UK asks banks for feelgood stories about keeping out dirty money

City firms tapped for case studies to try to convince global watchdog that London has cleaned up its act

The government is asking bankers and lawyers to provide feelgood stories about how they blocked dirty money from entering the UK, as ministers try to prove the UK’s money-laundering controls are working.

The Treasury’s call for evidence is meant to illustrate that the UK has upped its game when it comes to preventing financial crime, particularly since its last dismal assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global crime watchdog in 2018, which fuelled allegations that London had become a hub for “dirty money”.

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Putin Turns Again to China’s Xi as Russia’s Clout Crumbles – WSJ

  1. Putin Turns Again to China’s Xi as Russia’s Clout Crumbles  WSJ
  2. Xi, Modi, Putin to meet in Kyrgyzstan: What to watch at SCO summit  Anadolu Ajansı
  3. Xi, Putin to meet in Bishkek for Power of Siberia 2 talks: Kremlin  South China Morning Post
  4. The SCO’s Diminishing Usefulness for India  Foreign Policy
  5. Can the SCO take root locally and culturally?  news.cgtn.com
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Germany’s Kremlin-friendly AfD eyes historic election win – The Kyiv Independent

  1. Germany's Kremlin-friendly AfD eyes historic election win  The Kyiv Independent
  2. The Guardian view on the rise of Germany’s AfD: mainstream parties must deliver a bolder response | Editorial  The Guardian
  3. Far Right Is Poised to Win in a German State, but Fight Over Power Won’t End There  The New York Times
  4. Germany: Merz warns of 'problems' in Saxony-Anhalt under AfD  DW.com
  5. Germany's Merz says victory for AfD in Saxony-Anhalt would deter foreign investors  Reuters
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Train drivers secure 3.6% pay rise after threat of strikes on busy UK routes

Deal agreed between Avanti West Coast and Aslef is first to be approved by Burnham government

Train drivers have secured a significant pay rise after the threat of strike action was floated on busy routes across the UK, including on the busy London-Manchester line.

The deal, which was agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, is the first to be approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership.

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Trump’s Greenland threat fails to prove decisive in Iceland EU vote – Yahoo

  1. Trump’s Greenland threat fails to prove decisive in Iceland EU vote  Yahoo
  2. Iceland rejects EU membership plan in referendum held under the shadow of Trump’s Greenland threats  CNN
  3. Iceland’s close ties with EU mean no vote is not a Brexit-style rejection  The Guardian
  4. EU enlargement hits an Icelandic snag  The Economist
  5. Iceland’s Rejection of EU Keeps It a NATO Island Straddling U.S. and Europe  WSJ
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Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union – AP News

  1. Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union  AP News
  2. Iceland rejects EU accession talks after divisive referendum campaign  The Guardian
  3. Iceland to Hold Off From EU Accession Talks as Voters Say No  Bloomberg.com
  4. Icelanders vote 'no' to talks aimed at joining the EU in close referendum  NPR
  5. EU enlargement hits an Icelandic snag  The Economist
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Nepal floods latest: Head teacher evacuates 900 children minutes before school washed away – BBC

  1. Nepal floods latest: Head teacher evacuates 900 children minutes before school washed away  BBC
  2. After 3 Days Under Flood Debris, 6-Year-Old Rescued Alive In Rasuwa, Nepal  NDTV
  3. Four days after flash flood, 7-year-old girl rescued alive from Timure  NepalNews
  4. नेपाल: बाढ़ के दो दिन बाद मलबे से निकाली गई 5 साल की बच्ची माता-पिता से मिली, अब कैसी है हालत https://bbc.in/46uLuI6  facebook.com
  5. Nepal Flood: Rescuers Thought It Was A Cat, Then Found A 5-Year-Old Girl Alive Under Rubble | Video | World News  News18
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Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to hold first defence pact meeting, source says – Reuters

  1. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to hold first defence pact meeting, source says  Reuters
  2. What would happen if Mecca Joint Defense Agreement gets new members?  The Jerusalem Post
  3. Bangladesh to 'positively' consider joining Makkah pact if invited: foreign minister  Dawn
  4. The new geography of Muslim power  Politico
  5. Mecca Agreement gives Turkey new leverage and risk in equal measure  Middle East Eye
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Israel says Netanyahu’s son ‘urgently evacuated’ from the US after threat – Al Jazeera

