Four nations blacklisted as tax havens

Four nations were blacklisted as uncooperative tax havens Thursday after G-20 leaders declared the age of banking secrecy was over and said they would no longer tolerate shady havens draining away badly needed tax revenue.

At the request of the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development named the Philippines, Uruguay, Costa Rica and the Malaysian territory of Labuan as the worst offenders, saying they had refused to adopt new rules on financial openness.

Leaders also said nations that refuse to exchange tax information could in the future face tough sanctions - including the withdrawal of financing by the World Bank or International Monetary Fund.

"The time of banking secrecy has passed," French President Nicholas Sarkozy said following the summit. "Everyone around the table wants an end to tax havens. Everyone knows we need sanctions."

The announcement reflects mounting concern that banking secrecy in tax havens has helped to worsen the economic crisis by disguising the true value of some global assets. Anti-poverty activists say such places provide corrupt officials places to stash illicit funds, often depriving poor nations of needed resources.

The OECD has divided countries into three categories: those who comply with rules on sharing tax information, those who say they will but have yet to act and nations which have not yet agreed to change banking secrecy practices.

Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which both have strong banking secrecy traditions, said last month they would adopt international rules on tax cooperation and were ready to comply with G-20 demands.

Liechtenstein, Switzerland's tiny Alpine neighbour, said it has already met with British officials to prepare for the new standards. Monaco said earlier that it would be more transparent with foreign tax authorities.

In return they were spared the fate of being blacklisted but were left in a grey area of countries that still have to implement their commitment to accept new information-exchange standards.

China supported the blacklisting, but would not agree to have two territories, Hong Kong and Macau, classified as uncooperative tax havens.

Potential sanctions for transgressors include extra audits of those who use tax havens and curbs on tax deductions claimed by businesses using the territories.

In their communique, leaders said they may consider further penalties in their bilateral relations with tax haven territories.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Brown and President Barack Obama played a key role in pushing for a crackdown on tax havens.

At least 35 offshore tax havens, from Britain's Channel Islands to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, are under increasing pressure to provide more information to international authorities to prevent people from evading taxes or hiding income by shifting money to such places.

Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the British Treasury, said a culture of banking secrecy had worsened global economic problems.

"That lack of transparency - that opaqueness - has contributed to the severity of the problems we are seeing in the world economy at the moment," he said.

3 Apr 2009

This is NOT brand new News. This is OLD NEWS.

These nations have been set up FOR THAT VERY purpose.

It's just that now the lay people 'may' be able to use those services which is the concern.

The Banking and Finance sector is fully aware of this and takes advantage of this fact.

Parts of TELSTRA are registered in the Bahamas and Tasmania for Tax evasion purposes, and there is NO reprisals by the ATO (Australian Taxation office) BUT they target EASY 'offenders' like Greg Norman, Paul Hogan, Dick Smith.

Daughter drugged so she'd get pregnant

Police say a mother drugged her 13-year-old daughter so the woman's boyfriend could get the girl pregnant.

Police say 32-year-old Shana Brown is no longer able to have children, but wanted a baby with her boyfriend.

A detective says Brown and her 40-year-old boyfriend, Duane Calloway, attempted to impregnate the girl on three occasions. He says the girl prevented the rapes.

The girl's paternal grandmother reported the incidents to police in Uniontown, in western Pennsylvania, about 80km south of Pittsburgh.

Brown is facing several charges, including endangering the welfare of children. Brown's lawyer didn't immediately return a call for comment.

Calloway faces charges of attempted rape. It wasn't immediately clear if he has a lawyer.

ninemsn 3 Apr 2009

ANZ to shift 400 jobs offshore

In another attempt to boost profits, ANZ has resorted to shifting its operations offshore to India.

In a move publicly denied by ANZ, but confirmed within sources in the bank, jobs will go from Australia.

This brings an average saving to the bank of approximately 1/5th or even 1/10th of the cost of an Australian employee. There is NO savings to the customer by the cheap / unskilled labour offered by the developing nations.

Globalisation / Outsourcing are terms coined by the multinational corporations, and propagated as a benefit to society, whereas in real terms it means LARGE profits for the corporations concerned.

The sacking of a $50,000 Australian employee to be replaced by a $5,000 (outsourced) unskilled worker from a developing nation, whilst the cost for their services to the end customer is NOT reduced is ONLY of benefit to the multinational / firm concerned.

Globalisation / Outsourcing is supported by the Law Makers / Politicians around the World as is reaps LARGE profits for the exploiters, and is another form of LEGAL slavery, which was abolished in the US of A many moons ago.

