JP Morgan pays $410m to settle US energy case

BBC News, 30 July 2013 

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JP Morgan chief executive Jamie

 Dimon has been trying to improve

 the image of the bank

JP Morgan's energy unit has agreed to pay $410m (£268m) to settle charges from the top US energy regulator that it manipulated energy markets.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) agency alleged JPMorgan's trading practices drove up prices for electricity, mainly in California and the Midwest.

The fine is the second largest penalty in FERC history.

The bank did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

JPMorgan said it was "pleased to have reached an agreement with FERC to put this matter behind it.'"

JPMorgan spokesman Brian Marchiony said the settlement would "not have a material impact on our earnings" because the bank had previously set aside reserves for the case.

FERC claimed JPMorgan's energy unit used five "manipulative bidding strategies" in California between September 2010 and June 2011, and three in the Midwest from October 2010 to May 2011.

The regulator alleges that traders at JP Morgan's energy unit created artificial conditions to boost the price of energy.

Under the deal, the bank must also make annual reports to the commission for three years detailing its power business in the United States.

JPMorgan has already sold the rights to buy the gas and sell the power from its California plants.

The energy rigging case is the latest embarrassment to hit JP Morgan. Last year, the bank suffered a $6.2bn (£4bn) loss after trades made by the so-called London Whale turned out to be bad.

Last year FERC fined Barclays $453m (£300m) for allegedly manipulating electricity prices. Barclays protested FERC's findings, but US regulators upheld the fine earlier this month.

Manning guilty of espionage but not 'aiding enemy'

Google – AFP, Arthur MacMillan (AFP), 30 July 2013

US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning is pictured July 30, 2013

(AFP, Saul Loeb)

FORT MEADE, Maryland — A US military judge convicted Bradley Manning of espionage Tuesday, leaving him facing a lengthy jail term despite clearing him on the most serious charge that he 'aided the enemy.'

Colonel Denise Lind found Manning guilty of 20 of 22 counts related to his leaking of a huge trove of secret US diplomatic cables and military logs to the WikiLeaks website.

She said she would begin sentencing hearings on Wednesday, at the Fort Meade military base outside Washington where the trial was held.

If Lind decides to impose penalties in the higher ranges permitted under the charges, the now 25-year-old Manning could face a de facto life sentence of more than 100 years in jail.

"On charge one, court finds you not guilty," Lind told the hearing, before reading the long list of lesser counts on which Manning was found guilty of breaching the espionage act or disobeying orders.

The court was silent and Manning, a boyish young man in an army dress uniform and round glasses, showed no emotion before the live feed to the press room was cut.

Supporters of Manning hold signs to show

 support during a demonstration outside

 Fort Meade on July 30, 2013 in Maryland

(Getty Images/AFP, Alex Wong)

Some freedom of information activists will welcome the news that he was at least cleared of knowingly aiding US foe Al-Qaeda by leaking secrets to be published on the Internet.

But there have been warnings that the case, and the harsh penalties Manning could still face, could deter whistleblowers and have a chilling effect on future media investigations.

A few dozen protesters had gathered outside Fort Meade to support Manning and WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group set up by Australian cyber-activist Julian Assange, expressed fury at the verdict.

In a Twitter message, the WikiLeaks group said the court's decision reflected "dangerous national security extremism" on the part of US President Barack Obama's White House.

It also said the conviction of Manning set a "very serious new precedent for supplying information to the press."

WikiLeaks is also working with a second American leaker, civilian former intelligence technician Edward Snowden, who is seeking asylum in Russia after revealing vast US electronic surveillance programs.

His supporters have cited Manning's trial as proof that Snowden was right to flee abroad with his leaks rather than face trial at home.

The best known US rights group, the American Civil Liberties Union, gave a measured response to the verdict, but reiterated its concern about the use of draconian anti-spying laws to curtail government whistleblowers.

"While we're relieved that Mr. Manning was acquitted of the most dangerous charge, the ACLU has long held the view that leaks to the press in the public interest should not be prosecuted under the Espionage Act," said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project.

"Since Manning already pleaded guilty to charges of leaking information -- which carry significant punishment -- it seems clear that the government was seeking to intimidate anyone who might consider revealing valuable information in the future."

