Tag Archives: North Korea

The Most Corrupt Countries in the World

click to enlarge

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) just released for 2012 by Transparency International ranks 176 nations according to the perceived corruption levels of their public institutions. The CPI uses a scale of 0-100, 0 being the most corrupt and 100 the least corrupt. For 2012 the most corrupt countries, ranking at the bottom with a score of 8, are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. At the other end of the spectrum, ranking at the top with a score of 90 are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand.

The CPI is a composite index based on a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption compiled by different reputable institutions worldwide.

See complete report: Transparency International – 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index

 

Freedom of the Press Around the World in 2012

2012 has seen positive and negative changes in freedom of the press around the world. Reporters Without Borders, the largest organization that advocates freedom of the press worldwide, compiles a Press Freedom Index where countries ranking at the top score high in press freedom, and countries at the bottom constitute the most repressive in terms of freedom of information and violence against journalists.

Some countries ranking at the top include Finland, Norway and Estonia. Countries at the bottom include Eritrea, North Korea and Turkmenistan. Countries showing improvements worth noting include Tunisia, South Sudan and Niger. In Latin America, Brazil showed the biggest decline.

Rare Earth Metals and Their Importance in Today’s Economy

  1. Rare-earth mining in China comes at a heavy cost for local villages [The Guardian]
  2. Rare earth metals: North Korea’s new trump card [The Korea Herald]
  3. EU Fights to Catch Chinese in Greenland Rare-earths Gold Rush – Agence France-Presse [Industry Weekly]
  4. World Trade Organization to Investigate China’s Limits on Rare-Earth Exports – Marketwire [SYS-CON Media]
  5. Rare Earth Elements – Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh [Canada Free Press]