  1. Israel says Netanyahu’s son ‘urgently evacuated’ from the US after threat  Al Jazeera
  2. Shin Bet confirms spiriting Yair Netanyahu back from Miami due to ‘significant threat’  The Times of Israel
  3. Shin Bet confirms significant Iranian threat against Yair Netanyahu prompted evacuation from US  The Jerusalem Post
  4. 'Urgently evacuated' • Shin Bet: Yair Netanyahu returned to Israel last year over security threat  Haaretz
  5. Israel's Netanyahu says Iran tried to kill one of his sons  Reuters
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Russia’s Kirishi Refinery Catches Fire After Drone Attack – Bloomberg.com

  1. Russia’s Kirishi Refinery Catches Fire After Drone Attack  Bloomberg.com
  2. Ukraine’s Record Strikes Push Russians Back to Gasoline Lines  Bloomberg.com
  3. Ukrainian Drone Attack Kills One, Sparks Fire at Yaroslavl Oil Refinery  The Moscow Times
  4. Putin Hit by Record Disaster as Humiliating Crisis Escalates  The Daily Beast
  5. Ukraine’s drone attacks have left Russia desperately scrambling for oil imports  The Guardian
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Definitely no or maybe yes: what tipped the Icelandic referendum | Miranda Bryant

The no campaign was well-funded and accused of scaremongering, but the wording of the question may also have made a difference

It was always going to be a close contest. But on the night, the figures showed just how divided Iceland was on the issue of whether or not to restart negotiations with the European Union.

After a nail-biting overnight count, the well-funded no campaign rejoiced on Sunday morning as the broadcaster RUV declared it the winner with about 52.8% of the vote. Given the size of Iceland’s population – barely 400,000 – the margins were tiny.

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AA could face £5bn takeover move by German insurer Allianz, reports claim

Breakdown recovery group’s private equity owners reportedly in talks with various suitors to sell company

The German-based financial services company ⁠Allianz is considering a £5bn takeover swoop for AA, ⁠the breakdown ⁠recovery ​group, Sky News has reported.

Allianz was ‌one of a small number of parties holding talks with advisers to AA about a deal, Sky News said, adding that ‌the private equity outfit EQT was another bidder.

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The battle to build a global defence bank – Reuters

  1. The battle to build a global defence bank  Reuters
  2. Canada backs creation of €100 billion global defense funding bank  سانا
  3. Canada Pushes Global Defense Bank Despite Missing G7 Support and AAA Rating Doubts  Межа. Новини України.
  4. Canada Backs $116 Billion Global Defence Bank to Finance Allied Rearmament  Modern Diplomacy
  5. Canada backs global defense bank, but major allies remain on sidelines (PPA:NYSEARCA)  Seeking Alpha
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Far Right Is Poised to Win in a German State, but Fight Over Power Won’t End There – The New York Times

  1. Far Right Is Poised to Win in a German State, but Fight Over Power Won’t End There  The New York Times
  2. Memory wars: Election clash over Germany's Nazi past as AfD eyes power in east  BBC
  3. Germany’s Far-Right Maintains Wide Poll Lead Ahead of State Vote  Bloomberg.com
  4. The former neo-Nazi activists behind Germany’s rising far-right star  politico.eu
  5. Saxony-Anhalt election: Why the AfD is so strong  DW.com
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Orangutan rescued from fire zone in Indonesia’s Borneo, battles respiratory illness – Reuters

  1. Orangutan rescued from fire zone in Indonesia's Borneo, battles respiratory illness  Reuters
  2. Farmer Finds Smoke-Choked Orangutan Amid Kalimantan Haze  says.com
  3. Burning Kalimantan forests put orangutans at risk  The Jakarta Post
  4. Adult Male Orangutan Rescued In Critical Condition As Fires Burn In West Kalimantan, Indonesia  World Animal News
  5. Orangutan Rescued After Forest Fire Smoke Leaves Him Struggling to Breathe  The Bali Times
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