Australia agrees at G20 to billions in loan guarantees to poor nations

Australia will stump up billions of dollars in loan guarantees for struggling nations after the G20 summit opened in London.

And bankers will be subjected to extraordinary limits on pay and bonuses in a bid to curb reckless stock market speculation.

The summit in London’s Docklands area also endorsed tough regulations for the finance industry, most of which already exist in Australia.

An international “college of regulators” would ensure countries were imposing strict conditions to prevent another collapse of markets such as the insurance industry caused by dodgy business practices.

And sources said the summit wanted a battle against protectionism, with the World Trade
Organisation to audit the openness of individual nations.

Full story in the Herald Sun HERE

The Government cannot even sort out it's priorities as the Water Storage Capacity in Victoria has reached CRITICAL levels, and it has been estimated that by the year 2012 there will be NO WATER in Victoria.

This is NOT a priority, as the Government indicated that it will outsource the building of a desalination plant (to a private company), and Victorians until then will be paying a price of 25% increase per annum in their water bill for the next 4 years.

Since the privatisation of Melbourne's Water Services there has been NO increase in infrastructure over the past 25 years, with an increase in population of 30%.

Vic govt defends justice system

Victoria's attorney-general has defended the state's justice system following the conviction of a serial burglar who brutally bashed a 91-year-old woman.

John Kelsen was sentenced to 11 years' jail on Wednesday for attacking Rachel Williams in August 2007, after breaking into her Broadmeadows home six times.

She died a month later, but there was not enough evidence to link her death to the attack.

It was revealed Kelsen had numerous previous convictions for burglary, theft and assault, but he had never spent time in jail prior to his attack on Mrs Williams.

Attorney-General Rob Hulls defended the system on Thursday, saying he believed entirely in judicial discretion.

"I wasn't privy to anything heard before that court," Mr Hulls told reporters.

"I'm not privy to the actual nature of the charges, whether or not the person pleaded guilty. I'm not privy to background information in relation to those charges. That's why I continue to support judicial discretion."

He was happy with the "checks and balances" that were in place in the system.

"It is entirely up to the court what sentences they deem appropriate, based on the facts presented before them and based on the sentencing act which takes into account a whole range of matters."

He said if a magistrate or judge got a sentence wrong, the decision could be appealed, as happened in a "small number" of the 90,000 cases heard in Victoria every year.

"I do not think that politicians should be the one who are the judges and also the juries and also the sentencers.

"I'm firmly of the view that an independent judiciary is the cornerstone of a true democratic system and judicial discretion is absolutely essential."

aap 2 Apr 2009

It's VERY simple, if the justice system worked, then there would be NO NEED to defend it.

Too many times criminals have been let out, with full knowledge that there is NO chance of rehabilitation, and they re-offend, quite often with more violent crimes.

The law system is fully aware that once in jail, the criminals become more hardened. The statistics prove it.

The biggest problem is that these criminals are let out into society, where John Citizen is effected, and NOT the law and policy makers.

The Anglo - Masonic Judicial System favours Corporate Crime, and in general is too lenient on violent crimes against Mr. Citizen.

As an example statistics shown by the Herald Sun on crimes committed by Celebrities / Sports Stars versus the SAME crime (Drink Driving) committed by Mr. Average, Mr. Average receives a conviction, whereas Celebrity figure gets a slap on the wrists.

Uranium, drugs seized in Victorian raids

Uranium, cash, chemicals and illicit drugs have been seized in raids connected to the illegal leaking of confidential police files.

A joint operation involving the Victoria Police Petra taskforce, the Ethical Standards Department (ESD) and the Office of Police Integrity (OPI) resulted in three men being arrested on Wednesday.

Petra was set up to investigate the 2004 murder of police informer Terence Hodson and his wife Christine, after Mr Hodson agreed to give evidence against police accused of drug trafficking.

The OPI is investigating the leaking of a secret police file identifying Mr Hodson as an informer to the underworld.

The OPI and the ESD investigations revealed criminal links between police and an alleged well-organised drug syndicate and led to Wednesday's raids and arrests in metropolitan Melbourne and country Victoria.

Police raided a house in Penola Street, Preston, after allegedly discovering a clandestine laboratory and about eight litres of an undisclosed drug of dependence and cash.

They arrested and charged Garry McMillan, 42, of Preston, with drug trafficking and manufacturing and other offences. He was remanded to appear in court at a later date.

They also raided a storage shed at Harcourt, north of Melbourne, where they allegedly found uranium, which is valuable on the black market, and chemicals and glassware.

