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☆ Overseas UK territories are the ‘biggest enablers of corporate tax abuse,’ tax advocacy group says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Advocacy group Tax Justice Network has ranked the British Virgin Islands, followed by the Cayman Islands and Bermuda as "most complicit" in helping corporations underpay corporate income tax. Traffic_analyzer | Digitalvision Vectors | Getty ImagesBritish overseas territories are the world's top enablers of corporate tax abuse, according to a ranking by tax advocacy group Tax Justice Network. The British Virgin Islands is the territory "most complicit" in helping multinational corporations underpay corporate income tax, followed by the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, according to the latest update to TJN's Corporate Tax Haven Index earlier this month. TJN estimates that the UK and its British tax havens cost other countries an estimated $84 billion in corporate taxes annually. Defending themselves against the charges made by the advocacy group, spokespersons from some of the governments said they were in full compliance with international tax standards set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Persons: FCDO, Broad, TJN, pushback Organizations: Tax, Network, Getty Images, Tax Justice Network, Corporate, TJN, CNBC, Switzerland, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, British, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office, OECD, CRS, Crown Dependencies, Overseas, BVI Finance, British Virgin Islands, UK Government, United Nations, UN Locations: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, British, Singapore , Hong Kong, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Jersey, Overseas Territories, British Virgin, U.S, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea

CNN —The UK ambassador to Mexico was quietly fired earlier this year after pointing a rifle at a local embassy employee, the Financial Times reported Friday. The incident was captured in a video shared on social media. When asked for details, the UK embassy in Mexico deferred CNN’s questions to the British foreign office. The UK government website indicates that Benjamin is no longer an envoy. Mexico - which holds presidential, national and local elections Sunday - faces rampant violent crime, with sky-high crime and homicide rates.

Persons: Jon Benjamin, Benjamin, “ Jon Benjamin Organizations: CNN, Financial Times, British Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Locations: Mexico, British, Durango, Sinaloa

☆ Russ Cook: After running almost 7,500 miles across Africa, this man’s epic odyssey hangs in the balance
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Over the last nine months, Russ Cook has run almost 7,500 miles across 13 different countries and is currently in Senegal with his small support crew. But despite all his efforts, which have involved running more than a marathon a day on average, Cook took to social media Tuesday to announce that his epic journey was facing a diplomatic impasse. Cook had planned to finish his odyssey at the most northerly tip of Africa in Tunisia, but must access Algeria through the Mauritania border first. “If we don’t get them, then it’s game over for Project Africa,” Cook said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Starting at the most southerly point in South Africa, Cook is running all the way to Tunisia.

Persons: Russ Cook, Cook, ” Cook, ”, Alexander Stafford, UK’s, Harry Gallimore, “ Organizations: CNN, Project Africa, Parliamentary Group, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development, ” CNN Locations: Africa, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Algerian, South Africa

☆ UK's Cameron to travel to Washington on Dec. 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron looks on during a NATO foreign ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 3 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will travel to Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said on Sunday in his first visit to the U.S. since taking up the position last month. Cameron will undertake a programme of bilateral meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as meet Republican and Democratic members of Congress, the FCDO statement said. Cameron, a former British prime minister, will take part in discussions with his U.S. counterparts with a focus on supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, the statement said. Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Cameron, Yves Herman, Cameron, Antony Blinken, Nilutpal, Sharon Singleton Organizations: British, NATO, REUTERS, Washington D.C, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development, U.S, Republican, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Washington, British, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Wife of Jailed Dissident Kara-Murza Fears for His Life in Siberian Penal Colony
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Mark TrevelyanLONDON (Reuters) - The wife of jailed Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who suffers from a nerve disorder after surviving two poison attacks, said on Wednesday she feared for his life after his transfer from Moscow to a Siberian penal colony. Kara-Murza, 42, has a condition called polyneuropathy that takes away the sensation in his limbs unless controlled by medicines and exercise. The fact that they've isolated him to the maximum of course makes me very concerned for his life," Evgenia Kara-Murza said. And the lady I met for the first time yesterday, she has no idea who Vladimir is," she said. He added: "I have no doubt that in the end, our vision of Russia will prevail.

