(February 12, 2007) British Prime Minister Tony Blair released a much anticipated Commission for Africa report which called on the developed world to help Africa curb corruption by cleaning up its own act (The Guardian). The report signalled a new and hopeful direction for the Blair administration’s advance on the scourge of global graft. Blair talked about changing U.K. banking laws to speed up the return of public funds pocketed by corrupt African leaders. His government also issued new anti-corruption rules aimed at cracking down on kickbacks paid by U.K. exporters to win contracts overseas; href=”http://www.ft.com”Financial Times”
China fails to meet environmental goals
(February 12, 2007) China’s environmental watchdog admitted Monday the country had failed to reach any of its pollution control goals for 2006 and had fallen further behind as the economy picked up speed.
China boosts energy efficiency, misses goal: source
(February 12, 2007) China’s campaign to cut the amount of oil and power its galloping economy needs to keep growing notched up a modest success last year, with "energy intensity" falling sharply in the second half.
Audit finds widespread irregularities
(February 12, 2007) Government auditors have discovered 280 billion yuan (US$36 billion) in accounting "irregularities" in companies and government departments across the country. The problems were found after checking the books of more than 137,000 organizations last year, the National Audit Office said on its Website yesterday, quoting a speech by chief Li Jinhua.
Indian scandal has Canadian roots
(February 12, 2007) Indian police have been tasked with getting to the bottom of a “promise” by Quebec-based engineering conglomerate, SNC Lavalin, to provide Canadian aid to Kerala in exchange for it getting a multi-million dollar hydro-electric project.
Rich nations prodded on ‘illegitimate’ lending
(February 12, 2007) Industrialised countries that knowingly lent billions of dollars in "irresponsible" debts to corrupt and dictatorial regimes in poor nations should cancel the debts and reconsider their harmful policies, a new study says.
Largest network for monitoring sinking land OK’d
(February 10, 2007) China’s largest network for monitoring land subsidence, or land sinking, has passed appraisal tests, the China Geological Survey, a bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources, said yesterday.
Hiding Africa’s Looted Funds: Silence of Western Media
(February 9, 2007) Quite often when you read newspapers, listen to radio and watch television in the West you learn how poor Africans are and how corrupt African leaders are. But you will never watch, read or hear anything in these media outlets about the role being played by Western banking institutions; property development and estate companies; the big corporations; and the western political and business elite in promoting corruption in Africa.
Report: Skeletons in the Cupboard: Illegitimate Debt Claims of the G7
(February 9, 2007) If the Group of Seven (G7) nations are serious about cleaning up corruption and promoting good governance and transparency, they should look to the past. A damning new NGO report presenting case studies of past loans made by the Group of Seven nations (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S.), reveals that some loans are not legitimate and that the lenders are at fault.
Salween Dams Global Day of Action
(February 9, 2007) On February 28, 2007 join activists from around the world.
Biofuel craze is water madness
(February 9, 2007) If water were a globally traded commodity, with unmet demand in China and India reflected in its price, the world might shed its newfound craze for biofuels.
A Law-and-Economics Analysis of Odious Debts
(February 7, 2007) Much of the debate surrounding odious debts begs the question of whether the ‘odiousness’ of a debt can serve as a qualification for the rule of state succession. The legal and economics rationales of the rule date back to the classical writings on the subject and can be derived from state practice.
A Law-and-Economics Analysis of Odious Debts
(February 7, 2007) Much of the debate surrounding odious debts begs the question of whether the ‘odiousness’ of a debt can serve as a qualification for the rule of state succession. The legal and economics rationales of the rule date back to the classical writings on the subject and can be derived from state practice.
Bank’s graft crusade exaggerated, critics say
(February 7, 2007) Watchdog groups cite conflicts of interest in the Bank’s core mission, and the Washington-based lender’s keenness to brush up its image.
Legal scholars to hold another public debate on odious debt
(February 7, 2007) In an unprecedented run of public debate on the issue of odious debts, North Carolina will again serve as the setting for a second conference on odious debt.
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