:00:00. > :00:00.This is BBC World News Today with me, Tim Willcox.
:00:00. > :00:08.The headlines - more fallout from the Panama Papers.
:00:09. > :00:11.President Putin dismisses them as western propaganda as his close
:00:12. > :00:17.associates are linked to offshore accounts.
:00:18. > :00:19.In Argentina, President Macri is now under criminal
:00:20. > :00:24.investigation after revelations from the leaked documents.
:00:25. > :00:27.Brussels police release new security footage of the man in the hat -
:00:28. > :00:31.the surviving prime suspect in last month's terrorist bombings.
:00:32. > :00:33.Also coming up - French prostitutes criticise a new law making it
:00:34. > :00:40.But its backers say it will help tackle trafficking.
:00:41. > :00:42.Finding the Bard in unexpected places.
:00:43. > :00:44.Why the discovery of a new First Folio in Scotland has
:00:45. > :01:08.With the Panama papers continuing to cause global embarrassment
:01:09. > :01:14.for many of the world's richest - and political death
:01:15. > :01:16.for some like the former Prime Minister of Iceland -
:01:17. > :01:19.focus has now shifted to Argentina, where a federal prosecutor has
:01:20. > :01:22.opened an investigation into this man - President Mauricio Macri.
:01:23. > :01:25.According to local media, Mr Macri is listed as the director
:01:26. > :01:29.of an offshore company in the Bahamas.
:01:30. > :01:32.He denies it, saying he has no shares in the company.
:01:33. > :01:34.Well, another leader distancing himself from allegations
:01:35. > :01:37.is the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
:01:38. > :01:40.He has denied any element of corruption over the leaks,
:01:41. > :01:42.dismissing it as Western propaganda, accusing his opponents of trying
:01:43. > :01:50.It's the first time Putin has spoken since it was revealed close
:01:51. > :02:05.associates of his owned a number of offshore accounts.
:02:06. > :02:12.Do you know what a product of the news means? They tackled the
:02:13. > :02:18.offshore accounts and your humble servant was not clear. There is no
:02:19. > :02:22.topic to discuss. They made a product for the news. They found
:02:23. > :02:27.some of my acquaintances and friends, dug into something and put
:02:28. > :02:31.it together. I saw those pictures and many unspecified people in the
:02:32. > :02:37.background. The photo of myself is placed in the foreground. The idea
:02:38. > :02:41.has been developed that the president of Russia has a friend who
:02:42. > :02:45.did something with possibly an element of corruption but which
:02:46. > :02:51.element? Beard is none. The fact that the establishment, for example
:02:52. > :02:55.the USA, are behind the story, was already shown by Wikileaks.
:02:56. > :02:57.The practice of off-shore banking has been thrust into the spotlight
:02:58. > :03:01.Tax authorities in Germany, Spain, Britain and France have all said
:03:02. > :03:05.But what about Panama, the country where this all started.
:03:06. > :03:07.With me to discuss what is being done there is Daniel Fabrega,
:03:08. > :03:12.Ambassador of Panama to the United Kingdom.
