China fines foreign shipping firms

Chinese authorities have imposed multimillion dollar fines on several overseas shipping companies accusing them of price fixing. This is the latest case involving Beijing's scrutiny of foreign firms.

Deutsche Welle, 28 December 2015

China on Monday fined seven major Korean, Japanese and European shipping companies that transport vehicles for automakers a combined 407 million yuan (around $65 million, 59 million euros) on price-fixing charges.

Investigators found Europe's Wallenius Wilhelmsen, South Korea's EUKOR, Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and other shippers improperly coordinated bids and routes to keep prices high, said China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) - the top state planner and one of several agencies tasked with oversight of monopoly cases.

An eighth shipper, Japan's NYK Line, was also implicated but escaped a fine by cooperating with the authorities, the NDRC said. The biggest penalty of 284 million yuan (about $45 million) was imposed on EUKOR Car Carriers Inc.

The commission accused the companies of mutually agreeing to raise shipping costs and using unfair means to set prices - mainly on routes linking China with North America, South America and Europe.

The latest penalties target "roll-on, roll-off" shippers that move cars, trucks and construction equipment aboard specialized vessels carrying hundreds and sometimes thousands of vehicles.

The NDRC said the companies had already acknowledged responsibility and apologized.

Sweeping investigations

The case follows sweeping investigations into foreign firms in China in sectors ranging from technology to autos.

Business groups say the secretive and abrupt way investigations are conducted is alienating foreign companies. But regulators deny foreign companies are treated unfairly.

Regulators have investigated or penalized auto makers, dairies and technology suppliers under China's 2008 anti-monopoly law in an effort to force down prices Chinese consumers complain are too high.

In August last year, the Chinese government levied a combined 1.24 billion yuan fine on 12 Japanese auto parts firms for price-fixing.

And in perhaps the biggest anti-monopoly penalty imposed by Chinese authorities to date, US chipmaker Qualcomm was fined 6 billion yuan ($975 million) in February on charges it abused its dominance in wireless technology to charge "unfairly high" licensing fees.

sri/hg (AFP, AP)

Italian football star Vincenzo Iaquinta to be tried for mafia links

An Italian judge has ordered more than 140 people to stand trial over alleged ties to 'Ndrangheta mafia. The officials suspect ex-Juventus striker and national team member Vincenzo Iaquinta of intending to aid the clan.

Deutsche Welle, 22 December 2015

Iaquinta was indicted for illegal possession of firearms, aggravated by intention to help the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta organization, his lawyer Carlo Taormina said on Monday.

The footballer's father, businessman Giuseppe Iaquinta, faces a more serious charge of mafia association, according to Taormina.

The 36-year old Iaquinta played for several Italian clubs, including the famous Juventus, and was part of Italy's national team which won the World Cup in 2006.

Hoy cumple 36 años el futbolista italiano Vincenzo Iaquinta pic.twitter.com/qL2zw37eUN

— Roy N'Coma (@RodrigoCornell) November 22, 2015

The Italian court ordered the Calabrian-born athlete and more than 140 other people to stand trial for their aiding or joining 'Ndrangheta, Italy's most powerful organized crime network.

A number of the suspects allegedly aided 'Ndrangheta to in their bid to infiltrate the country's north, where the influence of the mafia is traditionally weaker.

The trial is set to start in March 2016.

The Calabrian clan is rumored to control most of Europe's cocaine trade. Their name - 'Ndrangheta - comes from the Greek word for courage or loyalty, and prospective members are required to take an elaborate oath in order to join the organization.

IAAF deputy general secretary steps aside over leaked email

Yahoo – AFP, 22 December 2015

Nick Davies, deputy general secretary of the IAAF, pictured on November 9,
2015, steps down from his role (AFP Photo/Adrian Dennis)

Paris (AFP) - The IAAF's deputy general secretary Nick Davies confirmed on Tuesday that he has stepped down from his role pending an investigation into a plot to delay the naming of Russian drug cheats.

"I have decided to step aside from my role with the IAAF until such time as the Ethics Board is able to review the matter properly and decide if I am responsible for any breach of the IAAF Code of Ethics," Davies said in a statement released by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

French newspaper Le Monde and the BBC reported on Monday that Davies had discussed the plan in an email sent before the 2013 Moscow World Championships to Papa Massata Diack, who worked as an IAAF marketing consultant at the time and is the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

"What has become apparent today is that I have become the story," added Davies, who is the closest aide to current IAAF president Sebastian Coe.

"In order to demonstrate that I am willing to have all allegations of unethical behaviour on my part in 2013 properly and fairly investigated I have referred my emails to Papa Massata Diack in 2013, my statements and the circumstances of the emails to the IAAF Ethics Board."

Le Monde and the BBC reported on Monday that, in the email, which was sent just weeks before the 2013 World Championships, Davies wrote he needed to sit down with the anti-doping team to discuss "Russian skeletons in the cupboard".

