Greece tops most corrupt EU countries list – surveyDecember 5, 2012 - 12:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An international watchdog group says a new survey shows the countries worst hit by the European financial crisis are also seen as among the most corrupt in the European Union, AP reported. Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index released Wednesdaym December 4 shows Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece with the lowest scores in western Europe. Where 0 is "highly corrupt" and 100 is "very clean," Greece scored a 36, Italy 42, Portugal 63 and Spain, 65. By comparison, Denmark and Finland tied with New Zealand at the top of the list with scores of 90, while Germany scored 79, the U.K. 74 and the U.S. 73. Overall, the countries seen as most corrupt were Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan — all of which scored eight. Two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked scored below 50. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |