Transpicuous News Ep “Welcome to the Circus: Big Banks Dog and Pony Show”

Transpicuous News, November 14, 2014. This weeks review of the main stream media news, and delving into the ridiculousness of the global economic and political circus.

http://the-one-network.org/transpicuous-news-ep-welcome-to-the-circus-big-banks-dog-and-pony-show/

U.S. POWER SHIFT

Republicans take control of Senate

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/04/politics/election-day-story/index.html?hpt=hp_t1


Ron Paul: US elections are 1-party monopoly
http://rt.com/usa/202295-ron-paul-midterm-elections/


If You Really Think It Matters Which Party Controls the Senate, Answer These Questions
http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.com/2014/11/if-you-really-think-it-matters-which.html


Voting machine, ID problems crop up in U.S. elections
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/us-usa-elections-irregularities-idUSKBN0IP06M20141105


The FBI’s Quiet Plan to Expand Its Hacking Powers
http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/the-fbi-s-quiet-plan-to-expand-its-hacking-powers-20141105

 the advisory panel. They also warned that the expansion would threaten the Fourth Amendment's strict limitations on government search and seizures, and allow the FBI to violate the sovereignty of foreign countries.

Big companies disclose too little on operations abroad: watchdog
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/us-business-transparency-idUSKBN0IP0C620141105

 The world's biggest companies disclose little or no financial details about their operations abroad, according to a report by Transparency International, which singled out Chinese companies but pointed to U.S. tech giants like Amazon (AMZN.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) as well....Warren Buffet's conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) was ranked the sixth least transparent multinational,....
Transparency said the world's biggest oil, gas and mining companies were not yet ready for transparency rules that would enter into force across the European Union from July 2015.
Those regulations require extractive companies to report payments such as taxes to governments on a country-by-country and project-by-project basis. In the United States, similar measures are planned, but implementation has been delayed.

Canada's Head Central Banker Has A Modest Proposal: "You Should Consider Working For Free"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-04/canadas-head-central-banker-has-modest-proposal-you-should-consider-working-free

How bad are things in Canada’s job market? Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz says bad enough for young people to consider working for free.
Adult children stuck in their parents’ basements because they can’t find adequate employment should take unpaid work to bolster résumés as they wait for the recovery to take hold, Poloz said Monday in Toronto.
The Bank of Canada estimates about 200,000 young people want to work or work more, and Poloz said they may be scarred by prolonged unemployment that prevents them from moving out on their own. He said he’s been asked for advice on how young people can find work.

Chinese, Canadian central banks agree to 200 bln yuan currency swap
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/china-says-icbc-yuan-clearing-bank-canada-081837237--business.html


Canada police deploy facial recognition tech
http://rt.com/news/203035-canada-police-facial-recognition/

Pssst!  They've been doing this for years!  The change is that they are now doing it "in house"  instead of having the US do it for them.


Parliament to debate ‘money creation’, first time in 170 years
http://rt.com/uk/202923-uk-parliament-future-money/

 “most MPs lack a sufficient understanding of money creation, leaving them ill-equipped to legislate on important policy.”

New Economics Foundation senior economist James Meadway said the last time the issue of money creation was debated in parliament was in 1844, where politicians “stopped banks issuing their own currencies,” leading to an economic crash three years later.
“The crash of 2008 drummed home the point that we cannot just leave the institutions that look after our money to their own devices. How banks operate, and how money is created and supplied by them, are so central to the economy – but so dysfunctional – that widening public debate and discussion of the money system has to be a good thing,” he said.
“That said, the last time Parliament debated money creation, it managed to come to entirely the wrong answer – following conventional economic theory at the time, Robert Peel's Bank Charter Act in 1844 stopped banks issuing their own currency.
“When a banking crisis erupted anyway in 1847, the Act had to be suspended to allow the system to continue functioning at all.”

First world war 100 years on
UK bonds that financed first world war to be redeemed 100 years later
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/31/uk-first-world-war-bonds-redeemed

The UK government is to repay part of the nation’s first world war debt – 100 years since the start of the war.
As Europe marks the centenary of the Great War, the Treasury said it would pay off £218m from a 4% consolidated loan next February, as part of a redemption of bonds stretching as far back as the 18th century.

In addition to the war bonds, some of the debt being repaid dates as far back as the eighteenth century. In 1853, William Gladstone, then chancellor, consolidated the capital stock of the South Sea Company which had collapsed in the infamous South Sea Bubble financial crisis of 1720. And in 1888, then chancellor, George Goschen, converted bonds first issued in 1752 which were later used to finance the Napoleonic and Crimean wars, the Slavery Abolition Act (1835) and the Irish Distress Loan (1847).

