Opinion: Panama, Secrecy and Tax Havens
Unlike Wikileaks’ exposes, the recent Panama revelations were quite selective, targeted, edited and carefully managed. Most observers attribute this to the political agendas of its mainly American funders. Nevertheless, the revelations have highlighted some problems associated with illicit financial flows, as well as tax evasion and avoidance, including the role of enabling governments, legislation, legal and accounting firms as well as shell companies.
![Unsung Heroes of Rural Resilience](http://web.archive.org./web/20160422235338im_/http://cdn.ipsnews.net/Library/2016/04/Ellen-Kacha-in-her-rain_-100x100.jpg)
Unsung Heroes of Rural Resilience
In scorching heat, Ellen Kacha, inspects her almost failed maize crop, which now looks promising after a rare occurrence this season — normal rainfall for at least two weeks.
![INDIA: Kashmir Clamours for Normalcy](http://web.archive.org./web/20160422235338im_/http://cdn.ipsnews.net/Library/2011/12/kashmirinternet1-100x100.jpg)
INDIA: Kashmir Clamours for Normalcy
As armed insurgency in India’s northern Jammu and Kashmir ebbs, the elected state government is keen to hasten a return to normalcy by easing draconian security laws and reopening movie theatres and liquor shops, banned by fundamentalist militant groups.