Follow the Money: Payment Trail Reveals Challenges of Ridding Liberia of Corruption
Last July, five months before she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf welcomed Chevron CEO John Watson into the executive mansion to herald one of the largest investments in her country since the end of its devastating civil war in 2003: Chevron’s purchase of the rights to explore for oil off the coast of the West African nation.
Congo suspends two airlines following deadly crash
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suspended the licenses of two airlines after one of their aircraft crashed over the weekend, killing President Joseph Kabila’s chief adviser and seriously injuring his finance minister.
Rwandan refugee journalists fear for colleague Jean Bosco Gasasira
In Rwanda, Paul Kagame is afraid of one woman, jailed opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umhoza, and Rwandan investigative journalists are constantly under siege. Following the assassination of Leonard Rugembage, the editor of Umuvugizi, Rwandan journalists in exile have been under constant surveillance from state security agents.
FAA Moves to Limit Blockout System Hiding Private Jet Flights
The (US) Federal Aviation Administration is proposing rules that would prevent private plane owners from keeping their flight records secret unless they can provide a valid security concern.
How (and How Not) to Jumpstart an Economy
The polarized rhetoric of the 2012 election cycle presents voters with a false choice of whether the government can create jobs or should just get out of the way. The real debate should be about which policies work and which don’t.
Santorum Win Raises New Challenges for Romney in Key Conservative States
Rick Santorum’s win in four key conservative states has raised new questions for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who has consistently led in the polls and received increasingly favorable coverage from the mainstream media since he was erroneously declared the winner in the Iowa Caucus in January.
Ousted Tunisian leader Ben Ali’s 34 cars and 48 yachts are seized
Further evidence of the extent of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s wide-reaching financial empire has been revealed after police reportedly seized dozens of luxury items and company shares belonging to the ousted Tunisian leader.
U.S. Energy Trade Mission to Visit Four African Countries
Washington has belatedly discovered Africa’s vast mineralogical and energy riches, and the U.S. State Department is dispatching a trade mission to Africa that will visit Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana.
Africa: Fighting for the Rights of Child Soldiers
Nairobi — At end-November 2011, Somalia and the Central African Republic became the latest countries to commit to end the use of child soldiers – a move seen as “encouraging” by the UN, albeit with the proviso that the situation in both countries remains volatile.
Equatorial Guinea: France impounds African autocrats’ ‘ill-gotten gains’
At 42 Avenue Foch, the tree-lined boulevard that is one of Paris’s most expensive streets, looms a five-storey private mansion complete with disco, spa room, hair salon, gold- and jewel-encrusted taps, lift, pastel pink dining room and a breathtaking balcony-view of the Arc de Triomphe.
Madagascar’s Oil Fortunes Evolving Slowly
Madagascar Oil Ltd., Houston, said it is encouraged by brightening prospects for the blocks that contain its Tsimiroro and Bemolanga giant heavy oil deposits in nonproducing Madagascar.
Nigeria: Eni SpA Pipeline Set Ablaze by Militants, MEND Claims Responsibility
A statement purportedly from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND), one of Nigeria’s largest militant groups, claims to have “attacked and destroyed” a pipeline owned by a Nigerian subsidiary of Eni SpA. Eni has since stated that an incident disrupted its Nigeria output by some 4000 barrels a day, but has yet to officially confirm the attack. In a statement released to media outlets, MEND said that “this relatively insignificant attack is a reminder of our presence in the creeks of the Niger Delta and a sign of things to come.”
