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Greed and Corruption United Nations, EU & UK |
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UN auditors not ready for primetime UN - Auditors are the boring but vital front-line warriors in any battle against waste, corruption and inefficiency - and at the United Nations, where tens of billions of dollars are spent each year, they are often under-qualified, overstretched, impeded and ignored by their bosses, according to a report by an elite inspection unit examining the UN’s efficiency world-wide. (Fox) REPORT: Audit Function in the UN System .pdf
WHO wants their own 'climate-change' tax system UN - The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations' public health arm, is moving full speed ahead with a controversial plan to impose global consumer taxes on such things as Internet activity and everyday financial transactions like paying bills online - while its spending soars and its own financial house is in disarray. (Fox)
VIENNA - Timothy Hampton, 47, a scientist involved in monitoring nuclear activity, was found dead last week at the bottom of a stairwell in Vienna. (Daily Mail) MORE: UN stops investigation Nuclear expert dies in 40-metre plunge
UNITED NATIONS - The ultimate responsibility for preventing genocide lies with states, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay says on 9 December, as the world marks the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention). (United Nations) MORE: 33 countries face possible genocide Canada should prosecute Iran for inciting genocide
Barlow named 1st UN water adviser Canadian activist Maude Barlow has been appointed as the United Nation's first senior adviser on water issues, a role she hopes to use to establish water as a human right and to convince Canada to "change its shameful position" on the issue. (CBC) Council of Canadians Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Blue Planet Project Activist cash: Maude Barlow
ABUJA - Some $2B-worth of Nigerian energy contracts were awarded without a bidding process by the former president and his energy minister, officials say. (BBC) Abdulsalami Abubakar Olusegun Obasanjo |
LUXEMBOURG - The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg has ruled that using differences between men and women as a risk factor in setting premiums for car and medical insurance and pension schemes breaches EU rules on equality. (Telegraph UK) MORE: ECJ gender ruling hits insurance costs
UN aid cash went to Islamist insurgents The UN World Food Programme (WFP) had to suspend activities in southern Somalia after being manipulated by al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaeda. (Telegraph UK)
Rosett US HCFA UN briefing .pdf
UN - Libya and Thailand were among 14 countries elected as new members of the UN's top human rights body in a vote that rights advocates criticized as uncompetitive and "pre-cooked." (AFP) PREVIOUS: UN Human Rights Council Human Rights gala
LONDON - The break-up of BAA could be overturned after an official ruling that there was "apparent bias" in the two-year investigation by the Competition Commission. Professor Peter Moizer, a member of the competition watchdog's six-strong panel, was during most of the investigation also an adviser to one of the bidders for Gatwick, which was recently sold by the company. (Guardian UK)
UNITED NATIONS - The UN is quietly preparing an exit strategy for its troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the biggest UN peacekeeping mission in the world, diplomats and officials said. (Reuters) Joseph Kabila MONUC.
In the last two decades, the world has spent more than $196B trying to save people from death and disease in poor countries. But just what the world's gotten for its money isn't clear, according to two studies published in the medical journal Lancet. (AP) MORE: More than 1B hungry 1.02B people hungry Displaced at record high 2008 Global Trends |
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The comments by Inga-Britt Ahlenius came as she presented a UN committee with a report by a task force that details its investigations over the past year into cases of alleged graft linked to UN contracts worth over $20M. Ahlenius heads the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), which runs the controversial Procurement Task Force. (Reuters) |
HAITI - Impoverished Haitians are increasingly resorting to eating biscuits made of mud as food prices soar in the Caribbean country. The discs are made from dried yellow clay mixed with water, salt and vegetable shortening or margarine. (Telegraph UK) PREVIOUS: Genocide a la bonne femme CIDA helping the people of Haiti improve their living conditions |
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UN cultural agency UNESCO has been forced to suspend all its spending programmes until the end of the year after the US withdrew its funding. Last month, the US and Israel pulled the plug on their UNESCO funding after members voted to admit Palestine as a full member. (AFP) |
Israel cuts off UNESCO funding Palestine becomes UNESCO member Palestinians to join more agencies
