ARGENTINA: NGOs Call for Partnership, Not Philanthropy

Many corporations have transformed social responsibility into a marketing tool, to boost sales and improve their image. But today in Argentina, an alliance of civil society groups is advocating a paradigm shift, to replace philanthropy with a new business culture.

CUBA: Waging War on Day-to-Day Corruption

The Cuban government has launched a wide-reaching anti-corruption campaign that is aimed at curbing diversion of funds, theft and abuse of power in state-owned companies and businesses, but also threatens to clamp down even further on the already limited opportunities for private enterprise.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: A Season of Ethnic Discontent

The release and re-arrest of members of a Yoruba organisation this week have marked the latest chapter in Nigeria's bid to contain ethnic unrest in various parts of the country.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: So Much for Promises

They thought that, by this time, things would be different. But little seems to have changed for the inhabitants of the Kenyan slum of Kibera since last year’s pledge by government and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) to improve their living conditions.

CORRUPTION: Iraq Oil Connection Leaves Greasy Marks

Questions continue to hover above 180 French firms said to have profited illegally from the oil for food programme in Iraq.

RUSSIA: Bureaucracy Grows, Corruption With It

Bureaucracy has significantly expanded under President Vladimir Putin, and is now perceived as more corrupt, a new study says.

CORRUPTION: Journalist, Auditor Receive Integrity Awards

A journalist from Senegal and an auditor from Indonesia have won the Transparency International 'Integrity Awards' for 2005.

CORRUPTION: “Big Oil” Gets Grilled on Capitol Hill

Some of the world's top oil executives denied accusations Wednesday that they were engaged in "price gouging" in the United States, and even called for more incentives for the industry.

PERU: Under Arrest in Chile, Fujimori Faces Extradition Trial

Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was arrested Monday in Chile after arriving here unexpectedly on Sunday, and will be facing an extradition trial within the next few days.

HONDURAS: Greasing Palms to Plunder Forests

Illegal logging by corrupt interests tied to major political figures is devastating the rapidly disappearing pine and mahogany forests of Honduras, particularly in northeastern Olancho province, according to a major report released here Thursday by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Centre for International Policy (CIP).

POLITICS: Malaysians Await Action Against Corruption

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's performance-especially his election promise to battle corruption, promote transparency and revamp the venal and inefficient police force-is under the spotlight as the 65-year-old leader enters the second half of his term struggling to redress excesses under the long rule of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad.

POLITICS: Major Firms Named in Iraq Oil for Food Scandal

Some of the world's richest nations have come under fire from a leading corruption watchdog group for failing to take action against the companies that illegally profited from a United Nations-sponsored humanitarian programme in Iraq.

CORRUPTION-MEXICO: Tobacco Companies Accused of Bribing Legislators

The disreputable record of foreign tobacco companies in Mexico has been further tarnished by accusations of bribing lawmakers and doctoring figures to prevent tax hikes, leveled by members of the Mexican Congress.

HEALTH-KENYA: Many Abortions, Too Little Contraception

Dubbed the "babies in bags" scandal, the discovery of 15 foetuses last year near a river in Nairobi horrified Kenya - and drew government assurances that illegal abortions would be brought to a halt.

EDUCATION: Fighting Computer-Assisted Plagiarism in Latin America

Student plagiarism is becoming more and more common in Latin America, with the infinite possibilities offered by the Internet to those who follow the law of least effort.

CORRUPTION-FRANCE: Oil for Food for Money on the Side

The French judiciary is investigating several corruption cases involving former high-ranking public officials.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Oil Sector Proves a Hard Nut to Crack

For geological engineer Farouq Kam, Sudan's 21-year civil war didn't really end in January when the country's Islamist government signed a peace agreement with rebels from the Christian and animist south. It just took on a more subtle hue.

BRAZIL: Workers Party Survives Scandal Relatively Unscathed and Unchanged

The election of a new leadership for Brazil's governing leftist Workers Party (PT) indicates that despite the catastrophic predictions, political activity will continue to follow much the same track as before, with only minor adjustments arising from this year's explosive corruption scandal.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Recovery Hampered by Negligence, Corruption

The widely-publicised tsunami recovery efforts undertaken by relief agencies and governments in five disaster-affected countries - Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and the Maldives - remain hampered by incompetence, corruption, discrimination and lack of public accountability, according to a new report released here.

CORRUPTION: The ‘Clean’ Should Look Within Too

The Corruption Perceptions Index published by the group Transparency International Tuesday shows high degrees of corruption among developing nations. But banking systems in the West are helping make that possible.

POLITICS-US: Washington on Tenterhooks Over Leak Case

Wrapping up a two-year investigation that a growing number of legal analysts expect to yield indictments of at least one, and possibly two, of the George W. Bush administration's most powerful men as early as this week, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has Washington on pins and needles.