:03:13. > :03:21.Thank you for joining us. You have announced an independent commission,
:03:22. > :03:27.too little, too late? First of all, thank you for having me. I would
:03:28. > :03:31.like to start by saying it is unfortunate that the title of the
:03:32. > :03:39.news is Panama News because it is not only about Panama but 21
:03:40. > :03:42.jurisdiction is. Panama has made significant advancements in
:03:43. > :03:46.transparency and tackling corruption. Is that correct, because
:03:47. > :03:53.when you look at the actual banking laws, these have been entrenched in
:03:54. > :03:57.recent legislation in terms of secrecy and confidentiality? It is
:03:58. > :04:00.not as if Panama has gone out of its way for transparency but laws have
:04:01. > :04:07.been changed to create even more secrecy. We have actually, first of
:04:08. > :04:09.all on this issue in particular, the Attorney General started a formal
:04:10. > :04:14.investigation and the president stated twice this week, first that
:04:15. > :04:18.he is hoping for the international community to do any investigation on
:04:19. > :04:22.Panama, and also for the international community to work
:04:23. > :04:30.together, and second, in the state of the rain address, he appointed a
:04:31. > :04:38.special committee of legal and financial world experts who will
:04:39. > :04:44.help evaluate this crisis. So it is a crisis? Any reform that needs to
:04:45. > :04:50.be done will be shared with the international community. It is a
:04:51. > :04:52.crisis not for Panama but the entire world, and President Obama stated
:04:53. > :04:56.clearly this week it is not unless issue about Panama but about the
:04:57. > :05:01.world. Countries need to lead by example. But Panama doesn't have any
:05:02. > :05:10.tax treaties with other countries so that stiffens the treaties? We
:05:11. > :05:15.actually have nearly 30 double taxation agreements with countries
:05:16. > :05:21.such as the UK and France and we believe in transparency. We have
:05:22. > :05:27.done an unprecedented set of reforms. But there is only one court
:05:28. > :05:31.order as I understand that the first the Panamanian main court to
:05:32. > :05:36.actually look into and breakdown this, and that is associated with
:05:37. > :05:39.terrorism but nothing else. It is directly they waited to this
:05:40. > :05:46.particular law firm which has the allegation at hand. But any law firm
:05:47. > :05:51.or any irregularity in the legal or financial system will not be
:05:52. > :05:53.tolerated by this particular administration, and we have been
:05:54. > :05:58.clear what the international community. And yet, Panama is one of
:05:59. > :06:06.just a handful of countries that didn't sign up to the full CCD
:06:07. > :06:10.commitment to transparency, why not? We believe in exchange of
:06:11. > :06:15.information and that goes on hand with double taxation agreements that
:06:16. > :06:20.we have with members of the OECD. But why didn't you sign up to that?
:06:21. > :06:30.Every other country it seems has and the others are countries like
:06:31. > :06:35.Vanuatu and Bahrain. First, we are sovereign country, we believe in
:06:36. > :06:41.competitiveness, and also the US has not signed up to the reporting
:06:42. > :06:46.standards. Isn't the problem that Panama has made a lot of money and
:06:47. > :06:54.this is very important to the GDP of your country, and to lose that would
:06:55. > :06:59.cause a severe dent in the economy. I think Panama has made major
:07:00. > :07:05.advancements. We were recently added to the list of the service industry
:07:06. > :07:10.representing a large part of our economy like it does in the UK. The
:07:11. > :07:12.legal and financial sector is very important, but in these
:07:13. > :07:21.investigations for allegations that have arisen this week, none of the
:07:22. > :07:26.money that was used in this company was challenged by the financial
:07:27. > :07:30.system. Panama is actually a role model in terms of its economy. It
:07:31. > :07:35.has the fastest-growing economy Latin America and we have been able
:07:36. > :07:41.to build the hub of the Americas, and actually we are country of
:07:42. > :07:44.honest, hard-working folks, and we are in June inaugurating the
:07:45. > :07:51.expansion of the canal which represents nearly 6% of the world
:07:52. > :07:55.economy. And yet the OECD said recently that people who want to
:07:56. > :08:00.hide their money offshore, Panama is still the place people believe they
:08:01. > :08:04.can do that without found? That is not true because Panama is a