Davies stressed in the email that any Russians already caught cheating "should NOT" be in the Russian team in Moscow and that this should be made clear to Valentin Balakhnichev, then president of the Russian athletics federation and IAAF treasurer.

"If the guilty ones are not competing, then we might as well wait until the event is over to announce them," Davies said according to the report.

"Or, we announce one or two BUT AT SAME TIME as athletes from other countries.

"Also, we can prepare a special dossier on IAAF testing which will show that one of reasons why these Russian athletes come up positive is that they get tested a lot!!!"

Last month, Russia was provisionally suspended from track and field over accusations of "state-sponsored" doping as the IAAF scrambled to salvage the sport's credibility just nine months out from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Lamine Diack resigned from his position on the International Olympic Committee in November after being charged with corruption, money laundering and conspiracy.

On Monday the 82-year-old Senegalese was hit with new corruption charges linked to doping cover-ups in world athletics, a source close to the inquiry told AFP.

Lamine Diack served as head of the IAAF for 16 years until August, when he was succeeded by Coe.

Related Article:

Van Praag calls for football to clean up its act in wake of Blatter scandal

Israel interior minister quits over sex crime accusations

Yahoo – AFP, 20 December 2015

Silvan Shalom, pictured on December 11, 2015, is Quitting his posts as interior
minister and vice-premier and leavin politics (AFP Photo/Alberto Pizzoli)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's interior minister and vice-premier, Silvan Shalom, said Sunday he was quitting his posts and leaving politics over media reports of sexual harassment and indecent assault.

"Under these circumstances I have decided to resign from my position as minister and member of parliament," he said in a statement.

"My family is giving me full support but there is no justification for the price being exacted from it."

Israel's attorney-general instructed police to investigate the reports, said a justice ministry report issued after Shalom's announcement.

Israeli media, led by the left-leaning Haaretz, have reported multiple allegations by former members of Shalom's staff of sexual misconduct.

Last week, the paper reported that an ex-staffer accused the minister but did not lodge an official police complaint.

"The woman said that more than a decade ago, Shalom asked her to perform oral sex, abusing his authority over her. However, that case cannot be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations," the paper reported.

That same allegation surfaced last year as Shalom, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, was tipped as a presidential candidate to succeed Shimon Peres.

Its resurrection has brought other complaints in its wake.

"Following the report," Haaretz wrote on Sunday, "several other women also alleged that the minister sexually assaulted them".

The Jerusalem Post reported that 11 women had alleged "inappropriate sexual advances toward them".

The English-language daily added that his seat in parliament would pass to Amir Ohana, whom it said would become the first "openly gay" Likud MP.

Israel has been plagued by many high-level sex cases, notably the December 2010 conviction of president Moshe Katsav for rape and sexual assault.

He started a seven-year prison sentence the following year.

In January 2015, attorney general Yehuda Weinstein urged the public not to lose faith in Israel's police force despite sex and sexual harassment scandals reaching as high as the deputy national commissioner, the chief of police in the occupied West Bank and the Jerusalem police chief.

Similar cases have blighted the army.

Reviled US pharma chief arrested on fraud charges

Yahoo – AFP, Thomas Urbain, December 17, 2015

Martin Shkreli (C) leaves the federal court in New York on December 17,
2015 (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)

New York (AFP) - A reviled US pharmaceutical boss who caused a storm in September by jacking up the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent was arrested Thursday on fraud charges, prosecutors said.

The arrest of Martin Shkreli -- who has appeared to revel in his notoriety -- was not linked to the massive increase in the price of Daraprim, a drug used to treat malaria and infections suffered by people with HIV.

The former hedge fund manager, 32, is accused of stealing $11 million in what the FBI described as a "securities fraud trifecta of lies, deceit and greed."

Prosecutors said the scheme involved another company he once led, Retrophin, and two hedge funds.

"As alleged, Martin Shkreli engaged in multiple schemes to ensnare investors through a web of lies and deceit," said Robert Capers, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

"His plots were matched only by efforts to conceal the fraud, which led him to operate his companies, including a publicly traded company, as a Ponzi scheme, where he used the assets of the new entity to pay off debts from the old entity."

It began in 2009 when Shkreli allegedly lied to eight people to get them to invest about $3 million in his hedge fund, Capers told a press conference.

When he lost the money through "bad trades" he started a new fund to try to cover the losses and continue to line his pockets.

Shkreli was also charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Over a five-year period, Shkreli is alleged to have perpetrated a series of frauds on investors in his hedge funds and Retrophin's shareholders in order to cover up his poor trading decisions," said Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC's enforcement division.

Martin Shkreli (2nd R), CEO of Turing Pharmaceutical, is brought out of 26 

Federal Plaza by law enforcement officials after being arrested for securities 

fraud on December 17, 2015 in New York City (AFP Photo/Andrew Burton)

Shkreli is accused of siphoning about $120,000 from one of the hedge funds to pay for food, clothing, rent and other personal expenses.

