Puppet Masters

US House of Representatives report shows HSBC got top govt help to hamper money laundering probe

RT
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 19:20 UTC

Chancellor George Osborne sought to influence a US investigation into HSBC, after the bank admitted laundering money for drug cartels and terrorists, by warning prosecution could throw the global financial system into turmoil.

A US House of Representatives committee report found the British Chancellor and Financial Services Authority (FSA) intervened in a US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into illegal activities by the banking giant.

According to the report, prepared by Republicans, the DOJ considered criminal charges in addition to a £1.2 billion (US$1.6 billion) fine it levied in December 2012, but came under pressure from Osborne to drop prosecution.

The report, 'Too big to jail: Inside the Obama Justice Department's decision not to hold Wall Street accountable', said Osborne sent a letter in September 2012 to Ben Bernanke, then-chairman of the Federal Reserve.

"Chancellor Osborne insinuated in his letter of September 10 that the US was unfairly targeting UK banks by seeking settlements that were significantly higher than 'comparable' settlements with US banks," the report claimed.

In the letter, Osborne wrote that questions over HSBC's continued ability to clear US dollars "would risk destabilising the bank globally, with very serious implications for financial and economic stability, particularly in Europe and Asia."

Comment: Osborne, crook and liar. Peter Lee writes:

Funny thing is, couple years later, the US government pounded BNP-Paribas with an $8.9 billion fine and cut them off from US dollar transactions for a year. The bank--and the world--survived.

So you have to wonder if shutting down HSBC's US operation (which I characterized in my piece as a "dumpster fire of a bank" built on the less than heroic foundations of the acquisition of Marine Midland Bank ) would really have brought the world to its knees.

More likely, the UK just begged the US to do it a solid as America's bestie ally, and the US obliged.

The untold story: Hillary Clinton's outsourced top secret government docs

Pam Martens, Russ Martens
Wall Street on Parade
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC

Since FBI Director James Comey's press conference on July 5 and his House Oversight Committee testimony two days later, Hillary Clinton has come under withering attack for gross misrepresentations to the American people about her handling of classified material while she served as Secretary of State. Now, new questions are arising over what role her attorney, David Kendall of law firm Williams & Connolly, played in misleading Congressional investigators. There are also questions as to whether Comey himself has come clean about the full extent of Clinton's negligence.

The FBI has declined to provide Wall Street On Parade with the official FBI report on the matter, even though the investigation is now closed. Comey has indicated that Clinton was not put under oath nor did she have her testimony recorded when she was interviewed by FBI agents who were conducting a criminal investigation into the matter.

Comment: Sloppy or planned?

Over the past week, multiple newspaper opinion writers have weighed in on FBI Director James Comey's failure to recommend criminal charges in Hillary Clinton's blatant violations of the Federal Records Act and egregious mishandling of above Top Secret government records. While serving as Secretary of State, and without State Department approval, Clinton outsourced the transmittal and storage of the classified records from the safety of U.S. government control to a private server in the basement of her New York home, and later to a private firm, Platte River Networks, which was overseen by people lacking the proper security clearance. Clinton's private server was also backed up by a madcap group of lip-syncing 20-somethings at Datto, Inc., who also lacked the requisite security clearances.

Comment: As many have suspected, there seems to be much more to this story than has so far been revealed. Hillary Clinton and her network of protectors, are "in it" to the hilt. See also:

From cops to Clinton: Absolute impunity corrupts absolutely

Dan Sanchez
Defend Democracy Press
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 17:21 UTC

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Wednesday, two shocking videos of police officers fatally shooting civilians (Alton Sterling and Philando Castile) surfaced. The day before, many were appalled to hear the Director of the FBI announce that Hillary Clinton would not be charged for mishandling classified information. The two events may seem unrelated, but at bottom, they concern the same fundamental problem: impunity.

Impunity is the essence of power. What, after all, is power? Is it simply the capacity to exert unjust force? The ability to impress one's will upon the flesh or belongings of another? No, it's more than that.

Most anyone can wield unjust force. Anyone could walk out onto the street right now and exert their will on somebody weaker: say, pushing over an old lady or stealing candy from a baby. And the toughest, or most heavily-armed guy in town can strong-arm just about any other single person.

But isolated incidents of aggression do not constitute power. The "reign" of the rogue rampager is generally short-lived. It only lasts until the community recognizes him as the menace to society that he is and neutralizes him.