:08:05. > :08:07.responsible citizen of the world and they will demonstrate to the entire
:08:08. > :08:13.world that we can handle this issue in a very responsible manner. But
:08:14. > :08:18.there are no limits on the funds involved. If some dictator comes to
:08:19. > :08:23.you with billions of dollars, it appears no questions asked. The
:08:24. > :08:28.issue at hand is not about Panamanian corporation. The 21
:08:29. > :08:35.jurisdiction is under financial system was not used to follow this
:08:36. > :08:38.money. It is not a thing about Panama but about the international
:08:39. > :08:41.community and it is an indicator that Panama together with the
:08:42. > :08:50.international community needs to work together in order to avoid this
:08:51. > :08:56.happening again. And the Chinese, any concerns about that coming
:08:57. > :08:58.through Panama as well? We are open and working closely with the
:08:59. > :09:08.international community and have made major advancements since the
:09:09. > :09:14.previous administration in order to raise any irregular activity or
:09:15. > :09:16.money laundering and financial terrorism activities, and this has
:09:17. > :09:24.been done in an unprecedented manner. So we'll Panama sign up to
:09:25. > :09:33.the OECD rules? If there's a legacy we want to leave, it is but back yes
:09:34. > :09:37.or no? Will you sign up or not? Right now we're looking at that and
:09:38. > :09:40.are having a diplomatic approach and we are sovereign country and we
:09:41. > :09:48.believe in automatic exchange and we will not today comply with CRS
:09:49. > :09:53.standards. The US has not done the same. The vast majority of the
:09:54. > :09:57.jurisdiction is being investigated are not from Panama. Is it
:09:58. > :10:05.complicated also by the fact the president of Panama is close friends
:10:06. > :10:11.and said in a TV interview he was a friend of Fonseca. It does not
:10:12. > :10:15.complicate things at all. We are transparent country, the judicial
:10:16. > :10:22.system is very different from the executive and legislative branch and
:10:23. > :10:26.Mr Fonseca is a part of the same political party as the president
:10:27. > :10:31.which has the hundred 50,000 members and was a miniature adviser until a
:10:32. > :10:36.couple of weeks ago and he presented his resignation which was accepted
:10:37. > :10:39.by the president and the president has put full force into this
:10:40. > :10:47.investigation which was handled by the Attorney General. But of the
:10:48. > :10:52.214,000 offshore companies that are registered, 48,000 are registered on
:10:53. > :10:57.Panama. Does that not suggest Panama is a very keen player in this world?
:10:58. > :11:01.You have to take into account that these leaks that took place were
:11:02. > :11:06.almost half a century ago. The world has changed tremendously. Not all
:11:07. > :11:13.have a century ago, some go back just a few years? Most of the leaks,
:11:14. > :11:19.the companies that have been leaked in this investigation, are almost
:11:20. > :11:24.half a century at all. The vast majority again are not from Panama.
:11:25. > :11:31.The world, the entire world together with Panama is trying to avoid this
:11:32. > :11:37.happening, and we have been clear about this and have made significant
:11:38. > :11:41.process. Just a couple of things. Mr Fonseca is the fourth-largest firm
:11:42. > :11:48.doing this sort of work, what else is there to, there are leaks from
:11:49. > :11:51.the other three? Again, we will not tolerate any kind of corruption. The
:11:52. > :11:55.Attorney General has started this investigation and I am here on the
:11:56. > :12:00.half of the government of Panama. Are you angry about the way this is
:12:01. > :12:05.being portrayed? Of course, because the image of Panama is being painted
:12:06. > :12:09.and we are country that believes in diplomacy and that is the way to
:12:10. > :12:12.handle this. This is not an issue about Panama, it is an issue about
:12:13. > :12:18.the international community together and it is a call for everyone to
:12:19. > :12:23.work together for the same cause. Thank you very much indeed. If you
:12:24. > :12:25.could just a funny moment we will carry on with some other news.
:12:26. > :12:27.Iceland's new cabinet has formally assumed power in Reykjavik.
:12:28. > :12:30.The new Prime Minister, Sigurour Ingi Johannsson -
:12:31. > :12:32.a former minister for agriculture - is set to take Iceland
:12:33. > :12:37.His predecessor stepped down after being linked
:12:38. > :12:39.to offshore accounts in the Panama papers scandal.
