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Panama Papers Series

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The Panama Papers form a leaked set of 11.5 million confidential documents created by the Panamanian corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca that provide detailed information on more than 214,000 offshore companies, including the identities of shareholders and directors. The documents identify (as directors and shareholders of such companies) current government leaders from five countries — Argentina, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates — as well as government officials, close relatives and close associates of various heads of government of more than 40 other countries, including Brazil, China, Peru, France, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Syria and the United Kingdom. Comprising documents created since the 1970s that amount to 2.6 terabytes of data, the papers were supplied to the Süddeutsche Zeitung in August 2015 by an anonymous source, and subsequently to the U.S.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The papers were distributed to and analyzed by about 400 journalists at 107 media organizations in more than 80 countries. The first news reports based on the set, along with 149 of the documents themselves, were published on April 3, 2016, and a full list of companies is to be released in early May 2016.

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers: how Mossack Fonseca should manage its reputation crisis

Apr 07, 2016 05:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

The massive global reaction to the Panama Papers story is a classic example of an organisation, in this case Mossack Fonseca, facing a huge reputation crisis. And not just the law firm: we have already seen the resignation...

Panama Papers Series

Whistleblowers and leak activists face powerful elites in struggle to control information

Apr 07, 2016 05:50 am UTC| Insights & Views

The Panama Papers have brought the powerful role of whistleblowers back into the public consciousness. Several years after WikiLeaks Cablegate and the Snowden revelations, the next big leak has not only caused the downfall...

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers will do little to dent the electoral ambitions of Le Pen and FN

Apr 07, 2016 05:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Marine Le Pen is among the latest prominent figures to be swept up in the Panama Papers scandal. But anyone hoping that this scandal can halt the rise of her far-right Front National movement has seriously underestimated...

Panama Papers Series

Why Vladimir Putin will hardly flinch at Panama paper cut

Apr 07, 2016 04:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The world remains gripped by the revelations made in the papers leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. But Moscow has greeted the coverage with what might be characterised as calm indifference. Aware that...

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers: it's the drip-drip effect Vladimir Putin will be worrying about

Apr 06, 2016 10:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The early Russian media reaction to the claims from the Panama Papers that Putins close associate channelled more than $2 billion to offshore companies has been quite predictable: a combination of denial, counter-claims of...

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers' dodgy middlemen are nothing new, as our own tax scandals show

Apr 06, 2016 05:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The unprecedented leak of millions of documents, known as the Panama Papers, from tax haven law firm Mossack Fonseca prompted me to pick up an old book on my shelf. Written in 1969, Adventures in Tax Avoidance: with 120...

Panama Papers Series

What are 'tax havens'?

Apr 05, 2016 13:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

The Panama Papers leak sheds some light on the intricate ways in which the wealthy can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes. As well as charging minimal or no tax to residents and non-residents, the main characteristics...

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Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Why is the London Stock Exchange losing out to the US

London Stock Exchange (LSE), which can trace its heritage to the coffee houses of the 17th century, is failing. The volume of shares traded is sharply declining, and some UK companies are swiftly moving to the US...

Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal – and why it won’t go back

One year ago, Germany took its last three nuclear power stations offline. When it comes to energy, few events have baffled outsiders more. In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil...

What if the Reserve Bank itself has been feeding inflation? An economist explains

Heres something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its attempt to restrain inflation in May...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Joe Biden Proposes Record 44.6% Capital Gains Tax in Latest Budget Plan That May Favor Cryptocurrencies

President Joe Biden has proposed raising the capital gains tax to an unprecedented 44.6% in a bold fiscal move, targeting the wealthiest Americans. This hike is part of his 2025 budget proposal to reduce income...

Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict

The world has 91 democracies and 88 autocracies. Yet 71% of the worlds population (some 5.7 billion people) are living under autocratic rule, a big jump from 48% ten years ago. This trend towards authoritarianism can...

Science

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

Huawei Leaks: Next-Gen Kirin CPU to Rival Apple's M3 Processor

Huaweis chip development team is rumored to be working on a next-generation Kirin CPU that could give Apples M3 a run for its money. The chip is expected to leverage the innovative Taishan V130 architecture, focusing on...

SHIB Burn Rate Soars 88% Following Major Shibarium Upgrade Announcement

Following a crucial upgrade announcement for Shibarium, Shibburn reports a dramatic 88.32% increase in the SHIB burn rate, removing millions from circulation and significantly boosting Shiba Inu coin holders. SHIB...

Solana Co-Founder Clashes with Vitalik Buterin, Champions Meme Coin Culture

In a bold social media move, Solanas co-founder Raj Gokal defended meme coins and subtly critiqued Ethereums Vitalik Buterin, stirring controversy in the crypto community. Solanas Gokal Defends Meme Coins, Warns...

Tesla Model 3 Performance Price Surges Days After Debut, Cybertruck Powershare Costs Skyrocket

Just days after Tesla released its Model 3 Performance, the company increased its price by $1,000. Meanwhile, a Tesla Cybertruck owner faces a staggering $30,000 quote for a Powershare installation, which would enable his...

Apple Partners with OpenAI for On-Device AI in iOS 18, Enhancing Privacy

Apple Inc. has reignited discussions with OpenAI to integrate advanced AI features into iOS 18, utilizing large language models entirely on-device. According to a Bloomberg report, this move promises to significantly...