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The secret deals and hidden assets of some of the richest and most powerful people in the world have been revealed in history’s largest leaked offshore data hoard.

Known as the Pandora Documents, the cache includes 11.9 million records of companies hired by wealthy clients to create offshore structures and trusts in tax havens such as Panama, Dubai, Monaco, Switzerland and the Islands. Cayman.

They expose the secret offshore affairs of 35 world leaders, including current and former presidents, prime ministers and heads of state. They also shed light on the secret finances of more than 300 other public officials such as ministers, judges, mayors and military generals in more than 90 countries.

• Royal connection. Records show that the ruling Aliyev family in Azerbaijan have traded nearly £ 400million in goods to the UK in recent years. One of their properties has been sold to the Crown Estate of Queen Elizabeth II, which is now examining how it was possible to pay £ 67million to a business that served as a front for the family who run a country regularly accused of corruption. The Aliyevs declined to comment.

• Russian kleptocracy. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the United States suspects of having a secret fortune, does not appear by name in the files. But many relatives do, including his childhood best friend – the late Petr Kolbin – whom critics have called a “wallet” for Putin’s wealth, and a woman the Russian leader is said to have been romantically involved with. None responded to invitations to comment.

• At least $ 11 billion held overseas. “It’s money that is wasted … [which] could be used to recover from Covid, ”said Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

United States sees drop in Covid cases, hospitalizations

A dramatic drop in Covid hospitalizations and a 29% drop in confirmed cases has been hailed as a sign that the Delta wave has peaked in the United States.

The declining trend has been attributed to increased immunity – due to vaccination or natural infection – and due to more risk averse behavior. However, seven states reported an increase of at least 14% in cases during the same period.

In the United States, the vaccination rate has slowed due to a mix of political and religious opposition, fears for safety and concerns from communities of color who are wary of previous racist treatment by healthcare facilities. The proportion of the population fully vaccinated is 56%.

• Is the worst over? “Will the next outbreaks be as big as this one?” It’s not likely, but it is possible, ”said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

• When will life get back to normal? “It’s not really fully justifiable by science. It is also a question of people’s comfort, ”said an epidemiologist. “It’s one of the challenges for me to sort through all this data. “

California oil spill taints beaches, kills wildlife

At least 126,000 gallons (572,807 liters) of oil spill, one of the largest in Southern California’s nefarious marine life history, tainted popular beaches and killed animals wild off Orange County.

The oil sparked miles wide in the ocean and washed up on the shore in sticky black blood cells with dead birds and fish – causing a four mile beach shutdown as heavy oil fumes were carried by the sea breeze.

Authorities have canceled the last day of the annual Pacific Air Show which typically draws thousands of spectators to Huntington Beach. The oil slick came from a broken pipeline connected to an offshore oil rig known as Elly, according to an official.

• Last massive spill. In 1990, an oil tanker spilled 417,000 gallons of crude, killing fish and 3,400 birds. In 2015, a pipeline rupture sent 143,000 gallons of crude gushing out.

• Incredulity. “There’s tar everywhere,” said Ben Smith, an environmental consultant for Orange County. “You think now we would have figured out how to stop this kind of thing from happening, but I guess not. “

Sanders urges progressives to stand firm in battle over Biden agenda

Sanders spoke to reporters Thursday as infrastructure negotiations continue in Washington DC.” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e7ee8fa1ba87dc066634b3f36a306485196bf794/0_183_5047_3029/master/5047.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=16a5cfc10333d79ed1574cff6f274783″ height=”3029″ width=”5047″ loading=”lazy” class=”dcr-1989ovb”/>

Senator Bernie Sanders said the outcome of the next few weeks will be crucial not only for the future of working American families, but also for the country’s political future, amid uncertainty over whether two plans to Massive laws are at the heart of Joe Biden’s economic and social policy agenda. would pass.

But the left-wing leader remains optimistic about his camp’s chances of winning, with two flanks of the Democratic Party at loggerheads. “We have the American people very strongly on our side, we have the President of the United States on our side, we have 96% of the Democratic House caucus on our side, and we have all but two senators on our side. We’re going to win this thing, ”he told ABC News.

Biden’s two key pieces of legislation – the $ 1 billion infrastructure bill and the $ 3.5 billion social and environmental plan – are at stake amid the skepticism of a handful of Democratic centrists.

• “It’s a test of whether American democracy can work.” With a new deadline for passing the laws looming, Sanders added: “I hope and expect the Democratic Party and the President – I know he will – stand firm. . “

In other news …

• Swedish artist Lars Vilks died in a car accident, after living under police protection since his 2007 sketch caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad, has received death threats.

• Six passengers and a crew of two died after a private plane crashed by one of Romania’s richest men on the side of an empty office building in Milan, with the causes of the disaster under investigation.

• the model Emily ratajkowski accuses the singer Robin thicke for having sexually assaulted her – grope her topless from behind – on a music video for the controversial 2013 hit Blurred Lines. Representatives for Thicke did not respond to a request for comment.

• Clemency requests on behalf of the convicted murderer Ernest Lee Johnson are increasingly as two members of the US Congress said his execution would perpetuate cycles of trauma, with Pope Francis also calling for mercy.

Statistics of the day: Teacher vacancies increase by up to 67% in some states

Joe Biden, alongside teacher Michelle Taylor, speaks to students in a grade 6 science class at Brookland College in Washington DC last month.” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e1b1cc066ed24e4903c08cf767acebacf3da1f18/0_0_4295_2578/master/4295.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0f186fb7806beb1557bb8200ca78d968″ height=”2578″ width=”4295″ loading=”lazy” class=”dcr-1989ovb”/>

Teachers in the United States are resigning or retiring prematurely due to frustrations over Covid. In Florida, teacher vacancies increased by more than 67% from August 2020, with an increase of 38.7% from August 2019. Elsewhere, Michigan public schools recorded a 44% increase teacher retirements in the middle of the school year compared to 2019-20 school year. In Fort Worth, Texas, the school district had 314 vacant teaching positions at the start of this school year, up from 71 in 2019.

Don’t Miss This: How Covid Changed The Way We See Our Faces

A Massachusetts dermatologist who coined the term “Zoom Dysmorphia” amid an increase in remote meetings during the pandemic said that even with many returning to work, referrals for cosmetic procedures are not slowing down. After reopening his clinic for in-person appointments last summer, Shadi Kourosh noticed a huge increase in demand for cosmetic procedures such as Botox, injectable fillers, laser resurfacing and chemical peels.

Last thing: Alaska will choose a bear more chubby and prepared for hibernation

A seven-year competition held in October to choose the biggest, most gorged, and best-prepared bear for hibernation in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska is due to take place as part of the week of the ‘fat bear. The park’s interpretive and education program manager said the dominant adult males could catch and eat more than 30 fish a day and weigh more than 1,000 pounds in the winter. “When you look at how much weight bears must gain to survive six months of starvation, you can’t help but cheer them on,” she said.

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