Power isn't simply about the exertion of unjust force. It is about what happens next, after the exertion. Does the perpetrator generally get away with, or not? Systematically getting away with it - or impunity - is where power truly lies. And that is what makes agents of the State different from any other bully. State agents can violate rights with reliable impunity because a critical mass of the public considers the aggression of state agents to be exceptionally legitimate. Impunity is power, and as Lord Acton said, power corrupts.

Comment: See also: Psychopaths are Destroying our World (VIDEO)

Ron Paul: The people won't suffer from Brexit, global banking elite will

Kuma
CS Globe
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC

Since 1958, the European Union has been absorbing independent states across the continent. Starting with the original inner 6 countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, and West Germany) and ending with Croatia in 2013, the forced centralization of Europe was a massive and ominous force with which to be reckoned. Until now.

On Friday, [June 23] the people of Great Britain made their voice heard. They no longer want to be a part of the European Union and for good reason. For decades they have sat back and watched the global elite enrich themselves through special trade agreements ostensibly designed to bolster the economy, but in reality grant special treatment to those close to the top.

George Soros exposed the dependence of the elite on the EU when he took to fear mongering about rampant financial collapse upon Brexit. "The Brexit crash will make all of you poorer — be warned," Soros penned in an op-ed for the Guardian on June 20. "My 60 years of experience tells me the pound will plummet, along with your living standards. The only winners will be the speculators [...] "A vote to leave could see the week end with a Black Friday, and serious consequences for ordinary people."

However, as Ron Paul so aptly pointed out on Friday, the people's suffering will be minimal. It is the banking elite who are running scared. "Other countries are watching....This is the beginning of the end of the European Union...and nobody is going to suffer from that. Only the wealthy, banking, special interests will suffer any from this," said Paul.

And he is correct.

Comment: Whether technically the elite and the banksters suffer the most, they will somehow find a way to pass it onto the little guy. They always do. And that's how 'the cartel crumbles.'

France closes embassy and consulate in Turkey for 'security reasons'

Sputnik
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 13:08 UTC

French embassy and consulate were closed in Turkey due to security concerns, the Embassy of France in Ankara said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The embassy of France in Ankara, as well as the consulate general in Istanbul will be closed from Wednesday July 13, 1 p.m. local time, until further notice," the statement read. "We thank the French community in Turkey and all our guests for their understanding".

Earlier, the consulate general in Istanbul stated that information pointed to a 'serious threat' to plans to celebrate the country's National Day on July 14. Those celebrations were cancelled.

French consul to Istanbul Muriel Domenach wrote on Twitter the events France's consulate in Istanbul, its embassy in Ankara and its mission in the Aegean city of Izmir were cancelled "for security reasons" and France was in touch with the Turkish authorities.

Social media blasts US ex-President Bush for dancing at Dallas memorial service

Sputnik
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 13:02 UTC

Bush and Obama at Dallas memorial service

Former President of the United States George W. Bush managed to raise quite a few eyebrows in the US and across the world when he started dancing at a memorial service for the Dallas police officers killed by snipers during a protest on July 7.

During the ceremony, the ex-president was seen smiling and even dancing while holding the hands of his wife Laura and First Lady Michelle Obama as the choir performed "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Taiwan warship sets sail for South China Sea after Hague verdict

PressTV
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:56 UTC

A Taiwanese warship has set sail for the South China Sea "to defend Taiwan's maritime territory," a day after an international tribunal ruled against China's claims to islands and undermined Taipei's claims to the islands there.

On Tuesday, a tribunal in The Hague ruled that China has no historic rights in the waterway and sided with the Philippines that had filed the complaint.

It also ruled that Taiwan-controlled Taiping, the largest island in the Spratlys chain, was legally a "rock" that did not give it an exclusive economic zone, undermining Taiwanese claims to waters surrounding the island.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen rallied troops on the deck of a frigate on Wednesday, saying the Taiwanese are determined to "defend their country's rights."

Global economy continues to lose momentum after Brexit

Translated by Karin
South Front
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 11:42 UTC

Apparently the world economy continues to lose momentum. Exports from German companies in May went down significantly. Meanwhile first observers are mentioning the possibility that the German gross domestic product could even have shrunken during the second quarter.

German exports fell in May due to the weak global economy. They went down 1.8 percent compared to the previous month, said the Federal Statistics Office on Friday. This is the strongest decline since August 2015. This ended a run of three consecutive increases. Reuter's poll of economists had predicted a renewed growth of 0.25 %.