He is also accused of lying to investors about one of the fund's size and performance by claiming returns of nearly 36 percent when it had really generated a loss of 18 percent and saying the fund had $35 million in assets when it really had less than $7,000.

He allegedly stole $900,000 in 2013 from one of the funds to settle with a broker who was suing him and stole more money to pay off disgruntled investors who were threatening legal action.

Also arrested was Evan Greebel, a lawyer who was outside counsel to Retrophin.

Reveling in controversy

Shkreli gained notoriety in September when his company Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50 a tablet to $750 after acquiring the drug.

The move -- and his arrogant response to the controversy -- was angrily denounced by US politicians.

"Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous," Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton said on Twitter, vowing to fight runaway drug prices.

Turing later announced that while it would not lower the drug's per tablet price, it would negotiate agreements with health groups on wholesale prices.

Shkreli, the chief executive of the company, specializes in buying patents on inexpensive drugs and then hiking their price.

In November, he gained control of another drug company, Kalobios Pharmaceuticals, whose stock price plummeted on news of his arrest, falling 53.24 percent to $11.03 before trading was suspended.

Reveling in controversy, Shkreli made waves earlier this month by buying a secret Wu-Tang Clan album for $2 million, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin."

Turing Pharmaceuticals did not immediately return a request for comment.

Hundreds of large firms paying no tax in Australia

Yahoo – AFP, December 17, 2015

Some 600 of the biggest firms operating in Australia, including Qantas and
Glencore, paid no income tax in the 2013-14 financial year, data shows
(AFP Photo/William West)

Sydney (AFP) - Some 600 of the biggest firms operating in Australia, including Qantas and Glencore, paid no income tax in the 2013-14 financial year, data showed Thursday as the government vowed to keep targeting loopholes.

There has been a global push, including in Australia, for large local and multinational companies to stop using sophisticated structures to avoid or lower their tax payments, which has seen governments lose billions in revenue.

The tax details of around 1,500 large corporations were released by the Australian Taxation Office as a "step forward in improving corporate tax transparency", its Commissioner Chris Jordan said in a statement.

While Jordan said companies that did not incur a tax bill were not necessarily avoiding payments, he warned multinational firms -- some of which fronted a parliamentary inquiry this year on tax minimisation -- that their "aggressive arrangements" would be scrutinised.

"Some of these foreign-owned companies are overly aggressive in the way they structure their operations," he said.

"We will continue to challenge the more aggressive arrangements to show that we are resolute about ensuring companies are not unreasonably playing on the edge. If they do, they can expect to be challenged."

Britain in March introduced a so-called "Google tax" on firms that divert profits overseas, while Australia recently passed a law to lift transparency requirements that would also see disclosures required for private companies with turnover of Aus$200 million (US$144 million).

The data showed that Apple raked in Aus$6.2 billion in total income in Australia for the 2013-14 year, but only had a taxable income of Aus$247.4 million and a tax bill of Aus$74.1 million.

Swiss commodity giant Glencore booked combined revenue of some Aus$17.4 billion for the same period for three reporting entities, but paid no tax for any of them.

Likewise, Australian carrier Qantas and oil and gas company ExxonMobil Australia were among other household names that made billions in total income but paid no tax for 2013-14.

Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer said Australia had worked with the G20 and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to close the tax loopholes of multinationals, and had strengthened the powers of the ATO.

"It is critically important that multinational... companies are paying their fair share of tax and that's why the government has been very quick to lead this debate through the G20," she told reporters Thursday.

Opposition Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who chaired the tax inquiry, said the data supported the need for "tougher laws to crack down on this type of behaviour".

Parliamentary chairwoman shredded tip-off letter about Teeven drugs money deal

DutchNews, December 10, 2015

The row over a multi-million guilder deal agreed between a senior justice ministry official and a drugs baron spilled into parliament on Wednesday evening, following revelations that the parliamentary chairwoman had an anonymous letter about the deal shredded. 

Oppostion MPs now want to question Anouchka van Miltenburg about the deal, following the publication of a damning report on the scandal on Wednesday. Both Van Miltenburg and the former minister at the centre of the deal – Fred Teeven – are members of the ruling VVD. 

The letter, from someone who worked at the justice ministry, gave details about the 4.7 million guilder payment agreed between Teeven and drugs baron Cees H in 2000. As part of the deal, Teeven agreed to return the money to H in return for a fine of 750,000 guilders. 

In the letter, the tipster said justice minister Ivo Opstelten had wrongly informed parliament about the deal by saying there were no receipts or other evidence about it. Both Teeven and Opstelten resigned this March. 

At the time, Van Miltenburg’s staff shredded the letter. When confronted about it later, and given a copy by reporters, she said this was normal practice with anonymous letters. Van Miltenburg continued to ignore the letter and told staff the matter was a ‘storm in a teacup’.