Police also raided a house in Bulla and allegedly found a hydroponic cannabis plantation and equipment for making amphetamines, while they allegedly found similar equipment, $120,000 in cash and a handgun at a house in Kangaroo Flat, near Bendigo.

Andrew McNaughton, 46, of Kangaroo Flat, was charged with drug trafficking and remanded to appear in court at a later date, and an unnamed 49-year-old Bulla man was charged with various illicit drug offences and will appear in court in June.

Detective Inspector Steve Smith said a well organised (actually this is baby stuff - and only for show) syndicate involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs had been smashed.

An OPI spokeswoman said it was not alleged that any corrupt police were involved in Wednesday's arrests.

The arrests come after members of the Petra task force have charged two men over the Hodson murders in the past two months.

Those charged were former policeman and one-time drug squad detective Paul Dale and Rodney Charles Collins, 63, who is accused of pulling the trigger.

2 Apr 2009

Telstra Fraud - No Jail Time

Telstra has exhausted ways of legitimately making money and has resulted in fraudulently obtaining monies by deception.

In a move to reap (read rape) millions of dollars from its customers, Telstra has decided to charge 1/10th of a cent, the same crime committed by an individual results in jail time.

The ACCC (Australia's Consumer Watchdog ) is inactive in this matter.

Yet another example how Corporate Fraudsters get away with crime, with the Australian Law System supporting them.

Dick Smith Wallets

Dick Smith Electronics -

Pay either (approx) $40 or $4.

The choice is yours.

Mums raise wrong babies for two years

Two devastated mothers have swapped toddlers after a hospital blunder sent them home with the wrong babies — two years ago.

Russian Anna Androsova and Chechan Zarema Tiasumova have exchanged children after DNA results proved they had raised each other's sons.

Ms Androsova said her husband had suspected she had engaged in an affair when the child they raised developed dark skin and hair.

She was then shocked to find the boy's maternity ward ID tag had Ms Tiasumova's name on it.

"It was a nightmare. I loved little Nikita but somehow always knew something wasn't quite right," Ms Androsova said on Russian television.

"There was no family resemblance and my husband was suspicious."

But Ms Tiasumova refused to hand over the boy she had raised as Aldan until she was taken to court over the DNA results.

"I can't turn off my love like a switch or a light," she said.

"I loved him for two years and will always feel I am his real mother.

"Of course, I am happy to have my own son but you can't help the way you feel."

She still admits to sitting outside Ms Androsova's house to "feel closer" to the boy she raised.

Ms Tiasumova has changed her biological son's name from Nikita to Ali, while Ms Androsova has reused Nikita in place of Aldan.

The maternity ward, located in Mtsensk in central Russia, says a lack of staff was a factor in the mistake.

They claim two nurses were forced to care for 20 newborns.

The nurse responsible has been sacked.

afp 1 Apr 2009

The message is the same ALL over the planet.

Problem: Lack of staff / resources / underpayment in Hospitals.

Solution : If something goes wrong, blame then Sack the staff.

Biden's daughter caught in cocaine scandal

The daughter of US Vice President Joe Biden who has been caught up in a cocaine scandal was allegedly set up by a friend for profit.

A video reportedly showing Ashley Biden, 27, snorting cocaine (which is ILLEGAL !!! ) was offered to several US media outlets by a legal firm acting on behalf of the owner of the footage.

It has since emerged that the video was filmed on a hidden camera by the man who brought the drugs to the party, RadarOnline reports.

Tom Dunlap, the lawyer representing the owner of the footage, has now dropped his client — and RadarOnline claims the unnamed man could face jail time if he is charged with entrapment.

News of the tape came to light several days ago when it was offered to the several media outlets including the New York Post, the National Enquirier and several British tabloids.

The New York Post was shown 90 seconds of the 43 minute video, which purports to show Biden snorting the drug through a red straw in front of people and shouting "shut the f*** up!".

The Post says Dunlap claimed the video — which was taken at a party in Delaware, Washington — was obtained legally and that Biden was aware she was being filmed.

The video's original price tag was A$2.8 million before being scaled back to $579,000, but the Post declined to buy the tape.

Ashley Biden is a social worker for a child-welfare agency and has been in trouble with the law before.

In 2002 she was arrested for shouting at a Chicago policeman outside a nightclub, and in 1999 she was arrested for possession of marijuana while studying at a New Orleans university.

Charges were dropped in both cases.

Joe Biden, who was elected as Vice President to Barack Obama late last year, is a vocal anti-drugs campaigner and supporter of the US's "war on drugs".

