By Lena Kocanis

International attention is focussed on the Greek government’s handling of the fires, which the Los Angeles Times noted reflected “years of neglect and corruption.”

The BBC reports that arson is being investigated as a possible cause of the fires and that a 1 million EUR reward has been offered to help catch those responsible. The Economist , writes “arsonists certainly have strong economic incentives. Rising incomes have fuelled a construction boom.” But without the land to build on, developers have not been able to take advantage of this. Greek law protects former forested areas from residential development. However, The Economist writes, “developers are practised as getting around such regulations … [especially as] local officials are often open to bribery, while politicians are prone to declaring amnesties for illegal buildings ahead of an election.”

Damage to the economy from the fires is estimated at €1.2 billion to €4 billion and the European Commission has pledged to provide up to €200 million in aid, Reuters states. Monitoring this money will be important. Global Insight writes that “although EU supervision of the funds donated could send a warning message to local authorities prone to corruption, tracing every cent is very difficult for EU staff. By ensuring transparent accountancy with regard to the allocation of funds, the government could present itself as a staunch defender of anti-corruption laws.”

By Lena Kocanis

Following Lepper’s dismissal, the Polish Prime Minister and leader of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kazcynski, dismissed Janusz Kaczmarek, the interior minister, as well as Jaroslaw Maryec, the head of Poland’s central Bureau of Investigation (CBS) and Roman Giertych, deputy minister and education minister, from their posts.

On 13 August, Kaczynski removed all ministers belonging to the Self-Defense party and the Catholic-nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR), replacing them with PiS loyalists and non-party experts, writes The Economist.

Left with a minority government Kaczynski is seeking a parliamentary election two years ahead of schedule. Lawmakers voted on 7 September on whether to dissolve parliament, triggering an election — possibly in October, according to The International Herald Tribune .

The crisis deepened when the International Security Agency (ABW) detained Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek, had “allegedly abused his position by sharing state secrets with one of Poland's richest businessmen, Ryszard Krauze. Both men were charged last week with jeopardizing the case against Andrzej Lepper,” reports The International Herald Tribune.

As Professor Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, head of the Warsaw-based Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), told Deutsche Presse-Agentur “Kaczynski has been engaged all the time in a fight for power and domination. He wanted to centralize everything because of his lack of trust and this centralization created a situation of very poor management in the public administration.”

By Bryan Li

According to the International Herald Tribune , former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has announced that she and President Pervez Musharraf are in the process of brokering a deal in which he would resign as army chief and run for another term as president, while she would return to Pakistan to contest parliamentary elections, currently planned for mid to late October. Mr. Musharraf’s lawyer has said on September 18th that he would resign his army post if re-elected, the New York Times discloses.

This power-sharing arrangement is backed by the United States government as the best bet against Islamic extremism, the International Herald Tribune writes. Negotiations are currently stalled due to fierce opposition from the ruling coalition, whose members are needed to pass constitutional amendments needed by both Mr. Musharraf and Ms. Bhutto in order to stay in power.

Former Prime Minister Sharif, ousted by General Musharraf in 1999, won a Supreme Court order allowing his return to Pakistan in order to contest the upcoming general elections, The New York Times writes. Mr. Sharif tried to enter Pakistan on September 9th, but was immediately faced with corruption charges and was deported back to Saudia Arabia, where he is currently under house arrest, BBC News reports.

The Musharraf-Bhutto deal could be blocked if.Sharif and others tap into public anger over the way in which serious corruption charges will be brushed aside, The Economist notes.