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"The Recalibration Scenario" (2) - Dec 6, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…5 - Integrity That May Surprise…

The Unthinkable… Politics, A Review

Humans will begin to search for integrity and fairness and it's going to happen in the places you never expect. I said this last week, so this is a review. There'll come a time when you will demand this of your politics - fairness and integrity. So when the candidates start calling each other names, you will turn your back on them and they won't get any votes. They're going to get the point real fast, don't you think? How about that?

Let me give you another potential. This country that I sit in right now [USA] will set the mold for that particular attribute. I have no clock. Watch for the youngsters to set this in motion, and they will, for they are the voters of tomorrow and they do not want the energy of today. To some of them, it's so abominable they won't even register to vote in this energy. You're going to see this soon. That was number five.. ..."

Former housing corporation head jailed for 2.5 years for bribery, fraud

DutchNews, December 10, 2015

The former head of housing association Rochdale has been jailed for 2.5 years for bribery, fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. 

Hubert Mollenkamp, who is 66, was sacked in 2009 when the bribery scandal broke. Known for his love of fast cars, including a Maserati, Mollenkamp is thought to have taken bribes worth some €2m over a 10-year period. 

Mollenkamp’s wife and two former business partners were also found guilty of fraud and bribery. His wife was given 240 hours community service and the two business partners jail terms of one and two months. 

Rochdale is based in Amsterdam and has some 38,000 social housing properties on its books.

Malaysian premier questioned over unexplained millions in deposits

Malaysian anti-graft investigators have questioned Prime Minister Najib Razak over millions of dollars deposited onto his bank accounts. The money is alleged to come from Middle East donors.

Deutsche Welle, 5 Dec 2015

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Najib had cooperated fully with its officers during a two-and-a-half-hour meeting during which he was interviewed about 673 million dollars received on his bank accounts.

Najib has faced calls to resign and criticism from within his own party over his failure to explain fully where the money came from and the reasons why it was paid.

In July, the "Wall Street Journal" suggested in a report that the money had been misappropriated from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MHD). Najib denied the allegations but has not taken any legal action against the newspaper. The prime minister chairs the 1MDB advisory board.

1MDB is also under investigation by authorities in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United States, according to media and other sources.

The MACC, which is under the prime minister's office, has said the money came from unnamed Middle East benefactors, but the motive for the alleged donations has not been revealed.

The Commission said it had also questioned Najib about corruption allegations at SRC International, a firm linked to 1MDB.

The anti-corruption body's statement said it would keep the public informed of developments in the probe.

tj/sms (Reuters, dpa)

Top FIFA officials among 16 indicted in widening scandal

Yahoo – AFP, 4 Dec 2015

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks about the corruption scandal

 engulfing FIFA at the Justice Department in Washington, DC, on December 3,

2015 (AFP Photo/Nicholas Kamm)

Washington (AFP) - Sixteen more top football officials were charged in a dramatic widening of the FIFA corruption scandal on Thursday, as US prosecutors vowed to leave no stone unturned in their quest to root out graft.

Several senior FIFA officials from the past or present were named in a 92-count US Justice Department indictment which came after a series of dawn raids at a luxury hotel in Zurich hosting FIFA officials.

Among those indicted on Thursday were the president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Juan Angel Napout, and Alfredo Hawit, head of the North, Central American and Caribbean ruling body (CONCACAF).

Other notable officials indicted include Ricardo Teixeira, the once-powerful former head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and a former FIFA vice-president.

The indicted also included Ariel Alvarado, a Panamanian official who currently sits on FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The main players in the deepening FIFA corruption scandal (135 x 156 mm)

(AFP Photo/S.Ramis-K.Tian/P. Defosseux)

"The message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: You will not wait us out. You will not escape our focus," US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, describing the allegations as "outrageous" and "unconscionable."

Lynch revealed that eight more people indicted since authorities launched an earlier wave of FIFA raids and arrests in Switzerland in May had now pleaded guilty.

"I can report eight additional defendants have agreed to plead guilty for their involvement in the corruption scheme," she said.

Millions forfeited

Among those who had pleaded guilty were Jeffrey Webb, a former FIFA vice president and head of CONCACAF.

Webb, who was indicted when the corruption scandal erupted earlier this year, has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering conspiracy.

As part of his plea deal, Webb has agreed to forfeit more than $6.7 million in assets.

Webb and former CONCACAF chief Jack Warner, who was indicted earlier, were also accused of siphoning off cash intended for disaster relief, according to the new indictment.

"Certain of the defendants and their co-conspirators, including the defendant Jack Warner and Jeffrey Webb, took advantage of these opportunities and embezzled or otherwise personally appropriated funds provided by FIFA, including funds intended for natural disaster relief," the indictment read.

