Kazakh president resigns after three decades in office

Yahoo – AFP, March 19, 2019

Nursultan Nazarbayev first took power in Kazakhstan during the Soviet era
(AFP Photo/ILYAS OMAROV)

Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his shock resignation on Tuesday, 29 years after taking office.

"I have taken the decision to resign from the post of presidency," the 78-year-old said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Nazarbayev came to power in oil-rich Kazakhstan when it was still a Soviet republic and has previously never indicated a successor.

"The mandate of the presidency will pass to the chairman of the senate for the remainder of my presidential term," Nazarbayev said, referring to the constitution.

The senate chair position is currently held by Nazarbayev loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 65, a former prime minister and career diplomat.

Nazarbayev's term expires in March 2020.

The move comes on the back of growing social discontent and an economy still recovering from an oil price plunge in 2014.

Western sanctions against Russia, a key trading partner, have also hit the economy.

The resignation comes just weeks after the ageing strongman dismissed the country's government.

Last month Nazarbayev announced a spending package of several billion dollars on social programmes and state salaries.

He also promised major investments in infrastructure.

Nazarbayev will enjoy significant policy-making powers following his resignation thanks to his constitutional status as "Leader of the Nation".

He became lifelong head of the country's security council last year.

Nazarbayev, who won a 2015 election with almost 98 percent of the vote, was widely expected to seek another term in 2020.

ING ordered to clean up its Italian operation, client freeze imposed

DutchNews, March 18, 2019

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Dutch banking group ING has been told not to acquire any new clients in Italy by the Italian central bank because of flaws in money laundering checks. 

The Bank of Italy gave the order after a four-month on-site inspection, it said in a statement at the weekend. 

ING itself says it will work hard in the coming weeks to tackle the shortcomings and solve the problems which Italian central bank inspectors identified. 

‘The measures in Italy come in the context of the steps ING announced in September 2018 to enhance its management of compliance risks and embed stronger awareness across the whole organisation,’ the bank said. 

Last year ING agreed a €775m out of court settlement with the Dutch authorities because of its lax approach to money laundering checks. 

The Italian arm of ING has more than 900 members of staff and made a loss of €101m in 2018, the Financieele Dagblad said.

Photo: ING.com

Related Articles:

ING boss says proposed pay rise was major error of judgement
ING CEO’s pay proposal opens a can of worms

ING lax on money laundering, agrees €775m out-of-court settlement

ING’s financial chief steps down over money laundering scandal

More Dutch banks are not taking money laundering seriously: central bank

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once),Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

After reporter's murder, govt critic tipped to win Slovak poll

Yahoo – AFP, by Laszlo Juhasz with Anna Maria Jakubek in Warsaw, 16 March 2019

Presidential candidate Zuzana Caputova, seen here casting her vote, has
campaigned under the slogan: "Stand up against evil, together we can do it"

Slovaks voted Saturday in round one of a ballot that could usher in their first female president, a vocal government critic who emerged as the clear favourite after an investigative journalist's murder dealt a blow to the political establishment.

Zuzana Caputova, 45, was among tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets after the killing, which shocked the nation and raised fears about media freedom and political corruption.

They were the largest anti-government protests since communist times in the central European country of 5.4 million people, which spent decades behind the Iron Curtain before joining the European Union, the eurozone and NATO.

Opinion polls give the environmental lawyer a double-digit lead over European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, a 52-year-old career diplomat backed by the ruling Smer-SD party, in the race for the largely ceremonial post.

"Caputova attracts those who abhor corruption and are dissatisfied with what they see as an increasingly... self-dealing government," said Kevin Deegan-Krause, a central Europe expert at Wayne State University.

"Sefcovic appeals to those with a certain satisfaction with the progress of a country which, by many indicators, has not done at all badly over the last decade."

Voters were chosing one of 13 candidates vying for the top job

Neither candidate is on track for an outright victory and a run-off vote is expected on March 30.

The president ratifies international treaties, appoints top judges, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and can also veto laws passed by parliament.

Caputova, a deputy head of the non-parliamentary Progressive Slovakia party, cast her ballot in her southern city of Pezinok.

"Slovakia is at a crossroads in terms of regaining the public's trust," she said, flanked by her daughters and partner.

'Symbol of change'

Journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were gunned down in February 2018 just as he was about to publish a story on alleged ties between Slovak politicians and the Italian mafia.

