When China’s railway minister was sacked in February amid allegations of widespread corruption, one immediate question was what effect it would have on his effort to build a world-class high-speed train system. The answer, it emerged this week, is that China’s sleek, white bullet trains are going to ease up on the throttle. Sheng …
corruption
One Activist’s Hunger Strike Cows Indian Government on Corruption
Indians seem to have poured all their collective anger over corruption in government and the bureaucracy into a 71-year old social activist named Anna Hazare. He started a “fast unto death” on April 5, vowing to sacrifice himself unless the Indian government passed a law creating a “Lokpal,” an ombudsman body with the power to …
India’s Telecom Scandal: Titans of Industry Implicated
What to make of the charges filed over the weekend in India’s multi-billion telecom scandal? Andimuthu Raja, India’s former telecommunications minister and a leader of one of the Congress Party’s key regional allies, was among those named. The Wall Street Journal reports that he was charged with cheating, forgery, conspiracy, …
Canada’s Government Collapses: What’s Next?
Guest post written by TIME’s Megan Gibson
In a year when myriad governments have had their authority challenged, add one more to the list. We’ve seen Libya and Syria’s regimes reel in the face of mass uprisings, and Tunisia and Egypt’s leaders depart. And now… Canada?
Though not quite as tumultuous as events in the Middle …
One More Scandal: Indian Prime Minister Reckons With New Wikileaks Charges
Wikileaks has revived one of the most sordid episodes in India’s recent history — in which members of the opposition waved bundles of cash on the floor of Parliament — and forced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to answer, yet again, for charges of corruption within his party.
The cable in question, from July 17, 2008, was sent by …
How Bihar Went from Basket Case to Case Study
I visited Bihar for the first time in 1998, when its reputation for lawlessness was well-deserved. Traveling by train from Delhi, you knew exactly when you crossed the border into Bihar. That’s when groups of aggressive, ticket-less riders suddenly jumped onto the train, comfortable in the knowledge that, in Bihar, no one would …
Algeria Rescinds Emergency Powers–But Isn’t Bending To Popular Unrest
Was the lifting Thursday of Algeria’s 19-year state of emergency a sign the country’s corrupt, authoritarian regime is responding to the growing public unrest that brought down the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt—and now looks set to topple Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi? Without any doubt. Yet it would be naïve to interpret the repealing …