Several senior FIFA officials from the past or present were named in a

 92-count US Justice Department indictment which came after a series of dawn

 raids at a luxury hotel in Zurich hosting FIFA officials The unprecedented 

corruption scandal engulfing FIFA widened on December 3 with the arrests of

 two more top officials in another dramatic dawn raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich.

(AFP Photo/Fabrice Coffrini)

Napout and Hawit are both in Switzerland where they are now fighting extradition to the United States, officials said.

Both men are suspected of taking millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches, according to the US indictment.

The investigation also covered the payment and receipt of bribes in connection with the sponsorship of the Brazilian soccer federation by a major US sportswear company, and the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA presidential election. Lynch would not confirm that the US sportswear company was Nike.

Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey meanwhile said those indicted had run corrupt schemes spanning decades.

"For decades, these defendants used their power as the leaders of soccer federations throughout the world to create a web of corruption and greed that compromises the integrity of the beautiful game," Comey said.

Lynch meanwhile dismissed claims by FIFA's suspended President Sepp Blatter that the US investigation was triggered by sour grapes over the country's failed bid for the 2022 World Cup, controversially awarded to Qatar in a 2010 vote.

"I think (Blatter) is well aware of the nature of our charges," Lynch said.

"This covers years of conduct by dozens and dozens of people from the past into the future. I called it outrageous and unconscionable. That still stands."

IAAF president Coe steps down from Nike role

Yahoo – AFP, Luke Phillips, 26 Nov 2015

A photo taken on August 30, 2015 shows IAAF president Sebastian Coe at the 2015
 IAAF World Championships at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium in Beijing (AFP Photo/
Greg Baker)

Monaco (AFP) - IAAF president Sebastian Coe bowed to intense pressure and announced Thursday that he had stepped down from his paid role as an ambassador for Nike to focus more on cleaning up world track and field's beleaguered governing body.

"It is clear that perception and reality have become horribly mangled," said Coe after an IAAF Council meeting.

"I've stepped down from my ambassadorial role with Nike, which dates back 38 years.

"The current noise level around this ambassadorial role is not good for the IAAF and it is not good for Nike, and frankly it is a distraction to the 18-hour days I and our teams are working to steady the ship."

Coe also announced he would step down from his role as chairman of the British Olympic Committee after the Rio Olympics and said a multinational sports marketing company he heads up, CSM, would "not tender for nor directly work for the IAAF or any city in relation to their tender to the IAAF while I am president of the IAAF".

Coe, unpaid as head of track and field's world governing body, received around £100,000 (142,000 euros) a year for his global ambassadorial role for Oregon-based Nike.

The Briton, a two-time Olympic gold 1500m medallist, is accused of lobbying disgraced predecessor Lamine Diack to hand Eugene the 2021 world championships.

Bjorn Eriksson, who led a rival bid by Gothenburg for the 2021 championships, said Coe telephoned him on Wednesday to say it had been wrong to give the event to Eugene without a formal bidding process, The Times reported.

Coe insisted, however, that he had not been responsible for the decision that was made in April.

"I don't believe it was a conflict of interest," Coe stressed.

The decision to step down from Nike "was purely on the need to focus on challenges ahead with my colleagues and particularly the executive teams here at (IAAF) headquarters", he said.

"The issues that I've been dealing with in the last few weeks, the reform of the organisation, the challenges faced by the organisation across two or three fronts, needs an unflinching focus and the 'noises off' are frankly a distraction and I can see that.

"The decision I chose to take in the last few weeks was one that I think reflected my absolute intention to focus as long and as hard as I can on steadying the ship that has been rocking rather badly recently."

Coe added, however, that he had sought advice from the IAAF Ethics Commission, who said the Briton could have continued in his Nike role as long as he "continually and consistently declared all my interests" and did not participate in any decisions involving the company when it came to working with the IAAF.

Eriksson also said Coe had indicated that the Eugene award was being investigated by French police as part of a corruption inquiry into the IAAF leadership of Diack, who stood down in August.

Diack is also under investigation over allegations that he took bribes from Russian officials to cover up positive drug tests by athletes.

"If I understand Sebastian Coe correctly, he said, 'I agree that the procedure wasn't correct', but he claims he wasn't involved in this, others are," Eriksson said.

Coe had been a strong supporter of Eugene's bid for the 2021 championships and was part of the IAAF council that voted this year to abandon the normal bidding process.

Nike, which was founded in Eugene, was also a powerful backer of the bid.

And the BBC said Tuesday it had seen an email in which a Nike executive said Coe had assured him he would "reach out" to Diack on behalf of Eugene.

Coe insisted that action would be taken should there be anything shown to be out of order with bids not only for Eugene but also the world championships in Doha in 2017.

"In our own internal reviews, the criminal investigations that are currently ongoing... or any of the recommendations or conclusions from the independent commission report to WADA, if any of those show or conclude impropriety, then action will be taken," Coe warned.

