Spain Barcenas affair: Documents 'implicate PM Rajoy'

BBC News, 9 July 2013

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Mariano Rajoy has denied
receiving illegal payments

A Spanish newspaper has published what it alleges are documents showing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and other top politicians received illicit payments.

El Mundo said it had original ledger entries handwritten by the former treasurer of the governing Popular Party (PP), Luis Barcenas.

It said it had delivered the documents to the High Court.

Mr Rajoy and other PP members have repeatedly denied that they received illegal payments.

Another Spanish paper, El Pais, published similar documents earlier this year.

It is claimed that Mr Barcenas ran a PP slush fund that took donations from construction magnates and distributed them to party leaders in cash.

Mr Barcenas is in custody facing trial for corruption and tax fraud. He denies the allegations.

However, in an interview published in El Mundo on Sunday, Mr Barcenas for the first time admitted that the handwriting in the ledger was his.

He added that the photocopies originally published by El Pais were a fraction of the documents he had in his possession.

El Mundo said the documents it had seen showed that Mr Rajoy received payments in 1997, 1998 and 1999 when he was a minister in the government of Jose Maria Aznar.

They included, it said, two payments to Mr Rajoy of 2.1m pesetas (12,600 euros; £11,000) in 1998.

Luis Barcenas has been denied
bail pending his trial

The alleged payments are said to have been undeclared and untaxed.

Spanish opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba in February called on Mariano Rajoy to resign over the allegations.

"The Luis Barcenas originals published by El Mundo today pulverise the alibi used until now by the PP to deny the authenticity of its ex-treasurer's papers," El Mundo said.

The PP responded with a statement saying: "The Popular Party reiterates that it does not know of the notes nor their content, and it does not in any way recognise them as the accounts of this political organisation."

This is another twist in possibly the most important corruption scandal to hit modern Spanish politics, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid.

The allegations have caused anger among Spaniards already suffering a deep and long recession and biting austerity cuts.

Libor interest rate to be controlled by NYSE Euronext

BBC News, 9 July 2013

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Barclays, UBS and RBS have all been
implicated in the Libor scandal

The owner of the New York Stock Exchange is set to take control of a key scandal-hit bank interest rate.

NYSE Euronext has won the contract for setting the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (Libor), a government-backed committee announced.

Libor is used to set trillions of dollars of financial contracts.

The move follows the revelation that banks had been manipulating the rate. Barclays, UBS and RBS have all been fined for their roles in the scandal.

They were found to have colluded in fixing the Libor setting in order to boost the profits of traders in the run-up to the financial crisis.

The new rate-setting body, to be known as NYSE Euronext Rate Administration, will be based in the UK and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

'Significant step'

"This change will play a vital role in restoring the international credibility of Libor," said Baroness Hogg, chair of the committee tasked with selecting a new administrator for the interest rate.

"Today marks a significant step in implementing the recommendations in my review of Libor," said Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA and author of a report for the government on how the interest rate should be reformed.

"The selection of a new administrator, who will need to be authorised, and then subject to ongoing scrutiny by the FCA, is an important step in enhancing the integrity of Libor."

Libor is set in London and is meant to reflect the average rate that banks pay to lend to each other.

It is used to benchmark everything from car loans and mortgages to complex financial transactions around the world.

'Restoring confidence'

At the moment, it is calculated by Thomson Reuters for the British Bankers' Association (BBA), based on estimates received from 16 major international banks in London of how much they must pay in order to borrow cash from other banks.

The BBA welcomed the move and said that restoring confidence in Libor was a priority.

"We have been working hard with regulatory authorities and the government to put in place much-needed reforms to the system," said BBA's chief executive Anthony Browne.

"The new administrator will take over a benchmark with better regulatory oversight and improved governance."

The new entity is expected to take over the running of Libor by the beginning of next year. In the interim, Thomson Reuters will continue to make the calculations.

Latvia gets Ecofin nod to become 18th eurozone member

BBC News, 9 July 2013

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Latvia already sells stamps priced in
euros and lats

EU finance minsters have rubber-stamped Latvia's application to become the 18th country to use the euro.

The application for membership had earlier been approved by the European Commission and European Central Bank.

The exchange rate has been set at 0.702804 lats to one euro, and euro notes and coins will be issued in Latvia on 1 January, 2014.

Latvia is keen to strengthen ties with western Europe and reduce its dependency on Russia.

The country has met the criteria for euro membership, including low inflation and long-term interest rates, as well as low public debt.