There has been no comment from the White House regarding the video.

ninemsn 1 Apr 2009

A CLASSIC example of : It's NOT what you know it's WHO you know...

A different Law for US and a different one for THEM .

Just another party whore who got caught on tape.

COCAINE IS ILLEGAL !!! and there will be NO CONSEQUENCES against her, BUT he WILL be jailed for entrapment.

She is part of the arena of the UNTOUCHABLES

Miss Universe says Guantanamo 'lots of fun'

The reigning Miss Universe has visited the infamous US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and described it as "a loooot of fun!"

Writing on her personal blog, Venezuelan beauty Dayana Mendoza said she had an "incredible experience" visiting the "calm and beautiful" facility with Miss USA Crystle Stewart on a VIP tour last week.

Mendoza, 22, details how she visited a bar and an "unbelievable" beach at the prison camp, which will be closed next year after an almost continuous stream of allegations of torture and mistreatment of prisoners since opening in 2002.

Her blog entry, dated March 27, now appears to have been taken down.

"We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the[y] recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting," Mendoza wrote.

"We also met the military dogs, and they did a very nice demonstration of their skills. All the guys from the Army were amazing with us.

"I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."

Detention centre spokesman Navy Lieutenant Commander Brook DeWalt said he did not know if any of the camp's 400 prisoners were "out and about" when the two women were on their tour.

Guantanamo has long attracted criticism from human rights groups over allegations of torture, such as the controversial drowning simulation known as "waterboarding".

ninemsn 1 Apr 2009

Is this tabloid trash for real ??? !!! ???

Reality No. 1: Concentration Camps are BAD NOT FUN.

Reality No. 2: Torture of HUMANS happens there!

Was this brainless twit used to spread some sort of propaganda ?

Maybe she should also visit the Nazi German Concentration Camps e.g. Auschwitz.

Bingle finds cricketer fiance's job 'boring'

She may be engaged to one of the nation's cricketing superstars but that hasn't stopped Lara Bingle from bad-mouthing the iconic Australian sport.

The 21-year-old beauty said she thought fiance Michael Clarke's sport was "boring", the Daily Telegraph reports.

"I love when he's playing (but) it's not a very dramatic sport and yeah, it can get a little boring," Bingle was quoted as saying.

Clarke last night played in the Twenty20 against South Africa, where Bingle returned from a week ago.

The one-time pin-up girl remained tight-lipped about a new pilot she was filming to find Australia's next bikini babe.

"It went well," she was quoted as saying.

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30 Mar 2009


Gripping NATION STOPPING NEWS faithfully brought to you by Chanel 9.

BIG DEAL ! So What ! Say it how it is Ms. Bingle.

Anyways is not one allowed to have an opinion ???

Another reality V.F.L (Victorian Football League) (now the A.F.L) has been created in the working class suburbs (slums at the time) to keep the peasants amused on the weekends. FACT !

Australia's $18 billion Drug Industry

On Monday the 23rd of March 2009, it was aired on National Television that in 2008 the Drug Industry was worth $18,000,000,000 (USD12,492,000,000) in Australia.
That's $1.5 Billion per month.

The authorities are FULLY aware of the LARGE drug Cartels, and have been for quite some time, e.g. The Carlton Crew, The Moran's, The Williams', Bikie Gangs who are associated with the production and distribution of meth- amphetamines, etc.

Since corruption involves ALL members of society, from Judges, Lawyers, Police to the foot soldiers (street drug dealers), the rings that are 'exposed' are the ones who are uncomfortable to the other parties.

The so called Anti Money Laundering Laws created are for the pensioners who put a few greenbacks under the bed for a rainy day, and have to go to confession the the A.T.O. (Australian Tax Office), once been flagged, BUT the criminals the operate KNOWINGLY to the authorities are not penalised / jailed or even looked into.

Judges, Law Makers and Police who are involved are ABOVE THE LAW, and will NEVER be on trial, as there are others that take the wrap.

Madonna's adoption ruling delayed

A Malawian judge has held a closed-door hearing on Madonna's application to adopt a second child from this southern African nation but delayed ruling on the matter until Friday, a court official said.

The 50-year-old pop star spent about an hour in court on Monday in the Malawi capital of Lilongwe. Court official Thomson Ligowe confirmed that Madonna's adoption application was adjourned until Friday but said he could not reveal any more details.

Monday's court docket listed only the child's name - Chifundo James, which means "Mercy" in a local language. It was not immediately known whether any of the girl's relatives were present at the courthouse on Monday.

