You're probably not interested in the latest sexual harrasment accusations in the US. But the James Levine accusations (which I knew about over 30 years ago) have a classic response from the Met on NPR.

And the Met says it first learned of Ashok Pai's allegations in 2016 when police in Illinois contacted the Opera House. And the Met's administration asked Levine about the allegations, and he denied them. And that was that.

The choice that could save South Africa, or wreck it - The Economist

Under President Jacob Zuma, the state is failing. Contracts are awarded through bribes and connections; ruling-party members murder each other over lucrative government jobs; crooks operate with impunity.

Next week comes a moment that may determine whether South Africa slides further into this mire or starts to recover. At a conference that starts on December 16th the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is due to choose the successor to Mr Zuma as its leader, and thus its candidate for presidency of the country. The front-runners are Mr Zuma's ex-wife and preferred candidate, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa. For South Africa and for the whole African continent, Mr Ramaphosa needs to win.

Mandela weeps

South Africa is no longer in the forefront of the world's consciousness, as it was in the 1990s when it made its miraculously peaceful transition from a racist regime to a modern democracy. But it still matters, and not just to its 57m people. With its superior financial and physical infrastructure, it is Africa's economic hub. Its diplomatic and moral authority shapes southern Africa, for worse as well as better: without its support, Robert Mugabe would have lost power in Zimbabwe long ago. And, at the moment, it is the site of the most visible battle in the world between good and bad government.

Pingback - stormypresent in 2009: 'Bring on the robbers'

Tuesday, 5 December, the EU Council released a raft of documents addressing tax avoidance and evasion within the EU as reforming tax competition worldwide. Offers a legislative formula ("BEPS Package") to assist "developing" governments' compliance with "The Code of Conduct for Business Taxation", which is not legally binding on EU members. Through the press enthusiastic EU constituents threaten sanctions against scofflaws.

"Blacklist": non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes

American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, Korea (Republic of), Macao SAR*, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, St Lucia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tabago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates

"Grey": Existence of harmful tax regimes

Andorra, Armenia, Aruba, Belize, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Curacao, Fiji, Hong Kong SAR*, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Seychelles, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Andorra, Armenia, Aruba, Belize, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Curacao, Fiji, Hong Kong SAR*, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Seychelles, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, Vietnam

"Grey": Anti-BEPS Regimes

Aruba, Cook Islands, Faroe Islands, Greenland, New Caledonia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Fiji, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Jordan, Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Swaziland, Vanuatu

"Grey": Tax regimes that facilitate offshore structures which attract profits without real economic activity

Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Vanuatu

source: ANNEX I - II (abridged), "The EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes" and Council conclusions adopted 12 May 2017, published 5 Dec 2017.
* an acronym of Special Administrative Region (of the People's Republic of China), likewise Hong Kong SAR. Inexplicably Crown Dependencies, Overseas Territories, and Channel Islands are neither distinguished nor excluded, as are 'Hurricane Countries' granted temporary reprieve, among subsets of deficient AND co-operative jurisdictions ("grey" listings] which have committed in some form or another to sign, ratify, and implement either the OECD Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC) or the "network of agreements covering all EU Member States" by CYE 2019, the latest.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.