In a joint meeting of the Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Civil Liberties Committees of the European Parliament, MEPs endorsed the adoption of the final text of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive by the European Parliament.  These new rules are to safeguard the stability of the financial system from money laundering and terrorist financing. Moreover, they will provide authorities with new tools to prevent criminals from legalising illicit proceeds.  Krišjānis Kariņš MEP, Parliament's co-negotiator, said: “Authorities need new means to effectively deal with criminals legalising illicit proceeds by using the anonymity of offshore companies and accounts. The register of beneficial ownership is a powerful tool which will help in the fight against money laundering and blatant tax evasion.”  The register of the beneficial ownership of companies will be accessible to the wider public via an authorisation process. The register would make it possible for police and tax authorities to uncover who is actually the true beneficiary of any legal entity across the EU, making life much more difficult for criminals.

Estimates suggest that money laundering accounts for as much as 2.7% of the world’s economic activity (GDP) - or $1.6 trillion in 2009. This is a challenge for both the competitiveness of legal businesses as well as for government coffers.  Member States will be allowed to exempt certain gambling services and products (e.g. state lotteries) based on proven low risk. E-money products will also benefit from certain exemptions. The Directive introduces a 'blacklist' with high-risk third countries.  After the adoption in the committees, and the second reading agreement in the EU Council, the European Parliament will vote at second reading in plenary in May. The changes are set to come into force in the second half of 2017.

Greece could start using a "parallel currency" to pay its civil servants if it runs out of cash, one of the European Central Bank's board members has suggested.  Highlighting the desperate situation faced by the country, Yves Merch, a member of the ECB's executive board and governor of Luxembourg's central bank, told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that Greece could resort to using "exceptional tools" to pay its obligations.  "There are intermediate solutions circulating, such as the issuance of a parallel currency or IOUs," he told the newspaper. "All these measures are among the exceptional tools that any government can consider if it has no other options. But all of them have a high cost."   His comments come as the country scrambles to reach a deal with international creditors and avoid a default. The ECB has already analysed how such a scenario could play out. Officials told Reuters in April that creating a virtual second currency within the eurozone might not be enough to keep Greece in the 19-nation bloc.  Analysis showed around 30pc of Greeks would end up receiving such "IOUs" rather than cash, which would put further pressure on Greek banks as workers dipped into their their savings.  Mr Merch singled out Greece as the eurozone's black sheep. “Rarely have I seen Europe so united, except for one country, on the need to follow the rules. Those countries wouldn’t like everything achieved in the past, the effort made, frustrated now that it is starting to bear fruit."   He also suggested that a Greek exit may be relatively pain-free for the rest of the bloc. "There have been defaults in the US and other monetary unions without political consequences," he said. However, Mr Mersh added that policymakers remained ready to defend the single currency "by all means". "The markets have greatly underestimated the political will to save the euro," he added.   Meanwhile, Michel Sapin, France's finance minister, said that eurozone policymakers remained determined to keep Greece in the eurozone, but insisted that the country "must respect its commitments" to remain in the bloc.  Sarah Carlson, an analyst at Moody's said the risk of a Greek exit had grown, adding that any exit from the monetary union by a country would mark a significant change in how the euro area is viewed.  A poll by Paddy Power on Thursday indicated a 56% chance of a Grexit.

Rising Stock prices refelect the true inflation

Responding to a reporter asking about when interest rates might rise in March last year, Ms Yellen suggested that the Fed would start to increase these “probably something in the order of six months” after it ceased buying up bonds.  Financial markets reacted instantaneously. Ms Yellen’s offhand comment was interpreted as a clear sign that the bank would tighten policy much faster than expected, causing US stocks to tumble. In a now-infamous research note, James Lord, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, singled out five economies as particularly weak. Brazil, Indonesia, India, Turkey and South Africa became known as the “Fragile Five”, picked for their large current account deficits, high inflation, and weak growth potential – all factors that made them vulnerable to the Fed.  Morgan Stanley last week revisited the group, as the Fed’s most recent dovish tilt “allowed emerging markets some breathing space again”. Manoj Pradhan, an economist at the US bank, said vulnerable economies had failed to take advantage of the reprieve offered by the central bank. Rates are rising already in anticipation of the Fed, the bond markets are petrified of the fallout due to absence of liquidity...this tougher rates outlook makes it even more inconceivable that greece, hamstrung by the euro as its currency, can generate any kind of meaningful economic activity.  Greece needs to devalue, to gain economic momentum, to gain the massive boon in tourism that would surely be theirs; But. For this, it needs its own currency. Let grexit become a reality as soon as possible, to save the unproductive, lethargic greeks from themselves, and, to save the Eurocrats from squandering countless more billions trying to catch the falling knife.  EU and its leaders need to shore up credibility for themselves, and for the credibility of Europe in the eyes of investors and traders. UK must be given assurance that spendthrift nations will be fully confronted, and blocked, where necessary, so as to remove another possible excuse for another disastrous possibility: Brexit.