The double murder and Kuciak's last explosive report, published posthumously, plunged the country into crisis.

Jan Kuciak was probing political corruption when he was gunned down with 

his fiancee his Martina Kusnirova in February 2018

Then prime minister Robert Fico was forced to resign but remains the leader of the populist-left Smer-SD and is a close ally of current premier Peter Pellegrini.

Four people were charged with the killings.

On Thursday, prosecutors said they had also charged multi-millionaire businessman Marian Kocner with ordering the murder of Kuciak, who had been investigating his business activities at the time.

Kocner is believed to have ties to Smer-SD.

"With this announcement, the authorities may have wanted to show just how effectively the state functions so it could help Sefcovic gain some points," Bratislava-based analyst Grigorij Meseznikov told AFP.

"On the other hand, this could also be a vindication for Caputova, as she is the symbol of change."

The election comes after last year's shock murder of an investigative journalist
probing high-level corruption

Caputova won a vote from outgoing President Andrej Kiska on Saturday. "It is extremely important to continue this fight for a decent and fair Slovakia," he told reporters.

She has appealed to voters tired of the country's main political players and vowed to restore public trust in the state, running on a slogan of: "Stand up to evil".

Sports diplomacy

On the streets of Bratislava, several voters said they were impressed by her fresh approach.

Project manager Nora Bajnokova, 33, said she backed Caputova because "she is a woman, a mother, a lawyer and not involved in active politics", while 31-year-old voter Ivan Jankovic called her "courageous and open-minded".

But for 41-year-old security guard Oto, who did not give his last name, only Sefcovic was "serious" enough to be president material.

Presidential candidate Maros Sefcovic is known for his toothy smile and love of sports

"Sefcovic is an experienced multilingual diplomat who can immediately represent Slovakia abroad," said another voter, Milan Perunko, 54.

Campaigning on the slogan "Always for Slovakia", Sefcovic has promised greater social benefits for the elderly and young families.

Pensioner Irena, 69, said she voted for him so her sons and grandchildren can "live in a prosperous country."

A European Commission vice-president since 2014, Sefcovic is known for his passion for sports.

After voting, he told reporters he would "have lunch with my family and in the afternoon, I want to do some physical activity".

Eleven other candidates are vying for the job, including Supreme Court judge Stefan Harabin, far-right MP Marian Kotleba and ethnic Hungarian politician Bela Bugar.

Slovaks are voting in round one of a ballot that could usher in their first female president, a vocal government critic who emerged as the clear favourite after an investigative journalist's murder dealt a blow to the political establishmenthttps://t.co/wfJAsbugXF

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 16 maart 2019

British MPs resoundingly reject Brexit deal for second time

Yahoo – AFP, Alice RITCHIE and Dmitry ZAKS, March 12, 2019

Theresa May's Brexit deal was defeated in a historic vote in parliament (AFP Photo/PRU)

London (AFP) - British MPs resoundingly rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time on Tuesday, plunging the country into further uncertainty just 17 days before it is due to split from the European Union.

The House of Commons voted 391-242 against the divorce deal, even after May secured further guarantees from Brussels over its most controversial elements.

The move risks unleashing economic chaos, as Britain is scheduled to end ties with its biggest trade partner after 46 years on March 29, no matter what.

Appearing before MPs in a voice half-breaking due to a cold, May defiantly vowed to fight on, saying she "profoundly" rejected the outcome.

"The deal we've negotiated is the best and indeed the only deal," she told the hushed chamber moments after the vote.

May promised to allow MPs to vote on a "no deal" option on Wednesday and, if that is rejected as expected, to decide on Thursday whether to ask the EU to delay Brexit.

She said parliament faced "unenviable choices" if it voted for an extension, including revoking Brexit, holding a second referendum or leaving with another deal.

Anit-Brexit activists rallied outside parliament ahead of the vote (AFP Photo/Tolga AKMEN)

However, eurosceptics believe the current deal is so bad that it is worth the risk of leaving with no plan.

The latest vote comes two years after Britain set the clock ticking on its departure from the EU following a highly divisive referendum in 2016.

Michel Barnier, the EU chief Brexit negotiator, said Brussels had nothing more to offer and must now brace for the possibility of a messy divorce.

"The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line," Barnier tweeted.