Private Manning was serving as a 23-year-old intelligence analyst in Iraq when he sent WikiLeaks a cache of secret diplomatic cables and classified military reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He had admitted giving the site some 700,000 documents and pleaded guilty to 10 lesser charges, while firmly denying that he had intended to help America's enemies.

In closing arguments last week, defense attorney David Coombs said Manning was no traitor but a "young, naive and good-intentioned" citizen who wanted to encourage public debate.

But the prosecution insisted Manning recklessly betrayed his uniform and his country by leaking documents he knew Al-Qaeda would see and use.

"Your honor, he was not a whistleblower, he was a traitor," lead prosecutor Major Ashden Fein told the court.

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness charged with tax evasion

Deutsche Welle, 30 July 2013

German prosecutors have charged Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness with tax evasion. The charges pertain to a Swiss bank account Hoeness declared in January.

The charges against Hoeness were announced by the Munich prosecution office on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old could face trial should the economic crimes chamber of Munich's district court decide to admit the charges. That decision is not expected before the end of September, with Hoeness' lawyers having one month to respond to the charges.

The investigation by Munich's prosecution into Hoeness' accounts began in January after a voluntary tax disclosure concerning the Swiss account - previously undeclared - and included a search of his offices and private home in March.

"Due to the volume of the investigation files as well as the fact that a defence request to delay answering to the charges for one month was granted, a decision of the court on starting a trial is not to be expected before the end of September 2013," court spokeswoman Andrea Titz said in a statement.

Bayern's board have stood by Hoeness despite the investigation, refusing to accept the former player and general manager's offer to suspend himself from club duties in May.

Under Hoeness' leadership, the Bavarian club won the Champions League, Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2013.

ph/dr (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Culture of abuse threatens to undermine Taiwan's armed forces

Want China Times, Sun Ching-yu 2013-07-27

Thousands took to the streets in Taipei on July 20 to protest over
the death of Corporal Hung Chung-chiu. (Photo/Chen Chen-tang)

The death of Corporal Hung Chung-chiu was yet another "homicide" that Taiwan's military thought it could easily cover up, but the strong protests led by Hung's family, the general public and the media have forced President Ma Ying-jeou to apologize and investigate the incident.

Hung died on July 4 after spending nearly a week in disciplinary confinement to which he never should have been subjected. He succumbed to a heatstroke after being forced to do harsh physical exercise in high temperatures. The public and an ongoing investigation are pointing toward a culture of bullying in the military in the case of Hung, a conscript who had nearly completed his compulsory military service. A number of senior officers and non-commissioned officers have been taken into custody for their part in the affair.

Each year, hundreds of deaths take place in the military that are ruled to be accidents or suicide. Hung's death was just the tip of the iceberg. What was a minor matter for the military suddenly became a major issue for the public because the incident triggered memories of abuse and injustice suffered by many former servicemen and their families.

Soldiers are trained for war and respect for the profession is fundamental in the military. However, the Republic of China's military appears accustomed to abusing soldiers and trampling their dignity for fun. A closed military legal system has also resulted in the abuse of power. Hung was placed in the brig just a few days before he was to be discharged and after he died military officers involved in the incident allegedly covered for each other and destroyed evidence.

The military legal system should not violate Articles 77 and 80 of the Constitution, which stipulate that justice should be independent and free from any interference. When the military legal system cannot work in accordance with the Constitution or is brought into question by the victim's family and the general public, the judicial system should be involved or else the military's human rights record cannot be assessed. Taiwan has been a democratic state for two decades but in the military it is as if martial law were still in place.

Conscript soldiers are not career soldiers. But they should not be treated with discrimination, much less tortured by career soldiers. A country that does not care for its troops is one that cannot fight a war — the Kuomintang should have learned that lesson from China's civil war, when poor morale meant its numerical advantage was swept away by highly motivated Communist forces. How can the government expect to claim great military power and the support of its people in a country where we find plentiful examples of cases like that of Hung and of Chiang Kuo-ching — a serviceman who was wrongfully executed for a rape and murder he did not commit, an injustice for which the government has only recently apologized.

(The author is a famous writer in Taipei.)

Kao Hua-chu, Taiwan's defense 

minister. (Photo/CNA)

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Taiwan protesters demand justice for dead corporal

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  Government

Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.

