014
River rampant with waste, community expected to care
BUSINESS
World finance chiefs fall short on growth plan
Bali Post
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - Leading economic policymakers meeting in Washington voiced worry Friday that the Ukraine crisis could hurt the world economy, but fell short of taking concrete action to strengthen growth amid signs of discord. Meeting on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank spring meetings, G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs pledged to follow up on reforms and support a $27 billion rescue program for Ukraine, even as Russia continues to menace its neighbor. But there was little firm action on how to stimulate world growth further, prompting Australia’s Treasurer Joe Hockey, whose country leads the G20 this year, to label the sketchy plans “clearly inadequate.” The G20 reiterated last year’s promise to boost collective growth by two percentage points, but there was disagreement on how to do so. Hockey said individual members’ plans for contributing to that goal, offered after they met in Australia in February, fell short of what is needed. “The comprehensive growth strategies that were submitted by countries following the meeting in Sydney were clearly inadequate,” he told reporters. When the G20 made the commitment to enhance growth, he added, “we really meant it. It wasn’t just a rhetorical figure put in the communique for publicity purposes.
IBP/Agung Dharmada
Condition of the river in Gianyar County looks shabby due to garbage and other debris that adorn the stretch of rivers in Gianyar. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meeting begins during the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, Saturday, April 12, 2014.
A statement identified key issues, including increasing and rebalancing demand and making exchange rates more flexible, the latter an issue regularly raised with China -- the world number
two economy -- by the United States. But with many countries at different stages of the economic cycle, there were stark differences on what was important.
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew attempted to sound a more upbeat tone. “Over the last couple of days the international community has made it clear that boosting growth is our
US launches probe into Herbalife Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK - US authorities have opened a criminal probe into the nutrition and weight loss company Herbalife Ltd., according to media reports Saturday. The New York Times reported that sources said the case has been
under investigation for several months. The daily added that officials it contacted say it is possible that authorities will opt not to take action against Herbalife. The Times wrote that the investigation focuses on Herbalife’s direct-selling business model. Herbalife distributes its diet
shakes, supplements and other products through a network of sales representatives, which some, including billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman, say is really a pyramid scheme -- an allegation which the company has staunchly denied. Shares in the Los Angeles based company have fallen sharply in re-
cent months amid the allegations. The Federal Trade Commission says it has launched a civil inquiry into Herbalife, and the company has revealed that it also is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. But the company issued a statement on Friday, responding to “media reports and rumors in
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top priority,” he said. Hockey said G20 members were pressed to deliver more concrete growth plans by the group’s next meeting, in September, in Cairns, Australia.
the marketplace,” saying it was unaware of any criminal investigation. “We have no knowledge of any ongoing investigation by the DOJ (Department of Justice) or the FBI, and we have not received any formal nor informal request for information from either agency,” the Herbalife statement said.
Exports of processed fish to US up
Antara
DENPASAR - Bali’s exports of processed fish to the United States rose to US$1.29 million in February 2014 from US$895,000 a year earlier. Exports to the United States made up 40.53 percent of Bali’s total exports of processed fish, I Ketut Teneng, Bali’s provincial administration spokesman said on Sunday. “The remaining 59.47 percent were exported to other countries mainly Japan,” Teneng said. He said Bali’s exports of processed fish are expected to continue to increase in the coming year on strong competitiveness. In 2013, Bali exported 6,043 tons of
canned fish worth US$19.71 million, down from 8,649 tons valued at US$25.98 million on shrinking demand in international market. Processed fish is one of six export commodities of manufactured goods from Bali and the United States and Japan are the main markets, he said. Other manufactured goods exported from Bali include components of house buildings, plastics, shoes, textiles and textile products, he said. Processed fish contributed around 4.06 percent to Bali’s total exports which were valued at US$486.06 million in 2013 or an increase of 0.88 percent from the previous year’s record of US$481.83 million.
GIANYAR - Condition of the river in Gianyar County looks shabby due to garbage and other debris that adorn the stretch of rivers in Gianyar. The community is also indifferent to such condition. On that account, they are expected to take care of the sanitation of the river, especially around their neighborhood. Existence of many rivers in Gianyar is widely used for the activities of residents. In addition to the interests of agriculture, some areas of the river are also used by people as a place to bathe and wash. Thus, the sanitation of the river would become an absolute thing to be maintained, said the Head of Gianyar Sanitation and Landscaping Agency (DKP),Wayan Kujus Parwitra, after the assessment of environmental and office sanitation competition. For the issue of garbage in the river, the DKP through the clean river program encouraged the people to take care of the environmental condition, especially the river located at the trash blockage. During rainy season, this garbage blockage was the trigger of floods. In addition to floods, it could also trigger other hazards such as the outbreak of dengue fever. For the clean river program, the DKP had deployed the officers to come down to the river to clean up the watershed and even the gutters indicated to have been clogged by garbage as performed on the river in the neighborhood of Abianbase. “It is attempted to clean up so as not to clog up the water flow and stagnant,” he explained. Admittedly, due to the restrictedness of human resources of the DKP as well as many rivers and gutters in Gianyar, the public was expected to participate in the clean river program. To create a clean river from rubbish, people around the river were asked to participate in maintaining the sanitation by not throwing garbage into the river or ditch. “Through this awareness, in addition to avoid the danger of floods, it will also create a clean and beautiful environment,” he said. (kmb16)
Frenchman could face death for drug smuggling
Agence France-Presse
DENPASAR - A Frenchman appeared in court in Bali Thursday accused of trafficking a large stash of crystal methamphetamine into the Indonesian resort island, an offence punishable by death. Francois Giuily was arrested in January at Bali airport with more than three kilograms (6.8 pounds) of the drug hidden in two plastic bags in his suitcase lining, said prosecutor Suryatmaja, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Airport customs chief I Made Wijaya said at the time of his arrest that the drugs had a street value of $511,280. The 48-year-old, making an initial appearance in court in the Balinese capital
Denpasar, was charged under a law that bans the production, import and distribution of illegal drugs. The offence carries a maximum penalty of death under Indonesia’s tough anti-narcotics laws. Giuily told officials that a Gambian drug trafficker he met on the Internet asked him to deliver the drugs to Indonesia and promised to pay him $4,000, the prosecutor said. There are several foreign nationals on death row for drug-related offences in Indonesia. British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death in January last year after being found with $2.4 million worth of cocaine in her luggage as she arrived in Bali.