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Evgenia Kara, Kara, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir, wryly, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Mark Trevelyan LONDON, Britain's, Reuters, Russian, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Liberal International Locations: Moscow, Omsk, Ukraine, Russia

[1/2] Evgenia Kara-Murza, wife of jailed Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, addresses the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva, Switzerland May 17, 2023. Kara-Murza, 42, has a condition called polyneuropathy that takes away the sensation in his limbs unless controlled by medicines and exercise. His wife Evgenia Kara-Murza said exercise was now impossible for him in a cell measuring just 3 x 1.5 metres (9.8 x 4.9 feet), furnished with only a bed and a backless stool, where he has been held since September in a maximum-security penal colony in the city of Omsk. The fact that they've isolated him to the maximum of course makes me very concerned for his life," Evgenia Kara-Murza said. "The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable.

Persons: Evgenia Kara, Murza, Vladimir Kara, Denis Balibouse, Kara, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir, Mr Kara, wryly, Mark Trevelyan, Mark Heinrich, Gareth Jones Organizations: Geneva, Human Rights, Democracy, REUTERS, Britain's, Reuters, Russian, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Liberal International, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Moscow, Omsk, Ukraine, Russia, Britain

☆ Ahmed Sabra: British doctor flees Gaza but is sent back to war zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —A British doctor who escaped Gaza with his family has been sent back to the war zone after Egyptian officials told him his name wasn’t on the list of evacuees, according to a British Member of Parliament. But Davies said while Sabra’s family was allowed through, he was not on the approved list of foreign nationals. “I’m calling for the British government to do their duty and evacuate myself and other British nationals to safety to go back home,” he added. He said Sabra told him he was in “daily contact” with the British Foreign Office and British embassy in Egypt before he was sent back to Gaza. The British Islamic Medical Association said in a statement on Thursday they “demand urgent evacuation of Dr Sabra and other British nationals trapped in Gaza.”More than 150 British nationals have left Gaza for Egypt via the Rafah crossing, according to British Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell.

Persons: London CNN —, Ahmed Sabra, Geraint Davies, Sabra, Davies, ” Sabra, “, ” Davies, ”, Dr Sabra, Andrew Mitchell Organizations: London CNN, Swansea West, National Health Service, CNN, UK, Commonwealth & Development, British Foreign Office, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, British Nationals, British Embassy, Islamic Medical Association, British Foreign Locations: Gaza, Israel, Wales, Rafah, Egypt, British, ”

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia could use sea mines to target civilian ships in the Black Sea, declassified intelligence warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Servicemen aboard the Romanian Navy King Ferdinand frigate observe smoke from a ship in a training drill in the Black Sea, near Constanta, Romania. Russia could use sea mines to target civilian ships in the Black Sea, the U.K. warned late Wednesday. The U.K. said newly declassified intelligence shows Russia may continue to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying sea mines in the approach to Ukrainian ports. The U.K. previously warned that the Russian military had attempted a missile strike against a cargo ship in the Black Sea. "The U.K. assesses that Russia would lay blame on Ukraine for any attacks," the FCDO said in a press statement.

Persons: Romanian Navy King Ferdinand Organizations: Romanian Navy, Initiative Locations: Constanta, Romania, Russia, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ UK sends rapid deployment team to Rhodes to help Britons leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) - Britain's foreign office has deployed a rapid deployment team of five ministry staff and four British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to support British nationals on the island, a government spokesperson said on Sunday. "We are actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes and are in close contact with local authorities," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team (RDT) of five FCDO staff and four British Red Cross responders to Rhodes to support British Nationals, whose safety is our top priority. They will be based at Rhodes International Airport." Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rhodes, Elizabeth Piper, Nick Macfie Organizations: Red, Commonwealth, Development, Rapid, British Nationals, Rhodes International, Thomson Locations: Rhodes

☆ Fact Check-UK has not advised citizens not to travel to France as of July 6, 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The UK foreign office issued guidance for people travelling to France in response to unrest there, but it had not warned UK citizens not to travel to the country at the time of writing, contrary to online posts. Social media accounts sharing copy-and-pasted paragraphs of text about riots in France included the line: “Britain’s foreign office is now warning UK citizens not to travel to France.”Examples can be seen on Facebook here and here . However, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) had not told UK citizens not to travel to France at the time of publication. There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. At the time of writing, the UK foreign office had not issued advice to UK citizens not to travel to France in response to the ongoing riots in the country of June and July 2023 following the shooting of teenager Nahel.