:12:40. > :12:41.Public protests were led by the libertarian Pirate Party,
:12:42. > :12:43.which is calling for an immediate election to capitalise
:12:44. > :12:56.Prosecutors in Belgium have made a fresh appeal for help in the hunt
:12:57. > :12:59.for the man in the hat -the prime suspect seen on CCTV
:13:00. > :13:01.footage in the Brussels airport attack last month.
:13:02. > :13:04.He's seen alongside the two suicide bombers and then, after the blasts,
:13:05. > :13:11.running among people trying to escape from the scene.
:13:12. > :13:13.Newly-released video and still images show him walking
:13:14. > :13:15.into central Brussels, talking on the phone.
:13:16. > :13:17.Residents are being urged to come forward with any more
:13:18. > :13:20.pictures they may have which would help identify him,
:13:21. > :13:26.as James Reynolds reports from Brussels.
:13:27. > :13:28.These are the moments after the airport explosions.
:13:29. > :13:30.Amid the confusion, the only surviving attacker got away.
:13:31. > :13:39.The police have now put together this video of his escape,
:13:40. > :13:41.a security camera picks him up on the outskirts
:13:42. > :13:50.He is wearing a distinctive hat and pale jacket.
:13:51. > :13:53.At this point, no-one has any reason to notice him, but he
:13:54. > :13:59.The authorities are desperate to find more footage
:14:00. > :14:07.We especially appeal to people who may have filmed are taken
:14:08. > :14:14.a photograph of the suspect if they can provide
:14:15. > :14:21.An hour after the explosions, a security camera films they suspect
:14:22. > :14:26.Later in town he crosses a busy road.
:14:27. > :14:29.At 9:49 a.m., almost two hours after the bombs went off,
:14:30. > :14:36.he is seen again, possibly talking on the phone.
:14:37. > :14:38.The cameras lost the third man at about this point
:14:39. > :14:42.This is a quiet neighbourhood near the centre of town.
:14:43. > :14:46.He could have gone anywhere from here.
:14:47. > :14:50.This is the best shot the police have of their suspect's face.
:14:51. > :14:59.But they still don't know his name nor where he may be hiding.
:15:00. > :15:03.The French parliament has voted to make it illegal to pay for sex.
:15:04. > :15:06.People caught buying the services of a sex worker could be fined up
:15:07. > :15:12.Supporters of the new law say it will offer protection to sex workers
:15:13. > :15:16.But many women who work in the industry say it will drive
:15:17. > :15:24.Taina Bien-Aime Executive Director of the international NGO
:15:25. > :15:26.Coalition Against Trafficking in Women based in New York,
:15:27. > :15:41.The organisation advocates for the same type of law that has been
:15:42. > :15:47.introduced in France and yet it seems a lot of French sex workers
:15:48. > :15:53.don't want it? Thank you for having me on, and the question is, who are
:15:54. > :15:59.these self identified sex workers? Not a term that we use. What the
:16:00. > :16:03.French government did yesterday was following in the footsteps of
:16:04. > :16:09.Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada to some extent and Northern Ireland and
:16:10. > :16:16.the number of other jurisdictions that recognise the systems of
:16:17. > :16:20.prostitution as a system of violence and degradation and discrimination
:16:21. > :16:24.against women and girls. And yet I have been speaking to a member of
:16:25. > :16:29.the Norwegian groups that represent prostitutes and they say they are
:16:30. > :16:35.against it as it derives it underground and makes men more
:16:36. > :16:39.reluctant to show the appearance because they face a bigger risk of
:16:40. > :16:43.being caught out and find, and it leads to more violence because the
:16:44. > :16:47.men obscure their identities. They are there's absolutely no evidence
:16:48. > :16:54.of that and prostitution itself is stigmatising. It is itself violence.