$3.8bn in UK aid for developing states 'routed through tax havens'
http://rt.com/uk/202091-uk-aid-tax-avoidance/

Over two-thirds of investments by the private-sector wing of the UK's foreign aid program were funneled through tax havens in 2013, a report reveals. Since 2000, the UK government
The network is comprised of 48 NGOs from 18 different EU states that campaign on development, tax justice, and other financial issues.
The research reveals how billions of euros, supposedly intended for projects in developing states, are being channeled through tax havens that are “shrouded in secrecy.”

Cayman Islands premier McKeeva Bush arrested
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20679259


BREAKING: 51 arrested in raids across Spain in massive anti-corruption crackdown
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/10/27/breaking-former-government-minister-among-51-arrested-in-massive-anti-corruption-crackdown/


Exclusive - Central bankers to challenge Draghi on ECB leadership style
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/04/uk-ecb-governors-idUKKBN0IO1H020141104


ECB's new watchdog takes over EU banks supervision
http://rt.com/business/202143-ecb-watchdog-supervise-banks/


... which is basically puttting the cat in charge of guarding the cat nip.  seirously.


€9bn wasted: EU fails own budget audit after misspending ‘errors’
http://rt.com/business/202563-eu-budget-errors-audit/

which put me in mind of  the movie Independence Day, when julius says to the President:   "You don't actually think they spend $20,000 on a hammer, $30,000 on a toilet seat, do you?"


It Begins: German Bank 'Charging' Negative Interest To Its Retail Customers
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-04/it-begins-german-bank-charging-negative-interest-its-retail-customers

GOLD AND "ASSETS"

New Currency Wars Cometh - Gold To Be “Last Man Standing”
www.goldcore.com/goldcore_blog/New_Currency_Wars_Cometh_Gold_To_Be_Last_Man_Standing


Now ISIS wants to introduce its own currency: Plans to bring back solid gold and silver dinar coins announced in Iraqi mosques
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2829097/Now-ISIS-wants-introduce-currency-Plans-bring-solid-gold-silver-dinar-coins-announced-Iraqi-mosques.html


The Council Of Foreign Relations Apologizes For The "Greenspan Glitch"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-10/council-foreign-relations-apologizes-greenspan-glitch

"Last week, we brought to the public's attention a controversial 'missing' section from the official transcript of Alan Greenspan's interview last with the Council of Foreign Relations where he dared utter his honest opinion that, "Gold is a currency. It is still, by all evidence, a premier currency. No fiat currency, including the dollar, can match it." Well, it turns out the reason for the practically heterical section's omission was "a glitch in the live stream" and CFR has apologized and posted the full transcript. Interesting coincidence that this gold-loving, Bernanke-denying section was the only one to be hit by the 'glitch'; we are confident it's mere coincidence..."

Because Nothing Says "Best Execution" Like Dumping $1.5 Billion In Gold Futures At 0030ET
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-05/because-nothing-says-best-execution-dumping-15-billion-gold-futures-0030et

"For the 5th day in a row, "someone" has decided that 0030ET would be an appropriate time ... to be dumping large amounts of precious metals positions via the futures market. Tonight, with over 13,000 contracts being flushed through Gold - amounting to over $1.5 billion notional, gold prices tumbled $20 to $1151 (its lowest level since April 2010). Silver is well through $16 and back at Feb 2010 lows. The USDollar is also surging. The timing of the dump is right as Japanese trading breaks for lunch

Gold prices swoon, coin sales surge as buyers seek bargains
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/05/us-global-coins-demand-idUKKBN0IP0W520141105

"A sharp break in gold prices to their lowest levels in more than four years has unleashed a surge in demand for coins, with buyers in Germany queueing out the door and some U.S. investors returning to the market for the first time in years.
Coin dealers and mints from North America to Europe are reporting a surge in coins and small bars that are favored by retail investors, after spot gold on Friday broke below a key technical support at $1,180 an ounce. It was the biggest buying binge since April 2013, when prices fell by $200 in two days.

