EQUATORIAL GUINEA: The Dictator’s Achilles’ Heel

Legal action in Spain and the United States taking aim at secret bank accounts of President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea could become a weapon to help put an end to his 25-year dictatorship, say opposition leaders and activists from the West African nation.

POLITICS-IRAN: Corruption Eats Into Roots of Society

Graft has become so widespread in Iran that the government's anti-corruption efforts have been criticised as being insufficient to stem the growing malaise in the country, which many Iranians say is getting worse by the day.

ECONOMY-SIERRA LEONE: Is the Sparkle Being Restored to Conflict Diamonds?

As members of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front go on trial this week for atrocities committed during the country's civil war, the world is once again reminded of the toll that the trade in blood diamonds has taken on this West African state.

POLITICS-KENYA: Another Deadline Goes By

Thursday, Jul.1, should have been the day that Kenya woke up to a new constitution that set the country on a path of improved governance and development. But yet again, government has failed to deliver this document to the people.

ECONOMY-IRAQ: New Gov’t Left With Fraction of Rebuilding Funds

A barrage of binding decrees passed during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, combined with a lack of resources, heavy debt and the continuing presence of a massive U.S. force, mean that the recent handover of authority to Iraqis may not equal real control over the economy, analysts here say.

POLITICS-US: Report Shows Revolving Doors Between Gov’t, Business

Hundreds of U.S. military and government officials routinely leave their posts for jobs with private contractors who deal with the government, a process that has eroded the lines between government and the private sector, according to report released by a watchdog group on Tuesday.

RIGHTS-NIGERIA: Freedom of Information Bill Proves Elusive

In recent decades, Nigeria has acquired the unhappy reputation of being one of the world's most corrupt states. It would also earn a high ranking in a list of the most secretive nations.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Upbeat on Globalisation, Although Southern Africa Lags

Africans feel relatively positive about globalisation and the United States, although the enthusiasm for both is markedly weaker among Southern Africans and Tanzanians than among people in other parts of the continent, according to a major survey of seven sub-Saharan African nations.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Communities Lend a Hand in the Fight Against Crime

"I have been carjacked three times in the last five months. It is a miracle how I am still alive after the three horrific incidents. Sometimes I think I am dreaming," says Chris Namunyu, a banker in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

CORRUPTION-ZAMBIA: “Suspects Are Beginning to Look Like Victims”

This month marks the second anniversary of a corruption task force set up by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to investigate the alleged improprieties of his predecessor, Frederick Chiluba. However, chances of the former leader being convicted on any of the charges seem increasingly remote.

POLITICS-CAMEROON: Church Vows to Exorcise “Demons of Electoral Fraud”

As candidates in Cameroon square up to each other for presidential elections in October, the Catholic Church is doing its best to ensure that the poll will not be an occasion for 'politics as usual' in the West African country.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Mutharika’s Daunting Task

As Malawi's courts grapple with the electoral challenge lodged by the opposition Mgwirizano coalition to last week's poll, the country's new president, Bingu wa Mutharika, is trying to win hearts and minds with talk of poverty alleviation and corruption busting.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Elections, at a Time When Malawians Are “Freer But Poorer”

Malawi is scheduled to go to the polls Thursday for general elections - this amidst polling delays, allegations of bias on the part of electoral officials, and deepening poverty.

DEVELOPMENT: Poorest Pay for World Bank Corruption – U.S. Senator

The World Bank has lost about 100 billion dollars slated for development in the world's poorest nations to corruption since 1946, nearly 20 percent of its total lending portfolio, according to a U.S.. Senate committee.

RIGHTS-KENYA: Are the Watchdogs Being Muzzled?

"The stability of any government is measured by the freedom it gives to the press. If the government is clean in its dealings, then I see no reason why it should be worried about the press," says Kenyan media activist Mitch Odero. Recent statements by authorities indicate that they have a less sanguine view of the country's journalists, however.

ECONOMY-SENEGAL: High Stakes at Play in Bid to Privatize National Lottery

International Labour Day may already have come and gone - but workers' rights remain at the top of the agenda in Senegal, where employees of the state-run Senegalese national lottery are poised to fight government's decision to privatize the institution.

CORRUPTION-MEXICO: Cuba Extends a Hand to Scandal-Plagued Left

The Cuban government has turned over privileged information about a Mexican business magnate caught up in a much-publicised scandal, but instead of delivering it to the federal Mexican government, it went to the leftist administration of Mexico City.

POLITICS: Even Democracies Need ‘Sunshine’ Against Corruption

Vibrant democratic countries are still far from immune to corruption or abuse of power, and offer little protections for whistle-blowers, says a report released Thursday.

CORRUPTION-ARGENTINA: Menem the ‘Persecuted’ Ex-President

Surrounded by legal charges and as of Tuesday facing an international arrest warrant, former Argentine president Carlos Menem (1989-1999), now living in Chile, is taking refuge in the role of the politically persecuted, saying he has no guarantees of a fair trial in his country. Nothing new, say experts.

FINANCE: Groups Cheer U.S. Congress’ Scrutiny of Global Lenders

Development and advocacy groups, long concerned about accountability at international development and lending agencies like the World Bank, are cheering the U.S. Congress for adopting measures that provide more oversight of those bodies.

TRADE-KENYA: Government Takes Steps to Streamline Investment Procedures

In its latest bid to make Kenya more attractive to foreign capital, government says it will introduce a law that simplifies investment procedures for entrepreneurs who want to open businesses in the country.