BALKANS: Organised Crime Behind the Assassination of Former PM

The single inside witness from the organised crime group accused of killing reform-oriented former prime minister Zoran Djindjic has finally confirmed the indictment and what was long believed - it was the Serbian mafia that committed the crime.

CORRUPTION: Norway Could Lead in Digging Out Dirt

An international initiative to battle corruption in oil, gas and the mineral industries could relocate to Norway.

RIGHTS-PHILIPPINES: MNCs Join Calls to End Extra-Judicial Executions

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo finds herself up against a rare political adversary - multinational corporations (MNCs) that have added their voices to the growing chorus of calls to end a spate of extra-judicial killings.

POLITICS: UN Aims to Shed Culture of Corruption

As the United Nations continues to battle waste, mismanagement and corruption, an outgoing senior U.N. official has proposed that all high-level staffers in the world body should not only disclose their private financial assets but also make them public.

CHILE: Corruption Scandals Contrast with Clean Reputation

Most Chileans have a very poor opinion of politicians and acknowledge that corruption is firmly rooted in their government and a number of State institutions, according to surveys.

BANGLADESH: Bracing for Renewed Poll Violence

Bangladesh braced for renewed street violence Sunday, after a 14-party opposition coalition enforced an indefinite blockade of road, rail and water transport to press for the sacking of the chief election commissioner.

CORRUPTION: Bank Bars Company for Years-Old Bribery Scandal

The World Bank has debarred a German engineering company from Bank-backed contracts for seven years for its role in corruption involving an African water project, but Bank watchdog groups say the move is long overdue.

SPAIN: Dirty Money Used for Construction – and Pollution

In Spain, millions of euros of "dirty," undeclared or hidden money are laundered, to a great extent, in real estate development which is hurting the environment on the northern shore of the Mediterranean sea.

THAILAND: ‘Thaksin Link in Rights Lawyer’s Disappearance’

With an eye on justice, Angkana Neelaphaijit is prepared to wait even longer for the truth about the disappearance - and possible murder - of her husband, Somchai, a prominent human rights lawyer from Thailand's minority Muslim community.

U.S./HAITI: Top Republicans Leave Telecom Accused of Bribery

Five nationally prominent U.S. Republicans, the independent board members of a corporation that has been charged with paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to get a sweetheart telecom deal in Haiti, are leaving its board.

CORRUPTION: In a Downward Spiral with Poverty

Transparency International has pointed to a strong correlation between corruption and poverty in a report released Monday. A cluster of poorer states sits at the bottom of its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index.

ENVIRONMENT-KAZAKHSTAN: Planned Nuke Plant Generates Worries

Residents taking a stroll along this town's sandy beach, strewn with broken bottles and discarded tyres, often talk about the prospect of a nuclear power plant being built a few hundred km from here.

POLITICS-US: Documentary Blasts Iraq War Profiteering

With just four days to go before the U.S. mid-term congressional elections, the director of a scathing new documentary about the outsourcing of personnel and supplies for the Iraq war says he hopes audiences will view it "as a tool for discussion".

DEVELOPMENT: Ireland Offers Malawi Aid After HIPC Compliance

Malawi's compliance with the requirements of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative has opened the door to a commitment by Ireland to increase aid to the Southern African country.

BANGLADESH: Violence Mars Start of Election Process

A decision by Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed on Sunday, to head an interim government to conduct general elections set for January, may exacerbate widespread political violence that has already resulted in 27 deaths over the weekend.

HAITI/U.S.: Govt Corruption Suit Stalls for Lack of Funds

The U.S. Justice Department is withholding agreement to share assets seized from Haitian drug traffickers to finance a lawsuit by the Haitian government charging former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide with taking bribes.

CHILE: Race to Freeze Pinochet’s Alleged Fortune in Gold

Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) has 160 million dollars worth of gold deposited in his name in a Hong Kong bank, according to information that the government of President Michelle Bachelet has passed on to the courts. Now, every minute counts to prevent the alleged fortune in gold from being hidden once again.

THAILAND: Protests Against Puppet Assembly Begin

In the words of Uchane Cheangsan, Thailand's military-appointed parliament is a legislative body of ‘'servants of the secret thief.'' The pro-democracy activist needs little prodding to elaborate who the ‘'thief'' is - the coup leaders.

FINANCE: Majority of Govt Spending Escapes Public Vetting

Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Mongolia and Vietnam are among the most secretive countries in the world about their own budgets, a new index gauging global budget transparency found Wednesday.

POLITICS: Big Powers Split on Proposed Arms Trade Treaty

The United Nations is responding positively to a call from peace activists and human rights organisations for a new international treaty to monitor the world's growing 1.1-trillion-dollar global arms trade.

LATIN AMERICA: The Use – and Abuse – of Development Aid

Hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid flows into the poorest countries of Latin America every year. But the money does not always reach its destination. For that reason, governments and civil society organisations have begun to apply new mechanisms to guarantee transparency.