The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

By Harriet Barovick, Ishaan Tharoor, Alexandra Silver, Claire Suddath, Frances Romero and Josh Sanburn Monday, Nov. 08, 2010

    • 1 | Afghanistan

    Show Me the Money

    On Oct. 25, Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged media reports that Iran sends large cash payments to his office--about $2 million a year--but said that there was nothing suspicious about the money and that it was used for presidential expenses. Karzai noted that he also receives occasional cash infusions from the U.S., which criticized Iran for meddling in Afghan affairs. At first, Tehran denied making any payments, calling the allegations "baseless rumors by certain Western media." Then it reversed its stance after Karzai's announcement. Iran hopes to expand a growing economic relationship with its eastern neighbor. But Tehran's involvement pales in comparison with that of Washington, which has given Kabul nearly $52 billion in military and civilian aid since 2001.

    2 | China

    Defending the Tibetan Tongue

    Thousands of Tibetan students in Western China demonstrated against proposals to make Mandarin the main language of instruction in schools, a move that has stoked the anger of an already embittered minority. A separate protest was staged by ethnic-minority students at a Beijing university. While Tibetan protests in 2008 turned deadly, there were no reports of violence from the recent agitation. Chinese leaders boast of the country's diversity, but Tibetans and Uighurs in China's far West complain of state efforts to dilute their distinct cultures and identities.

    3 | Berlin

    Annual Index Charts Dodgy Dealings Worldwide

    Transparency International (TI), a global anticorruption group based in Germany, released its 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. The annual rankings survey businesspeople and ordinary citizens in 178 countries and grade each nation on a 0-to-10 scale. Denmark, the cleanest state, received a 9.3 score. Impoverished and conflict-ravaged nations fared the worst, a sign, says TI, of the link between good governance and a country's stability and development. The U.S. dropped three places from its spot in last year's rankings, mostly because of perceived graft during the recent financial crisis.

    [The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]

    Corruption is a severe problem in more than half the world

    VERY CLEAN

    1. Denmark

    20. United Kingdom

    22. U.S.

    78. China

    87. India

    PERCENTAGE OF COUNTRIES THAT FALL INTO A PARTICULAR SPECTRUM OF THE INDEX

    154. Russia

    175. Iraq

    176. Afghanistan

    177. Burma

    178. Somalia

    MOST CORRUPT

    SOURCE: TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL

    4 | Brussels

    Serbia Gets E.U. Chance

    Serbia took a significant step toward European Union membership after the 27-nation bloc agreed to examine the Balkan country's candidacy. Membership could give the war-torn nation some much needed stability. A key condition, however, is that Belgrade cooperate with International Criminal Court investigations into Balkan war crimes. A decision on Serbia's candidacy is expected next year.

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