Years ago, I told you, "When everybody can talk to everybody, there can be no secrets." Up to this point on this planet, government has counted on one thing - that the people can't easily talk to each other on a global scale. They have to get their information through government or official channels. Even mass media isn't always free enough, for it reports that which the government reports. Even a free society tends to bias itself according to the bias of the times. However, when you can have Human Beings talking to each other all at once, all over the planet without government control, it all changes, for there is open revelation of truth.

Democracy itself will change and you're going to see it soon. The hold-outs, the few countries I have mentioned in the past, are doomed unless they recalibrate. They're doomed to be the same as they have been and won't be able to exist as they are now with everyone changing around them.

I mentioned North Korea in the past. Give it time. Right now, the young man is under the control of his father's advisors. But when they're gone, you will see something different, should he survive. Don't judge him yet, for he is being controlled.

In government, if you're entire voting base has the ability to talk to itself without restriction and comes up with opinions by itself without restriction, it behooves a politician to be aware and listen to them. This will change what politicians will do. It will change the way things work in government. Don't be surprised when some day a whole nation can vote all at once in a very unusual way. Gone will be the old systems where you used to count on horseback riders to report in from faraway places. Some of you know what I am talking about. Government will change. The systems around you, both dark and light, will change. You're going to start seeing something else, too, so let's change the subject and turn the page. …”

Manning knew enemy would see leaks: US prosecutor

Google – AFP, Dan De Luce (AFP), 25 July 2013

Bradley Manning is escorted by military police on July 25, 2013 at Fort

Meade (Getty Images/AFP, Chip Somodevilla)

FORT MEADE, Maryland — A US military prosecutor on Thursday accused Bradley Manning of betraying his country and uniform by leaking secret files, urging a judge to find him guilty of "aiding the enemy."

In closing arguments in Manning's espionage trial, Major Ashden Fein painted him as a reckless, selfish traitor who knew America's foes would see the trove of classified reports he gave to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

Manning "delivered these documents ready-made for use by the enemy," the prosecutor told the court.

Fein said that, as an army intelligence analyst, Manning had pledged under oath to safeguard sensitive information held by the government then "abused and destroyed this trust."

Displaying a photo of Manning smiling and looking "gleeful" -- allegedly after his document dump to WikiLeaks -- Fein said evidence in the court-martial showed Manning had the intention of wreaking havoc.

Bradley Manning leaves a military court

 on June 6, 2012 in Fort Meade, Maryland

(Getty Images/AFP/File, Alex Wong)

Manning "wasn't interested in oaths," Fein said. "He was interested in making a name for himself."

Working in military intelligence in Iraq, Manning had been trained to know that "terrorists" used the Internet to gather information to help in preparing attacks against the United States.

Citing an instruction session that Manning himself had presented to fellow soldiers, the private listed foreign governments, terrorists and "hackers" as among potential adversaries seeking US secrets, Fein said.

Manning was also aware that WikiLeaks had been identified in three military intelligence reports as a possible threat to national security, as the site sought to expose any classified material, according to Fein.

Manning was not just any soldier leaking secrets, but a competent intelligence analyst who knew that sensitive information released online "would be in the hands of terrorists and other adversaries of this nation," the prosecutor said.

The prosecution depicted Manning as agent for "information anarchists" at WikiLeaks after having corresponded with founder Julian Assange and others in the organization.

From November to December 2009, Manning was "searching for topics related to one mission -- finding and disclosing what WikiLeaks wanted," Fein said.

After speaking for an hour and a half, Fein told the judge his closing argument would last another two hours. The defense will then have a chance to present its closing argument.

Three years after Manning's arrest in Iraq over what officials at the time called the biggest national security leak in America's history, both sides have one last opportunity to make their case before the judge, Colonel Denise Lind, delivers a verdict.

The 25-year-old has already admitted to leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks.

But he has denied the most serious charges against him, including the most serious count that he knowingly "aided the enemy."

That charge carries a possible life sentence, and a guilty verdict could break new legal ground for future leak cases.

Born in Oklahoma to an American father and a Welsh mother who later divorced, the slight, bespectacled Manning has portrayed himself as a truth teller who leaked a cache of diplomatic cables and military intelligence reports to shed light on US foreign policy excesses.

