FINANCE: Shoddy Work Plagues Major Peru Gas Project

A controversial gas pipeline in Peru touted by its financial backers as a global development model is marred by shoddy construction work that has damaged the region's fragile ecosystems and harmed the local indigenous people, according to an independent audit to be released next week.

POLITICS: Washington’s Clout at U.N. Challenged

The 132-member Group of 77, which represents over two-thirds of the membership of the United Nations, rebuffed a U.S. claim that it has a right to virtually dictate the agenda on U.N. peacekeeping because it pays 27 percent of the budget.

KENYA: A Corruption Suspect’s Best Friend? The Law

Kenya's government will find itself hard put to reclaim public funds that have been misappropriated in a string of corrupt deals linked to state officials and businesspeople, say legal and banking sources in the East African country.

CORRUPTION-MOROCCO: Worries Rise With It

When Morocco slipped to a position as the 78th most corrupt country in the latest Transparency International report, the change reflected the perception of most Moroccans.

CORRUPTION-US: At Spy Agencies, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Find illegal activity in the U.S. national security agency you work for. Report it to your superiors. Get rewarded by being demoted or having your security clearance revoked - tantamount to losing your career - while those whose conduct you've reported get promoted.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: 72 Hours, and Counting

About two thousand people staged a peaceful demonstration in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Friday demanding that three top officials implicated in corruption resign or be dismissed.

POLITICS: U.S. Legislators Cross Swords with U.N. Bloc

The Committee on International Relations of the U.S. House of Representatives has lambasted a coalition of 132 developing nations, accusing the group of trying to block a U.S.-inspired effort to bring about radical changes in the management of the U.N. Secretariat.

IRAQ: Gas Pumps Buried in Mountain of Unpaid Debts

Contract mismanagement and possible corruption in the Iraqi government are fueling a crisis over international gasoline delivery into Iraq.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: This Time, the March Will Go On

The corruption scandals dogging Kenya claimed two more scalps this week, with the resignation of Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi and his education counterpart, George Saitoti.

U.S.: “Failure of Government Initiative” Doomed New Orleans – Reports

If Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans today, the United States government would be no better prepared to cope with it than it was last August when the storm flooded the city, wrecked much of the U.S. Gulf Coast, and killed 1,400 people.

POLITICS-US: John Ashcroft Spreads His Wings

Of the many chums and political appointees that have passed through the George W. Bush administration's revolving door, former U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft practically disappeared from the news after he resigned in November 2004.

CORRUPTION: World Bank Slammed for Retreating on Whistleblower Protections

The world's largest development agency, the World Bank, should end a culture of intimidating its whistleblowers and adopt smoother mechanisms for reporting wrongdoing within the institution, says an internal report leaked Friday by a watchdog group.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: Anti-Graft Protest Stopped in Its Tracks

A protest aimed at forcing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to fire ministers implicated in corruption failed to take place Friday, following action by riot police.

POLITICS: U.N. Security Council Wades Into Corruption Fray

The 15-member United Nations Security Council, whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security as mandated by the U.N. charter, is scheduled to meet next week to discuss something outside its traditional purview: charges of corruption and malfeasance facing the world body's Secretariat.

POLITICS: Senior U.N. Officials Under Fire for Reckless Talk

The Group of 77 (G77) has complained to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that some of his senior officials continue to recklessly leak privileged information and to undermine the world body in public.

TRANSPORT-MALAYSIA: Public Refuses to Be Taken for a Ride

Fed up with failure by authorities to ensure an efficient public transport system on this bustling island, civil society groups are planning to take recourse to legal action.

POLITICS-THAILAND: Thaksin Not Buddhist Enough Say Critics

He may have enough votes to back his claim to be the legitimately elected head of government, but beleaguered Thai Prime Miniser Thaksin Shinawatra is now being charged by his critics with lacking in qualities that befit a Buddhist leader.

POLITICS-THAILAND: Thaksin Gov’t in Trouble Over Ethics

A year after his government was re-elected to power with an unprecedented mandate, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is facing a political storm that has the potential of bringing his administration down.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: What About That Other Scandal?

As revelations about a multi-million-dollar scam involving the Anglo Leasing and Finance company riveted public attention in Kenya this week, a report about investigations into the country's biggest corruption scandal ever was gathering dust in an office at State House.

KENYA: Corruption Allegations a Watershed for Government

It has been a grim week for the Kibaki administration in Kenya, with Finance Minister David Mwiraria falling victim to new revelations about high-level graft - this as the World Bank suspended millions in aid to Nairobi, and an embarrassing report about government expenditure on luxury vehicles was issued.

FINANCE: Audit Finds World Bank Partly to Blame for Abuses

An investigation into a World Bank-backed mine in Africa has found that the Bank needs to more rigorously screen its operations and monitor the Australian company that allegedly provided logistical support to an army offensive that took the lives of dozens of civilians.