(August 10, 2003) Officials rarely solicit bribes. Instead, they work so slowly, sloppily and arbitrarily that people see no hope of getting the services they are entitled to without offering a tip “pa’ el refresco,” literally, “for a soda.”
The taint of the greased palm (Part I)
(August 10, 2003) In Mexico, just as sure as a new leader’s pledge to clean up the corruption of his predecessor is the certainty that his successor will, in a few years, be doing the same.
Spain to host donors’ meeting in fall
(August 7, 2003) Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced that Spain will host the international donors’ conference for Iraq this autumn. Although a conference date has not been set, a preparatory meeting will take place in September.
Iraq: opportunities flow to Bulgaria
(August 7, 2003) Mohammed Amin Ahmed, former Iraqi ambassador in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia from 1995 to 1999, said he was sure Iraq’s $1.7bn debt to Bulgaria would be paid back when life in his country returns to normal.
Canadian firm appeals Lesotho verdict
(August 6, 2003) Lesotho’s highest court is hearing an appeal by a Canadian engineering company against its conviction and R22-million fine for corruption related to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
Ombudsman releases report on Lesotho Highlands Development Authority and affected communities
(August 6, 2003) The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority should pay interest on delayed compensation for communities affected by the giant Lesotho Highlands Water Project’s Phase 1B, Ombudsman says.
Legal fight doesn’t stop construction
(August 6, 2003) For the last several years the often harsh debate over construction of a hydroelectric dam on the upper Macal has been largely academic. That is, while the pros and cons of the Chalillo project were argued in the press and courts, the river kept right on rolling, oblivious to the increasingly rancorous exchange.
Kicking corruption in Kenya
(August 3, 2003) Mwai Kibaki, the new President of Kenya, is kicking corruption where it hurts, firing crooked government cronies and holding public officers to account. After 24 years of corrupt rule, Kenyans are rediscovering hope.
Hidden problems with China’s dams
(August 1, 2003) A respected Chinese publication investigates why more than one-third of the country’s dams and reservoirs are considered dangerous, and quotes a top hydropower engineer as saying, "There is something wrong with the whole management system."
More than troops
(August 1, 2003) Given the desperate needs of Liberians, especially in the areas of education and health services, the Bush administration should cancel Liberia’s odious debt, 30 percent of which is owed to the United States.
Privy Council to hear appeal against Belize dam
The Privy Council in the UK has ruled in favour of an appeal against the building of the Chalillo Dam in Belize. It is the first environmental case to reach such a high level.
Privy Council to hear appeal against Belize dam
(August 1, 2003) The Privy Council in the UK has ruled in favour of an appeal against
the building of the Chalillo Dam in Belize. It is the first
environmental case to reach such a high level.
A movement’s shifting stage
(August 1, 2003) Environmental activists “pitted against some of the world’s biggest energy companies over megaprojects in the Third World” are increasingly staging their battles in countries that fund such projects in environmentally fragile areas of Latin America.
Lutherans call for cancellation of illegitimate, odious debts
(July 31, 2003) The tenth assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has issued a statement calling on international financial institutions to acknowledge that part of the debt given to developing countries is odious and should be canceled.
Southern Africa calls for reparations for apartheid
(July 30, 2003) Loans to the apartheid regime and its agents are “odious debts” and should not be repaid, says the London-based International Apartheid Debt and Reparations Campaign.
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