Newspaper round-up: Tax havens, Battle for Donbas, UAE hackers, civil servants, streaming services, Partygate
G20 countries are being urged by a group of renowned economists to use the crackdown on oligarchs' wealth amid Ukraine sanctions as a spur to tackle tax havens once and for all.
An open letter sent to the 20 finance ministers before they meet on Tuesday called on them to implement a global register to link assets, companies and structures to their owners so they could no longer deprive countries of what they owed. - Guardian
The Russian offensive to seize eastern Ukraine and the "battle for Donbas" has begun, Ukraine's president Volodymr Zelenskiy said.
"Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time," he said in a video address, adding that a "significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive". Presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said: "The second phase of the war has begun." - Guardian
Boris Johnson's mobile phone was analysed by cybercrime investigators after Downing Street was targeted by hacking software, it has been reported.
The Pegasus spyware, which can effectively turn mobile phones into listening devices, is said to have been found on multiple occasions within the heart of government in 2020-21. The Downing Street attack was orchestrated by an organisation linked to the United Arab Emirates, according to the international cybersecurity body that unearthed the infiltration. - The Times
Jacob Rees-Mogg has demanded that cabinet ministers do more to get their civil servants back to the office after the vast majority of Whitehall departments were found still to be operating at less than half of their normal capacity.
The minister for government efficiency has told colleagues to monitor staff attendance fortnightly, warning: "We have significant progress to make." An audit conducted across Whitehall shows that calls by ministers for civil servants to return to the office have gone largely unheeded almost three months after work-from-home guidance was lifted. - The Times
British households have cancelled their streaming subscriptions in record numbers so far this year as families continue to grapple with the rising cost of living.
A little more than 1.5 million video-on-demand accounts were scrapped in the first three months of 2022, according to figures from market research firm Kantar, leaving platforms such as Disney+, Apple TV+ and Now concerned. Netflix and Amazon Prime, on the other hand, were found to be "the last to go when households are forced to prioritise spend". - The Independent
Boris Johnson has been accused of showing "no respect for law and order", as he prepares to face a grilling from MPs in his first parliamentary appearance since being fined by the Metropolitan Police.
As the Commons returns from its Easter recess, the prime minister, who is also marking 1,000 days in No 10, is expected to again offer a "full apology" for breaking the Covid regulations his government designed. In a statement at around 1530 BST on Tuesday, Mr Johnson will "have his say" on the scandal that has destabilised his premiership and "outline his version of events" before taking questions - The Independent