A woman shows her support for Bradley

 Manning during an Independence Day

 parade in Takoma Park, Maryland on

July 4, 2013 (AFP/File, Mandel Ngan)

Manning has told the court he believed the reports he saw in his job "needed to be shared with the world" and that it "would help document the true cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Manning has pleaded guilty to ten lesser chargers of federal espionage, computer fraud and wrongful storage of classified information, which could carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors are trying to prove 12 additional counts, including theft of US property, exceeding authorized access on a government computer and the "aiding the enemy" charge.

Even if he is acquitted of aiding the enemy, Manning faces a possible sentence of 154 years behind bars

Earlier Thursday, the judge refused to drop five theft charges against Manning, saying the government had provided sufficient evidence to allow the counts to remain part of the trial.

The court-martial has taken on new significance in the wake of revelations from another young man working with classified information, Edward Snowden, a former intelligence contractor who recently blew the lid on US surveillance of phone records and Internet traffic.

The outcome of Manning's trial could have an effect on the case against Snowden, if he is ever extradited to the United States after having fled to Moscow via Hong Kong.

Hedge fund founder Steven Cohen charged over 'insider trading'

BBC News, 19 July 2013

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A billionaire hedge fund manager has been charged with failing to stop insider trading, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says.

SAC Capital Advisors founder Steven Cohen, 57, faces civil charges over what the US government has called one of the biggest such fraud cases ever.

Mr Cohen did not properly supervise two traders who engaged in illegal insider trading, the SEC alleges.

But the fund said the charges had "no merit" and pledged to fight the case.

As a result of the illegal information, the traders made about $275m (£180m) for the fund, the government has alleged.

It added that Mr Cohen was aware of the information but rewarded one of his employees with a $9m bonus, instead of cracking down.

The SEC said: "Cohen received highly suspicious information that should have caused any reasonable hedge fund manager in Cohen's position to take prompt action to determine whether employees under his supervision were engaged in unlawful conduct and to prevent violations of the federal securities laws."

The government agency is seeking to have Mr Cohen banned from managing funds in future, and seeks an unspecified amount of money.

The charges will not proceed to trial, but were filed as an administrative proceeding.

A spokesman for the defendant said: "Steve Cohen acted appropriately at all times."

Traders Mathew Martoma and Michael Steinberg have denied criminal insider trading charges and face trial in November.

Friday's charges are part of a long-running probe of SAC Capital Advisors, a fund worth about $15bn, which has seen nine current or former employees charged or implicated.

Taiwan protesters demand justice for dead corporal

Google – AFP, 20 July 2013

A protester during an anti-military rally outside the defence ministry in

Taipei on July 20, 2013 (AFP, Sam Yeh)

TAIPEI — Thousands of protesters rallied in Taipei to demand justice for a corporal who died after allegedly being abused in the military, in a case that sparked anger across Taiwan.

Demonstrators, holding placards reading "Murder" and "We want the truth", gathered outside the defence ministry two weeks after Hung Chung-chiu died of heatstroke apparently caused by being forced to exercise excessively.

Several sang songs mocking the military while others made a show of drinking bottled water -- a reference to the fact Hung's superiors reportedly refused to give him water despite his repeated requests.

"So many people come here today to demand truth," Hung's uncle, Hu Shih-ho, said.

"I hope President Ma Ying-jeou and defence minister Kao Hua-chu will open their eyes to see this and listen to us."

Taiwan's defence ministry has apologised for Hung's death and military prosecutors are investigating the cause of his death.

"I apologise to you all," vice defence minister Andrew Yang told the crowd before bowing briefly to them.

"Please give the defence ministry a chance to correct previous mistakes and clarify the truth."

Organisers said more than 10,000 had turned out while police estimates were not immediately available.

Local media reported that Hung was at odds with his superiors for making complaints against them and that he had been placed in solitary confinement for taking a smartphone onto the army base.

He died just three days before he was due to be discharged following completion of his compulsory year-long military service.

Four military officials have been detained by authorities on abuse charges, while punitive measures have been placed on 26 other staff members.

The island's watchdog responsible for monitoring other parts of government The Control Yuan has announced an in-depth probe into alleged bullying in the military.

