(December 1, 2005) Odious debts are debts incurred by the government of a nation without either popular consent or a legitimate public purpose. While there is some debate within academic circles as to whether the successor government to a regime which incurred odious debts has the right to repudiate repayment, in the real world this is not an option currently granted legitimacy either by global capital markets or the legal systems of creditor states.
Zimbabwe’s ‘elections’
(November 30, 2005) Only about 15 percent of registered voters turned out for Saturday’s parliamentary "elections" in Zimbabwe. The vote was quiet and orderly, with Zimbabweans registering their opposition to their leader, Robert Mugabe, by staying home.
World Bank backs $100m Iraq loan
(November 30, 2005) The World Bank has approved a $100 million loan to Iraq to help reduce overcrowding in the country’s schools.
Risky times for hard news and views
(November 30, 2005) New York City: After this year’s International Press Freedom Awards dinner, a former reporter remarked to me the honorees’ inspiring stories made her "think about getting back into real journalism again," with her accent on "real." "Me, too," I responded spontaneously, feeling unusually humbled by the realities of many of our overseas colleagues.
Zimbabwe turnout hits a record low
(November 29, 2005) Only one in five eligible voters cast a ballot in Saturday’s elections in Zimbabwe, a record low turnout that opposition leaders and political analysts called a sign that the nation has lost faith in the ballot box as a means to battle the harsh rule of President Robert Mugabe.
US labels Zimbabwe Senate election a ‘nonevent’
(November 29, 2005) In a sign of growing U.S. animosity toward Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, a senior U.S. official dismissed as “a nonevent” last weekend’s Senate poll victory by the ruling party in the southern African nation.
Mugabe’s party sweeps Senate poll
(November 28, 2005) President Robert Mugabe’s party in Zimbabwe has won all but seven seats in a controversial new Senate, crushing the challenge posed by a severely weakened opposition party, final results showed on Monday.
Mugabe poll win marred by Zimbabwe voter apathy
(November 28, 2005) President Robert Mugabe tightened his grip on Zimbabwe on Monday with victory in a Senate poll seen by critics as a mere formality, but analysts say low voter turnout showed deepening dissatisfaction with his 25-year rule.
MRD urges Obasanjo to apologise, quit
(November 28, 2005) Northern political elements, who seek to regain power from the South, are turning up the heat on President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged scheme to succeed himself.
Chilean President says Pinochet is politically ‘finished’
(November 27, 2005) Chilean President Ricardo Lagos was quoted Sunday as saying his country’s former dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, "no longer exists" politically.
Pinochet cancels 90th birthday bash
(November 26, 2005) Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet cancelled his 90th birthday celebrations yesterday, citing health concerns after he was charged and arrested for crimes ranging from human rights violations to multimillion-dollar tax fraud.
Quake hits central China, 600 km downstream of Three Gorges
(November 26, 2005) The 5.7-magnitude earthquake, the biggest in the region in half a century, does not appear to have affected the Three Gorges project. It does, however, highlight experts’ concerns about building the world’s biggest dam in a geologically fragile area.
U.S. Congress demands greater transparency from multilateral development banks
(November 25, 2005) Reforms signed into law by Bush.
Indian parliament erupts in chaos over Iraq oil-for-food scandal
(November 25, 2005) BJP wants Sonia and Natwar Singh to resign.
Despotism hinders Africa’s development
(November 25, 2005) Despotism hinders Africa’s development – PAP Corruption and despotism were highlighted during an introspective session of the Pan African Parliament on Friday as key stumbling blocks to the continent’s development. Along with ignorance, these had replaced the evils imposed
on Africa by colonialism and imperialism, United Kingdom High Commissioner to South Africa Paul Boateng told a parliamentary sitting in Midrand.
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