Fifty-one countries sign OECD pact to tackle tax cheats
BERLIN (Reuters) – Finance ministers and tax chiefs from 51 countries signed an agreement on Wednesday to automatically swap tax information, which Germany’s finance minister said heralded the end of tax evasion via secret bank accounts.
Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer
ISMALIA Egypt (Reuters) – Egypt began clearing residents from its border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to create a buffer zone following some of the worst anti-state violence since President Mohamed Mursi was overthrown last year.
Nigeria’s Jonathan to run for president again in February
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s office confirmed on Wednesday that he will seek a second term in office in elections set for February.
Israel’s Netanyahu fumes at reported U.S. slur
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – (This story contains strong language)
British PM Cameron’s bid to guarantee EU referendum fails
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron’s hopes of enshrining into law his promise of a referendum on European Union membership have collapsed after lawmakers said late on Tuesday that his Liberal Democrat coalition partners had blocked…
China could ‘punish’ Hong Kong over protests, says ex-HK central bank chief
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A member of China’s central bank’s advisory body warned on Wednesday that Beijing will punish Hong Kong if pro-democracy protests that have paralyzed parts of the Chinese-controlled financial center for a month are allowed to cont…
Gaza civil servants receive pay in boost to Palestinian unity
GAZA (Reuters) – Some 24,000 civil servants hired by the Islamist group Hamas, many of whom have not received a full salary in almost a year, finally got some pay on Wednesday from the new Palestinian unity government based in the West Bank.
Bangladesh war crimes panel sentences Islamist leader to death, prompts protests
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced the chief of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party to death on Wednesday for crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture and rape, during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
In blow to PM Cameron, lawmakers criticize UK’s immigration ‘mess’
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s border and immigration system is a “mess”, lawmakers said on Wednesday in a report which will increase pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron’s government to take a tougher line on migrants ahead of next year’s national e…
Singapore upholds law that criminalizes gay sex
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s highest court ruled on Wednesday that a law that criminalizes sex between men is in line with the city-state’s constitution, rejecting two separate appeals by three men that the measure infringed their human rights.
