Saudi Arabia becomes 1st Arab country to get FATF membership
Riyadh, June 22: Saudi Arabia has become the first Arab country to be granted full membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following the group''s annual general meeting in the US.
The kingdom''s accession came as the global money laundering watchdog celebrated the 30th anniversary of its first meeting held in Paris in 1989, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Saudi Arabia which had received an invitation from the FATF at the beginning of 2015 to join as an "observer member", was admitted into the organization after the group''s meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Friday.
Saudi Arabia had been a founding member of the MENA arm of the group since November 2004, and its full membership came after it was reported the kingdom had made "tangible progress" and for its efforts in implementing the FATF''s guidelines.
The group is responsible for issuing international standards, policies and best practices to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation.
With the kingdom becoming a FATF member, the number of permanent members in the group is now 39.
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Thackerays, Wadettiwar attend Sharad Pawar's dinner meet in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar hosted a dinner for Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders in Mumbai, his first interaction with them after a spell of illness that had kept him away from public engagements recently.
The dinner meet, held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre on Monday night, was attended by key alliance leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and former state Congress president Nana Patole.
Sources said discussions touched on the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections, with the terms of nine members — including Uddhav Thackeray — set to expire in May.
Earlier this month, MVA nominee Pawar and six candidates of the ruling Mahayuti alliance were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra.
Last month, the 85-year-old former Union minister was admitted to a hospital in Pune twice following a chest infection and complaints of dehydration.