Oil continues to slide, with Brent at lowest in over four years
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-continues-to-slide-with-brent-at-lowest-in-over-four-years-2014-11-05

BANKING

Nigerian Banks’ Depressed Prices Attract Bargain-Hunters
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-05/nigerian-banks-depressed-prices-attract-bargain-hunters.html

Bank Of America Finds It Did Some More Crime In Q3, Revises Previously Released Earnings Lower By $400 Million
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-11-06/bank-america-finds-it-did-some-more-crime-q3-revises-previously-released-earnings-lo

The $9 Billion Witness: Meet JPMorgan Chase's Worst Nightmare
http://removingtheshackles.blogspot.com/2014/11/meet-jpmorgan-chases-worst-nightmare.html


JPMorgan Faces U.S. Criminal Probe Into Currency Trading
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-03/jpmorgan-faces-u-s-criminal-probe-into-foreign-exchange-trading.html

Virginia Sues 13 Banks for $1.15 Billion Alleging Fraud
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-16/virginia-sues-13-banks-for-1-15-billion-alleging-fraud.html

Libor Fixing
http://www.propublica.org/special/your-guide-to-the-latest-efforts-to-hold-big-banks-accountable

Forex-Rigging Fines Could Hit $41 Billion Globally: Citi
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-20/forex-rigging-fines-could-hit-41-billion-globally-citi.html

U.S. Prosecutor Masterminded $37 Billion Bank Penalty Win
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-07/u-s-prosecutor-masterminded-37-billion-bank-penalty-win.html

UBS Adds $2Bn to Its Litigation Warchest as Regulators Sharpen Their Sabres - See more at: http://forexmagnates.com/ubs-adds-2bn-litigation-warchest-regulators-sharpen-sabres/#sthash.epuawhmM.dpuf

Too Big to Tax: Settlements Are Tax Write-Offs for Banks
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/07/giant-penalties-are-giant-tax-write-offs-wall-street-279993.html

Homework Reading:

The Big Banks: Fraud, LIBOR, FOREX, Money Laundering, Ponzi schemes.....
http://transpicuousnews.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-big-banks-fraud-libor-forex-money.html



The Last Gasp Of The Global Economy
http://transpicuousnews.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-last-gasp-of-global-economy.html


QE for Dummies
Understanding the most outlandish monetary experiment ever
http://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/80790/qe-for-dummies



No Tax Write-Offs for Wall Street Wrongdoing
http://uspirg.org/resources/usp/no-tax-write-offs-wall-street-wrongdoing


The Corporate Research Project
http://www.corp-research.org/


Crimes, Fines, and Abuses by the World’s Top Corporations
compiled for The Transnational Institute’s State of
Power 2014
http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/corporate_planet_crimes_and_fines_website_table_with_sources.pdf


A List of the Biggest Bank Settlements
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/06/23/a-list-of-the-biggest-bank-settlements/

March 3, 2014: News Updates

March snowstorm pummels East Coast, shuts down federal government (PHOTOS)

Published time: March 03, 2014

In DC, as much as 10 inches of snow is expected to drop in some areas, causing the federal government to close its doors for the day alongside schools. According to Reuters, Congress delayed votes as a result of the weather, though the Supreme Court was still expected to hear its scheduled arguments.

http://rt.com/usa/spring-snowstorm-pummels-east-coast-629/

* Unelected power: Democracy on the retreat in Europe- March 3 2014

Genuine people’s power is on the retreat in Europe, and it's under attack from those who most loudly claim to be “democrats.”

Last week we saw the unelected EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton, meeting the new unelected Ukrainian “president,” Aleksandr Turchynov, who came to power following a violent overthrow of that country's democratically elected president – with the rebellion backed by the EU.

http://rt.com/op-edge/democracy-on-retreat-europe-ukraine-608/

Meanwhile, China Quietly Takes Over Zimbabwe

march 2 2014
While the developed world is focusing on the rapidly deteriorating developments in the Crimean, China, which has kept a very low profile on the Ukraine situation aside from the token diplomatic statement, is taking advantage of this latest distraction to do what it does best: quietly take over the global periphery while nobody is looking.
...In other words, while nobody was looking, China just took over one more nation without spilling a drop of blood.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-02/meanwhile-china-quietly-takes-over-zimbabwe

China plans airbase in Zimbabwe

China is planning to set up a modern high-tech military base in the diamond-rich Marange fields, says a German-based website, Telescope News.

http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe/70687/china-plans-airbase-in-zim.html

 Fed Lifts Veil Slowly on Bank Oversight in Era of Transparency

By Craig Torres Mar 3, 2014 6:00 AM GMT+0100
The Federal Reserve this month will take a step toward revealing more about its oversight of the financial system, an area where the central bank has yet to match the strides it has taken toward transparency in monetary policy.
With the scheduled publication of annual stress-test findings in March, the Fed will for the first time describe how rising interest rates could affect the health of the nation’s biggest banks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-03/fed-lifts-veil-slowly-on-bank-oversight-in-era-of-transparency.html

 Gilead CEO Becomes Billionaire on $84,000 Hepatitis Drug

By Robert Langreth Mar 3, 2014 5:18 PM

John C. Martin, the chief executive officer of Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD), has become a billionaire on the prospects of a powerful new hepatitis C drug that’s attracting scrutiny from payers and activists over its $1,000 per pill price tag.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-03/gilead-ceo-becomes-billionaire-on-84-000-hepatitis-drug.html

Former central banker: “[Bankers] are making it up as they go along.”

