POLITICS-US: Watching the Watchdogs

For the past few years, U.S. citizens have lived with an increasingly secretive government.

RIGHTS-THAILAND: Thaksin Company Courts Controversy

In the weeks leading up to a court battle over her rights as a citizen, Supinya Klangnarong has grown philosophical, in a Buddhist way, at least. Twice a day, she prays for her adversary, Thailand’s most powerful business empire.

PERU: Anticorruption Offensive Losing Steam

A Peruvian law that was struck down just five days after it was passed, which permitted the release of several people convicted of corruption by allowing time spent under house arrest to count towards prison time, heightened the sensation that the fight against corruption is losing steam.

CORRUPTION-BRAZIL: Lula’s Approval Ratings Unscathed

The string of corruption scandals that has affected Brazil's ruling party and its allies has not even dented President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's popularity, according to the latest poll.

POLITICS: Burma’s ‘Moderate’ Gen. and Ex-Premier Goes on Trial

Burma's internationally best-known army general and former prime minister Khin Nyunt who is due to be tried this week can expect to be put away for the rest of his life say exile leaders.

POLITICS-US: What 800 Million Buys on Capitol Hill

U.S. drug companies spent more than 800 million dollars over the past seven years in campaign donations and lobbying that have produced favourable laws and tens of billions of dollars in extra profits, according to a Washington-based watchdog group.

VIETNAM-FINANCE: Large Cash Transactions Set to Become History

Large cash transactions that now grease Vietnam’s economy may soon be history if authorities seriously implement a new money laundering law that is expected to come into force from Aug 1.

MALAYSIA: Badawi Shows Resolve against Graft, Jury Still Out

When Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi axed a high-ranking cabinet minister this month for vote-buying, it was seen as a move to appease backbenchers, opposition politicians and human rights activists.

MEDIA: Before Woodstein, There Were Upton, Lincoln and Ida

Most people in the United States under 40 have no idea what real investigative journalism is. Those old enough to remember Watergate and Deep Throat think it started with Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward and "All the President's Men".

G8-SUMMIT: “We Are Making Good Progress, Considering Where We Came From”

Demands for good governance and tough action on corruption could eclipse calls for increased aid to Africa when the Group of Eight (G8) leaders meet this week in Scotland for their annual summit, African academics and civil society groups fear.

POLITICS-US: Parting the Veil of Government Secrecy

The American Civil Liberties Union receives thousands of pages of reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation about prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

CORRUPTION-BRAZIL: Scandals Breed Growing Loss of Trust

"This spells the end for our last hope," declared Dircilea da Silva Vieira, reflecting the sense of disillusionment that has spread through Brazil over recent weeks as the government of Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva is hit by one corruption scandal after another.

U.S./IRAQ: Report Finds "Appalling Level of Fraud and Greed"

As a Congressional committee heard testimony last week that billions of Iraqi dollars - held in trust by the U.S. government - still cannot be accounted for, the inspector general charged with tracking the funds said he has referred three contractors to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecutions for fraud.

CORRUPTION-BRAZIL: Fatal Contradictions

When Brazilian President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva took office on Jan. 1, 2003, he had little manoeuvring room in economic terms, while facing similar constraints on the political front, and it is his emphasis on the former, to the detriment of the latter, that has given rise to the crisis now facing his government.

POLITICS-US: Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams…

Five members of Congress recently disclosed that a registered lobbying firm paid for their trip to Ireland's Ashford Castle. When their travel - an apparent breach of Congressional rules - was made public, they simply changed their documentation to show that a not-for-profit organisation, not a lobbyist, had picked up the tab.

CORRUPTION-BRAZIL: Proposed Reforms Will Not Provide a Real Cure

By speeding up the adoption of political reforms, the Brazilian government and Congress are hoping to prevent the democratic system from being further damaged by the current corruption scandal, but the initiative could foster added frustration, say some observers.

FINANCE: Shape Up or Lose Funding, Congress Tells Int’l Banks

The U.S. Congress is considering a new bill that would condition its funding of the world's multilateral development banks on reforms, transparency, anti-corruption measures and future oversight.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: A Case of "Not Over Until It’s Over" for Zuma?

The long-running scandal over corruption in South Africa’s five-billion-dollar arms deal passed a milestone Tuesday with the sacking of Deputy President Jacob Zuma. However, it remains uncertain whether this dismissal has sounded the death knell for the official’s future in politics.

ECONOMY: Kenya Unveils Investor-Friendly Budget

The organisers of Kenya's strike, which paralysed the East African country for six days, called off their industrial action just before this week's budget day.

CORRUPTION-THAILAND: Government Beyond Accountability Looms

Four months after he was re-elected by an unprecedented majority, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra faces a corruption scandal the outcome of which could define the tone of his second term in office.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Women, Children Suffer Most in Overcrowded Camps

Women and children continue to be victims of violence and sexual abuse nearly six months after the massive tsunami devastation in the Indian Ocean region, according to an international team of researchers.