(March 15, 2005) Thailand has a number of energy options which negate the need for importing hydroelectricity from Laos.
Pinochet evades 17 million dollars in taxes
(March 15, 2005) Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet failed to pay more than 17 million dollars in back taxes to the Chilean Internal Revenue Service (IRS) since 1980, judicial sources revealed Tuesday.
Nam Theun 2 Dam, Lao PDR
(March 15, 2005) Lao power may not be the best buy.
Thai citizens urge World Bank to stop supporting Nam Theun 2 dam
(March 14, 2005) “The World Bank has never shown us any real commitment to take project impacts seriously and get involved in problem solving afterwards, at the very least, to provide all parties with important lessons to avoid the same mistakes elsewhere.”
Letter to the World Bank from citizens groups and NGOs
(March 14, 2005) “We believe that not only does this project fail to meet the World Bank’s environmental and social standards, the World Bank’s decision framework for the Nam Theun 2 Dam has not yet been fulfilled.”
Farmers urge World Bank to drop Lao dam
(March 14, 2005) Conservationists have blasted the World Bank for failing to complete a wildlife assessment of the Nakai plateau watershed, site of the proposed dam, and for tying conservation funds to the project.
Environmentalists call on World Bank to abandon Laotian dam project
(March 14, 2005) Environmental activists and locals claim the Nam Theun 2 dam will ruin the lives of about 6,000 Laotian villagers who will be uprooted by the project.
News Release: Thai villagers rally against Nam Theun 2 dam outside World Bank
(March 14, 2005) More than 150 Thai villagers gathered in front of the World Bank’s Bangkok headquarters today to protest against the Nam Theun 2 dam in Lao PDR.
US’s Lugar to propose multilateral bank reforms
(March 14, 2005) US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar will soon propose reforms to encourage increased accountability at multilateral financial institutions.
Review of the World Bank’s Nam Theun 2 hydro power project regional economic least-cost analysis
(March 14, 2005) An independent review finds the World Bank has failed to demonstrate Nam Theun 2 is Thailand’s least-cost option for expanding power supply. The World Bank must prove it is, however, in order for the project to qualify for bank subsidies.
When the money goes west
(March 14, 2005) If the ill-gotten gains of the corrupt elite went into, say, mobile-phone companies at home, it wouldn’t be so bad. But the funds always go overseas.
Debt repudiation has its costs – Muhtar
(March 13, 2005) Lagos: Dr. Mansur Muhtar is the man in charge of managing Nigeria’s debt portfolio. In this interview with Tunde Rahman, he says the option of foreign debt repudiation as canvassed by the House of Representatives has its implications for the country. He also gives insights into the debt over-hang bedeviling the country.
A modest proposal
(March 13, 2005) Foreign aid’s prospects will brighten only if aid agencies become more accountable for results, and demonstrate to the public that some piecemeal interventions improve the lives of desperate people.
New bank law to help return of stolen cash
(March 12, 2005) The prime minister, Tony Blair, said yesterday that Britain would change its banking laws to speed up the return of funds stolen from Africa by corrupt leaders.
Annan welcomes UK Commission on Africa report as important contribution to solutions
(March 11, 2005) The report from Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa will be an important addition to the ongoing search for solutions to "the foremost development challenge facing the international community," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
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