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UNITED NATIONS - Canada suffered a devastating blow both to its self-image and its international reputation, for the first time in 60 years losing a bid for a UN Security Council seat. (Vancouver Sun) |
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UN peacekeepers have "failed" the victims of mass rape in eastern DR Congo, a senior UN official has said. Atul Khare told the Security Council that the scale of systematic rape by armed rebels was far worse than feared. He said that up to 500 women and children were now believed raped in recent weeks - more than double the previously reported figure. He called for the prosecution of Rwandan and Congolese rebels who are blamed for many of the attacks. (BBC) |
UN names Iran to women's rights panel UN defends inaction on mass rapes Ki-moon to calm UN war crimes report row Sex abuse by NGO's & peacekeepers Sexual abused by UN peacekeepers Peacekeepers 'abusing children' Report of investigation case 0618 .pdf No one to turn to .pdf |
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UN - The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the flagship for environmental consciousness and creation of a new era of “global environmental governance,” doesn’t know how its money is spent or even who it may be dealing with when it comes to hundreds of corporate, public and non-governmental partners that are “key” to fulfilling its mission, according to a confidential internal study. (Fox) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) |
EU agrees Irish treaty compromise UN corruption probe 'at full throttle' UN official held, accused of graft UN's program wants unlimited spending power UN ignores its own procurement ban UN peace missions in fraud probe And now UN cash for visas program? UN high court exonerates Serbia |
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UNDP official stonewalling request Canada must deal with new UN reality The UN's tyrant friendly bureaucracy UN to elect human rights members Zimbabwe seeks travel ban waiver for Nhema CIDA criticized for lack of accountability Experts say UN Agencies spin data Child mortality worldwide hits record low: UNICEF First S Leone war crimes verdicts UN probes sale of stamp archive Billions in money is being stolen |
Canada told not to use term 'visible minorities' Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Members Muslim countries reject gay activist group UN troops 'helped smuggle gold' Canada takes UN fight to world media UN finds waste in Peacekeeping work How corrupt is the United Nations? Oil-for-food report 'implicates 2,200 firms' Volcker cites two Canadian oil firms Britain should get rid of the monarchy |
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UN economic & social council press release Western States shun UN conference Fault lines split UN racism summit Universal Declaration of Human Rights AI: State of the world's human rights 2008 |
Arbour should have known better Human rights take a step sideways UN human rights commissioner backs plan Canadian top UN official ignores anti-Semitism Canadian top UN official ignores anti-Semitism Canadian Muslim leader condemns Bush UN Champions of the Earth Award UN rights body back Israel probe Human rights abusers hijacking UN UN rights body: It's still a mess UN votes rule changes for Human Rights Council IIC Oct 2005 Report .pdf |
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LONDON - One of Britain’s largest lobbying companies has been secretly recorded boasting about its access to the heart of Government and how it uses ‘dark arts’ to bury bad coverage and influence public opinion. (BIJ) 'Bonfire of the guangos' quangos Of 901 public bodies 648 will remain Reforms to 'antiquated' system 'Institutionalized' idleness system 'Culture of excess' data released Non-departmental (NDPB/Quango) |
Council spending database released Former minister jailed Elliot Morley Disgraced MPs obtain secret refunds Administrators are out of control 'Phase out top down management' Liberating the NHS NHS shake-up Cuts 'will change British way of life' Cameron fingers culprits for debt pile Public sector has been good for us An economy in need of intensive care Billions fail to boost standards Hospital makes a profit trading drugs 'I have complied with the MPs' code' Cost of politicians still climbing |
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Non-profit has been good for us Immunity and secret justice system |
Tax allies 'subsidized' by the taxpayer Mystery of Blair's money solved Parliamentary standards & privileges Discredited watchdog committee Labour depends on votes of Welfare Access and influence in Whitehall MPs threaten to reject 'unfair' report |
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Super-tax of 50% on the bonuses France follows with bank bonus tax 'Culture of excess' in public sector Lobby firms focus on 'persuadable' Expenses 'enforcer' backs down |
UK Parliamentary expenses scandal Investigator 'surprised and shocked' Home Secretary to be investigated Sleaze watchdog asks Smith to explain 6M public sector Audit Commission |
