Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank has ripped off the poor Bangladeshi. Well...human greed...

Before reading this article I have doubted Yunus motive establishing Grameen Bank.  Finally, it's proved that he's ripped off the poor and allegedly misused the foreign aid given to his bank. In other words, he has used Grameen Bank as a cloaking device to make himself and his family getting rich and richer. Human Greed! (ich)
BBC News - Bangladesh Grameen founder Yunus in aid probe

"I travelled to Bangladesh, India and Mexico to find out whether micro-credit loans have really helped the poor. But I found out that poor people are getting into more and more debt because of micro-credit loans," Mr Heinemann told the BBC.

Norway says it is examining reports that Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus allegedly diverted millions of dollars of aid money from a bank.

International Development Minister Erik Solheim said that it was "totally unacceptable that aid is used for other purposes than intended".

A documentary maker has alleged that cash was diverted from Professor Yunus' Grameen Bank to other parts of Grameen.

In a statement, the bank said that the allegations were false.

It said that a full explanation with more details would be provided at the "earliest convenient time".

The bank was set up by Professor Yunus to provide micro-credit - or small loans - to the poor.

The move by the Norwegians - who insist that no criminal activity has taken place - comes at a time when the reputation of the micro-credit industry has been under attack.

The original aim of the micro-credit concept was poverty reduction, but in recent years some micro-financial institutions have been criticised over exorbitant interest rates and alleged coercive debt collection.

In the south-eastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, for example, micro-loans have been blamed for a series of suicides among struggling farmers.

It is estimated some 250 organisations in the state have handed out loans totalling more than £1.65bn (£883m), only a small proportion of which have been paid back.
Objections

The Grameen Bank's denial followed the release of a documentary by Danish filmmaker, Tom Heinemann, who claimed Professor Yunus and his associates diverted nearly $100m of grant money to another company - Grameen Kalyan - which was not involved in micro-credit operations.

Mr Heinemann said he stumbled upon the documents and letters relating to the alleged transfer while doing research for his documentary on micro-credit.

"I got most of the documents from the archives of Norad, the Norwegian aid agency in Oslo," he said.

The Grameen group of more than 30 companies headed by Professor Yunus is divided between those not operating for profit and those which do.

Mr Heinemann's report alleged that after the Norwegian authorities raised objections to the alleged transfer of funds, the Grameen bank returned about $30m. The aid money was from Norway, Sweden and Germany.

Professor Yunus, known as the Banker to the Poor, and the Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below".
Replicated model

The economist founded the bank, which is one of numerous organisations now providing loans to the poor - especially women - in Bangladesh.

The micro-credit lending model has been replicated in other parts of the world.

Reacting to the latest report, the Norwegian authorities say they have no suspicions of tax fraud or corruption committed by Grameen Bank.

"Having said that, the Government of Norway finds it totally unacceptable that aid is used for other purposes than intended no matter how praiseworthy the causes might be," Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim said in a statement e-mailed to the BBC.

Mr Solheim said that he had asked the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation for a full report on the matter.

"At the same time it is important to stress that we are firm believers in micro-finance as a tool in the fight against poverty," he said.

The documentary "Caught in Micro Debt" was shown on Norwegian National Television earlier this week.

"I travelled to Bangladesh, India and Mexico to find out whether micro-credit loans have really helped the poor. But I found out that poor people are getting into more and more debt because of micro-credit loans," Mr Heinemann told the BBC.

He said that he was not accusing Professor Yunus of misusing the money or personally benefiting from the transfer.

via ScribeFire

Indonesia's 40 'Richest' (read: Greediest)

After browsing the list, I found   Agus Lasmono Sudwikatmono, aged 39, is the Indonesia's youngest greediest. And, the second youngest greediest is Sandiaga Uno, aged 41.

source : click here

Despite recent volcanic activity, Indonesia's star is shining bright. Its stock index has outperformed those of all other major Asian economies, up more than 50% in dollar terms so far this year. Only Mongolia's and Sri Lanka's markets did better. No surprise
then that the country's richest enjoyed big gains. Their total worth surged to $71 billion, up from $42 billion last year, hitting an all-time record.