Persons: Nahel, Read Organizations: Facebook, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development, Reuters Locations: France, North, Nanterre, Paris

CNN —Rescuers are searching for three British tourists who are missing after a fire erupted Sunday on the boat they were traveling on in the Egyptian Red Sea, according to state news outlet Al-Ahram. The tourist boat was carrying 27 people, including 15 English tourists, off the coast of the city of Marsa Alam, according to Al-Ahram. Twelve of the British tourists were rescued and the search for the remaining three is underway, according to Al-Ahram. The state outlet didn’t mention how the fire started. The incident comes just days after beaches were closed in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, after a Russian man was killed in a shark attack.

Organizations: CNN, UK’s Foreign Locations: Ahram, Marsa Alam, Al, Red, Hurghada, Russian

☆ Three British men being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan, Sky News reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 1 (Reuters) - Three British men are being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan, including so-called "danger tourist" Miles Routledge, Sky News reported on Saturday. The other two men are charity medic Kevin Cornwell and another unidentified UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul, the report said. "We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told Reuters in a statement, but did not confirm the details of the British nationals. Routledge has gained fame, and attracted controversy, by travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it online. Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath and Rahat Sandhu in Bengaluru Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine is affecting countries around the world. Here's how ordinary Egyptians are feeling the consequences.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Fcdo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has led to spiraling food prices worldwide, including in Egypt. Egyptians are paying a heavy price for Russia's war in Ukraine. Before the war, Ukraine and Russia typically supplied 85% of Egypt's wheat imports. These are not the only actions taken to mitigate the economic impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia's war in Ukraine has triggered one of the country's most severe domestic crises.

☆ Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had wide-reaching effects, including trade and partnerships in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Fcdo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has damaged partnerships and trade agreements around the globe. For Egypt, this has meant the country must seek new trade routes and reinforce existing partnerships with Europe and the US. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has presented Egypt with complex diplomatic challenges. Bilateral trade between the US and Egypt, at $9.1 billion in 2021, is also almost double the volume of Egypt's trade with Russia. A year on from the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western economic partnerships with Egypt are only likely to grow in importance.

☆ How Indonesia is using diplomacy to call for the end of Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Fcdo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Indonesia has joined the vast majority of the world's countries in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Agriculture, IT, and energy are just a few of the areas with potential for partnership between Indonesia and Ukraine. Indonesia has worked hard to build bridges in the interests of global trade and regional stability. Bilateral opportunities: Trade between Indonesia and Ukraine totaled $1.24 billion before Russia invaded Ukraine. 141 countries, including Indonesia, voted in favor of Russia's immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal from Ukraine.

☆ Growth is slowing in Indonesia and events thousands of miles away are playing a part
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Fcdo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has dented economies around the world, is contributing to growth slowing down in Indonesia. The food sector has been strongly affected by the war in Ukraine, which has disrupted wheat and fertilizer imports into Indonesia. After recording economic growth of 5.3% in 2022, the strongest for almost a decade, Indonesia is now braced for growth to slow down intensified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With weakening commodity and energy prices denting export earnings, Indonesia is contending with economic headwinds as fears of a global recession mount. Indonesia, one of Asia's success stories of recent years, has been less hard-hit than many emerging economies by the war in Ukraine.

☆ Fact Check-Bill Gates did not say he wants to ‘vaccinate animals to give them better genetics’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

People on social media saying Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates wants to “vaccinate animals to give them better genetics” are misstating what he said in an interview about initiatives with farm animals. Posts online (here) (here), (here) shows a 37-second video of Gates saying:“The Gates Foundation has partnered with DFID on a great number of things and, among those, are work we do together on livestock. Helping animals survive either by having vaccines or better genetics, helping them be more productive. The posts on social media say, “Bill Gates wants to ‘vaccinate’ animals to give them better genetics” – but in the clip, Gates says “helping animals survive either by having vaccines or better genetics.” He does not say that “better genetics” would be achieved through vaccination. Bill Gates did not say he wants to “vaccinate animals to give them better genetics” in a video circulating online.

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