Latvia underwent one of Europe's toughest austerity programmes after the 2008-09 financial crisis knocked a fifth off its GDP.

It received a 7.5bn euro bailout in 2008, but it has now repaid the loans.

"Ecofin has taken final decision approving Latvia's euro membership from 2014,'' the EU's current Lithuanian presidency announced via its Twitter account,

As he entered the Ecofin finance ministers' meeting earlier on Tuesday, Latvian Finance Minister Andris Vilks said it was a "symbolic day''.

Snowden blows lid on German-US intel ties

Deutsche Welle, 9 July 2013

Whistleblower and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has said there are close ties between German and US intelligence authorities. Such secret cooperation has been going on for decades, experts say.germ

Edward Snowden has done it again: after blowing the whistle on US secret service the National Security Agency (NSA), he told German news magazine Der Spiegel on Monday (08.07.2013), "They work hand in glove with German authorities."

Only last week, German authorities had pretended they had been left in the dark about the surveillance program PRISM. The presidents of all three German secret services testified to that effect in front of a parliamentary committee monitoring German intelligence.

Snowden says American intelligence
 worked hand in glove with German
authorities

The panel's chairman, Thomas Oppermann, a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party was always skeptical. Given that the NSA is said to have monitored some 500 million phone calls, text messages, and emails per month, "I really can't fathom that no one knew about this," Oppermann told DW. "In any case, US intelligence operations have gotten out of hand."

Has Germany profited from US spying programs?

Intelligence expert Erich Schmidt-Eenboom doesn't just believe that German authorities knew very well about the US data collection spree. He also thinks it possible that German intelligence profited from the surveillance programs.

According to Schmidt-Eenboom, German authorities have definitely profited from such programs "when it comes to international terrorism threats. The technical intelligence authorities of NATO states work closely together and are quite successful. And the [German foreign intelligence service] BND profits from it. That's one reason why the violations [of basic rights] by this partner haven't been brought to light," the analyst told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

 Oppermann says getting more
information from the US is vital

Intelligence insiders and other experts are striking a common note on the recent media coverage of the NSA: German authorities depend strongly on cooperation, because they don't have the financial or the personnel resources, nor do they have the same far-reaching powers of other intelligence agencies.

The agencies exchange "finished intelligence" reports - summarized studies derived from intelligence "raw materials," Schmidt-Eenboom said. But things are different when it comes to terrorism and early warnings. "If the NSA discovers an acute threat, it will be sent immediately as an urgent matter to the respective German authorities and to the German chancellor's office."

A well-known example of such an exchange between friends is the case of the "Sauerland group," a terror cell. Germany only got wind of the group's planned terror attacks when American intelligence authorities passed on information they had found on the Internet.

Cooperation has been going on for decades

But how does the cooperation between German and US authorities work? It's clear that cooperation intensified after the terror attacks of September 11 shocked the world in 2001. In October of that year, all NATO states - including Germany - agreed to expand intelligence cooperation. Some of that agreement is still secret.

According to Schmidt-Eenboom, there's a long history of US intelligence in Germany. "Until 1968, the Allies had certain rights that allowed them to intercept on a large scale." According to historian Joseph Foschepoth, author of the study "Monitored Germany," this right still exists. In 1968, the German government agreed to a secret arrangement that still allows US intelligence to carry out surveillance activities in Germany.

Schmidt-Eenboom says German
agencies depend on US intel

Snowden has now also talked about an NSA subdivision - the "Foreign Affairs Directorate" - which is responsible for cooperation with other countries. Cooperation would be organized in such a way as to ensure that authorities' high-ranking politicians are protected from a "backlash," meaning that governments are only partly - or not at all - informed about activities.

Enlightening talks in Washington?

Der Spiegel now mentions another form of cooperation: the NSA passed on programs to the BND that were capable of analyzing foreign data streams. That cooperation was reportedly confirmed by the BND's president when he spoke before the parliamentary committee.

But Oppermann doesn't think these bits of information suffice - neither in regards to the German or the US intelligence authorities. "Ultimately we want to know if it's true what Snowden said. It's unacceptable that Snowden holds the privilege of interpretation for weeks on this matter and we can't check this with the Americans."

For the next couple of days, high-ranking German officials from both the government and intelligence agencies, as well as German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, are on a visit to Washington, and they are keen to talk. They hope to find out the truth about the accusations about the NSA snooping scandal.