March 3, 2014
A few weeks ago, William White (former economist at the Bank of England, the Bank of Canada, and Bank of International Settlements) made a frank admission.
And while we search for assets whose prices are less obviously distorted by malign government intervention, it’s refreshing to hear a mea culpa from a member of the economics “profession”.

http://www.sovereignman.com/finance/former-central-banker-bankers-are-making-it-up-as-they-go-along-13710/

GOLD & SILVER COT REPORT: COMMERCIALS POSITIONED TO SMASH METALS TO OBLIVION!

Posted on March 3, 2014 by The Doc   

The real story is in gold this past reporting period as the commercials added a MAMMOTH 21,432 short contracts to their overwhelming “ILLEGAL CORRUPT” short position and are now positioned to smash this market to oblivion.
In silver, we see the combined commercials approaching 200 MILLION short ounces now.  It would be nothing for them to start the high frequency trading casino wheels rolling and pound silver to below $18.
Again, in silver, we see an almost perfectly even distribution in the dis-aggregated numbers.  COLLUSION my friends, COLLUSION at its finest.

http://www.maxkeiser.com/tag/gold-manipulation/#LgXXAfQ7xE8BFwmV.99

ALASDAIR MACLEOD: GOLD CARTEL CAN NO LONGER MANAGE THEIR RETREAT!

Posted on February 22, 2014 by The Doc   
    True Chinese gold demand in 2013 was a minimum of 2,800 tons- falsely reported by the bullion bank apologists at under 2,000 tons
    Why a sudden shortage of physical gold in March-April of 2013 forced essentially a gold default by 2 Dutch banks
    Bullion & Western Central banks are out of gold & near the end of the line- Macleod explains why the cartel can no longer manage their retreat: We’ve got a situation where the central bankers don’t have any idea how to get out of the situation they’ve created for themselves

http://www.maxkeiser.com/tag/gold-manipulation/#LgXXAfQ7xE8BFwmV.99

US-led Afghan war for 'Western interests' - Karzai

Published time: March 03, 2014 13:41
Expressing “extreme anger” with the US, outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the US-led 12-year military operation in Afghanistan was never designed with the interests of his country in mind.
In an interview described as “unusually emotional,” the Afghan leader didn’t pull any punches in assessing US behavior in the course of the protracted Afghan war, begun by then-US President George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to an interview Karzai gave to The Washington Post.
“Afghans died in a war that’s not ours,” Karzai told the Post in a candid interview.

http://rt.com/news/afghanistan-us-karzai-interview-548/


 2 March 2014 Last updated at 23:47 GMT

New head of Ukraine's navy defects in Crimea

The newly appointed head of Ukraine's navy has sworn allegiance to the Crimea region, in the presence of its unrecognised pro-Russian leader.
Rear Admiral Denys Berezovsky was only made head of the navy on Saturday, as the government in Kiev reacted to the threat of Russian invasion.
Ukraine's interim leaders have put him under investigation for treason.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26410431



 2 March 2014 Last updated at 16:06 GMT

Ukraine has ordered a full military mobilisation in response to Russia's build-up of its forces in Crimea.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Ukraine was "on the brink of disaster".
In Crimea, Ukrainian soldiers faced off with Russian soldiers surrounding their bases while the Russian army is said to be digging trenches on the border with mainland Ukraine.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26405635

Why is China entering a nuclear security pact with Ukraine?

    2013-12-15
Xinhua News Agency on Dec. 10 reported that China and Ukraine on Dec. 5 signed a cooperative agreement which included this article: China, according to the UN Security Council Resolution 984 and the Chinese government statement on providing security guarantees to Ukraine on Dec. 4, 1994, promises unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear Ukraine, and to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if Ukraine is attacked by nuclear weapons or threatened by such aggression.
Clearly, this is a guarantee for strategic alliance and an unusual nuclear protection umbrella. Ukraine is far from China and in no way affects the latter's national security. What ,then, is the need for such an agreement?