"The impasse can only be solved in the #UK. Our 'no-deal' preparations are now more important than ever before."

But a spokeswoman for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said EU members would consider a "reasoned request" for a Brexit delay.

Result of the March 12 Brexit vote in

the UK parliament (AFP Photo/AFP)

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party who has been trying force snap elections, said May must now admit that her government's overarching strategy had failed.

"Their deal, their proposal, the one the prime minister's put, is clearly dead," Corbyn said, calling on her to change negotiate for a softer Brexit to keep close economies ties with the EU.

Not a single change

After MPs first rejected the 585-page Brexit deal in January, May promised changes to the hated backstop plan which is intended to keep open the border with EU member Ireland.

Weeks of talks failed to make a breakthrough, but May made a last-minute trip to Strasbourg to meet EU leaders on the eve of the vote.

She announced she had secured the promised "legally binding changes" to the backstop, which would keep Britain in the EU's customs union if and until a new way was found to avoid frontier checks.

Defeat for May's motion sets up further votes on the alternatives (AFP Photo)

Hours later, however, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said the additions would not completely allay MPs fears of being trapped in the arrangement forever.

It did not take long for Brexit-supporting MPs in May's Conservative party, and her allies, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to declare their opposition.

Some eurosceptics did change their mind, urging their colleagues not to risk everything.

Former minister Edward Leigh said: "You may not like the deal, it's not perfect, but it delivers Brexit and let's go for it."

But the margin of Tuesday's defeat was not substantially smaller than the 230-vote thumping the plan suffered on January 15.

The pound, which has been highly volatile since the 2016 referendum, initially rose after the vote but then sank against both the euro and dollar.

Timeline of what could happen next in the make-or-break Brexit votes

(AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

'No third chance'

The backstop is designed to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland, which involved the removal of border checks with EU member Ireland.

Brexit supporters wanted a unilateral way out of it, or a time limit to the arrangement, but the EU said this would make it worthless.

But leaders across Europe also united behind a message that this was the best and final offer Britain could expect.

"There will be no third chance," Juncker said after his talks on Monday with May.

If MPs vote against a no-deal exit on Wednesday, and want to postpone Brexit, the other 27 EU nations would need to agree.

Their leaders will meet in Brussels for a summit on March 21-22.

But any postponement may have to be short-lived.

Juncker on Monday said Brexit "should be complete before the European elections" at the end of May.

EU expands tax blacklist to 15 countries, including UAE

Yahoo – AFP, March 12, 2019

The "naming and shaming" of countries into better tax policies comes only days
after a money-laundering blacklist by the EU was torpedoed by the bloc's own
member governments, after a draft included Saudi Arabia (AFP Photo/Emmanuel
DUNAND)

Brussels (AFP) - The European Union expanded its tax haven blacklist to 15 countries on Tuesday, adding the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda over the objections of powerful member states such as Italy.

The list was first drawn up in 2017 in the wake of several scandals, including the Panama Papers and LuxLeaks, that pushed the EU into doing more to fight tax evasion by multinationals and the rich.

Seven countries are to be moved back from a grey list because reform commitments had not been met. These are Aruba, Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, Oman, Vanuatu and Dominica, an EU statement said.

They are joined by three other countries whose tax policies have grown more aggressive in the past months. They are Barbados, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands.

Italy long resisted the addition of the UAE. The Middle East powerhouse has recently made significant investments in the economically troubled European country.

Rome had wanted to keep the Emirates on the so-called grey list of countries that have made pledges to get their tax laws in order with a standard set by Brussels.

"Everything will be solved" when new legislation in passed in the UAE, Italian Finance Minister Giovanni Tria said. "The Emirates will come out immediately afterwards."

Britain, just weeks before its planned divorce from the EU on March 29, resisted the addition of its overseas territory Bermuda but relented last week.

Five countries remain blacklisted because they did nothing to justify moving them off the original list of tax havens: American Samoa, Guam, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands

This "naming and shaming" of countries into better tax policies comes only days after a money-laundering blacklist by the EU was torpedoed by the bloc's own member governments, after a draft included Saudi Arabia.

Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, whose country holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency, earlier told reporters that last minute promises by countries to fix their tax policies would delay the list until May.

However French counterpart Bruno Le Maire, France’s finance minister said he wanted no delays.

