RIGHTS-US/IRAQ: “My Name Used to Be 200343”

A year ago, Donald Vance learned what its like to be falsely accused by the U.S. military of aiding terrorists. He was held without charge for more than three months in a high-security prison in Iraq, and interrogated daily after sleepless nights without legal counsel or even a phone call to his family.

FINANCE: Questions Linger About Bushes and BCCI

Now that the U.S. Congress is investigating the truth of President George W. Bush's statements about the Iraq war, they might look into one of his most startling assertions: that there was a link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

INDONESIA: Shifting Sands to Prod ‘Safe Haven’ Singapore

Sand has become the latest weapon in Indonesia's diplomatic row with neighbouring Singapore, over the latter's refusal to sign an extradition treaty that seeks to have corrupt Indonesian businessmen returned from their safe haven in the tiny island republic.

POLITICS-GUYANA: Once Rare, U.S. Visas Now Almost Impossible

It was always in the cards given the level of official corruption, warnings from Washington about the failure of authorities to deal with Guyana's growing brigade of drug barons, and the desire of so many to leave this former British colony for so-called greener pastures in the United States.

RIGHTS-NIGERIA: Grim, Overflowing Death Rows

Some 600 people are now crammed into Nigeria’s disease-infested death rows and the number is certain to rise with a justice system that critics say has been resisting reform since the end of military rule in 1999.

UAE: Dirty Money a Worry

As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf countries move ahead with economic diversification and development supported by high oil prices, there are apprehensions about slack auditing controls and inadequate systems to check money-laundering.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Watching the Watchdogs of Corruption

Critics of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi who charge him with failing on his election promise to battle corruption in high places, say he might begin by affording protection to whistle blowers.

CORRUPTION: Reformist Minister Under Fire in Romania

Romanian civil society leaders are worried by a new attack on a minister battling corruption.

PERU: Setting the Drug Lords Free

Releasing alleged or convicted drug traffickers from prison is becoming common practice in the Peruvian justice system.

ECUADOR: President Wants Dismissal of Lawmakers Enforced

The removal of 57 of Ecuador's 100 legislators by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) is yet another episode in the institutional crisis that has plagued this country since 1996.

PERU: Human Rights Violators Find Ready Employment

Governing party supporters accused of committing human rights violations during the first administration (1985-1990) of Peruvian President Alan García, who was voted back into office in 2006, today hold high-level public posts, despite criticism from the opposition.

CENTRAL AMERICA: The Far-Reaching Tentacles of the Drugs Trade

"You can't trust anyone any more. Things are going from bad to worse," said Julio Mónico, a retired Salvadoran, commenting on the drugs-related murders in Guatemala of three Salvadoran legislators and on four police officers who are in prison for the killings.

RIGHTS-MEXICO: Jailed for Extending a Helping Hand

Like many of her neighbours, Concepción Moreno was in the habit of giving food, and sometimes shelter, to Central American immigrants. Two years ago she was sent to jail for this, but along with hundreds of thousands of others in Mexico, her case smacks of injustice.

PERU: Lax Sentences Bode Poorly for Fight Against Corruption

Authorities in Peru expect the Chilean Supreme Court to decide on the extradition request for former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), wanted for crimes against humanity and corruption, by the middle of this year.

BANGLADESH: Anti-Corruption Drive Makes Polls Uncertain

With their eternal squabbling and pitched street battles, Bangladesh's two main political parties have not only scuttled national elections set for Jan. 22 but also created a situation where a state of emergency may continue indefinitely.

ENVIRONMENT-INDONESIA: Jakarta Floods Linked to Illegal Constructions

The worst ever floods to hit the Indonesian capital, which submerged 60 percent of the city and killed 85 people earlier this month, are being attributed to uncontrolled construction rather than unusually heavy rain, by a broad spectrum of analysts here.

EL SALVADOR-GUATEMALA: Lawmakers’ Murders Point to Web of Corruption

The capture of four Guatemalan police officers suspected of killing three Salvadoran legislators has heightened the sensation of insecurity among Central Americans, who are now more than ever asking themselves just who they can trust.

FINANCE: Corporate Profits Take an Offshore Vacation

Last week, Merck, the pharmaceutical multinational, announced that it will pay 2.3 billion dollars in back taxes, interest and penalties in one of the largest settlements for tax evasion the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ever imposed.

FINANCE: Wolfowitz May Bring Bank Back to Iraq

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz may appoint a new resident director for Iraq soon, a move that sources inside the Bank say could contradict the institution's policies on engagement in conflict-stricken areas and put his role in the 2003 U.S. invasion back into the limelight.

CORRUPTION-HONDURAS: A Murky Transparency Law

The "law on transparency and access to public information" in force in Honduras since January is in violation of international conventions on freedom of expression and against corruption, and creates loopholes for preventing the declassification of "reserved" or restricted information.

MEXICO/CENTRAL AMERICA: Understanding the Maras

Understanding the world of youth gangs in Central America and Mexico is difficult. Some studies assert that their power is exaggerated and that they are closely related to poverty, others say poverty is not a determining factor, and there are also those who say the gangs are dangerous organisations that cut across national borders.