:16:55. > :16:59.We are looking at a transaction where one individual has the power
:17:00. > :17:05.and the money. This transaction happens in a private space, Web of
:17:06. > :17:10.the back of a car or a hotel. There is nothing that guarantees safety
:17:11. > :17:15.and prostitution. What the law does and what France is doing is looking
:17:16. > :17:19.at the systems of exploitation, the systems of trafficking. There is a
:17:20. > :17:25.link between the sex trade and trafficking and it is a simple
:17:26. > :17:29.economics issue. Every country that has legalised or decriminalise
:17:30. > :17:32.prostitution, Germany and the Netherlands, has seen an exponential
:17:33. > :17:39.increase in sex trafficking. Countries like Sweden, in the last
:17:40. > :17:42.16 years, during which the law has been in action, there has not been
:17:43. > :17:53.one more Dorothy prostituted woman by a client. In Germany, you have
:17:54. > :17:57.organisations counting women's bodies, women who are being
:17:58. > :18:02.murdered, mutilated and tortured by purchasers of sex. Other people
:18:03. > :18:07.would claim that the New Zealand model is perhaps the best one which
:18:08. > :18:12.is the legalising of all things to do with prostitution, just bringing
:18:13. > :18:17.it out into the open? Prostitution is never brought out into the open.
:18:18. > :18:22.It is a system of oppression and the exchange of money is not consent to
:18:23. > :18:28.sexual harassment, to sexual violence, to denigration. The system
:18:29. > :18:30.in New Zealand is called the criminalisation which is the worst
:18:31. > :18:39.form of legalisation because basically there are no restrictions.
:18:40. > :18:45.Everything in the sex trade has a green light to exploit women, the
:18:46. > :18:50.most marginalised women in New Zealand are in prostitution, and if
:18:51. > :18:53.you look at brothels in Europe, up to 80, 90% of women in brothels come
:18:54. > :18:59.from the poorest countries of Eastern Europe and the global South
:19:00. > :19:04.and Asia. You are looking at a multibillion-dollar sex trade that
:19:05. > :19:08.preys on the most vulnerable individuals on the planet and what
:19:09. > :19:14.the government of France has done is really coached this in the framework
:19:15. > :19:17.of human rights and dignity which is a fundamental principle of the
:19:18. > :19:24.universal declaration of human rights, and in the framework of
:19:25. > :19:28.democracy and equality. I think that is the self identified sex workers
:19:29. > :19:34.very often either have an interest in the sex trade or our supporters
:19:35. > :19:42.of the sex trade and the represent 2-3% maximum of the prostituted
:19:43. > :19:45.population. We inform our work on international law and more
:19:46. > :19:48.specifically on survivors of the sex trade to informing us about the
:19:49. > :19:53.violence of the sex trade and the violence they have suffered. Sorry
:19:54. > :20:02.to cut you short but I am afraid we're out of time.
:20:03. > :20:14.It is being reported that militants in Syria abducted people this week
:20:15. > :20:17.just west of Damascus. The factory says as many as 250 workers are
:20:18. > :20:22.still missing. Let's get the latest. Let's take you live to the BBC's
:20:23. > :20:33.Lina Sinjab who is following They are saying officially know that
:20:34. > :20:42.at least 300 workers and contractors have been abducted by an Islamic
:20:43. > :20:44.state militants. The Observer for human rights said contact was lost
:20:45. > :20:56.with the dozens of workers this Monday after IS attacked the area.
