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Subject: »NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
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Global Corruption Barometer 2010 Report
Corruption has increased over the last three years, say six out of 10 people around the world. One in four people report paying bribes in the last year. These are the findings of the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.
The 2010 Barometer captures the experiences and views of more than 91,500 people in 86 countries and territories, making it the only world-wide public opinion survey on corruption.
Views on corruption were most negative in Western Europe and North America, where 73 per cent and 67 per cent of people respectively thought corruption had increased over the last three years.
"The fall-out of the financial crises continues to affect people's opinions of corruption, particular in North America and Western Europe. Institutions everywhere must be resolute in their efforts to restore good governance and trust," said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
In the past 12 months one in four people reported paying a bribe to one of nine institutions and services, from health to education to tax authorities. The police are cited as being the most frequent recipient of bribes, according to those surveyed. About 30 per cent of those who had contact with the police reported having paid a bribe.
More than 20 countries have reported significant increases in petty bribery since 2006. The biggest increases were in Chile, Colombia, Kenya, FYR Macedonia, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Senegal and Thailand. More than one in two people in Sub-Saharan Africa reported paying a bribe - more than anywhere else in the world.
Poorer people are twice as likely to pay bribes for basic services, such as education, than wealthier people. A third of all people under the age of 30 reported paying a bribe in the past 12 months, compared to less than one in five people aged 51 years and over.
Most worrying is the fact that bribes to the police have almost doubled since 2006, and more people report paying bribes to the judiciary and for registry and permit services than five years ago.
Sadly, few people trust their governments or politicians. Eight out of 10 say political parties are corrupt or extremely corrupt, while half the people questioned say their government's action to stop corruption is ineffective.
"The message from the 2010 Barometer is that corruption is insidious. It makes people lose faith. The good news is that people are ready to act," said Labelle. "Public engagement in the fight against corruption will force those in authority to act - and will give people further courage to speak out and stand up for a cleaner, more transparent world."
www.transparency.org
Corruption has increased over the last three years, say six out of 10 people around the world. One in four people report paying bribes in the last year. These are the findings of the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer.
The 2010 Barometer captures the experiences and views of more than 91,500 people in 86 countries and territories, making it the only world-wide public opinion survey on corruption.
Views on corruption were most negative in Western Europe and North America, where 73 per cent and 67 per cent of people respectively thought corruption had increased over the last three years.
"The fall-out of the financial crises continues to affect people's opinions of corruption, particular in North America and Western Europe. Institutions everywhere must be resolute in their efforts to restore good governance and trust," said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
In the past 12 months one in four people reported paying a bribe to one of nine institutions and services, from health to education to tax authorities. The police are cited as being the most frequent recipient of bribes, according to those surveyed. About 30 per cent of those who had contact with the police reported having paid a bribe.
More than 20 countries have reported significant increases in petty bribery since 2006. The biggest increases were in Chile, Colombia, Kenya, FYR Macedonia, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Senegal and Thailand. More than one in two people in Sub-Saharan Africa reported paying a bribe - more than anywhere else in the world.
Poorer people are twice as likely to pay bribes for basic services, such as education, than wealthier people. A third of all people under the age of 30 reported paying a bribe in the past 12 months, compared to less than one in five people aged 51 years and over.
Most worrying is the fact that bribes to the police have almost doubled since 2006, and more people report paying bribes to the judiciary and for registry and permit services than five years ago.
Sadly, few people trust their governments or politicians. Eight out of 10 say political parties are corrupt or extremely corrupt, while half the people questioned say their government's action to stop corruption is ineffective.
"The message from the 2010 Barometer is that corruption is insidious. It makes people lose faith. The good news is that people are ready to act," said Labelle. "Public engagement in the fight against corruption will force those in authority to act - and will give people further courage to speak out and stand up for a cleaner, more transparent world."
www.transparency.org
Ex F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen´s father has died suddenly at 56y. old. So sad!
RIP
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RIP
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Former Croatian prime minister arrested in Austria
Austrian police arrested former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader Friday after a Zagreb court issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an anti-corruption probe. Sanader resigned from office in 2009 and fled Croatia after losing immunity.
By News Wires (text)
REUTERS - Former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader, wanted in connection with an anti-corruption probe, was arrested in Austria on Friday, Croatian state television and the Austrian interior ministry said.
Sanader left the country on Thursday shortly before parliament lifted his immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors suspect him of being behind a plan to create slush funds for his conservative HDZ party during his 2004-09 tenure in power.
Sanader denies the accusations, saying they were politically motivated. He is the highest Croatian official investigated for corruption to date.
Sanader was taken into custody in Salzburg province, Austrian interior ministry spokesman Alexander Marakovits said. "He will go to the Salzburg provincial court and then the authorities will have to decide what will happen with him in the next days or the next weeks," he said.
Marakovits said Austria acted after receiving an international arrest warrant for Sanader. "Our police tried to find him and we located him on the highway this afternoon."