Corporal Hung Chung-chiu died three days before he was

 scheduled to be discharged after completing his compulsory

military service. (Photo/CNA)

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Military's culture of bullying must be exposed

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  Government

Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.

Years ago, I told you, "When everybody can talk to everybody, there can be no secrets." Up to this point on this planet, government has counted on one thing - that the people can't easily talk to each other on a global scale. They have to get their information through government or official channels. Even mass media isn't always free enough, for it reports that which the government reports. Even a free society tends to bias itself according to the bias of the times. However, when you can have Human Beings talking to each other all at once, all over the planet without government control, it all changes, for there is open revelation of truth.

Democracy itself will change and you're going to see it soon. The hold-outs, the few countries I have mentioned in the past, are doomed unless they recalibrate. They're doomed to be the same as they have been and won't be able to exist as they are now with everyone changing around them.

I mentioned North Korea in the past. Give it time. Right now, the young man is under the control of his father's advisors. But when they're gone, you will see something different, should he survive. Don't judge him yet, for he is being controlled.

In government, if you're entire voting base has the ability to talk to itself without restriction and comes up with opinions by itself without restriction, it behooves a politician to be aware and listen to them. This will change what politicians will do. It will change the way things work in government. Don't be surprised when some day a whole nation can vote all at once in a very unusual way. Gone will be the old systems where you used to count on horseback riders to report in from faraway places. Some of you know what I am talking about. Government will change. The systems around you, both dark and light, will change. You're going to start seeing something else, too, so let's change the subject and turn the page. …”

World Trade Center owners lose 9/11 compensation bid

BBC News, 18 July 2013

Developers say it has cost more than $7bn to replace the twin towers

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Owners of the World Trade Center cannot demand billions more dollars in compensation for the 9/11 attacks, a New York judge has ruled.

The twin towers owners wanted more insurance money, in addition to the $5bn (£3.3bn) already claimed, from the airlines of the hijacked planes.

But lawyers for the airlines said the claims amounted to double compensation.

Nearly 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda militants flew jets into the twin towers, causing their collapse.

The judge ruled at the end of Thursday's hearing, without a jury.

Developer Larry Silverstein and World Trade Center Properties argued in court that the airlines owed them at least $3.5bn for letting hijackers on to the planes that razed three skyscrapers - the twin towers as well as 7 World Trade Center.

A 47-storey building, 7 World Trade Center caught fire from falling debris and eventually collapsed.

But the lawyers for US Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines and parent company AMR Corp said a total recovery of $8.5bn would amount to more than two-and-a-half times the value of the original buildings.

The World Trade Center alleged that damage from 9/11 totalled as much as $7.2bn.

It has cost more than $8bn to replace the three buildings.

Owners of the World Trade Center have said they will appeal.

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Bush & Cheney Knew About 9/11 Months Before It Happened Says Whistleblower Charged Under Patriot Act

(Reasons to suspect US administration in 9/11 - June 5, 2004 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

14.  Now then, I shall mention some of the facts of 9/11 that we in these stations of light know as truth and that can be verified by those among you who are considered experts in their fields.  The planes were remotely controlled by measures designed to override any manual maneuvers by pilots. The towers were designed to withstand the force of the largest planes hitting them directly. The towers collapsed due to controlled demolition measures, by explosives strategically located and detonated in timely rhythm; witnesses reported hearing explosions prior to the buildings falling. Both the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in the field were hit by scalar beam weaponry.  Regarding the Pentagon, the beams were aimed at the section where a communications group had been recently relocated.  Results of a major airliner hitting that building at top speed would have penetrated more deeply and devastated more broadly than photos of the destruction showed; further, no one saw any plane approaching that building and there was no way a plane could have struck as the damage showed without being seen at near ground level.

15.  There is much more to consider concerning all that happened that day: Why were many employees in the towers warned prior to September 11^th not to report for work that day? Why were standard procedures for intercept planes in no-fly zones not followed, and especially so around the Pentagon after the towers were struck? 