"France wants the list to be adopted today," he said.

Russia telecoms giant MTS to pay $850 mn in US corruption case

Yahoo – AFP, March 7, 2019

The case shed light on massive corruption in Uzbekistan under the late
president Islam Karimov (AFP Photo/MAXIM SHEMETOV)

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's leading telecoms firm said Thursday it had agreed to pay $850 million to settle a US corruption case over huge bribes paid to the family of Uzbekistan's former president.

The case shed light on massive corruption in Uzbekistan under former president Islam Karimov, who ruled the ex-Soviet republic from 1990 until his death in 2016.

MTS, based in Moscow and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, said the settlement had been agreed with the US Justice Department and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The deals "mark the closure of the investigations into the company's acquisition and operation of its former subsidiary in Uzbekistan," MTS said in a statement.

In agreeing to the fine "MTS affirmed its commitment" to complying with anti-corruption legislation, it said.

MTS was in a long-running dispute with the Uzbek authorities, which seized the company's local subsidiary in 2012 after cancelling its operating licenses for alleged tax evasion.

The Uzbek subsidiary, which had 9.5 million subscribers by the end of 2011, filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

The SEC said that MTS had "bribed an Uzbek official" related to Karimov to obtain and retain business operations in Uzbekistan, a Central Asian nation of more than 32 million people.

"The company engaged in egregious misconduct for nearly a decade, secretly funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars to a corrupt official," the SEC said in a statement.

An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project previously said that the subsidiary, which was known as Uzdunrobita before it was acquired by MTS, had paid hundreds of millions of dollars to companies owned by Karimov's daughter Gulnara.

The OCCRP, an NGO that works with investigative reporters mainly in Eastern Europe, alleged that MTS made payments in 2004 and 2007 to purchase stakes in the company.

MTS was not the only telecoms company involved. "Karimova squeezed more than $1 billion worth of payments... out of international telecom-related companies," OCCRP said.

Some commentators in Russia expressed dismay that the US was fining Russian companies for operations in third countries.

"What concern does the US have about the faraway Uzbekistan and Russian operators?" said a journalist on BFM business radio, pointing out that "the money will go to the American budget, not the Uzbek one."

Uzbekistan is led by Karimov's former prime minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has moved to end the country's economic isolation and removed visa restrictions for travellers from European Union countries and the United States.

Gulnara Karimova, once a high-profile diplomat and pop singer, was being held under house arrest after being convicted on fraud and money laundering charges in 2017 and sentenced to five years.

Uzbek authorities this week said she had violated the terms of her house arrest and had been sent to prison where she would remain until the end of her sentence.

French cardinal convicted over sex abuse cover-up

Yahoo – AFP, Pierre PRATABUY, Alexandre GROSBOIS, March 7, 2019

The court in Lyon tried 68-year-old archbishop Philippe Barbarin and five former
aides at a time when the church has been hit by abuse scandals worldwide
(AFP Photo/JEFF PACHOUD)

Lyon (AFP) - The archbishop of Lyon Thursday announced he was resigning just hours after being handed a six-month suspended jail sentence for failing to report sex abuse in a case that has rocked the French Catholic Church and added to the Vatican's woes.

Philippe Barbarin, 68, is the most senior French cleric caught up in the global paedophilia scandal which Pope Francis, just two weeks ago, vowed to fight in an "all-out battle".

A court in Lyon, in southeastern France, ruled that Barbarin, a cardinal since 2003, was guilty of failing to report allegations of abuse of boy-scouts committed by a priest, Bernard Preynat, in the 1980s and 1990s.

The priest, who was charged in 2016, is expected for his part to be tried this year.

Barbarin, who was not present for the verdict, said he "duly acknowledged the court's decision", but his lawyer said it would be appealed.

He is the third senior French cleric to be found guilty of failing to report sex abuse.

"I have decided to go to see the Holy Father to hand him my resignation. He will receive me in a few days' time," Barbarin told a news conference after the verdict.

"Independently from my own fate, I wish once again to stress my compassion for the victims," he said.

Global movement

His trial came at a time when the Catholic Church has been hit by abuse scandals in countries as far afield as Australia, Brazil, Chile and the United States.

Pope Francis held a special summit on the issue at the Vatican last month during which he compared paedophilia to the "human sacrifice" of children.

