But just as striking is the fact that an investigation into energy-sector kickbacks at the highest levels of government and business is happening at all. This is in many ways a victory for Ukrainian democracy, and for a civil society that, since the 2014 revolution on the Maidan, has worked tirelessly to hold its government to account, even during wartime.
Mr Yermak has been Ukraine's lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the US, and he has been a trusted confidante of Mr Zelensky for years. The unprecedented searches at the heart of Ukraine's government come at a time when Kyiv is under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia invaded. Russian forces have also been making slow but steady territorial gains in the east of Ukraine in recent months.
Reuters noted that erlier this month, the two agencies unveiled a sweeping investigation into an alleged $100m kickback scheme at the stage atomic energy company, involving Zelenskyy's ex-business partner. While Yermak has not been named a suspect in the investigation, but opposition lawmakers and some members of Zelenskyy's own party had called for his dismissal as part of Ukraine's worst wartime political crisis, the agency said.
The UK government has been accused of caving-in to pressure from the British Virgin Islands by allowing it to limit access to a register of company share ownership to only those deemed to have a legitimate interest. The restriction, to be discussed at talks starting on Tuesday between Foreign Office ministers and leaders of the British overseas territories (BOTs) in London, is in defiance of legislation passed by the UK government as long ago as 2008 that would make the register available to all.
The journalist Kenneth P. Vogel is an investigative reporter, which means he often writes about people who would rather he did not. Vogel works for The New York Times, and his book called "Devils' Advocates" covers Americans who take money from foreigners to advise them about the U.S. government. Did you receive anything you would regard as a threatening letter or phone call while reporting on the subjects of this book? KENNETH VOGEL: Yes, many. I don't want to get into the specifics.
Young protesters in Madagascar have said they will continue their fight until the president, Andry Rajoelina, resigns, rejecting his dissolution of the government on Monday as insufficient. Twenty-two people were killed and 100 injured at the demonstrations, according to the UN. The unrest broke out on 25 September when local councillors were arrested for protesting against water and electricity outages in the capital, Antananarivo. The youth-led protests quickly spread to other towns and cities, fuelled by social media and other Gen Z protests in Indonesia and Nepal, where the government was toppled.
In Indonesia, it was hung outside homes, on motorbikes, cars and trucks, in a sign of discontent with the government that boiled over into deadly protests railing against lavish perks enjoyed by politicians. In Nepal, it was draped on the golden gates of the palace that houses parliament, as young people toppled their government. In the Philippines, it was raised at rallies by protesters furious at alleged government corruption.
The United Kingdom, the originator of the cherished Common Law legal tradition, has a proud reputation of judicial integrity. Recent changes to the global balance of power may limit the reach of the UK's courts, but their reputation for incorruptibility remains undimmed. In global rankings, the UK comes 15th out of 142 countries for overall rule of law, with judicial autonomy noted to be particularly strong according to the World Justice Project's 2023 Rule of Law Index.
Karki is a former chief justice known for challenging the corrupt and the elite. Before she was selected as prime minister, she got the most votes in a poll on the group chat app Discord, organized by a youth advocacy group. That was days after mobs burned down government buildings and assaulted political leaders at their homes. UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Shouting in non-English language).
Sushila Karki was appointed Nepal's new interim prime minister on Friday the first woman to hold the position. It came after violent demonstrations left at least 72 people dead and thousands injured, and forced Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli to step down from his post. The revolt by members of Gen Z, a term referring to people born roughly between 1997 and 2012 was triggered by a short-lived government-imposed social media ban and anger about widespread corruption and economic hardship in the Himalayan nation.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
Allred's proposal to "clean up Washington" is a 12-point anti-corruption plan that includes other populist priorities like ending gerrymandering, barring corporate PACs and a lifetime lobbying ban for lawmakers. The former congressman has personally pledged to refrain from trading individual stocks, to refuse corporate PAC money and to adhere to a lifetime lobbying ban. "Texans are paying more every day because politicians in Washington are looking out for themselves instead of us," Allred said in a statement to Axios.
The new legislation gives the prosecutor general power to control investigations led by the National Anticorruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, raising concerns of independence.
