Friday, September 18

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering

Corruption is a scourge on society, impacting both authoritarian and democratic systems. Unchecked, it gives capitalism a bad name. Corruption infects healthy business dealings and operations and produces winners and losers. It occurs through many means: money laundering, tax evasion, bribes, coercion, and other illicit activity. Corruption makes societies unequal and unfree. Let’s empower individuals and policymakers to demand accountability.

Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Globalization, Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Mexico’s New President Promises to Root Out Corruption, Reverse ‘Neoliberal’ Policies

Dec. 3, 2018--Mexico swore in Andres Manuel López Obrador as its new president on Saturday, bringing in a new era of governance and a dramatic shift in direction for Latin America's second largest economy. Mr. López Obrador, known by his populist name "AMLO," ran on a campaign to root out corruption and cronyism and eliminate government privilege. He also promised to empower the people, especially in poor and indigenous regions, both economically and through direct representation, such as referendums. It was perhaps that message or simply a wariness against the corrupt status quo that brings López Obrador to power. He won office last July in a landslide victory. He secured with 53 percent of the vote -- 30 percentage points above the closest rival. While The Economist magazine sug...
As Gov’t Begins Reuniting Families, Congress Sets Immigration Reforms Aside
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics: United States, Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Brief

As Gov’t Begins Reuniting Families, Congress Sets Immigration Reforms Aside

June 23, 2018-As the U.S. government began reuniting migrant children with their parents, who are being held for illegally crossing the U.S. border, the prospects for immigration reform in Congress appeared dead. The massive migration from Central America to the United States and the U.S. government's inability to handle it have created a crisis with both human and economic costs. The issues involved relate to bureaucratic incompetence, human smuggling, transnational crime, and a broken political system. Many Children And Parents Remain Apart Under pressure mounting pressure from an outrages public, the U.S. government started reuniting parents held under prosecution with their children. According to CBS News, the government returned 500 of the 2,300 children held in detention centers wi...
U.S. Grand Jury Indicts Two in Counterintelligence Investigations
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics: United States

U.S. Grand Jury Indicts Two in Counterintelligence Investigations

October 30, 2017--Six months into a counterintelligence investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed a criminal indictment against Paul J. Manafort, Jr., and Richard W. Gates, former campaign manager and deputy campaign manager to the Donald Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. The 31-page indictment speaks to the shadowy inner workings of Washington and the interplay between the political and for-profit lobbying worlds. The charges involve hiding and laundering "tens of millions of dollars" through foreign nominee companies and offshore bank accounts across the globe, including Cyprus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Seychelles. According to the indictment, more than $75 million flowed ...
Peaceful transfer of power in America
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Domestic Politics: United States

Peaceful transfer of power in America

America's 18-month presidential election has come to a close, with Hillary Clinton conceding defeat to Donald Trump. It was an election that at times felt like a reality-TV show gone wrong, with one candidate fending off multiple investigations and the other communicating one outlandish comment after another. It was a low period for America. With 61 percent of Americans reporting an "unfavorable" opinion of Donald Trump and 52 percent reporting an "unfavorable" opinion of Hillary Clinton, Trump and Clinton set records for the worst and second-worst liked U.S. presidential candidates in Gallup-polling history. Issues took a backseat, but they were, nonetheless, there: Deficiencies with the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature healthcare law, that were never fixed and that ca...
North Korean Dealings with Hong Kong-Business Keep Regime Alive
Communism, Dictatorship, Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Sanctions

North Korean Dealings with Hong Kong-Business Keep Regime Alive

Despite extensive sanctions against North Korea by the United Nations, European Union and United States in response to its nuclear testing, the world's most isolated country is not as isolated economically as one might suspect.According to a groundbreaking investigation by the Financial Times, North Korea relies on an obscure web of connections to finance foreign and domestic projects and bring in the foreign currency it needs to survive.The main group, Office 39 based in North Korea, conducts "illicit economic activities" to produce income for the leadership, according to the Financial Times. North Korea is also known to export weapons, drugs and indentured servants.It has dealings with a multi-million dollar private company based in Hong Kong, referred to as the Queensway Group. The pri...
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