In another first, more than half of the top 40 are billionaires, up from last year's dozen. The Hartono brothers retain the top spot for the second year in a row with a net worth of $11 billion. They inherited clove cigarette maker Djarum from their father, but these days get the bulk of their wealth from Bank Central Asia, the country's largest bank,which returned to the ranks of the Forbes Fab 50 this year.

Behind them is Susilo Wonowidjojo, the year's biggest dollar gainer, worth $8
billion, up from $2.6 billion. His family still gets the bulk of their wealth from Gudang Garam, the country's largest clove cigarette maker. Sixteen of the 21 billionaires made their fortunes in coal or palm oil.

In Pictures: Indonesia's Wealthiest

We were able to identify seven new entrants, worth a total of over $8 billion. Several, including Kiki Barki of coal miner Harum Energy, debut thanks to recent initial public offerings, of which Indonesia was one of the most ­active markets in Asia. He is one of fivecoal tycoons to make their first appearance on this top 40 list.

The richest of all newcomers is Sri Prakash Lohia, a native Indian who is now an Indonesian citizen and controls Indonesia's largestpolyester manufacturer, Indorama Synthetics. His brother Ashoke, who is based in Thailand, is also a billionaire, as is his brother-in-law Lakshmi Mittal, who is Asia's second-richest citizen but lives in London, where the Indonesian Lohia too has a home.

It was also a notable year for deal-making for Indonesia's richest. Chairul Tanjung, for instance, bought a 40% stake in Carrefour's Indonesian operations for $300 million. Peter Sondakh's Rajawali sold its stake in cement firm Semen Gresik for $1.1 billion. The Bakrie family announced a $3 billion deal with Europe's Rothschild family, in
which it traded shares in its coal outfit for a stake in London-listed Vallar.

Here is the list of Indonesia's 40 Greediest (I mean "richest") :

1. R. Budi & Michael Hartono US$ 11 miliar
2. Susilo Wonowidjojo US$ 8 miliar
3. Eka Tjipta Widjaja US$ 6 miliar
4. Martua Sitorus US$ 3,2 miliar
5. Anthoni Salim U$S 3 miliar
6. Sri Prakash Lohia US$ 2,65 miliar
7. Low Tuck Kwong US$ 2,6 miliar
8. Peter Sondakh US$ 2,3 miliar
9. Putra Sampoerna US$ 2,3 miliar
10. Aburizal Bakrie US$ 2,1 miliar
11. Kiki Barki US$ 1,7 miliar
12. Eddy William Katuari US$ 1,65 miliar
13. Edwin Soeryadjaya US$ 1,6 miliar
14. Boenjamin Setiawan US$ 1,5 miliar
15. Garibaldi Thohir US$ 1,45 miliar
16. Sukanto Tanoto US$ 1,4 miliar
17. Theodore Rachmat US$ 1,35 miliar
18. Chairul Tanjung US$ 1,25 miliar
19. Murdaya Poo US$ 1,15 miliar
20. Ciliandra Fangiono US$ 1,1 miliar
21. Benny Subianto US$ 1,05 miliar
22. Arifin dan Hilmi Panigoro US$ 985 juta
23. Sjamsul Nursalim US$ 850 juta
24. Agus Lasmono Suwikatmono US$ 845 juta
25. Kartini Muljadi US$ 840 juta
26. Tahir US$ 805 juta
27. Sandiaga Uno US$ 795 juta
28. Mochtar Riady US$ 730 juta
29. Ciputra US$ 725 juta
30. Hashim Djojohadikusumo US$ 680 juta
31. Harjo Sutanto US$ 350 juta
32. Trihatma Haliman US$ 600 juta
33. Hary Tanoesudibjo US$ 595 juta
34. Kusnan dan Rusdi Kirana US$ 580 juta
35. Wiwoho Baduki Tokronegoro US$ 575 juta
36. Engki Wibowo dan Jenny Quantero US$ 560 juta
37. Husain Djojonegoro US$ 545 juta
38. Eka Tjandranegara US$ 525 juta.
39. Sutanto Djuhar US$ 490 juta.
40. Prajogo Pangestu US$ 455 juta.

