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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: information sharing could bust open secretive companies in tax havens

Apr 05, 2016 04:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The essence of the problem highlighted in the major leak from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca is that the governments of tax havens still allow intermediary firms to establish shell companies or trusts and dont...

Panama Papers Series

From Panama papers to Brazilian bribes: why corruption is so bad

Apr 05, 2016 00:04 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The news is currently filled with stories of corruption. A global group of media outlets just broke the story of secret offshore bank accounts in Panama, which suggests widespread corruption in the Russian government...

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers: this is a chance to fix a long broken system

Apr 04, 2016 16:12 pm UTC| Insights & Views

In every crisis there lies an opportunity. And that applies even to a crisis as large and potentially scandalous as that revealed by the so-called Panama Papers. Over the coming days and weeks the financial behaviour of...

Panama Papers Series

Panama Papers: the nuts and bolts of a massive international investigation

Apr 04, 2016 16:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law Politics

The reporting of the Panama Papers which has been based on a massive global analysis of documents leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca outlining how the worlds elite use tax havens is a remarkable feat of collaboration...

Panama Papers Series

With Pirates on the horizon, Iceland's government may not survive the Panama Papers

Apr 04, 2016 15:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

The release of the Panama Papers will have a huge impact around the world. But Iceland deserves some particular attention. According to documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, several Icelandic...

Panama Papers Series

All you need to know to start with Panama leak

Apr 04, 2016 11:46 am UTC| Commentary Politics Law

Panama Leak is being considered as the biggest leak of secretive documents ever, which saw prominent people from politics, sports, and businessmen set up companies offshore basically to hide their wealth and possibly evade...

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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

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

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Why is the London Stock Exchange losing out to the US

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

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

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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

Republic First Bank Shut Down by Regulators, Crypto Prices Tumble

In a significant regulatory move, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities has closed Republic First Bank, marking the first major U.S. bank collapse of 2024. The closure has sparked heated reactions within...

Shiba Inu Tops Robinhood, 300M Dogecoin Moves As Market Eyes Breakout

Shiba Inu leads this weeks Robinhood cryptocurrency rankings as it surges 11%, while a massive 300 million Dogecoin transfer to Robinhood signals a potential market breakout, stirring interest among traders and...

Tesla Sets Late 2025 Launch for Semi, Expands Megapack Production

Tesla Inc. has confirmed the launch of its Semi truck for late 2025, with broader customer deliveries expected in 2026. This announcement coincides with the expansion of Teslas Megapack production at its Lathrop...

SHIB Price Climbs as Shibarium Upgrade Sparks Optimism Among Investors

The Shiba Inu cryptocurrency surged over 4% on April 26, buoyed by executive enthusiasm for the forthcoming Shibarium upgrade to enhance the platforms functionality and security. Shibarium Upgrade Fuels Market Optimism,...
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