(July 23, 2004) Eighteen months after sweeping to power on a wave of optimism and pledges of reform, the Kenyan government is lurching towards a deepening crisis amid allegations of high-level corruption and donor threats to hold back aid.
Other News Sources
SNC barred from bidding
(June 22, 2004) In a case kept quiet until now, Canada’s biggest engineering firm, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., has emerged as the first major Western firm known to have been punished for fraud by one of the giant international agencies that finance development in poor countries.
‘Project’ing corruption in multilateral banks
(June 22, 2004) When ministers in India declare themselves stoutly in favour of economic reform, the sub-text is their enthusiasm for hefty loans from multilateral development banks – conditionalities and all – which come in handy in greasing their political machines.
France urges maximum 50 percent Iraq debt cancellation
(June 22, 2004) France does not want more than half of Iraq’s debts written off, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday, confirming Paris’ resistance to U.S. pressure to scrap almost all of $120 billion owed by the oil-rich state.
Oil giants get UN oil-for-food subpoenas
(June 18, 2004) Exxon Mobil Corp. and ChevronTexaco have received subpoenas from a federal prosecutor regarding the U.N.-run oil-for-food program in Iraq, the two largest U.S. oil companies said on Friday.
Venerable Acres International bought by larger Ontario rival
(June 18, 2004) Caught in an African bribery case and facing possible blacklisting by the World Bank, one of the great names in Canadian engineering, Acres International Ltd., has quietly accepted a takeover by a larger Ontario firm.
OIC backs Iraq’s new government
(June 17, 2004) OIC countries appealed all states to contribute to the alleviation of the financial burden on Iraq by writing off Iraqi debts as an expression of their support and as a contribution to the reconstruction of the country.
Independent oil-for-food probe will separate allegation from fact, Annan says
(June 17, 2004) Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged critics to allow a panel investigating allegations of corruption within the UN Oil-for-Food programme for Iraq to reach its conclusions before pronouncing judgement.
Landslides cause havoc in Three Gorges area as heavy rain forecast
(June 16, 2004) Dozens of landslides in the Three Gorges reservoir area have claimed the life of a train driver, destroyed hundreds of houses and forced more than 40,000 people to flee their homes, the Chongqing Evening News reports.
Publish What You Pay NGO coalition statement – G8 Summit, Sea Island
(June 16, 2004) Serious concerns remain about the effectiveness of the G8 member states’ voluntary approach to transparency, and the lack of proper and meaningful follow-up efforts to fulfil commitments made in Evian.
17 officials implicated in scandal
(June 16, 2004) Seventeen officials, seven private firms and the late politician Yingphan Manasikarn were involved in irregularities in the Klong Dan wastewater reatment plant project, according to the findings of a police investigation.
Iraqi Fire Sale: CPA rushes to give away billions in Iraqi oil revenues
(June 16, 2004) With international attention focused on the impending transfer of power in Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority is committing billions of dollars to ill-conceived projects just before it dissolves, according to a new briefing.
Former CSIS chief probes oil-for-food program
(June 16, 2004) The former head of Canada’s spy agency will conduct an investigation into allegations of corruption and fraud surrounding the United Nations’ oil-for-food program in Iraq.
Honesty doesn’t pay at UN, staff say in survey
(June 16, 2004) Whistleblowers find themselves passed over for promotions.
Iraq must have a leadership Iraqis can respect
(June 15, 2004) The unanimous passage of a new United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq last week, together with the appointment of an interim Iraqi government on June 1, provides some long overdue clarity about what will happen on June 30.
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