16.  Why was the debris of the towers so quickly collected and disposed of?  Where were the remains of the plane claimed to have hit the Pentagon and why were no bodies recovered from the tail section?  Why were the “black boxes,” designed to withstand far more heat and impact than they sustained, declared destroyed?  Why, within a day or two, were 19 terrorists identified by name and photos, and later, when it was discovered that several were alive, was there no widespread challenge to the original report?  Why, after being informed of the first tower being hit, did the US president continue to spend time with young school children instead of immediately departing the room to act as a responsible Commander in Chief would have?

17.  Many other aspects of that day also point to the culpable parties, who needed something of that shocking and tragic nature to start the “war on terrorism” by causing the justification for it.  This is what you are seeing today, the extension of the dark plans to weaken not only the invaded countries, but ultimately all countries on the road to global control.  This will not happen!  Not only I, but other high beings of light have been sending forth this assurance through respected messengers on the planet.  We have repeatedly stated the need for you to send love energy to the dark ones as that is the most powerful healing force in the universe.  Not hatred of them, but focusing on the opposite of their actions—on peace, justness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, cooperation—is what will end the darkness on Earth.

(Dark forces’ fear causes desperate acts - March 1, 2004 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

2.  YES!  The “long dark night of the soul” for the peoples of Earth is ending! Although these violent moments at hand are with bloodshed and sorrow for many and with outrage for most, these moments are leading your civilization out of the darkness that has so long prevailed on the planet.  Allow your natural reactions at the events to be felt—mourn those whose lives have been cut short, help those who are desperately in need, feel anger about actions in arrogant power-mongering. Then let go of anger and ACT to secure your world firmly in the healing energy of love-light!   

3.  Enlighten those who do not understand that the momentum of the light is revealing the longstanding deception that has created the current state of your world.  Unaware people need to know that the dark perpetrators’ desperate but ultimately futile attempts to retain their control are “coming to light.”  Minds need to be open to the truth coming forth about the purpose of the war in Iraq, the unconscionable “9/11,” the dark forces’ efforts to derail NESARA [National Economic Security and Reformation Act], and the crimes of corporations in league with governments.  

4.  There still is resistance in the United States to believing that the very people whose responsibility is to wisely lead, truthfully inform and adequately protect you are the very ones who have been betraying you—betraying your entire world!  We understand this resistance.  The heartbreak of your young people being wounded and dying for “freedom from terrorism” is cruel enough without the knowing that this war is based on lies and greed for power. There is NO intent for anyone’s “freedom,” and the “terrorism” that has taken so many lives has been initiated by the self-serving few at the top of this government in union with other dark souls on the planet whose purpose is the same—world domination.   

5.  To them, human life is expendable and creating negativity through fear is one of their objectives.  The massive loss of life, injuries and destruction sustained by the Iraqi people has been creating negativity without end in that country, and that energy is permeating the planet.  It is the same with the Zionists in Israel oppressing the Palestinians, another hotbed of violence instigated and kept alive by the darkness of a few souls.  Still more negativity comes from the millions dying of disease and starvation while billions are spent on amassing weapons.

6.  We understand the difficulty of sustaining optimism in the face of these happenings, yet there is supreme reason to do so. The truths coming forth are bringing the light necessary to lift and transmute this negativity into “grassroots” actions to change from war to peace, from hatred to love, ruination to restoration, violence to compassion and forgiveness, to harmony and cooperation.  Be involved!

7.  We also understand the difficulty in believing that dark members of a civilization different from human—the reptilian civilization, some of whom are residing on the planet—are manipulating their human puppets known as the Illuminati.  But be of LIGHT heart—reptilians of the light forces are there too, working hand in hand with human lightworkers to usher in the promised era of love-light and harmony.  Feel reassured by this invaluable assistance!  
  

8.  We understand as well the reluctance to believe in something as “miraculous” as NESARA, especially since the reality of this U.S. legislation has been denied and ridiculed by that government and their agents.  So we tell you, it is necessary only to believe in the blessings that NESARA holds for your world: the end of the current US presidential administration and its policies; cessation of war in Iraq; prosperity for all nations through fair allocation of resources; preservation and restoration of your environment.  Holding these visions in your thoughts and feelings will generate the energy to manifest them!

9.  No, Mother, this isn’t new information.  It isn’t a pronouncement that the horror and heartache will cease on a certain date, as much as we wish we could give that. This message of essential reinforcement of what we long have been giving to our valued messengers on Earth is needed for the many who feel the darkness will be endless.  It cannot, it SHALL not be endless—it is ENDING!!  The ending of darkness comes with your minds and hearts embracing the light of hope, the healing power of love, the vision of the peaceful world you want, and acting upon your convictions and commitment.  

