ARGENTINA: Anti-Terrorism Law Upsets Harmony Between Government and Activists

Human rights groups and legal experts are concerned that a law passed by the Argentine Congress in the early hours of Thursday morning to crack down on terrorism could be used to criminalise social protest.

U.S.: Hundreds Rally in Support of Accused WikiLeaks Source

Hundreds of people gathered today outside a U.S. military base where evidence against Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of leaking classified information to the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, is being presented before a military judge for the first time since Manning's arrest.

ELECTIONS-DR CONGO: Will the Candidates Accept the Results?

While the Congolese are awaiting the official results of the late November presidential elections, three of the eleven candidates have already called for them to be annulled.

Aid Not Enough to Fight AIDS

Billions of people are marking yet another World AIDS Day - this one themed "Getting to Zero", for zero AIDS-related deaths, zero new infections, and zero stigma and discrimination.

TAJIKISTAN: President Taking a Press Beating in Dushanbe

Following a diplomatic faux pas that enraged Russia, the knives seem to be out for Tajikistan's long-time president, Imomali Rahmon.

Lessons for Africa at Busan Aid Forum

There are many inspiring stories that delegates from Africa attending the ongoing Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness can take home to provide insights to their respective countries on making the transformation to middle-income economies.

EUROPE: Developing Nations Lose Billions to Multinational Tax Dodging

Not corruption but multinational tax dodging is the main reason why developing nations stay aid-dependent, says a new report. And while new proposals by the European Commission try to tackle the problem, they turn a blind eye towards tax havens.

NIGERIA: A Deadly Case of Mistaken Identity

The worst day of Olaniyi Emiola’s life was Mar. 17, 1998. At least it was for Olaniyi Emiola, 22, the spare motor parts trader. For Olaniyi Emiola, the armed robber, it was a lucky escape as another man with the same name had been wrongly sentenced to death for a crime he committed.

KYRGYZSTAN: Bishkek Struggling to Find Right Economic Path

In a small office on the second floor of the Kyrgyzstan Stock Exchange, a lone administrator checked the time and looked up from the computer: "Two o'clock. No applications received. Auction for sale of Zalkar Bank is declared invalid."

CUBA: Strategic Battle against Corruption

The battle against corruption is one of the greatest challenges faced by Cuban President Raúl Castro, who began designing his strategy for preventing and combating the problem when he temporarily took office after his brother Fidel fell ill in July 2006.

Angolan Spring – Protests Shaking Up Authorities

Adolfo Andre knows what he wants for his country and says he will fight on until he gets it.

Kenya’s Two Female Supreme Court Justices Set to Work

Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya’s Supreme Court Nancy Baraza, who made history as the first woman appointed to the post, has begun overhauling the country’s judiciary.

EU Backs Timoshenko, More Than Ukrainians

The imprisonment of former prime minister Yuliya Timoshenko has raised questions about Ukraine’s democratic credentials. But these questions are mostly being raised abroad.

HONDURAS: Purging Schools of Crime

Reports of a purported police network in Honduras engaged in murders, extortion, kidnapping, car theft and drug trafficking prompted the government to sack several high-level police officials and ask Congress for help in purging the police at all levels.

BRAZIL: Reality of Militias Is Fiercer than Fiction

When state legislator Marcelo Freixo received death threats for combating militias made up of off-duty police in Rio de Janeiro, his real life took on the form of the character portraying himself in the Brazilian Oscar hopeful "Tropa de Elite 2".

Calling Out Corrupt Practices

Opaque shell companies, foundations and trusts are the modus operandi of corrupt organisations looking to hide significant sums of money, often just by using existing loopholes in the current financial system, experts say.

COLOMBIA: Election Campaign Marred by Violence

"Political power will be fought for metre by metre in the Oct. 30 local and regional elections in Colombia, because this is a country imbued with violence, with different armies disputing different parts of the territory," said Alejandra Barrios, director of the election observation mission (MOE).

Iranians Bristle as Banking Scandal Widens

A banking scandal, identified by Iranian authorities as the "largest embezzlement in the country's banking history", has further shaken confidence in the government whose legitimacy was already under question after the contested results of the 2009 presidential election.

CORRUPTION: China Begins to Watch Out

When Internet activist ‘Huaguoshan Zongshuji’ published a survey of luxury watches worn by Chinese government officials this month, the move was commended by the state media. Yet weeks later the survey was censored - shooting the one-party state’s uneasy relationship with corruption into the spotlight.

Reining in Cowboy Mining Companies

In the seemingly lawless global free-for-all to lay claim to reserves of the world's most precious remaining natural resources, experts warn that "cowboy mining companies" are plundering the earth's riches and leaving little left for the rest.

U.S.: Changing Key Law Could Mean “License to Bribe”

Changes to a key anti-bribery law that applies to international commerce, proposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, could have disastrous consequences, hurting multinational firms, human rights, and the U.S.'s place of respect as an early adopter of the legislation, opponents to the changes argued here Friday.