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-print-cnt.aspx?id=20131215000030&cid=1703

Ukraine Capital Control Crunch: Largest Bank Limits Cash Withdrawals To $100 Daily

mar 02/2014
As we warned on Friday, the military escalation in Ukraine has had dire consequences for the financial state of the country, its banks, and ultimately its people. The central bank promised to rescue domestic banks so long as they agreed to its complete control and it appears the first consequences of that "we are here to help you" promise is coming true:

    UKRAINE'S PRIVATBANK LIMITS ATM WITHDRAWALS TO UAH1,000/DAY ($103/day)

Privatbank is Ukraine's largest bank and while claiming this move is temporary (just like Cyprus' capital controls), the bank has also ceased new loans amid what it calls "geopolitical instability". In summary, you can't have your money back! Expect long angry lines at Ukrainian banks on Monday morning (and at the pace of collapse in the Hyrvnia, hyperinflation next).

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-02/ukraine-capital-control-crunch-largest-bank-limits-cash-withdrawals-100-daily

Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east

Published time: March 03, 2014 07:08
The self-proclaimed government in Kiev has appointed two of Ukraine’s richest men to govern large industrial regions in the defiant east. One of the reasons for the Maidan protest was the influence the rich have on politics in the country.
The appointments of new governors of Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk Regions are among 18 made on Sunday by Kiev, which is struggling to consolidate power after the coup which ousted President Yanukovich last month.

http://rt.com/news/ukraine-oligarch-rule-governors-512/

Any government willing to cooperate with the IMF will be heralded as legitimate’

Published time: March 02, 2014 07:31
The West's proposed financial aid will not solve Ukraine’s economic problems, but increase austerity, professor of political economy Jeffrey Sommers told RT.
If the self-proclaimed government in Kiev cooperates with the IMF, it will be regarded as legitimate in the West, even if its decisions are unpopular in Ukraine itself, Sommers says.

http://rt.com/op-edge/ukraine-budget-west-aid-419/

BofA Warns Russian Ruble Weakness Is Here To Stay

march 02/2014
Since the start of 2014 the Russian Ruble has been for sale, and BofA's Macneil Curry warns, that trend will persist. With desk chatter that Russia's 2nd largest state owned bank VTB setting USDRUB exchange rate to 39.45 (a huge shift relative to Friday's close on MICEX was 36.05), trendlines are in peril.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-02/bofa-warns-russian-ruble-weakness-here-stay

The Greatest Propaganda Coup Of Our Time?

There’s good propaganda and bad propaganda. Bad propaganda is generally crude, amateurish Judy Miller “mobile weapons lab-type” nonsense that figures that people are so stupid they’ll believe anything that appears in “the paper of record.” Good propaganda, on the other hand, uses factual, sometimes documented material in a coordinated campaign with the other major media to cobble-together a narrative that is credible, but false.
The so called Fed’s transcripts, which were released last week, fall into the latter category.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/02/27/the-greatest-propaganda-coup-of-our-time/

North Korea fires two missiles into waters off Korean peninsula

March 3/2014
North Korea fired two short-range missiles off the east coast of the Korean peninsula on Mar. 3, reports the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, citing a retired South Korean official.
The Korean People's Army test-fired similar rockets last week on Feb. 27, firing four short-range Scud-B missiles into the sea, according to South Korea's defense ministry.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140303000040&cid=1101

Ultra-Orthodox Jews mass-protest in Jerusalem over army-service draft law

Published time: March 02, 2014 21:3
Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews have paralyzed most of Jerusalem as men, women and children took to the streets to protest an army service bill that would require many of them to serve in the military.
Local media called the protest “a million man march” and put a number of participants between 250,000 to 400,000 people, while organizers said nearly 500,000 Haredi - ultra-Orthodox men as they are called in Israel – attended the rally.

http://rt.com/news/orthodox-jews-protest-military-draft-491/

No money, no jobs: Europe’s growing desperation

Patrick L Young is expert in global financial markets working in multiple disciplines, ranging from trading independently to running exchanges.
Published time: March 03, 2014 08:24

​The EU’s inability to deliver repeated promises of prosperity continue to ring hollow. After five bitter years of recession, now the bloc can barely register anemic growth.

http://rt.com/op-edge/jobs-europe-desperation-crisis-521/

 IBM Starts Cutting U.S. Jobs in $1 Billion Restructuring

By Alex Barinka Feb 28, 2014 6:00 AM

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) began dismissing U.S. workers yesterday, part of a $1 billion restructuring to help the company meet profit goals as it adapts to shifts in the technology industry.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-27/ibm-begins-cutting-u-s-jobs-in-1-billion-restructuring-plan.html