Analysts said legal action against the man who dominated local political life for a decade would help Zagreb's bid for European Union membership. Croatia hopes to conclude EU entry talks next year, but before that it has to convince Brussels of its determination to stamp out corruption.
Sanader resigned unexpectedly and with no explanation in July 2009. His ruling HDZ party expelled him in January.
In September, police arrested the chief of the national customs service, Mladen Barisic, a close friend of Sanader and party treasurer for the HDZ.
Austrian police arrested former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader Friday after a Zagreb court issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with an anti-corruption probe. Sanader resigned from office in 2009 and fled Croatia after losing immunity.
By News Wires (text)
REUTERS - Former Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader, wanted in connection with an anti-corruption probe, was arrested in Austria on Friday, Croatian state television and the Austrian interior ministry said.
Sanader left the country on Thursday shortly before parliament lifted his immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors suspect him of being behind a plan to create slush funds for his conservative HDZ party during his 2004-09 tenure in power.
Sanader denies the accusations, saying they were politically motivated. He is the highest Croatian official investigated for corruption to date.
Sanader was taken into custody in Salzburg province, Austrian interior ministry spokesman Alexander Marakovits said. "He will go to the Salzburg provincial court and then the authorities will have to decide what will happen with him in the next days or the next weeks," he said.
Marakovits said Austria acted after receiving an international arrest warrant for Sanader. "Our police tried to find him and we located him on the highway this afternoon."
Analysts said legal action against the man who dominated local political life for a decade would help Zagreb's bid for European Union membership. Croatia hopes to conclude EU entry talks next year, but before that it has to convince Brussels of its determination to stamp out corruption.
Sanader resigned unexpectedly and with no explanation in July 2009. His ruling HDZ party expelled him in January.
In September, police arrested the chief of the national customs service, Mladen Barisic, a close friend of Sanader and party treasurer for the HDZ.
Dead birds fall from sky
Published: 5 Jan 11 10:02 CET
Dead birds have fallen from the sky in central Sweden, echoing a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde. The site has been blocked for a veterinary inspection of the birds.
"We do not know what the cause is," said Tomas Ahlgren, officer in command at the Skövde police.
Emergency services have cordoned off an area around the site so that the birds can be examined by the county veterinarian. According to Sveriges Radio Skaraborg, these are between 50 and 100 dead birds.
A veterinarian was on his way to investigate the birds on site on Wednesday morning. County veterinian Robert ter Horst would not speculate on what may have caused the birds' deaths.
"We will work quietly and methodically," he said.
On New Year's Eve, an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 blackbirds tumbled from the sky on an Arkansas town shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve.
Separately, 500 birds plummeted to the ground 580 kilometres away in Louisiana on Monday and a Kentucky woman reported finding dozens of dead birds in her yard.
Speculation on the causes of the US bird deaths has ranged from fireworks, the weather, noxious fumes or a "sonic boom."
In addition, up to 100,000 dead and dying drum fish have washed up in the Arkansas River and tens of thousands of dead fish have been found in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
www.thelocal.se
Strange ....
Published: 5 Jan 11 10:02 CET
Dead birds have fallen from the sky in central Sweden, echoing a number of unexplained incidents earlier this week across the southern US.
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, residents found 50 to 100 jackdaws on a street in Falköping southeast of Skövde. The site has been blocked for a veterinary inspection of the birds.
"We do not know what the cause is," said Tomas Ahlgren, officer in command at the Skövde police.
Emergency services have cordoned off an area around the site so that the birds can be examined by the county veterinarian. According to Sveriges Radio Skaraborg, these are between 50 and 100 dead birds.
A veterinarian was on his way to investigate the birds on site on Wednesday morning. County veterinian Robert ter Horst would not speculate on what may have caused the birds' deaths.
"We will work quietly and methodically," he said.
On New Year's Eve, an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 blackbirds tumbled from the sky on an Arkansas town shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve.
Separately, 500 birds plummeted to the ground 580 kilometres away in Louisiana on Monday and a Kentucky woman reported finding dozens of dead birds in her yard.
Speculation on the causes of the US bird deaths has ranged from fireworks, the weather, noxious fumes or a "sonic boom."
In addition, up to 100,000 dead and dying drum fish have washed up in the Arkansas River and tens of thousands of dead fish have been found in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
www.thelocal.se
Strange ....
I read that 2010 was the worst in natural disasters. Once I was told that the progressive climate changes that started a few decades ago were going to raise and that the coming years were going to be the worse. I dont know if the polarity of the earth is going to change or if the Mayas were right or wrong...I KNOW that we are transforming this planet in a inhabitable place.
GO WIERD MAN
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3334622/Homeless-radio-voice-mans-a-star.html
A HOMELESS man has become a worldwide sensation after a clip of his golden radio voice went viral on the internet.