:20:57. > :21:04.There had been heavy fighting. They had managed to escape but still were
:21:05. > :21:07.not able to confirm from a second source and they are waiting for more
:21:08. > :21:18.confirmation from the Syrian government. In another breaking
:21:19. > :21:24.story. In northern Syria, rebel fighters have managed to push IS out
:21:25. > :21:31.of a strategic town, a town in Northern Aleppo. It is a crossing
:21:32. > :21:37.between Syria and tacky and this is a very big piece of news in pushing
:21:38. > :21:39.IS forces out while the Syrian government is still continuing to
:21:40. > :21:43.battle IS in the South. Now a look at some of
:21:44. > :21:45.the day's other news. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
:21:46. > :21:47.has insisted his country will continue its movement
:21:48. > :21:52.towards the EU despite a rejection of the partnership deal
:21:53. > :21:58.by the Dutch voters. Voters in the Netherlands rejected
:21:59. > :22:01.the EU partnership deal to remove Prime Minister Mark Rutte said
:22:02. > :22:04.the government may have to reconsider the deal,
:22:05. > :22:07.although the vote is not binding. Here in the UK, two teenage girls
:22:08. > :22:10.have been been given life sentences with minimum terms of 15 years
:22:11. > :22:13.for the torture and murder The girls, then aged 13 and 14,
:22:14. > :22:19.used weapons including a shovel, a TV and computer printer to inflict
:22:20. > :22:23.more than 100 injuries on Angela They were found guilty of murder
:22:24. > :22:30.following an eight week trial. Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie has
:22:31. > :22:33.lost her legal bid for ownership of the former president's rural
:22:34. > :22:36.home in South Africa. A High Court dismissed
:22:37. > :22:37.Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's application and ordered her to pay
:22:38. > :22:43.all legal costs. She argued that the house
:22:44. > :22:45.in Qunu village belonged One of the world's rarest and most
:22:46. > :22:57.sought after books has been discovered in a private library
:22:58. > :23:00.on the Scottish island of Bute. The First Folio of William
:23:01. > :23:02.Shakespeare, published in 1623, contains copies of some
:23:03. > :23:04.of his most famous plays. When shall we three meet again,
:23:05. > :23:11.in thunder, lightning or in rain? When the hury-burly's done,
:23:12. > :23:14.when the battle's lost and won. Verses from Macbeth,
:23:15. > :23:20.one of the many plays that would have been lost
:23:21. > :23:25.but for the first collection A rare copy of the first Folio
:23:26. > :23:31.came to light. Rebound in three volumes in 1932,
:23:32. > :23:39.it is one of the most valuable books in the world and has remained
:23:40. > :23:42.here undiscovered for more They are in our climate controlled
:23:43. > :23:51.stores which is where we keep most But obviously we had no way
:23:52. > :23:57.of knowing at that point Dost thou forget from
:23:58. > :24:03.what a torment I did free thee? The Tempest, another play that
:24:04. > :24:06.would have been lost, performed recently at
:24:07. > :24:09.the Globe Theatre in London. As part of the national
:24:10. > :24:12.commemorations to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death,
:24:13. > :24:14.the Globe Theatre is producing ten minute versions of every
:24:15. > :24:20.one of his 37 plays, but it is probable that had it not
:24:21. > :24:23.been for the first Folio in 1623, Shakespeare would have remained
:24:24. > :24:26.so unknown we would not even be It is often errors that
:24:27. > :24:36.are important marks of authenticity. Professor Emma Smith identified
:24:37. > :24:38.the Bute copy by identifying She says it was the act of gathering
:24:39. > :24:46.Shakespeare's work in one volume Folio means the size of a book,
:24:47. > :24:52.a big book, and it is the size of book that we associate
:24:53. > :24:55.more with Bibles, really important significant works
:24:56. > :24:58.you will not throw away. If you publish plays in a format
:24:59. > :25:01.like this you are saying it is going to last,
:25:02. > :25:05.these are worth keeping. Another edition of the first Folio
:25:06. > :25:08.sold recently for ?5 million. Its cultural value is
:25:09. > :25:28.impossible to calculate. We have just been speaking to the
:25:29. > :25:34.Panamanian ambassador of the UK and he says Panama is being unfairly
:25:35. > :25:39.maligned for the so-called Panama papers Revelations. He said it was a
:25:40. > :25:44.global problem and Panama is transparent and will co-operate with
:25:45. > :25:47.other authorities to remove the stigma of offshore banking and
:25:48. > :25:50.people moving billions of dollars around the world without any
:25:51. > :26:00.transparency. That is our main story. See you soon.