British fugitive Mark Lilley arrested in police raid in Spain - video

The Guardian, 8 July 2013

More than 40 armed Spanish police raid a luxury villa in Malaga and arrest one of Britain's most wanted fugitives. Mark Lilley, 41, from Warrington, Cheshire, was found naked in a safe room. He had disappeared during his trial in 2000 for drug-dealing, and was convicted in his absence and sentenced to 24 years in prison.

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Ireland says no to arrest warrant for Edward Snowden

BBC News, 8 July 2013

The US applied for a warrant for the
arrest of Edward Snowden if he landed
in the Irish Republic

The Republic of Ireland has denied the US an arrest warrant for whistleblower Edward Snowden in case he lands in the country, it has been revealed.

The High Court ruled that American security chiefs failed to show where alleged crimes had been committed by the former intelligence contractor.

The US applied for a provisional arrest warrant on Friday through its embassy.

Officials made the move after former spy Mr Snowden contacted 21 countries, including Ireland, seeking asylum.

There were concerns the fugitive intelligence officer, who has been living in the transit section of Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 airport, would pass through Shannon airport on his way to South America.

A request for asylum in the Irish Republic can only be considered if Snowden makes an application on arrival in the country.

Limbo

Judge Colm Mac Eochaidh refused the request for an arrest warrant on the grounds that no information had been given by the US authorities about where the alleged offences took place.

The ruling also stated that the decision was taken because the US failed to show where the theft of government property took place or what had been stolen.

Judge Mac Eochaidh said offences may relate to theft of information and its misuse rather than to physical property but that assumptions could not be made that it took place in Hawaii.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter said there is nothing to prevent the US making a second application to the courts in Dublin on Mr Snowden.

"The determination of the court does not in any way prevent a fresh application being made for a provisional arrest warrant, taking into account the findings of the court," he said.

Mr Shatter said Irish and US authorities have remained in close contact about the former intelligence contractor's status and he said that the Irish government will take any action open to it to ensure that its obligations regarding extradition are met.

"It should be noted that what the court in its judgment today addressed was the issuing of an arrest warrant on the basis of specific information, rather than a determination as to whether an individual should or should not be extradited," he said.

Former NSA analyst Mr Snowden has requested asylum across the world, in Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.

He is wanted for leaking details of secret surveillance operations in the UK and US and has been in limbo since his arrival in Moscow from Hong Kong on 23 June.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said Mr Snowden would have to stop leaking US secrets if he wanted to get asylum there.

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NSA and GCHQ spy programmes face legal challenge

Privacy campaigners file claim saying laws used to justify data trawling by Prism and Tempora programmes are being abused

guardian.co.uk, Nick Hopkins, Monday 8 July 2013

GCHQ, in Cheltenham, harvests millions of emails, phone calls and Skype
conversations from undersea cables that carry internet traffic in and out of the UK.
Photograph: Reuters

The British and US spy programmes that allow intelligence agencies to gather, store and share data on millions of people have been challenged in a legal claim brought by privacy campaigners.

Papers filed on Monday call for an immediate suspension of Britain's use of material from the Prism programme, which is run by America's National Security Agency.

They also demand a temporary injunction to the Tempora programme, which allows Britain's spy centre GCHQ to harvest millions of emails, phone calls and Skypeconversations from the undersea cables that carry internet traffic in and out of the country.

Lawyers acting for the UK charity Privacy International say the programme is not necessary or proportionate. They say the laws being used to justify mass data trawling are being abused by intelligence officials and ministers, and need to be urgently reviewed.

Privacy International has submitted a claim to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which is supposed to review all complaints about the conduct of Britain's spy agencies. The organisation hopes for a public hearing and early rulings because of the seriousness of the situation.

The group was prompted into legal action by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden and the leak of top secret papers he gave to the Guardian. This led to a series of stories about the extent of modern-day surveillance and the disclosure of activities that have provoked a worldwide debate about the behaviour of western intelligence agencies.

In a 22-page statement of grounds, Privacy International refers to the Prism programme, which allows the NSA to intercept the communications of non-US citizens living outside America from global internet companies such as Google, Facebook and Yahoo.

The Guardian revealed that some of this information has been shared with GCHQ. So far the government has refused to say under what legal authority this has been done – if GCHQ had wanted to get this material for itself in the UK, it would have to apply under the Regulatory of Investigatory Powers act (Ripa) for a warrant from a minister.

