18 October 2005

Stories from 18 October 2005

Poland: Another #1

  18 October 2005

Warsaw Station congratulates (tongue-in-cheek…) Poland on beating out its fellow EU members to come in at number 1 on a very special list.

Russia: Why Bribe-takers Get Caught

  18 October 2005

Russia Blog discusses why bribe-taking officials get caught. It certainly does not appear to be an interest in stamping out bribery in Russia, where it is estimated over three times more is paid in bribes each year than is paid out in the government's budget.

Brazil: Neocon Discontent

  18 October 2005

Luís Afonso Assumpção translates parts of an article by brazilian neocon Reinaldo Azevedo on why conservatives are upset with Lula da Silva's government.

Egyptian Parliamentary Elections

  18 October 2005

The parliamentary elections Egyptians face next month may very well be more substantial than the first Presidential one they encountered last month. Through these elections many hope to influence the stranglehold the National Democratic Party (NDP) has on both the upper and lower houses of parliament (upwards of 85%).

Lebanon: The Mehlis Report Inconsequential

  18 October 2005

Lebanon Profile says that all the people who argued that Lebanon needs a short period of Amadou Toumani Toure-style dictatorship to rid the country of corruption before immediately returning to democracy have almost been vindicated.

Livability in the Middle East

  18 October 2005

Mahmood says that the Economist Intelligence Unit has just published its world-wide livability index, that is, the best cities in the world to live in based on various criteria. Needless to say the Middle East is not on top of the heap.

Bahrain: Corruption Perceptions Index

  18 October 2005

Abdulhadi Khalaf of Jaddwilliam2 writes that scoring 5.8 out of 10 , Bahrain is percieved by business community as less ‘corrupt’ than Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but percieved more ‘corrupt’ Oman, Qatar and the UAE. The complete data and explanatory material is available at The Internet Center for Corruption Research.

Tunisia: Hunger Strike and Censorship

  18 October 2005

Neila Charchour Hachicha writes that the PLM’s web site, which was the unique political website accessible in Tunisia has been censored today. “However we want you to get the declaration of the 7 political personnalities who undertook today October 18th 2005 an unllimited hunger strike. We need the help of...

Food aid for Zimbabwe

  18 October 2005

Sokwanle – Civil Action for Zimbabwe has issued a press release “Crimes against humanity: The Case for Urgent Action Against Zimbabwe. In today's press release , Cardinal Napier and Archbishop Pius Ncube, two leading clerics in the Roman Catholic Church, stress that if the United Nations’ Security Council does not...