"Bitter harvest"

UK failed to tackle Nigeria bribes claim
Despite a well-publicised drive to clean up corruption by multinational companies in Africa, Britain's export credit agency did little to investigate serious allegations of bribery at a huge Nigerian gas project it helped underwrite, according to internal documents released to the Financial Times.

UK backs oil firm despite bribery inquiry
The controversial oil firm Halliburton has been awarded new British government backing, despite being at the centre of a bribery investigation, the Guardian can disclose.

Strings attached to G8 debt relief
The amount of money that G8 debt cancellation will cost--while more than previous plans--is still a drop in the bucket for the world’s richest governments. “The financial burden of the operation on rich countries would amount to some $2 billion a year, compared to $350 billion that the G8 devote to farming subsidies or $700 billion that it devotes to military expenditures,” wrote the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt.

Rash of suicides among Rwanda genocide suspects
At least 35 Rwandans accused in local grassroots tribunals of participating in the country’s 1994 genocide have committed suicide in the past five months, officials said on Monday.

RSLAF Prepare to Defend Sierra Leone
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RESLAF) is undergoing a restructuring programme to take over the country's security primacy after Unamsil's final draw down process.

West Africa Cycle of Violence
Guns-For-Hire Crisscross Borders Freely, Timber-Diamond Sanctions Still Paper Tigers, Can/Will UNMIL Cope?

African ruling parties laud China's reform, opening-up
Members of the visiting African ruling parties' delegation on Tuesday expressed their appreciation of China's reform and opening-up policy, saying that China has seta vivid example for the vast developing countries.

São Tomé and Príncipe:
Prime Minister Resigns After Civil Servant Strike,
Oil Controversy
ERHC, a US-registered company controlled by a millionaire supporter of President Obasanjo, duly received a controlling stake in the two most promising blocks where it bid in partnership with established US companies, and a minority stake in the other three blocks.

Besides enjoying close ties with the Nigerian government, Texas-based ERHC also counts several former Sao Tome government officials among its shareholders. Nigeria and Sao Tome said in a joint statement that the award of this second batch of offshore blocks would trigger signature bonuses totalling US $283 million.

Bitter harvest: How EU sugar subsidies devastate Africa
One is an English aristocrat worth £35m with 9,000 acres and an 18th century manor house; the other earns less than £300 a year cutting sugar cane for 12 hours a day in rural Mozambique to support his parents and four brothers.

The link between the two, and the reason why one has continued to increase his wealth while the other faces losing what he has, is the £1.34bn a year EU sugar regime. Aid agencies are calling for reform of a system that costs some of the poorest countries millions of pounds each year in lost trade.

U.S. was big spender in days before Iraq handover
The United States handed out nearly $20 billion of Iraq's funds, with a rush to spend billions in the final days before transferring power to the Iraqis nearly a year ago, a report said on Tuesday.

Despite Regime Change, Iraq Debts Keep Mounting
International social justice groups are calling on the United Nations to stop paying out millions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenues to Kuwaiti businesses and individuals as war reparations for Saddam Hussein's invasion of that country 15 years ago.

US deficit hits a new record
The US balance of payments deficit hit an all-time high for the first quarter of the year, rising to $195.1 billion, up 3.6 percent from the previous record of $188.4 billion for the final three months of 2004 and well above market predictions of $190 billion. The latest figure means that the US payments deficit is running at an annual rate of $780 billion, requiring $2 billion a day from the rest of the world—mainly provided by Japan, China and other Asian nations—to finance it.

Plundering the U.S. Treasury

Accused Cuban Exile to Face Texas Charges

Bolivia's Battle Of Wills

President Disconnect: The Bush Radio Address
Bush has the ability to look straight into the camera lens and offer up the most astonishing lies, fully aware that his audience already has a firm understanding of the facts. Everyone knows there's no connection between the war and Iraq and 9-11, and that, the "facts and intelligence were fixed to fit the policy." Never the less, Bush's unswerving commitment to fabrication and his visceral grasp of personal power allows him to deceive without flinching; a talent that catapults him into the rarified company of the foremost tyrants of the 20th century.

US has 'Lots of Secrets to Hide'
Regarding Saddam: Iraqi Justice Minister
Iraq's justice minister on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to delay Iraqi efforts to interrogate Saddam Hussein, saying "it seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide."

Setting Him Straight?
Zach is a gay teen whose parents forced him to attend "religious camp" to "make him straight." But these camps are better at psychologically hurting teens than at changing their sexuality.

Kidnapped girl 'rescued' by lions