Campaigners fear Britain is circumventing its own rules to make it easier to get intelligence, and that the emails and calls of Britons are almost certainly being swept up by the NSA.

"The contents of an individual's phone calls and emails and the websites they visit can be information of a obviously private nature," the claim says.

"If UK authorities are to be permitted to access such information in relation to those located in the UK in secret and without their knowledge or consent, the European convention on human rights (ECHR) requires there to be a legal regime in place which contains sufficient safeguards against abuse of power and arbitrary use. There is no such regime."

In modern communications, emails and phone calls made in the UK pass electronically through the US and can be intercepted by the NSA.

"Through their access to the US programme, UK authorities are able to obtain private information about UK citizens without having to comply with any requirements of Ripa," the claim argues.

The second ground focuses on Tempora, a system that stores for up to 30 days vast quantities of data drawn from undersea internet cables.

The Guardian revealed this programme is part of an over-arching project at GCHQcalled "Mastering the Internet". The data is shared with NSA and by last year 550 analysts from both countries were filtering through the contents.

Privacy International argues this amounts to "blanket surveillance".

"Such surveillance cannot be justified as a proportionate response to a legitimate aim. Bulk interception of communications and bulk inspection of such data is disproportionate interference with the rights guaranteed by article 8 of the ECHR, and it is not being undertaken pursuant to a legal regime containing sufficient safeguards to render it in accordance with the law."

The claim says Ripa "does not provide sufficiently specific or clear authorisation for such wide-ranging and universal interception of communications, nor any sufficient or proper safeguards against misuse that are known and available to the public".

Carly Nyst, the head of international advocacy at Privacy International, said the group had wanted to bring the legal challenge through a normal court so the arguments could be heard in public.

But the British government had insisted the group go through the IPT, which has only ever upheld 10 complaints against any of the agencies from more than 1,000 cases.

"We have been forced to take our concerns to a secret tribunal, the IPT," she said. " It shouldn't be a surprise. Why would the government want their dirty laundry aired in public when it can be handled by a quasi-judicial body that meets and deliberates in secret, the decisions of which are neither public nor appealable to any higher authority?"

She added: "In one of the world's most respected and stable democracies, there exists a system of 'oversight' that would be at home in any authoritarian regime. A public debate about the covert activities of British intelligence services is drastically needed and long overdue."

Eric King, head of research at Privacy International, added: "One of the underlying tenets of law in a democratic society is the accessibility and foreseeability of a law. If there is no way for citizens to know of the existence, interpretation, or execution of a law, then the law is effectively secret. And secret law is not law. It is a fundamental breach of the social contract if the government can operate with unrestrained power in such an arbitrary fashion."

The civil rights group Liberty has also made a complaint to the IPT. It believes that its own electronic communications and those of its staff may have been unlawfully intercepted by the security services and GCHQ.

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Pope Francis visits Italy's migrant island of Lampedusa

BBC News, 8 July 2013

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The Pope is on his first pastoral visit
outside Rome since becoming pontiff

Pope Francis is visiting the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, where he will pray for illegal migrants who drowned trying to reach Europe.

He threw a wreath of flowers into the sea, in a sign of mourning. He will celebrate an open-air Mass later.

A small boat carrying 166 Africans - reportedly Eritreans - arrived at Lampedusa's port just hours before the Pope's plane touched down.

The island is struggling to cope with thousands of migrants.

Lampedusa, about 80 miles (120km) from Tunisia, is one of the nearest gateways to Europe for Africans fleeing poverty and conflict.

Tens of thousands of migrants have made the dangerous crossing in recent years, usually packed into rickety wooden boats exposed to the elements.

Francis, an Argentine Jesuit, is on his first pastoral visit outside Rome since his election as Pope in March. He is expected to meet migrants and encourage the local population to help them.

Lampedusa's native population of 6,000 is often outnumbered by thousands of migrants in improvised camps around the island.

The migrants are normally transported to reception centres on the Italian mainland to be identified and ease the burden on Lampedusa.

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In pictures: Pope visits Lampedusa

Benedict XVI joins Pope Francis in consecrating Vatican to St Michael Archangel

Vatican Radio, July 5, 2013

Pope Francis was joined by Pope emeritus

 Benedict XVI as he consecrated the Vatican

to Archangel Michael’s protection

(Vatican Radio) To the joy of Vatican City State workers, Friday morning Pope Francis was joined by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in the gardens for a ceremony during which the Holy Father blessed a statue of St Michael Archangel, at the same time consecrating the Vatican to the Archangel’s protection.

