PERU: Fujimori, Five Years Thumbing His Nose at Justice

Former president Alberto Fujimori's announcement that he plans to present his candidacy for the April 2006 presidential elections in Peru highlights the futility of nearly five years of attempts by the government of Alejandro Toledo to secure his extradition from Japan.

INDONESIA: Yudhoyono Makes the Grade

A year after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) took power, Indonesia seems to be in just about the same dire situation as it was before. Yet, analysts say it is not all bad.

DEVELOPMENT: Cameroon Adds Famine to Its List of Woes

As a result of two decades of decreasing economic activities, Cameroon is now in a serious financial crisis that is threatening the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Refugees Adopt a “Wait and See” Approach

Refugees and civil society groups have reacted cautiously to statements by a high-ranking South African official condemning the treatment of refugees by police.

EDUCATION-NIGERIA: Making School a Tasty Experience

A government programme to provide primary school children with free lunches has been launched in Nigeria, to encourage parents to educate their children - and to ensure that pupils learn effectively.

AFRICA: Fuel Reserves Oil the Wheels of Corruption

Corruption is costing Africa's oil industry billions of dollars annually says Peter Eigen, founder and chairman of Transparency International (TI) - a non-governmental group based in Berlin which monitors and fights graft.

INDONESIA: Corruption Blamed for Rising Fuel Prices

''Another corrupt government, another fuel price hike,'' said a placard waved aloft by a demonstrator on the capital's streets, protesting against a hike in petroleum prices on Saturday.

INDIA: Limits to Cash and Carry Governance

India's 'cash and carry' style of governance does not always pay, as the country's charismatic, grassroots leader Lalu Prasad Yadav as well as top-notch officials in this eastern state and the rest of the country are discovering.

DEVELOPMENT: Doubts Rise Over New Money for Russians

On the face of it the Russian government's promise to spend new oil riches on social needs sounds good. But many are asking how long this money will last, and how effective it can be.

POLITICS-US: In Blow to GOP Discipline, “The Hammer” Falls

After a year of dismissing as "politically motivated" charges that he had repeatedly violated Congressional ethics rules, the troubles of Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay dramatically escalated Wednesday when he was forced to temporarily resign his post after being indicted by a Texas grand jury for his role in helping the Republican Party win control of that state's legislature in the 2002 elections.

POLITICS-US: Flush From Iraq, Contractors Snap Up Storm Work

The day Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, Robert Boh watched the dramatic pictures of the unfolding disaster on television at his in-laws' house in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where his family had taken shelter.

MILLENNIUM GOALS: Corruption, Worst Hurdle in Asia-Pacific

Corruption is a major hurdle that stands in the way of governments in the Asia-Pacific region, trying to lift millions of people out of poverty and hunger, says U.N. Undersecretary General Kim Hak-Su.

RIGHTS-MALAWI: “I Just Want to Satisfy That Curiosity…”

He was whisked away from his newsroom, bundled into a police van and detained for four years before being released without charge. Years later, Levison Lifikiro still isn't sure of his crime. Instead he lives with the pain of losing his job and family as a constant reminder of those wasted years.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: MPs Face Prosecution for Failure to Declare Wealth

In a bid to show its commitment to fighting graft in Kenya, the government has announced that 65 members of parliament and cabinet ministers will face prosecution for failing to declare their wealth as required by the law.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Going, Going, Gone

Since gaining independence in 1963, Kenya has held four elections. But, perhaps the most decisive ballot of all has been cast by citizens who voted with their feet - leaving Kenya for countries that seemed more promising.

DEVELOPMENT: Poor Victimised By Extortion, Large and Small

Antonio María Costa, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, was a happy man. With Ecuador's ratification of the Convention Against Corruption, his agency has finally come into its own.

UKRAINE: The Orange Has Been Sliced

The latest upheaval in Ukrainian politics has produced mixed feelings. Some are concerned that last year's 'orange revolution' brought in a government as corrupt and incompetent as the one it replaced; others see the dismissal of the entire cabinet by President Viktor Yushchenko as a healthy sign of democratic accountability.

HEALTH-KENYA: Regulations Spell Caution to Some, Paralysis to Others

Given Kenya's well-documented fight against corruption, few would dispute that rigorous systems need to be put in place for disbursing donor funds in the East African country.

POLITICS-US: Did FEMA “Buy” Votes for Bush?

As Michael Brown resigned his post as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday following a relentless beating in the press for his mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina relief and rescue efforts, details on FEMA's past missteps began emerging.

EGYPT: Public Assets Sold at Bargain Prices, Critics Complain

Egypt has some real deals these days. For example, a historic hotel built on its own island in the Nile River not far from the country's fabulous ancient pharaonic monuments was recently sold for less than three million dollars, although local real estate experts value it at closer to 10 million.

POLITICS: Despite Strictures, U.N. Chief Refuses to Yield

A beleaguered U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Thursday stood his ground despite charges of corruption, inefficiency and mismanagement of the 34-billion-dollar now-defunct Iraqi oil-for-food-programme run by the U.N. Secretariat which he administers.