OSH: Authorities in Central Asia’s former Soviet ‘stans’ are taking draconian measures to stamp out militant Islam, but their harsh methods and the absence of democratic politics risk provoking a backlash that could bring even greater instability.

The opening of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet finds Afghanistan veteran Dr John Watson pondering his future. Inevitably, he finds himself in London, “that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drawn”.

David Cameron has launched a war against foreign fraudsters laundering their cash in London, warning their "dodgy cash" is not welcome in the capital. The prime minister highlighted some properties are being acquired by "people overseas through anonymous shell companies, some with plundered or laundered cash". He added he does not want the UK to "become a safe haven for corrupt money from around the world".

DAVID Cameron will today announce tough new measures to stop foreign crooks using London's high-end property market to launder dirty money. The Prime Minister will commit to unmask the shady web of overseas companies used by dubious characters to mask their identities when concluding multi-million pound property deals in Britain.

Prime minister will use a speech in Singapore to hit out against corrupt foreigners who launder money by buying up British homes through holding companies. David Cameron will promise to act against corrupt foreigners who buy up luxury properties in the UK using secretive holding companies to hide their “dirty money”.

An investigation by money-trail watchdog Global Witness has concluded that Rakhat Aliyev and his son Nurali are closely linked to shady real estate deals in London. According to the report Mystery on Baker Street, out on July 22, the deals involved properties worth £147 million ($229 million).