- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
Panama on Thursday lashed out at the European Union for keeping the country on its tax haven blacklist despite its efforts to crack down on tax evasion.
President Jose Raul Mulino said he had asked his foreign minister to summon European ambassadors "to show the government's dissatisfaction with this new outrage."
The EU earlier this week declared 11 jurisdictions as non-cooperative for tax purposes, particularly when it comes to sharing information.
They are American Samoa, Anguilla, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Russia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands and Vanuatu.
The Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda was removed from the list, which was created in 2017, a year after the Panama Papers scandal, to crack down on tax evasion.
The leak of 11.5 million files from the law firm Mossack Fonseca in Panama City in 2016 rocked the world, exposing how the rich and famous used offshore accounts to stash hundreds of millions of dollars from tax authorities.
The scandal dealt a severe blow to Panama's reputation as an offshore financial hub, prompting it to implement several reforms, including penalizing tax evasion.
Mulino told reporters there was "no justification" for his country's continued blacklisting by the EU.
"We do not launder money as a state policy, much less finance terrorism, nor are we in a position to sponsor international scoundrels," he said.
He warned that companies from countries that blacklisted Panama would not be able to bid for public works contracts in the Central American country and would also not receive Panama's support in international forums.
Panama will take up a rotating seat on the UN Security Council in January.
Since taking office on July 1, the right-wing Mulino has made it his mission to have Panama removed from tax blacklists.
In 2023, the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental organization that combats money laundering and terrorism financing, removed Panama from its gray list.
D.Schneider--BTB