"German exports are sluggish dragging throughout the year," said the foreign trade chief of the German Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Volker Treier. "Outside of the EU is, due to international crises and low oil prices, hardly any potential for growth." World trade has already cooled down noticeably. In addition the sanctions against Russia, which exacerbate the difficult business environment for German exporters even more.

The weak exports signal that Europe's largest economy is expected to have lost considerably momentum after a strong start in the spring - especially in May the production shrank and industrial orders stagnated. "All indicators show a significant slowdown," said ING economist Carsten Brzeski. DekaBank expert Andreas Scheuerle did not rule out that the gross domestic product could shrink even further in the second quarter.

Comment: Further reading: After Brexit, ramped up warnings of global economic instability and financial panic

Theresa May vows to stop tax avoidance while her husband profits from Amazon & Starbucks

RT
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:41 UTC

Theresa May and her husband Philip John May

Incoming Tory Prime Minister Theresa May's husband is a senior executive at an investment fund which manages $20 billion of shares in tax avoiding companies like Amazon and Starbucks.

Philip May's position at the Los Angeles-based Capital Group, which controls $1.4 trillion in assets, has come under scrutiny after his wife was announced as David Cameron's successor in Downing Street.

His role at the firm has garnered even more attention since his wife, the prime minister-designate, vowed to clamp down on tax avoidance earlier this week.

Theresa May cited Amazon and Starbucks - both clients of her husband's firm - as examples of tax avoiding companies the government will crack down in a speech on Monday.

Russia slams the delusional rhetoric coming from NATO's Warsaw Summit

Translated by Borislav
South Front
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 12:03 UTC

US President Barack Obama announced that NATO would deploy an additional 4 troop battalions in Poland and the Baltics to strengthen the eastern flank. Moscow gave a tough critique: the Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the summit in Warsaw demonizes Russia, and Russia wants an explanation. Hollande wants more budget for defense and Steinmeier expects an increasingly difficult dialogue with Russia.

"The Alliance wants to build the largest collective defense of NATO against Russian aggression since the Cold War," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and he also stated that the world is in a new Cold War. For his part, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, worrying about the powerful militarization in Eastern Europe and the increasingly deepening difficulties for dialogue, expressed his expectations that the difficult negotiations with Russia will stabilize. At the same time, Steinmeier urged Moscow to accept the offer for dialogue with NATO.

Following the summit in Warsaw, the Foreign Ministry of Russia announced: "The Alliance focuses its efforts on a non-existent threat from the east. By demonizing Russia, NATO justified its actions and the destructive role it plays in the world, to maintain tension in various regions." This is written on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The message says that "NATO is not paying attention to the long-term negative consequences of its policy in Eastern Europe." The Russian Ministry also mentioned that Finland wants to strengthen its air defenses over the Baltic Sea. While the Finnish State's military is neutral, its accession to NATO has been discussed several times.

At the NATO summit in the Polish capital, the leaders came to the conclusion that Russia's "aggressive actions" are a threat to peace and freedom in Europe, but that at the same time NATO as an Alliance is open to dialogue with the Russian side. A curious paradox, simultaneously declaring someone enemy number one and taking every effort to fight with him, but at the same time calling for dialogue and close relations.

Comment: Further reading: Pepe Escobar: NATO paranoia versus Eurasia integration

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Jibrish

Billionaires certainly have no right to remove our supposed democracy and bring through 'resets' through the back door. Neither do our politicians...

Kevin Smith

Unfortunately this can't be done in Australia, as AHPRA will pull anyone's liscence to practice if they "say anything bad" about vaccines. This is...

Ruth

I believe this is intentional. To create a feeling of dispair, depression, and approaching end times. Provoke the sheeple to make the next step in...

codis

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Jibrish

Puppet Masters

US House of Representatives report shows HSBC got top govt help to hamper money laundering probe

The untold story: Hillary Clinton's outsourced top secret government docs

From cops to Clinton: Absolute impunity corrupts absolutely

Ron Paul: The people won't suffer from Brexit, global banking elite will

France closes embassy and consulate in Turkey for 'security reasons'

Social media blasts US ex-President Bush for dancing at Dallas memorial service

Taiwan warship sets sail for South China Sea after Hague verdict

Global economy continues to lose momentum after Brexit

Theresa May vows to stop tax avoidance while her husband profits from Amazon & Starbucks

Russia slams the delusional rhetoric coming from NATO's Warsaw Summit

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