Barbarin, an arch-conservative who took over as archbishop in Lyon in 2002, was dubbed "Mr 100,000 volts" by the press for the dynamism he displayed in his campaigns for persecuted Syrian Christians or against gay marriage.

But he has long been accused by victims' groups in Lyon of turning a blind eye to the historic child abuse in his diocese which left dozens of lives blighted.

Francois Devaux, who leads a victims' group in Lyon, called Thursday's verdict 

a "major victory for child protection" (AFP Photo/ROMAIN LAFABREGUE)

"I cannot see what I am guilty of," Barbarin told the court at the start of the trial in January. "I never tried to hide, let alone cover up these horrible facts."

In its verdict the court found otherwise, saying the archbishop, "in all conscience", chose not to tell authorities of the abuse allegations "in order to preserve the institution to which he belongs".

"By wanting to avoid a scandal caused by a priest's multiple sex offences, and probably in seeking to conform to inadequate decisions taken by bishops before him, Philippe Barbarin preferred to take the risk that justice would be unable to uncover a great number of victims of sexual abuse and prevent them from voicing their pain," the verdict read.

'Strong message'

Francois Devaux, one of the priest's alleged 85 victims who now heads a victims' support group in Lyon, called the verdict a "major victory for child protection".

"It's a signal, a strong message sent to the French Church, to the world and to Pope Francis," he told reporters.

"It's obvious that this verdict will hugely encourage people to speak out," Devaux added.

But the archbishop's resignation comes "too late for the Church", he said, adding that "the decision should have been taken long ago. And the pope should have taken it."

Commentators said the case was highly significant.

"The church is no longer a fortress," said Jean-Pierre Denis, editor-in-chief of Catholic Weekly La Vie (Life), adding that it was paying a "heavy price" for failing to deal with paedophile priests.

"Something important is happening... the vice is tightening," added Christine Pedotti, director of Temoignage Chretien (Christian Witness).

The suspended nature of the jail sentence means Barbarin will not serve time behind bars.

His defence lawyer Jean-Felix Luciani said that "the reasoning of the court is not convincing. We will contest this decision by all the means possible".

He also suggested that it had been difficult for the court "to resist pressure" from public opinion which has long been debating the case.

An award-winning feature film by director Francois Ozon about the case has already hit cinemas despite complaints from the priest that it could prejudice his defence.

Five former aides who were also on trial alongside Barbarin were all found not guilty, either because the alleged crimes were too old or unproven.

Two other senior French religious figures have been convicted of failing to report child abuse in the past: the archbishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, Pierre Rican, in 2001, and the former bishop of Orleans, Andre Fort, last year.

The Lyon case broke three years ago when lawyers for nine adult plaintiffs -- former boy scouts -- took legal action against Barbarin saying he should have gone to police as early as 2010 when he spoke to the priest about the allegations.

Preynat was first interviewed by church leaders in 1991 and was prevented from leading scout groups, but he was later allowed to teach children again and held positions of authority.

Barbarin only suspended him and stopped him from working with children in September 2015.

'Nearly a third' of British billionaires moved to tax havens

Yahoo – AFP, Dmitry ZAKS, March 7, 2019

It is reported that 10 British billionaires and 408 UK business owners live in
Monaco, according to The Sunday Times (AFP Photo/VALERY HACHE)

London (AFP) - Nearly a third of Britain's billionaires have either moved or are relocating to tax havens, where some have broken UK law by bankrolling political parties, a major investigation said on Thursday.

The Times newspaper published a series of reports detailing allegations of Britain's ultra-rich hiding billions of pounds from the UK Treasury in taxes over the past decade.

The report came out days after the government drew public fury for delaying a vote on proposed legislation aimed at ending secret company ownership in offshore territories.

"We must stop tax evasion so that the wealthiest pay their fair share," Margaret Hodge, a leading lawmaker from the main opposition Labour Party who co-sponsored the tax haven measure, tweeted in response to The Times reports.

"Public registers and more transparency are the next big step for fairer tax."

Prime Minister Theresa May's government did not immediately respond to the investigation.

Knights and dames

The Times said that 28 out of the 93 British billionaires it found through public records "have moved to tax havens or are in the process of relocating".

It said almost half of the 28 have left in the past decade.