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Conservatives will not support freeze UK Parliamentary expenses scandal Shamed MPs set for major pay hike MPs' expenses: what you've found |
Plot to keep expenses under wraps Appointed boss linked to tax cheats |
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Banned from showing honours story UK pension grab secret revealed Blair 'misled' Labour on loans Blair denies 'cash for peerages' Fury over 'loans for peerages' Guardian Special: House of Lords |
Blunder exposes MPs' expenses plan MPs reveal expenses row solution Parliament faces new crackdown British seek power to expel lords Cash for honours: Insufficient |
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Lords undertake consultancy work |
No MP prosecutions over expenses Scandal deepens contempt for MPs Health minister's expenses scam Thinktank attacks basis for reform Paying for the party .pdf |
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BRUSSELS - Minutes after being unveiled late Wednesday, the 2014-2020 draft budget came under a hail of fire from two of the bloc's "big three" powers - Britain and Germany - for including a 5% rise that would see spending soar to 1,083B euros ($1,570B). (AFP) Investigating EU's hidden billions |
EU wants budget raised by 4.9% 4th MEP in 'cash-for-laws' scandal EU offers softer line on bailouts |
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'Nonentities' is a fair description |
Battle to nail an MEP fraudster Taxpayers must bail out MEPs' pension EU leaders vow oversight of markets Parliament approves Lisbon Treaty MEPs won’t publish expense report MEPs vote to cover up expenses |
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UK PM praised for ignoring 'No' vote EU anti-fraud office 'misled' courts Offensive to keep treaty alive Treaty likely to be imposed by stealth |
Internal EU Audit report on MEP expenses Secret report will remain secret 'Criminal abuse' of expenses by Euro-MPs European Parliament's Budget Control Committee EU accounts failed for 13th year EU budget fails health check for 13th year Why aren't we shocked by a corrupt EU? Found: EU's 29,000 hidden employees |
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For all the billions of dollars worth of surveillance technology directed at North Korea as it breathes fire this weekend, its closed society is so impervious to spying that diplomats in Asia are forced to admit that they might as well rely on Google Earth. A set of images - North Korea Uncovered, released by Curtis Melvin, a keen American amateur - includes a tantalizing view of the site where the North Koreans detonated a nuclear device last. (Times online) |
NK planning to launch long range rocket N Korea threatens military action UN announces audit of N Korean fund UN paid North Korean millions in cash North Korea's misuse of UNDP funds North Korea suspected of using UN 'as an ATM' Audit finds UN violates own rules in North Korea |
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NAIROBI - Two Kenyan human rights activists who provided evidence to a senior UN investigator over execution-style murders by police were assassinated on a busy Nairobi street yesterday evening. Oscar Kamau Kingara, the director of the Oscar Foundation, and its programme coordinator, John Paul Oulo, were shot at close range in their car by gunmen less than a mile from the presidential residence. (Guardian UK) Slayings part of pattern of extrajudicial killings |
The Looters of Kenya; Forgiven by Parliament Kenyan MPs torpedo graft probes The looting of Kenya under President Moi Cabinet cost 80% of national budget Opposition leader sworn in as PM Kenyans killed in sect protests |
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OTTAWA - West African negotiators who secured the release of two Canadian hostages used a cut of the ransom to rig a village election, US diplomats allege in a leaked document. (Globe & Mail) |
Gadhafi regime helped broker release What was Fowler doing in Niger? Diplomat lacked government approval Missing diplomat did visit gold mine |
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Taiwan's Chen in corruption case Taiwanese prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge President Chen Shui-bian with corruption - but he is protected by presidential immunity. (BBC) |
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President's son buys $35M home An anti-graft pressure group has called for a probe into the alleged purchase of a luxury US beach house by the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president. Theodoro Nguema Obiang bought a $35m house in California's exclusive Malibu area in February, Global Witness says. His pay as a minister is $60,000 a year. (BBC) |
Inquiry into 'lost' Sudan funds KHARTOUM - The government of southern Sudan has launched an inquiry into what happened to $60m it received in 2005. A panel has been set up to trace the money President Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir said was given to former southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. (BBC) |
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Prime Time Crime