A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the adoption proceedings say the girl is about 4 years old and her unmarried mother died soon after she was born. The girl's father is believed to be alive but no other details were available. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is considered sensitive.

Madonna has not commented on the adoption application and did not speak to reporters on Monday morning.

The adoption of her 3-year-old son, David, whom she had met at a Malawian orphanage in October 2006, was finalised last year.

Children's advocacy groups have accused Madonna of wielding her immense wealth and influence to circumvent Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. David's adoption was a trying process for the singer, who has said the storm of criticism hurt.

More criticism erupted over the weekend, with the Save the Children UK charity saying the recently divorced superstar risked sending the wrong message by going through with the second adoption. It said adoptions from orphanages encourages poor parents "to abandon children in the hope that they will have a better life".

Some Malawians have said, though, that they support Madonna in her effort to adopt the little girl.

"We are blessed for what Madonna is doing here," said E. Ngulinga, who was among the onlookers gathered outside the courthouse on Monday.

"That baby is going to have the advantages of going to school and of becoming someone," he said. "Here it is very difficult."

Ngulinga said he hoped the girl and Madonna's adopted son, David, would return when they were older to help Malawi, an impoverished country where 14 per cent of adults are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The UN estimates that half of the 1 million Malawian children who have lost one or both parents have been orphaned by AIDS.

If the latest adoption goes through, Madonna would become a single mother of four. She also has an 8-year-old son, Rocco, with ex-husband and British film director Guy Ritchie and a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.

Madonna brought both David and Lourdes to Malawi this time, arriving Sunday. David later spent 2-1/2 hours with his biological father at an exclusive lodge where the pop star is staying.

"I was very happy to see him," the father, Yohane Banda, told The Associated Press, adding that David did not recognise him. "He asked me who I was."

David's mother died when he was a month old. His father has said he believed he could not care for him alone, and that placing him in an orphanage was the best way to ensure David's survival.

On Sunday, Madonna and Lourdes visited the Malawi village of Chinkhota and Madonna spoke to residents and looked over drawings for a new school there.

Madonna first travelled to Malawi in 2006 while doing charity work and filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and AIDS crisis here. Her Raising Malawi organisation, founded in 2006, raises funds to fight poverty by providing food, shelter, education and health care for children here.

Last year Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, passed Elvis Presley as the star with the most top ten hits in Billboard history and staged an immensely successful Sticky & Sweet world concert tour.

30 Mar 2009

Lets adopt another black baby. Definitely trendier than a Paris Hilton pooch, but a little behind in the JOLIE-PITT micro African Nation, and besides you have the added BONUS of being called a HUMANITARIAN (a term coined by the N.W.O.) , which always looks good in the Kabbalah.

Bikies to avenge airport death: insider

Talk of peace between warring Sydney bikie gangs is premature, and retribution for a fatal bashing at Sydney airport inevitable, a bikie insider says.

Up to 20 men, including Comancheros and Hells Angels gang members, clashed violently at Sydney airport last Sunday in a brawl that left Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas dead.

His death has heightened existing tensions between Sydney's bikie gangs, currently involved in a turf war over the lucrative drugs trade.

Last week, Comancheros national president Mick Hawi called for peace talks to avert an all-out bikie war, but an unnamed bikie insider has told the Seven Network that any truce is a long way off.

"There'll be some sort of truce at some point, but it is not going to happen soon. What happened last Sunday isn't going to go away quickly," he told Seven's Sunday Night program, which did not reveal the gang he belonged to.

"As of last Monday, I was told there was an order given to kill any Comanchero on sight ... because of the sheer embarrassment that has been caused to the Hells Angels."

Asked if more people would be killed in the turf war over drugs, the unnamed bikie said "most certainly".

"It's far, far from over - there is too much money, too much pride, too much respect that people are trying to get," he said.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees has vowed to crack down on the state's bikies with new laws that could make it illegal for gang members to associate with each other if a Supreme Court judge outlaws the group.

The proposed NSW laws would enable Supreme Court judges to outlaw bikie gangs, with jail terms of two to five years for banned gang members caught associating with one another.

afp 29 Mar 2009

FINALLY !!!! It was admitted that they are involved in the sale and distribution of DRUGS.

Pity one would have thought, that with the approaching of Easter, it was a war over the rights to distribute chocolate Easter bunnies, and fluffy toys to sick children (as this usually scores well with the general public, and is a TOKEN gesture only) .....

The Law, media, and public know that these gangs are involved in CRIMINAL activities, but it is with the support of the law makers and corrupt police, judges, that NOTHING is and will be done in the future.