Ted Williams, a former radio presenter, was filmed begging on the streets in Colombus, Ohio, demonstrating his dulcet tones while holding up a sign that read: "I have a God-given voice."
The video was put on YouTube by local cameraman Doral Chenoweth and has now been viewed by MILLIONS of people across the globe.
And Williams, 53 - who has struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction - has become an overnight sensation.
He has spent today appearing on talk shows across America looking a far cry from his scruffy wild-haired appearance on the clip that made him famous.
And he has been flooded by job offers from big broadcasting names including ESPN, MTV, ABC, CBS and CNN.
He has also been offered a full-time job as a stadium presenter and a HOUSE by the NFL side Cleveland Cavaliers.
Los Angeles voice-over agent Shane Cormier said of the internet star: "We could make him a millionaire."
Yesterday the boss of local radio station WNCI, Tony Florentino, said: "We're on pins and needles, I think he really has no idea how big this is going to be."
Williams' miraculous second chance comes more than 15 years after he began struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction and petty crime.
Accusations have also surfaced that Williams acted as a pimp during his years on the streets.
But now the aspiring radio director says he is clean and ready to leave the streets for good.
In a TV interview with the Today show today he said: "My life just went to the pits.
"In spite of all the flames that went down my throat, my voice still retains some type of resonance."
Williams - who worked on a radio show in Colombus before he got addicted to drugs - says he's showing his gratitude by "acknowledging the Lord" for his second shot.
The dad of seven girls and two boys says he is hoping his story will encourage others to reach out to more people like him.
He said: "Don't judge a book by its cover - everyone has their own little story.
"If you're going to give to a homeless person, give from the heart."
Meanwhile Williams is set for a reunion with his 92-year-old mother, Julia Williams, who he has not seen in over a decade.
Today a tearful Williams told CBS' The Early Show the best gift of his newfound fame was the chance to visit his mother.
Advertisement
He said: "I apologise, I'm getting a little emotional. I haven't seen my mom in a great deal of time.
"One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that she would live long enough for me to see me rebound or whatever, and I guess God kept her around and kept my pipes around to maybe just have one more shot."
Williams' ex-wife, Patricia Kirtley, said she called his mother to explain her son's stunning reversal of fortune.
The 58-year-old who had five children with Williams said: "She didn't believe it until I called her.
"She is so overwhelmed. I think she does not want him to mess it up. She said this is an opportunity and a second chance."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3334622/Homeless-radio-voice-mans-a-star.html
A HOMELESS man has become a worldwide sensation after a clip of his golden radio voice went viral on the internet.
Ted Williams, a former radio presenter, was filmed begging on the streets in Colombus, Ohio, demonstrating his dulcet tones while holding up a sign that read: "I have a God-given voice."
The video was put on YouTube by local cameraman Doral Chenoweth and has now been viewed by MILLIONS of people across the globe.
And Williams, 53 - who has struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction - has become an overnight sensation.
He has spent today appearing on talk shows across America looking a far cry from his scruffy wild-haired appearance on the clip that made him famous.
And he has been flooded by job offers from big broadcasting names including ESPN, MTV, ABC, CBS and CNN.
He has also been offered a full-time job as a stadium presenter and a HOUSE by the NFL side Cleveland Cavaliers.
Los Angeles voice-over agent Shane Cormier said of the internet star: "We could make him a millionaire."
Yesterday the boss of local radio station WNCI, Tony Florentino, said: "We're on pins and needles, I think he really has no idea how big this is going to be."
Williams' miraculous second chance comes more than 15 years after he began struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction and petty crime.
Accusations have also surfaced that Williams acted as a pimp during his years on the streets.
But now the aspiring radio director says he is clean and ready to leave the streets for good.
In a TV interview with the Today show today he said: "My life just went to the pits.
"In spite of all the flames that went down my throat, my voice still retains some type of resonance."
Williams - who worked on a radio show in Colombus before he got addicted to drugs - says he's showing his gratitude by "acknowledging the Lord" for his second shot.
The dad of seven girls and two boys says he is hoping his story will encourage others to reach out to more people like him.
He said: "Don't judge a book by its cover - everyone has their own little story.
"If you're going to give to a homeless person, give from the heart."
Meanwhile Williams is set for a reunion with his 92-year-old mother, Julia Williams, who he has not seen in over a decade.
Today a tearful Williams told CBS' The Early Show the best gift of his newfound fame was the chance to visit his mother.
Advertisement
He said: "I apologise, I'm getting a little emotional. I haven't seen my mom in a great deal of time.
"One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that she would live long enough for me to see me rebound or whatever, and I guess God kept her around and kept my pipes around to maybe just have one more shot."
Williams' ex-wife, Patricia Kirtley, said she called his mother to explain her son's stunning reversal of fortune.
The 58-year-old who had five children with Williams said: "She didn't believe it until I called her.
"She is so overwhelmed. I think she does not want him to mess it up. She said this is an opportunity and a second chance."