Related Article:

Former Dutch Nike director linked to Fifa corruption case

US general: MSF hospital strike in Kunduz caused by 'human error'

A US airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan that killed at least 30 people in October was caused primarily by human error, the military reports. Disciplinary action has reportedly been taken.

Deutsche Welle, 25 Nov 2015

The official US investigation into the deadly October 3 strike on a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (known for its French abbreviation, MSF) in the Afghan city of Kunduz concluded it was an "avoidable accident," a top US military commander said. US Army General John Campbell called the incident a "tragic mistake," putting it down primarily to human error.

"The medical facility was misidentified as a target by US personnel who believed they were striking a different building several hundred meters away, where there were reports of combatants," Campbell said.

The MSF hospital in Kunduz has been
closed since the attack, despite
renewed US offers to help in rebuilding

"US forces would never intentionally strike a hospital or other protected facilities," Campbell, the commander of international and US forces in Afghanistan, told reporters at NATO headquarters in Kabul. Campbell said that the individuals most closely associated with the incident had been suspended from their duty positions.

Campbell did not give any names or specify how many people had been suspended, but said that the affected individuals would be subject to investigation under military justice or administrative discipline systems. Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner said at the same press conference that some military personnel involved in the airstrike had violated standard US rules of engagement, saying that the US military was committed to ensuring full accountability while protecting the identities of those involved.

Almost 30 minutes of bombardment

The 3,000-page investigative file stated that US forces had originally intended to attack a nearby Taliban-controlled compound 450 yards (410 meters) away. The report said that the AC-130 gunship's crew had relied on location information relayed to them by US and Afghan special forces rather than using aircraft instruments.

Investigators found no evidence that the crew or the US Special Forces commander on the ground, who had authorized the strike, knew at the time of the assault that the targeted compound was a hospital. The gunship had fired 211 shells at the compound over a 29-minute period before commanders realized the mistake and ordered a halt.

At least 31 people, including 12 MSF staff
were killed during the air assault, which
 continued for 29 minutes before being
called off

The prolonged attack was condemned by MSF as a war crime. According to the US report, it killed at least 31 civilians , including 12 MSF staff, and injured 28 others. US President Barack Obama had already apologized for the bombing of the hospital and taken full responsibility , but MSF still called for an international humanitarian commission to investigate the attack. NATO and the Afghan army said they were also conducting their own investigations into the incident. General Campbell meanwhile has offered assistance to MSF to rebuild the hospital in Kunduz, which has since been abandoned and closed. He did not rule out further investigations into the incident.

"The personnel who requested the strike and those who executed it from the air did not undertake appropriate measures to verify that the facility was a legitimate military target," Campbell said during the press conference. He added that, in light of the review, changes to the protocols of engagement had been implemented.

Internal MSF investigation

MSF meanwhile has conducted its own investigation into the incident, with preliminary findings being leaked to the Associated Press news agency. Focusing on casualties, the MSF report reportedly found that several doctors and nurses had been killed immediately by the airstrikes, while patients who could not move burned to death in the ensuing fire. It added that people fleeing the main building were hit by gunfire that appeared to track their movements, while one patient trying to escape in a wheelchair was killed by shrapnel.

The MSF account of events added that hospital staff members had made 18 attempts to contact US and Afghan authorities before the bombardment stopped.

The event marked on of the worst incidents of civilian casualties in the 14-year history of the US war effort in Afghanistan.

ss/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, October 19, 2015)

Matthew Ward - October 19, 2015

Matthew Ward

With loving greetings from all souls at this station, this is Matthew. Earth is orbiting in astral planes wherein vibrations are impacting your society at a quickening pace. As linear time is “crunching up,” everything in your world is being pushed more swiftly toward remedy, resolution or final moment, and third density karmic experiences are moving faster toward completion.

This acceleration is causing the Illuminati to take irrationally desperate measures to cling to their remnants of control in New York City and Washington, DC. Often fingers have pointed at the United States for self-serving interference in other countries’ affairs, and with justification—all significant federal actions from Day One have been the work of individuals in the Illuminati’s Rockefeller faction within that nation’s government and military forces, all without the knowledge of the citizenry, who mistakenly thought their voices and votes counted.

Let us tell you what evolved civilizations have long observed about your world. People ruled by other corrupt governments knew they were captives of their political systems; however, only recently and only some United States citizens are realizing that they’ve been duped into believing they lived in “the land of the free” and what they’ve been told generation after generation: We must fight our enemies who want to destroy our freedoms and democratic way of life.

Thus, as your world reels from aerial strikes on Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, a tragedy stemming from Illuminati madness, the blame falls on the United States via the wrongful assumption that the country’s Commander-in-Chief authorized the unconscionable attack. The fact is, behind the scenes President Obama and others in positions of influence—primarily individuals in the US and in China; Israelis who know Netanyahu’s dark intentions to foment WWIII; Russian President Vladimir Putin; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; and Pope Francis—have been collaborating to uproot all of the far-reaching tentacles of the Illuminati’s Rockefeller and Rothschild factions.