Earthquake............

Earthquake hits on Tuesday with shockwaves felt as far away as New Delhi. Follow the latest developments as aftershocks rock country

We have seen how the Capitalist Anglo-America either Ordered or Approved of the downing on Passenger Plane MH17, by their Ukrainian Nazi Puppets, and how they Deliberately used this Lie to place Unjustified Economic Sanctions on Innocent Russia. The Capitalists will not like Socialism, and they may grant a Country some of what is both reasonable and fair if that Country does not Pursue Socialist Economic Policies of some of their Economy, which would create Full Employment as Sovereign States, and as Responsible Citizens.  However, there are Many People who think that pursuing Socialist Policies for some of the Economy should not be done for the purposes of encouraging Capitalists to be fair and reasonable, but for a Country to have the Best Economic Model for a Country.  Ukraine was never a Soviet State, because it was a Secret English Puppet Colony, as were the other Territories that are referred to as Soviet Republics.

Ukraine is referred to as a former Soviet Republic, however, I refer to Ukraine as a former Secret English Colony, which was run by the Jewish Partners of England, and today, Ukraine is once again a Secret English Puppet Colony.  It was England who Ordered or Approved of the Holodomor Famine, which was said to have murdered millions of People in Ukraine, and which was conducted for the English by their Jewish Partners, who Secretly Ruled the Soviet Union, and if Communists wanted farmers not to be Petty Bourgeoisie Capitalists, then they needed to make an oversupply of petty bourgeoisie farmers who would only earn 3 times the basic wage most years because of supply and demand issues, but we know that England Ordered this to Discredit Socialism and to Slander the Russians, by using the Jewish Joseph Stalin and other Jews to create the Famine in Ukraine knowns as Holodomor. The English are Too Dishonest and Too Evil to Confess to these Things, but we have seen the Irrefutable Evidence. Anglo-America promised President Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not go to Central Europe or to the Balkans to begin WW 3, but we have seen the Lies and the Schemes from Anglo-America since the end of the Cold War, and how Nazi Anglo-America Cannot be trusted, and Nazi Anglo-America Must Not be trusted. We know that the Communist Soviet Union left Central Europe and the Balkans, because it was Fair and Reasonable, and we know that Nazi Anglo-America then went to make those Countries their Puppets and to join their Nazi NATO, because Capitalists who also Nazis like Anglo-America, are Unfair and Unreasonable.

Anglo-America has no legitimate business being in Central Europe and the Balkans, and Anglo-America has clearly demonstrated that they have no good intentions for Continental Europe, and Continental Europeans can provide Security where it is needed in the Balkans, ans Anglo-America began an Illegal and Immoral War Based Entirely on Lies to try to steal Serbian Land to build the Massive Camp Bondsteel American Military Base, which will kill All Humans in WW 3.

The Facts that Serbia is innocent are on the Internet, and People can do their own Research, and there is an Honest News Article by an American Independent Journalist which shows how Anglo-America and its Puppets Lie, Slander, and Murder in Cold Blood, and the Article is Titled: The Demonization of Slobodan Milosevic at http://www.michaelparenti.org/... .

There is a News Article written by a Honest British Journalist, which is rare in the realm of Anglo-America, and it is Titled: Milosevic: true or false at http://www.theguardian.com/com... , and the Article Titled: The Milosevic trial is a travesty at http://www.theguardian.com/wor... .