Police confiscate narcotics, arms in UK parliament

Sat Mar 1, 2014 7:18PM GMT
British police have revealed they arrested more than 40 members of parliament (MPs) since May 2010 for offences including the possession of narcotics and firearms or breaching police bail.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/01/352830/british-mps-interest-in-drugs-unveiled/

Protesters raid Libya parliament  demand its dissolution- March 2 2014

Dozens of protesters have stormed Libya's interim parliament building in Tripoli, with some of them rampaging through the building, witnesses have said.
According to the witnesses, the demonstrators entered the General National Congress (GNC) on Sunday and called for its dissolution, AFP reported.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/02/352975/protesters-storm-libyas-parliament/

Obama Skips National Security Team Meeting on Russia, Ukraine

3:47 PM, Mar 1, 2014 • By DANIEL HALPER
A White House official emailed some reporters to say that President Obama's team met today to discuss the ongoing situation on Ukraine. It appears President Obama did not attend.
"The President's national security team met today to receive an update on the situation in Ukraine and discuss potential policy options. We will provide further updates later this afternoon," reads the full statement.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-skips-national-security-team-meeting-russia-ukraine_783659.html

Health chief slams statins: Millions face terrible side effects as prescription escalates-

march 2 2014
LEADING doctors are demanding an end to the widespread prescription of statins, warning that one in four Britons will soon be at risk of terrible side effects from the controversial heart drugs.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/health/462607/Health-chief-slams-statins-Millions-face-terrible-side-effects-as-prescription-escalates?fb_action_ids=10152257528912456&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[1396356420631215]&action_type_map=[%22og.likes%22]&action_ref_map=

Feb 28, 2014: News Updates

China Currency Plunges Most In Over 5 Years, Biggest Weekly Loss Ever: Yuan Carry Traders Crushed

02/27/14
And just like that the Chinese yuan devaluation has shifted away from the merely "orderly."
In the past few hours of trading, China, which as we reported two days ago has started intervening aggressively in the Yuan market (for the reasons why, read this), has seen its currency crash by nearly 0.9%, which may not seem like much, but is in fact the largest drop since December of 2008, and at last check was trading at around 6.18, even as the PBOC fixed the CNY reference rate 0.02% higher from the last official close to 6.1214, erasing pivot support point at 6.1346 and 6.1408.  Naturally this means that the obverse, the CNYUSD, has crashed to as low as 0.1620. Should this move sustain without reverting, this will be the biggest weekly loss ever!

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-27/chinese-currency-plunges-most-over-5-years-biggest-weekly-loss-ever-yuan-carry-trade

China's central bank opens liquidity front in hot money war

SHANGHAI Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:27am EST
(Reuters) - China's central bank delivered two major surprises to investors this week: it engineered a sharp decline in the yuan against the dollar and at the same time relaxed its tight grip on money markets that had kept interest rates firm.
In effect, the central bank was playing bad cop with speculators in the foreign exchange market to try to shake out one-way appreciation bets, while making nice with money market traders.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/us-markets-china-bonds-analysis-idUSBREA1R0I420140228

Russian troops seize military airport in Crimea

Fri Feb 28, 2014 10:6AM GMT
Russian troops have taken control of a military airport in Ukraine's autonomous Crimea territory.
The troops have surrounded a military airport near the port of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet has a base. According to reports, the Russian troops have not entered the military base so far but are backed by armored personnel carriers.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/28/352622/russian-troops-seize-airport-in-crimea/

Gold Price "Manipulated For A Decade", Repeatedly Slammed Lower, Bloomberg Reports

02/28/2014
While the FT promptly retracted an article on precisely the topic of gold manipulation from earlier this week (recorded for posterity here), Bloomberg appears to not have had the same "editorial" concerns and pressures, and today released an article once again slamming the final conspiracy theory that while every other asset class is manipulated, gold is in a pristine class of its own, untouched by close-banging, price fixing traders or central bankers, and reports that "the London gold fix, the benchmark used by miners, jewelers and central banks to value the metal, may have been manipulated for a decade by the banks setting it, researchers say."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-28/gold-price-manipulated-decade-repeatedly-slammed-lower-bloomberg-reports