That attack on the hospital; explosions at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey; clashes between Israelis and Palestinians; the situation in Syria; and shootings in the United States have caused some to view deadly violence and other prevalent conditions globally as “unsolvable problems.” Dear ones, none of the issues of your concern, which also include effects of climate change, lack of clean water, deforestation, near extinction of some animals, diminishing bee population, widespread surveillance, unjust legal and justice systems, enforced vaccinations, massive impoverishment and rampant pollution as well as war mentality, bigotry, greed and ignorance of truths is unsolvable!

Everything happening in your world is due to Earth’s ascension into increasingly lighter energy planes wherein negatively-based activity is more quickly and emphatically running out its energetic course. However, in some circles this is deemed evidence that “end times” are at hand. We know this isn’t your belief, but we think you will enjoy knowing what God told my mother about that concept several years ago:

“Those souls who are intent upon having an Armageddon, so they shall! But for you who aren’t intent upon having that sort of ‘future,” you WON’T! You can stay within the light and rise into higher and higher dimensions of closeness, understanding, awareness. There are no strict rules that are so complex or rigorous that you and anyone else aren’t capable of adhering to them. All that is required is to live within the light! Or in simplest terms: BE KIND.”

And, with thanks to the light—the same energy as love and the most powerful force in the cosmos—your world is overflowing with kindness and godly works as more and more people are “seeing the light.” Joyously greet this unfolding of consciousness connecting with soul-level knowledge—this, not bodies rising into the skies, is personal ascension—the shedding of all of third density’s negative characteristics and harmful behavior to self and others.

As for other aforementioned issues of concern, first we say, do not be fearful about anything! We cannot say too often that the energy of fear refuels those with dark tendencies and the universal law of attraction is in constant operation!

Now then, to address those issues. Harsh effects of climate change will ease as Earth gets closer to attaining her once-moderate climate worldwide; if necessary, residents of sea-level island areas will be relocated in plenty of time to avert danger. Ongoing assistance of your universal family includes neutralizing or ameliorating harmful effects of toxic elements in vaccines and all sources of pollution; and, added to your own technologies that are emerging from Illuminati suppression, your family will introduce advanced technologies that can remedy environmental damage so quickly that you will be astounded. Bees will return and eventually wildlife will rebound to sustainable numbers except for the few species in arctic climes that will not adapt to those areas’ rising temperatures. Peaceful, trustworthy behavior in your society will end the need for surveillance; all unfair or injurious national laws, justice systems, regulations, and cultural traditions will end incrementally; and, as your world’s resources are fairly allocated, poverty will be eliminated.

It is Gaia’s desire and intention that her planetary body be restored to its original health and beauty and Earth’s humankind flourish in abundance and live in harmony with each other and all of Nature. And so it shall be! Planetary ascension—the world transformation process that you went to Earth to assist in—is assured! Personal ascension is a choice that each person makes, and part of attaining spiritual and conscious enlightenment is knowing the soul you are. Most heartily we have welcomed all of your relevant questions and now shall answer those for which there was no space in previous messages.

“How do I ‘go within’ to ask a question and how will I know if the answer is from soul level or my conscious thought?” In solitude and comfort, visualize yourself in the midst of golden white light, think or say aloud what you want to know, then quiet your mind and simply BE. You may want to see if meditative music is relaxing or a distraction, and it could be helpful to ask first a question that can be answered “yes” or “no.” The answer may come immediately or take a few moments, and when it does, it may be a word, phrase or sentence, which may be audible or appear as a printed sign or move in tickertape fashion; or one or more mental images; or a sensation that clearly indicates “yes” or “no.”

If what you see, hear or strongly sense is similar to what you had been thinking, or hoping for, prior to “going within,” it doesn’t mean that the answer is your own thought; it could be confirmation that your conscious thought and soul knowledge expressed as intuition are closely connected. And, please don’t be disheartened if nothing happens at first try, or even a few times—like every other worthwhile endeavor, practice leads to improvement.

“Was it the person Jesus or his soul who knew how to walk on water and turn a few fish and bread loaves into enough food for the multitudes or were those stories made up to substantiate the claim that he is ‘the only son of God’?” Jesus and his soul were one and the same being, just as every other soul-self is. He knew that everyone has the innate capacity to manifest whatever the person desires and can visualize; that’s why his teachings included that whatever he could do, everyone else could, too. He did walk slightly above water on an occasion when there was a need to do so, and one time there was a need to turn a small amount of food into enough for a hungry crowd. I noted both in my journal.

A conversation with my mother soon after we started communicating in 1994, when I was still living in Nirvana, answers a number of queries about the soul’s origin and its relationship with the cumulative soul, and I’ve asked her to copy those parts.

