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world news Diasabra 18 september 2021

Inquiry puts ex-World Bank officials under scrutiny on China

(AP) — Former officials disputed the report’s conclu- businesses trying to assess
of the World Bank are sion that she was involved in risk in a particular country.
under pressure after an pressuring World Bank staff
investigation found that members to appease China. “Any quantitative model of
they pressured staff mem- country risk has built this in
bers of the bank to alter “I disagree fundamentally to ratings,” Ash said. “Money
data on global business with the findings and inter- and investments are allocated
conditions in order to fa- pretations of the Investiga- on the back of this series.”
vor China and some other tion of Data Irregularities as
governments. it relates to my role in the He added that if an analyst at
World Bank’s Doing Busi- a bank or rating agency had
The World Bank said it would ness report of 2018,” her done what is alleged, “I wa-
discontinue its “Doing Busi- statement said. ger they would be fired and
ness” report in the wake of would be subject to regula-
the investigation, which was The World Bank, based in tory investigation.”
conducted by the law firm Washington, is among the
WilmerHale after internal world’s largest sources of de- China has tried over the past
questions involving “data ir- velopment funding. “Doing two decades to increase its in- cording to the report. Other
regularities” in the 2018 and Business,” which evaluates fluence over international in- changes affected rankings of The World Bank researchers
2020 editions of the report a country’s tax burdens, bu- stitutions, including the IMF Azerbaijan, the United Arab knew that the changes “were
and possible “ethical matters” reaucratic obstacles, regula- and the World Health Orga- Emirates and Saudi Arabia. inappropriate,” but they “ex-
involving bank staff. tory system and other busi- nization, and their policies. pressed a fear of retaliation”
ness conditions, is used by According to WilmerHale’s by Georgieva’s aide, Simeon
WilmerHale’s report con- some governments to try to The changes made to the investigative report, a World Djankov, according to the re-
cluded that Kristalina Geor- attract investment. The re- 2018 “Doing Business” re- Bank senior director ac- port.
gieva, then the chief execu- port ranks countries on such port followed lobbying by knowledged that the “Doing
tive of the World Bank, and factors as how straightfor- Beijing for a better ranking Business” leadership made The Chinese foreign minis-
the office of Jim Yong Kim, ward or burdensome it is to and came ahead of a cam- changes to “push the data in try expressed hope the World
then the bank’s president, register a business, legally paign by the World Bank to a certain direction to accom- Bank would “conduct a com-
pressured staff members to enforce a contract, resolve a raise capital in which Beijing modate geopolitical consid- prehensive investigation” to
change data on China to sup- bankruptcy, obtain an elec- was expected to play a “key erations.” It said Georgieva “better maintain the profes-
port Beijing’s ranking in the trical connection or acquire role,” the report said. China thanked the senior director sionalism and credibility” of
“Doing Business” report. construction permits. is the bank’s third-largest for doing his “bit for multi- “Doing Business.”
These rankings are important shareholder after the United lateralism.”
to China and other develop- Timothy Ash, a strategist at States and Japan. “The Chinese government
ing nations because they can the fixed income manager The senior director inter- attaches great importance to
affect their ability to attract BlueBay Asset Management, Changes made by analysts preted that to mean “not optimizing the business en-
investment from overseas. said he “cannot overestimate” who prepared the 2018 re- angering China” during the vironment,” said a ministry
the importance of the Doing port raised China’s ranking capital increase negotiations, spokesperson, Zhao Lijian.
In a statement, Georgieva Business report for banks and by seven places to No. 78, ac- the report said.

Rising numbers of migrants risk lives crossing Darien Gap

(AP) — It was 5 a.m. and paid the steep price of $20. ing away from the grasslands Chile and were left with little
in dozens of small tents The men declined to provide that surround the Colom- work due to the pandemic. But this created bottlenecks
around 500 migrants be- their last names because they bian town of Acandi toward Visa requirements make it and confusion on the Co-
gan showing signs of life, had entered Colombia ille- the rainforest. Residents almost impossible for low- lombian side. Every day
rising, packing their bags gally and feared being fined. of Acandi served as guides, income migrants from Haiti hundreds of migrants arrive
and preparing to cross the charging the migrants $50 to take flights to Panama, in the town of Necocli on
Darien Gap, the thick jun- Emile, 29, said he had left each to show them the way Mexico or the United States. Colombia’s Caribbean coast,
gle teeming with snakes, his home country of Haiti 13 toward Panama. So many make the dangerous where they need to catch
bandits and treacherous years ago to work in the Do- trek across the jungle in the a boat that will take them
rivers that separates Co- minican Republic. Then he As borders open around the hopes of starting a new life in across the Gulf of Uraba.
lombia from Panama. lived in Chile for four years, world after months of pan- the U.S.
and two months ago he de- demic-related lockdowns Necocli’s mayor, Jorge To-
Over a fire, Emile and Claude cided to leave for the United some illegal migration routes “The jungle is very tough, we bon, says 1,000 to 1,500 mi-
cooked some yucca and pasta States. are also seeing an uptick just walk without a precise grants are arriving in the
to take on the six-day journey, in crossings. Muddy paths idea of where we’re head- town each day, but only 500
along with 20 liters of drink- The pair picked up their be- across the Darien jungle have ed,” said Davidson Lafleur, a are allowed to leave on boats
ing water for which they longings and started walk- long been used by smugglers 24-year-old Haitian. heading across the gulf and
to take migrants from South toward the Panamanian bor-
America to Central America Lafleur had lived in Chile for der due to the recent agree-
as they make their way to the three years, and was traveling ment between the countries.
U.S. to the U.S. with his wife and
their 11-month old daughter. Tobon says more than 14,000
Panamanian immigration of- migrants are currently stuck
ficials say the number of peo- “I paid someone $120 to car- in the town, with boat tickets
ple crossing the Darien Gap ry my bags to the (Panama) sold out until the end of this
has reached record levels, border,” he said. month.
with 70,000 migrants making
the dangerous trek so far this In August, Colombia and Accommodation in hotels
year and registering at shel- Panama agreed to limit the and local homes is scarce.
ters in Panama. number of migrants crossing Many migrants sleep in tents
the Darien each day in a bid next to the beach, where they
Most of those currently cross- to ease pressure on shelters use seawater to bathe and
ing the Darien are Haitians on the Panamanian side of cook.
who were living in Brazil and the jungle.