The Times said those in the process of moving included Jim Ratcliffe, Britain's richest man and a major Brexit supporter. His chemicals firm is valued at £35 billion ($46 billion).

The Times said those in the process of moving included Jim Ratcliffe, Britain's
richest man and a major Brexit supporter (AFP Photo/JUSTIN TALLIS)

The Sunday Times reported last month that Ratcliffe's move to Monaco, where it said 10 British billionaires and 408 UK business owners live, could cost the Treasury up to £4 billion.

Asked about his rumoured move last October, Ratcliffe told Britain's Press Association news agency that he was staying in Britain.

The Times said big business owners were trying to avoid paying Britain's relatively high 38.1 percent income tax on dividends -- the cash payments made by corporations to their shareholders.

It is effectively a profit tax, since business owners hold a large portion of their company's shares.

Tax-evading

Companies registered in offshore tax shelters such as the Channel Islands or countries like Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates pay little to no tax.

The Times said the exodus was spurred by a hike in income tax rates for top earners to 50 percent in 2010, which was reduced to 45 percent in 2013.

New rules from 2013 making a switch in tax residency easier also contributed, The Times said.

But some of its most damning allegations concerned political contributions.

The Times said successive UK governments have failed to properly enact a 2009 law banning large donations from anyone residing abroad for tax purposes.

It said tax-evading business owners and their companies have made political contributions worth £5.5 million over the past decade.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives accepted £1 million from these entities in the months leading up to the 2017 snap general election, The Times said.

It added that several of these billionaires have also received honorary titles such as baron, knight and dame.

Italians sign up for populists' 'citizen's income'

Yahoo – AFP, Franck IOVENE, March 6, 2019

The "citizen's income" was a flagship measure of the anti-establishment Five Star
Movement (M5S) (AFP Photo/Tiziana FABI)

Rome (AFP) - Italians queued Wednesday to sign up for the "citizen's income", a 780-euro (880-dollar) monthly payment that was a key promise of the populist government aimed at ending poverty for millions.

"If it works, then it's a good idea... we hope in any case," said pensioner Paolo Scaglione, who had come to drop off the application for his daughter, a single mother.

"There are many who will try to get it, we must see what will happen after, if it will solve something," he said, one of thousands applying at Italian post offices and tax assistance centres (CAF).

The "citizen's income" was a flagship measure of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) when it won elections last year, forming a government in June along with the anti-immigrant Lega.

It is aimed at the more than five million Italians and long-term foreign residents living below the poverty line, hoping to get them jobs and to stimulate badly needed economic growth.

"We heard on the news that the CAF would first see people whose surnames begin with an A or B, to avoid chaos," said Mariela Pinzon, an Italian resident of Colombian origin.

"My name starts with a P so I might have to come back," said Pinzon, one of the first in when the doors opened on Wednesday morning.

"If it works as we were promised it would, then really yes, it's an excellent system," said Pinzon, the unemployed mother of a teenaged girl.

Despite fears that officials would be overwhelmed by hordes of people seeking the payments, Italian television said queues were reasonable throughout the country.

"We were expecting more people, we were expecting a little more, but one has to prepare documents to make this request, and not all of them have yet," said CAF employee Elisabeth Micolano.

18 months

The first payments will be made around the end of April or early May, a few weeks before European parliamentary elections, and the programme will cost a whopping 6.6 billion euros.

Crucially, applicants cannot turn down more than two job offers, the second of which could be 250 kilometres (155 miles) from home. The third offer could be anywhere in the country.

"If they give you a job then people obviously have to accept the work offered, it shouldn't encourage people to do nothing," said pensioner Scaglione.

The payments can be made for up to 18 months and are renewable after a month.

Successful applicants must have been in Italy for at least two years for Italians and 10 years for foreigners.

"Some foreigners have little income, for example I have four children, and a very low income, and I pay rent," said Ruwena, an Italian resident of Filipino origin who moved here in 1992.

"So I think there will be a lot of foreigners who will ask, and not only foreigners, Italians too."

The measure will help around 1.3 million Italian families, according to the Italian statistics institute Istat, including many in the more impoverished south of the country.

On average, poor families will end up receiving around 5,000 euros extra a year.

The money will be paid into bank accounts which can be accessed using a special debit card, initially only to buy food in certain shops.

In future, the cards can be used to pay for clothes or other necessities. Any money left at the end of the month goes back to the state.