via ScribeFire

Daftar 40 Orang Terkaya Indonesia

detik Finance :

Berikut daftar 40 orang terkaya versi Forbes yang dirilis, Kamis (2/12/2010).

1. R. Budi & Michael Hartono US$ 11 miliar
2. Susilo Wonowidjojo US$ 8 miliar
3. Eka Tjipta Widjaja US$ 6 miliar
4. Martua Sitorus US$ 3,2 miliar
5. Anthoni Salim U$S 3 miliar
6. Sri Prakash Lohia US$ 2,65 miliar
7. Low Tuck Kwong US$ 2,6 miliar
8. Peter Sondakh US$ 2,3 miliar
9. Putra Sampoerna US$ 2,3 miliar
10. Aburizal Bakrie US$ 2,1 miliar
11. Kiki Barki US$ 1,7 miliar
12. Eddy William Katuari US$ 1,65 miliar
13. Edwin Soeryadjaya US$ 1,6 miliar
14. Boenjamin Setiawan US$ 1,5 miliar
15. Garibaldi Thohir US$ 1,45 miliar
16. Sukanto Tanoto US$ 1,4 miliar
17. Theodore Rachmat US$ 1,35 miliar
18. Chairul Tanjung US$ 1,25 miliar
19. Murdaya Poo US$ 1,15 miliar
20. Ciliandra Fangiono US$ 1,1 miliar
21. Benny Subianto US$ 1,05 miliar
22. Arifin dan Hilmi Panigoro US$ 985 juta
23. Sjamsul Nursalim US$ 850 juta
24. Agus Lasmono Suwikatmono US$ 845 juta
25. Kartini Muljadi US$ 840 juta
26. Tahir US$ 805 juta
27. Sandiaga Uno US$ 795 juta
28. Mochtar Riady US$ 730 juta
29. Ciputra US$ 725 juta
30. Hashim Djojohadikusumo US$ 680 juta
31. Harjo Sutanto US$ 350 juta
32. Trihatma Haliman US$ 600 juta
33. Hary Tanoesudibjo US$ 595 juta
34. Kusnan dan Rusdi Kirana US$ 580 juta
35. Wiwoho Baduki Tokronegoro US$ 575 juta
36. Engki Wibowo dan Jenny Quantero US$ 560 juta
37. Husain Djojonegoro US$ 545 juta
38. Eka Tjandranegara US$ 525 juta.
39. Sutanto Djuhar US$ 490 juta.
40. Prajogo Pangestu US$ 455 juta.

Julian Paul Assange

WikiLeaks: Julian Assange’s anti-political politics | The Economist

Why is everyone assuming that these leaks are directly intended to embarrass the US government. Has it occurred to anyone that perhaps arabs being lied to by their leaders about their leaders intentions is something worth exposing? Has it occurred to anyone that perhaps it isn't a god-given right of politicians to maintain a sparkling public image? If the public hadn't been lied to or misinformed in the first place, the leak wouldn't have mattered. Much of what the diplomats said, while representing their governments, were very sensible statements about the world, and the only reason to cover up these statements is that a misinformed public demands its politicians lied to reinforce their false knowledge rather than inform them.

Thus, the answer is to constantly, bravely, tell the global public the truth, to drown out the propagandists, in the hope that the beliefs that are difficult to budge become, in fact, correct beliefs. I think this is what Assange is trying to accomplish, although on a much smaller scale than will be needed.