Following a brief ceremony, Pope Francis addressed those present noting how St. Michael defends the People of God from its enemy par excellence, the devil. He said even if the devil attempts to disfigure the face of the Archangel and thus the face of humanity, St Michael wins, because God acts in him and is stronger:

“In the Vatican Gardens there are several works of art. But this, which has now been added, takes on particular importance, in its location as well as the meaning it expresses. In fact it is not just celebratory work but an invitation to reflection and prayer, that fits well into the Year of Faith. Michael – which means “Who is like God” – is the champion of the primacy of God, of His transcendence and power.

“Michael struggles to restore divine justice and defends the People of God from his enemies, above all by the enemy par excellence, the devil. And St. Michael wins because in him, there is He God who acts.

“This sculpture reminds us then that evil is overcome, the accuser is unmasked, his head crushed, because salvation was accomplished once and for all in the blood of Christ.

“Though the devil always tries to disfigure the face of the Archangel and that of humanity, God is stronger, it is His victory and His salvation that is offered to all men.

“We are not alone on the journey or in the trials of life, we are accompanied and supported by the Angels of God, who offer, so to speak, their wings to help us overcome so many dangers, in order to fly high compared to those realities that can weigh down our lives or drag us down. In consecrating Vatican City State to St. Michael the Archangel, I ask him to defend us from the evil one and banish him. ”

“We also consecrate Vatican City State in St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus, the guardian of the Holy Family. May his presence make us stronger and more courageous in making space for God in our lives to always defeat evil with good. We ask Him to protect, take care of us, so that a life of grace grows stronger in each of us every day. ”

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"Recalibration of Self - part 1/2"– Apr 28/29, 2012 (Kryon Channelled by Lee Carroll)  - (Text version P1)

“… Right now, there are Humans saying, "Wait a minute, Kryon. Do you mean there's no such thing as evil?" I didn't say that. Listen, Humans are powerful, and when Humans take that which has no light and they apply it to a consciousness of their own design, it becomes Human evil. Now, that has consciousness because a Human put it there. But alone, there is no entity out to capture your soul. Period. There is only a balance of dark and light. Humans are responsible for making darkness look like it has intelligence, because manifestation works both positive and negative.

All of you are used to a certain balance on the earth. But it's not an intelligent balance. That's the first thing that you have to learn, Lightworker. There's no force against you! You don't believe it when you are told this. This is difficult for you, because you've always been taught there is something pushing against everything you do. Indeed, there is, but it is represented by Humans in the dark and not darkness with a personality.

The brighter your light, the less darkness can be around. "Oh, Kryon, I love that. How can I make my light brighter?" That's easy! It's by not fearing the dark! When you fear the dark, you give it your energy, don't you? So what is it you fear? It's survival, isn't it? For in the past, the darkness created by Humans has created turmoil in your life. Your very survival was at stake. Now that changes, and so does the dark/light balance. ..”

"The Humanization of God" – Jul 16, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Benevolent Design, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Guides and Angels, Communication with God, Wars in Heaven ?, The Love of God, (Old) Souls, Global Unity,....  etc.) - (Text version)

“… Do angels exist? Absolutely, but not as you think or have been taught. Are there helpers? Absolutely, but again, not like you think. When angels visited Humans in ancient days and the events were written about by those who were there to witness the experience, I can guarantee it was a lot different than they could express on paper. When an angel appears before a Human, it looks like a swirling ball of energy, sometimes even fire that is not hot and does not consume anything. Angels are not in Human form and never have been. They are multidimensional beings, not in 3D. Yet you want to put skin and wings on them and give them a name! Why? It makes you feel better about them. We understand that…”

Archangel Michael on the World’s Movement into the Golden Age, March 24, 2013 – Part 1/2

“… GW: Well, let’s move over to Italy, then. And Pope Francis met with leaders of the various world faiths in this last week. In his humble style that he is becoming noted for, he chose not to sit on the usual papal throne, but rather in a simple armchair, a beige armchair.

Some of the other leaders had expressed optimism in the change of style of Francis. Are the other religious leaders now aware of the information that Francis is aware of? The higher information. And will they collectively be starting to change the tune of religious faiths around the world? Will this become a song sung by Francis and the faiths?

AAM: It has begun. They are humming. They are finding that it is a catchy tune, that is attractive, that it has a beautiful melody and refrain that sings in their hearts. Francis has basically thrown away the throne. He is not over-lighted to proceed in such a manner.