This is why Many People think that Capitalist Anglo-America needs to keep their Promise, which was made to President Mikhail Gorbachev and to rest of the World, of Not expanding NATO Eastwards of Germany, and leave Central Europe and the Balkans in order to Prevent All Humans from being killed in WW 3, and we have seen what Nazi Anglo-America has done to try to Expand Nazi NATO to Ukraine.  There are Issues in the Balkans which were created by Nazi Anglo-America's Illegal and Immoral Wars Based Entirely on Lies, and the Non Nazi European Countries could look after any Security matters to allow Anglo-America to leave Central Europe and the Balkans.

War Criminal Anglo-America Knows that All the Things I have written in this comment are True, and they Cannot be Trusted to Admit to Any of this, and this is why they are the Confirmed Enemy of the Entire Human Race. Those Non Nazi Countries of Europe needs to be both Human and Courageous and give this Subtle yet Determined Hint to their Evil Puppet Master Anglo-America, to give the World what is Vital to Save the Planet from Complete Destruction, by leaving Central Europe and the Balkans, and to do this while they can leave Central Europe and the Balkans as a Friend of Continental Europe, rather than leaving Central Europe and the Balkans as the Confirmed Enemy of the Entire Human Race.

Spain became the first casualty of beefed up EU rules on statistics after the European Commission Thursday (7 April) recommended the country be fined €19 million for misreporting of deficit data by the region of Valencia. "Sound fiscal policy is a fundamental precondition for economic growth and stability. We have learned this lesson the hard way in the last years," said EU commissioner Marianne Thyssen, in charge of statistical agency Eurostat.

The EU investigation found that Valenican authorities had "systematically sent incorrect information to the national statistical authorities over many years."  Reports by local auditors and the regional health ministry "seem to have been ignored" said the commission. But it found Valencia guilty of being "seriously negligent" rather than acting with intent.   The matter came to light in May 2012 when the Spanish government told Eurostat if would have to revise its budget deficit for 2011 upwards, largely due to Valencia's incomplete data.  The €18.93 million fine has to be given the green light by member states to take effect.  The sum is 80 percent lower than it could have been, as the commission took into account the fact Spain co-operated fully and the faulty figures were due to "one entity acting alone".

Under rules that went into force in November 2011, the commission can launch an investigation if a member state or region is suspected of manipulating statistics. Countries caught deliberating cooking the books can be fined up to 0.2 percent of GDP.  The new powers were a direct result of the eurozone debt crisis, and specifically Greece, where misreporting of the country's statistics was known about for many years but not acted upon.  The Greek situation eventually meant that a deficit forecast of 4 percent for 2009 had to be revised to over 12 percent, sending markets into a tailspin and leading the country into the first of its bailout programmes.  Looking to the future, Thyssen said the commission is not currently investigating any other national statistical authorities. But she noted: "We will use our powers when we have to use them".

The Polish electorate is fed-up with Brxelles...

Bronislaw Komorowski, the Polish president, has a fight on his hands to remain in office after coming a surprise second in the first round of voting in Poland’s presidential elections on Sunday, according to exit polls.  Taken after voting stopped at 9pm local time, the polls put Andrzej Duda, candidate from the conservative Law and Justice party, 2.6 per cent ahead of the president with 34.8 per cent. With no candidate securing an outright majority the two men will meet in a fortnight’s time in a run-off vote.   If the result stands, it will come as major surprise.  An affable former anti-communist dissident Mr Komorowski became acting president in April 2010 when as speaker of parliament he was elevated to the office under the terms of the Polish constitution following the death of Lech Kaczynski, then the president, in a plane crash in western Russia. Opinion polls had routinely found the president as the most popular politician in Poland, and polls before Sunday’s vote had put ahead of Mr Duda.  Political commentators in were quick to attribute Sunday’s surprise result to the president’s apparently low-key and complacent election campaign.  Along with Mr Duda, the other big winner on the night was Pawel Kukiz, a former rock star and strident government critic, who won 20.3 per cent of the vote, according to the polls.  The night was a disaster for the left-wing Democratic Left Alliance. Once a dominant force in Polish politics, the party’s candidate Magdalena Ogorek came in with just 2.4 per cent.