Ex-Murdoch British CEO Brooks paid official for Saddam anthrax story

LONDON Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:33pm GMT
(Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks, the ex-chief executive of News Corp.'s British newspaper arm, told a London court on Friday she had paid a public official for a story about former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein planning to attack Britain with the poison anthrax.
Brooks, who is on trial on charges of sanctioning such illegal payments, said she agreed to pay for the 1998 report when she was deputy editor of Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid because there was an "overwhelming public interest" to do so.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/uk-britain-hacking-idUKBREA1R12920140228

Bank of Ukraine imposes limits on foreign currency deposit withdrawal

February 28, 16:47 UTC+4
"For hryvnia deposits you may take as much as a million or two. Banks have liquidity," National Bank Chief Stepan Kubiv said
KIEV, February 28. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine's national bank has imposed temporary limits to withdraw money from foreign currency deposits to sums equivalent to no more than 15,000 hryvnias (about $1,500) a day, without any limits for hryvnia deposits, National Bank Chief Stepan Kubiv told a press conference.

http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/721415

China hits back at US on drone strikes, espionage in human rights report

Published: February 28, 2014
BEIJING: China on Friday issued a report on human rights in the US, denouncing it for foreign drone strikes, state-sponsored spying and “rampant” gun crime after Washington criticised its rights record.
Beijing said the US “concealed and avoided mentioning its own human rights problems”, such as a government-run intelligence programme known as PRISM which it said “seriously infringes on human rights”.
“The US is always making irresponsible remarks on the affairs of other countries but keeps silent on its own affairs,” he told reporters at a regular briefing. “This is a typical double standard.”

http://tribune.com.pk/story/677285/china-hits-back-at-us-on-drone-strikes-espionage-in-human-rights-report/




 Feb. 28, 2014, 1:00 p.m. EST

Judge OKs J.P. Morgan $300M insurance settlement

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- A Miami judge has granted final approval to a $300 million settlement between J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. JPM +1.24% and homeowners who said they were ripped off by the bank when it bought property insurance policies for them. Judge Federico Moreno on Friday approved the settlement, in which the bank and the insurance company Assurant Inc. AIZ +1.37% could pay a combined $300 million out to about 760,000 homeowners. The homeowners can receive refunds for 12.5% of the premiums they paid on policies that J.P. Morgan "force-placed" on them. Some homeowners had protested the settlement, saying the sum isn't high enough. Similar cases against Bank of America Corp. BAC +0.79% and Wells Fargo & Co. WFC +1.26% are also pending in Miami. Earlier this month, Citigroup Inc. C +0.74% and Assurant agreed to pay a combined $110 million to homeowners in a case over force-placed insurance, though that settlement still needs a judge's approval.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/judge-oks-jp-morgan-300m-insurance-settlement-2014-02-28

Greece's Eurobank Posts $1.25 Billion Loss

Feb. 28, 2014 12:19 p.m. ET
ATHENS—Greece's Eurobank Ergasias SA, EUROB.AT -22.72% the country's fourth largest lender, reported a €913 million ($1.25 billion) loss in the last quarter as it implemented a government-backed restructuring scheme.
In a statement, the bank said it had taken €660 million in provisions for bad loans in the final three months of 2013, and wrote off another €563 million in restructuring and other charges.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579411110910641206?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304071004579411110910641206.html

"RWE, Germany’s second biggest utility, is expected to declare a net loss of about €3bn for 2013, in the latest sign of the crisis gripping European power producers."

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/eee6dcbc-a051-11e3-a72c-00144feab7de.html#axzz2uddTpmID

Turkey 'frees key suspects in corruption probe'

AFP
53 minutes ago
Istanbul (AFP) - A Turkish court on Friday released five people, including the sons of two ministers, who were detained on corruption allegations in mid-December in a high-profile probe that has rocked the government, local media said.
The private NTV channel said that Baris Guler, the son of the former interior minister, as well as Kaan Caglayan, the son of the ex-economy minister, and Azerbaijani businessman Reza Zarrab, were among those freed.

http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-frees-key-suspects-corruption-probe-144233366.html

Mt. Gox files for bankruptcy, blames hackers for losses

TOKYO Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:10am EST
(Reuters) - Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan on Friday, saying it may have lost nearly half a billion dollars worth of the virtual coins due to hacking into its faulty computer system.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/us-bitcoin-mtgox-bankruptcy-idUSBREA1R0FX20140228

How the Government Manipulates Your Thoughts Online

Published on Feb 26, 2014
Abby Martin talks about journalist Glenn Greenwald's report regarding the intelligence community's use of subversive and manipulative online tactics to destroy the reputations of businesses and individuals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWnGXAfabA

Crackdown on shares fraud yields 110 arrests in Europe, U.S

LONDON Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:33pm GMT
(Reuters) - Anti-fraud police have arrested 110 people in Europe and the United States in an international crackdown on gangs selling bogus shares that cost some investors their life savings, British authorities said on Friday.
City of London Police, responsible for law enforcement in the British capital's financial district, said the arrests, made in a series of raids this week, arose out of a two-year investigation into "boiler room" operations believed responsible for millions of pounds of investment fraud.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/uk-britain-crime-shares-idUKBREA1R10I20140228

RBS seeks to regain trust after post-crisis losses hit 46 billion pounds

By Matt Scuffham and Steve Slater

LONDON Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:04pm GMT
The bank, which is 81-percent owned by the government, on Thursday posted an 8.2 billion pound pre-tax loss for 2013 due to restructuring costs and misconduct charges.
That brings the total RBS has lost since it was bailed out in 2008 to 46 billion pounds - just above the amount taxpayers paid for its rescue during the financial crisis.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/27/uk-rbs-earnings-idUKBREA1Q0ED20140227

 Venezuela protests continue despite holiday

Cities in South America's largest oil exporting nation witness more anti-government protests amid carnival celebrations.
Last updated: 28 Feb 2014 08:00
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/02/venezuela-protests-continue-despite-holiday-20142284192264849.html

 Indian billionaire Subrata Roy arrested

Chief of Sahara group is taken into custody after surrendering in case relating to non-refund of investors' money.
Last updated: 28 Feb 2014 09:01
Subrata Roy, the chairman of India's Sahara group, has been arrested after a top court issued an arrest warrant against him for failing to appear in court, local media reports.
Roy surrendered to the police before being taken into custody on Friday, saying he was "not absconding" and pleading to be allowed to remain under house arrest until he is next due to appear in court in March 4.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/02/indian-billionaire-subrata-roy-arrested-20142285492720972.html

Updated: First Nations cancel meeting with health officials

Feb 26/14
EDMONTON - The Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations have cancelled a meeting in Fort Chipewyan on Thursday with officials from Alberta Health Services who planned to release new cancer statistics in the northern community.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/touch/story.html?id=9550883

 Alberta doctor tells U.S.: Canada is ‘lying’ about tar sands’ health effects

American Senators told that oil sands are linked to a huge spike in cancer, despite Canadian government claims
Posted: Feb 26th, 2014
A northern Alberta doctor warned U.S. Senators on what he says have been the devastating health impacts of the tar sands on families – effects, he says, that have been willfully “ignored” by the Canadian and Alberta governments.

“I appeal to you to keep up the pressure – this is an ongoing tragedy.  A total disgrace,” said Dr. John O’Connor, Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/alberta-doctor-tells-us-canada-%E2%80%98lying%E2%80%99-about-tar-sands%E2%80%99-health-effects

Hundreds of babies rescued as Chinese police smash four child-trafficking rings

Feb 28/2014
Chinese police have detained 1,094 people and rescued 382 infants in a nationwide crackdown on four online baby-trafficking rings.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/chinese-police-child-trafficking-baby-rings

No one is tracking unregulated daycare deaths in Ontario

Four baby deaths in unlicensed daycare in seven months seems high, but no one at Queen’s Park knows for sure because daycare deaths aren't tracked.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/02/28/no_one_is_tracking_unregulated_daycare_deaths_in_ontario.html

Everything Petroleum Does, Hemp Does Better

bodymindsoulspirit | February 25, 2014 | 0Extracting fossil fuels are harmful to the environment and to human health. Petroleum extracting and processing is a chemical-intensive, expensive process. Hemp oil for fuel is simply a matter of growing, harvesting, and processing.

Petroleum-based plastics are not biodegradable. Hemp-based plastics are recyclable and biodegradable.

Fuel for transportation can be replaced with hemp-based biofuels. Hemp fuel is clean, efficient, and…if it spills it does not harm the environment, it is more like a fertilizer.

Everything, EVERYTHING, that petroleum does, hemp does. So, why are we feeling this pain from fossil fuels?

http://bodymindsoulspirit.com/everything-petroleum-does-hemp-does-better/

 Azodicarbonamide yoga mat chemical confirmed in 500+ everyday foods and grocery items

http://www.naturalnews.com/044092_azodicarbonamide_yoga_mat_chemical_groceries.html

Thousands  of people in Paris and around France protest- Feb 27, 2014

http://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/emploi/des-milliers-d-intermittents-mobilises-contre-les-propositions-du-medef_540605.html