The soul is the very essence of life as it first sprang from Creator. It is an indestructible living entity of light energy that may have a physical body, etheric body or astral body, or it may exist in free spirit only. Our souls, manifested by God through His co-creating powers with Creator, are expressions of the love and light of God and contain in microcosm every essence of God. In any of its forms, the soul is an inviolate independent being at the same time it exists inseparably with God and Creator and all other souls.

The soul is the power behind everything that exists on Earth. It is the life force of all its parts that it creates for ever-greater experiencing. At every level of evolvement, each soul part is an independent self with intelligence, characteristics, choices, goals and all the other life elements that make each person a unique being.

Each individual lifetime of a soul is its personage. The sum of a soul's personages is the cumulative soul, and all knowledge gained by each personage is available to all. Thus, as each one melds into the cumulative soul, bringing the wisdom of that lifetime’s experiences, every individual personage evolves just as the cumulative soul does. I believe the simplest explanation of the cumulative soul is this: It is the composite of all its parts starting with the very first division of itself into an independent lifetime for diversity in experiencing.

Where do cumulative souls reside?

There is no specific place of residence because a cumulative soul is not an individual entity, but rather the indivisible sum of all its personages wherever they are living, and it grows as each one adds its lifetime experiences to the ever-changing composite. Actually, a better description of a cumulative soul than I first gave you is that it is a force field that derives its entire essence from all its aspects wherever they are throughout the universe.

Do you personally know the other personages in your cumulative soul or do you only have access to their knowledge?

I know those who are in this realm and some of us have become friends. Some are spending a lifetime on Earth, and I know very well who they are! Some have moved so far toward the light that our energy densities are incompatible, so a meeting isn’t possible, and others have regressed far from the light into lower densities, and I’m surely not interested in going there! Some have chosen lifetimes out of this galaxy, where I don’t travel often, so I’m barely acquainted with them.

Each has its own soul growth to accomplish, Mother. Wherever the other personages are experiencing for their individual growth, we’re always within the familial bonding of our cumulative soul. But it isn’t necessary that we meet or share lifetime interests or know all the details of each other’s lives. What we do share is the essential knowledge of our collective awareness, otherwise all the individual souls’ learning would be wasted.

The cumulative soul can advance from its station toward the light only by the advancement of its personages. Therefore, each one not only has the benefit of the cumulative soul’s composite knowledge, but it is continuously given encouragement at soul level to master its chosen lessons so the cumulative soul can evolve. However, that is not self-serving—with that soul’s advancement, all of its personages also have the opportunity to evolve. But, depending upon the free will choices of each, the personage can either grow toward the light or regress so far as to become trapped in base energy.

If a personage becomes trapped, how does that affect its cumulative soul's energy?

The lifetime energy registration that consigns a personage to the base energy placement does not affect its cumulative soul because that personage's unique energy stream made its own way entirely by its free will choices. The cumulative soul may encourage its personages, but it can't ever interfere with their free will. However, out of love for all its personages, the cumulative soul may request divine grace to assist any that become trapped in base energy.

Are the individual souls always aware of everything their cumulative soul knows?

Let me compare this with your memory, Mother. Nothing you have learned or experienced is ever lost in your memory system, but you can't remember everything at the same time–it would be overwhelming! Furthermore, many of your experiences were so trivial that they were irrelevant to subsequent happenings and never returned to your conscious mind, yet all are in your memory bank. It's the same with the personages of the cumulative soul as they experience their respective lifetimes.

That makes sense. Matthew, with all these parts of your cumulative soul, I just want to be absolutely sure that you are ONLY my Matthew and nobody else!

Oh, Mother, absolutely I am Matthew and no one else! Every personage is its own soul and no one else! The cumulative soul is the synthesis of all its independently functioning soul-selves.

But it sounds as if every soul that divides itself becomes a cumulative soul, so you could do the same and become one, too.

Mother, I realize that in my eagerness to answer your questions, sometimes my efforts result in confusion rather than clarification. The terms I've given you for the various aspects of soul expression—cumulative soul, personages, soul fragments or sparks and such—are meant only to show the soul's long journey striving through multiple lifetimes to return to its beginning in the perfect love and light of Creator.

In this realm we don't need differentiation of terms, as the soul's energy registration in the universe is evidence of its evolutionary station. Since each soul is its own inviolate self regardless of its station or the number of its progeny, we think of each simply as "soul." And that is how we speak of each one to you unless we are trying to explain the soul growth stages through its independently functioning aspects, or the inextricable and eternal connection of each soul with God and all other souls in the universe.

Thank you, Mother, and yes, I see that once again must leave remaining questions about the soul for the next message. We hope that our answers thus far have been convincing: You are limitlessly powerful, unconditionally loved divine beings in the eternal Oneness of All.

LOVE and PEACE

Suzanne Ward

Website: The Matthew Books
Email: suzy@matthewbooks.com