And what he is first and foremost doing is that he is reminding those others of all faiths that their role is to serve and that leadership is service, that they are shepherds of all ilks, all stripes, all colors. But their role is to collect and to show the way, in humility and patience, in forgiveness and compassion.

So, what Francis has begun to do is to say we do not need to be in control. We cannot find the middle way, the pathway of peace and true brotherhood and sisterhood through trying to control people. And this has been a gift. Oh, and dear heart, he has only just begun.

You have been asking for signs. Well, you are seeing them, are you not, on many fronts. But pay attention to this one. And might I give you a hint? Follow the money.

GW: Hmm. Intriguing. Okay. Well, at this point, then, now you have said previously, or it has been said previously, that Francis is over-lighted with the soul of St. Francis, and that he will be stepping forward in his role and that he is aware of and in contact with our galactic family.

That wasn’t clear previously; maybe you can clarify that. Has that knowledge and awareness been imparted to the leaders of the other faiths at this time? Are they aware of that and openly embracing that?

AAM: It has not been fully disclosed. It has been fully implied. And so… [laugh] I’m sorry. I laugh because it is a beautiful time that we have waited for. Now, let me suggest to you — no, let me simply tell you flat out, my friend, because you are a newsman. There were several galactics present at this gathering. The presence of the galactics was fully implied. And in side conversations it was a full point of discussion.

But the first focus of Francis is not to push the agenda of the galactics, but simply rather to let everybody know that they have been part of this enclave and part of the knowledge of the papacy for a long time. But his first agenda is bringing communion, community and peace amongst the different faiths and sects, amongst the human beings.

So that is his primary agenda. But he is weaving many things into it. Is he aware of the galactics? He has been aware of them for a very long time. He has been aware of them most of his life, actually. And so it is not that it is not on his agenda; it is. It is just not the first thing on his agenda.  …”

Church of England set to make child abuse apology

BBC News, 7 July 2013

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The Synod will be asked to consider
 improving policies and practices on
safeguarding children.

The Church of England is expected to make a formal apology for past child abuse by Anglican priests, and its own "serious failure" to prevent it.

The ruling General Synod, meeting in York, will debate a report about abuse in the Chichester Diocese.

Members will be asked to back an earlier apology issued by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

They will also debate the government's welfare changes, which have already been criticised by bishops.

The cases of two priests - Roy Cotton and Colin Pritchard - who abused several children during the 1970s and 1980s, prompted an inquiry into safeguarding procedures in the diocese.

Its report described a "profoundly unhelpful and negative culture" there, producing an "appalling" and "dysfunctional" record in handling allegations of abuse.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, later offered their own apology for "individual wickedness on the part of abusers" and serious failures by the Church to protect children or listen properly to victims.

They said would be a source of grief and shame for years to come.

'Inescapable truth'

The motion before the Synod will ask members to endorse their apology.

It could also agree plans to take further legislative and non-legislative steps to improve policies and practices on safeguarding children.

The Synod will be asked to lift the current one-year limit on making complaints of child abuse, and give bishops the right to suspend clergy who are credibly accused of abuse.

Meanwhile, the debate on the government's welfare reform programme will decide whether to back a call rejecting the "misleading characterisation" of welfare recipients.

A briefing document drawn up for the General Synod by Philip Fletcher, chairman of the Church's Mission and Public Affairs Council, has accused government spokesmen of making "political capital" by presenting unemployment as a "strivers" versus "scroungers" debate.

Archbishop Welby and Dr Sentamu were among the 43 bishops to write to the Daily Telegraph earlier this year criticising the Government over benefit cuts.

On Saturday, the MP who acts as the Church of England's link in the House of Commons told the Synod it has been divided into a "gathering of tribes" as a result of disputes over the role of women.

Sir Tony Baldry, Second Church Estates Commissioner was speaking after General Synod members spent the day in private talks in an attempt to solve the impasse over introducing women bishops.

A debate and vote on endorsing draft legislation on women bishops is to take place on Monday.

Sir Tony told the meeting: "There is, I believe, an inescapable truth that the Church of England probably has no more than 20 years to reassert its position as the national Church of England," he said.

Church abusers 'went unrecognised'

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9/11 controlled demolition? Nano-thermitic material found un dust of WTC - Dr. Neils Harrit, Denmark

AE911Truth Delivers the Evidence to the Media: Press Conference - National Press Club –Washington DC

(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.