Barclays fined $435m in US over energy market-rigging

BBC News, 16 July 2013

US regulators say Barclays manipulated
electric energy markets

US regulator the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has fined Barclays $435m (£287m) for manipulating energy markets in California and other states from Nov 2006 to Dec 2008.

Barclays and four of its traders must also pay $34.9m to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs of Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington.

They have 30 days to pay the fine.

Barclays has said it will fight the charges.

"We are disappointed by the action that FERC took today. We believe the penalty assessed by the FERC is without basis, and we strongly disagree with the allegations made," said Barclays in a statement.

"We intend to vigorously defend this matter."

In addition to the company fine, Barclays traders Daniel Brin, Scott Connelly, Karen Levine and Ryan Smith - who are accused of manipulating an index relating to electric energy prices in the western part of the US - were ordered to pay substantial sums.

Mr Connelly must pay $15m, while Mr Brin, Ms Levine and Mr Smith were told they owed $1m each.

The FERC had initially levelled the charges against Barclays in October 2012.

This is the latest scandal to rock the bank.

Chief Executive Bob Diamond was forced to resign last year after Barclays was fined by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic for rigging the key Libor interest rate.

The fine is larger than the one it paid over libor fixing.

Ex-Goldman Sachs trader's US fraud trial starts Monday

Google – AFP, Sophie Estienne (AFP), 15 July 2013

Fabrice Tourre testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, April 27, 2010

(AFP/File, Jim Watson)

NEW YORK CITY — The trial of former Goldman Sachs trader Fabrice Tourre, who is accused of misleading investors about risky assets linked to the US housing market meltdown, starts Monday in New York.

Tourre, a 34-year-old Frenchman also known by the nickname "Fabulous Fab," has been charged with fraud by securities regulators, in connection with a fund which lost investors around $1 billion.

His trial, which is expected to last two to three weeks, will be heard in a Manhattan courtroom presided over by Judge Katherine Forrest.

After jury selection, lawyers for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and for the defense will begin their arguments.

People walk past the Goldman Sachs 

headquarters on March 14, 2012 in New York

 City (Getty Images/AFP/File, Mario Tama)

Goldman Sachs, which was also named in the initial SEC complaint, is no longer sitting at the defense table, having agreed to pay a record $550 million to settle the government's charges of fraud.

But Tourre has denied any liability.

In a document filed with the court in 2010, the Frenchman said he "reasonably relied on Goldman Sachs' institutional process to ensure adequate legal review and disclosure of material information, and cannot be held liable for any alleged failings of that process."

Tourre is one of several traders who have become symbols of the excesses of the financial sector that contributed to the global economic crisis of 2007-2008 -- whose repercussions are still being felt today.

At Goldman Sachs, in early 2007, Tourre designed the complex "Abacus" investment product, based on subprime, or higher-risk mortgage-backed, securities.

He was accused of failing to warn investors that a hedge fund headed by investor John Paulson was involved in the selection of the composition of Abacus. Paulson was betting on the fall of the US housing market.

When the affair became public in April 2010, US media lambasted the apparent arrogance of Tourre, who refused to apologize during a hearing in Congress.

In private emails published after the scandal broke, Tourre, then a vice president at Goldman Sachs, called the financial products he was creating "monstrosities" and little "Frankenstein," and made fun of the "poor, little subprime borrowers."

Fabrice Tourre walks past protesters on

 Capitol Hill on April 27, 2010 in Washington, 

DC (Getty Images/AFP/File, Mark Wilson)

"Fabrice Tourre has done nothing wrong. He is confident that when all the evidence is considered, the jury will soundly reject the SEC's charges," his lawyers said in an email sent to AFP.

The trial, however, could cost him dearly as the SEC is demanding reimbursement for losses, as well as a fine.

A conviction could also result in him being banned from the trading floor -- but Tourre has already left Goldman Sachs.

The graduate of France's Ecole Centrale and of America's Stanford University has become a student again, at the University of Chicago, after some time working with humanitarian groups in Rwanda.