Top stories from @DAWNS Digest
Indian Floods: 4,000 Remain Missing, to be Declared Dead in One Week
Authorities have sharply revised upward the estimated number of people still missing from flooding in northeastern India. “With more than 4,000 people still reported missing after flash floods hit Uttarakhand three weeks ago, the state’s chief minister said that those who have not been found by July 15 will be declared dead, entitling their families to compensation…The flash floods were caused by unusually heavy rains that led to the overflowing of Chorabari Lake, which sits 13,000 feet above sea level. The floods swept through all the holy Himalayan pilgrimage sites in the state, including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, during the peak time for pilgrimages. The state government has said it rescued more than 100,000 pilgrims.” (NYTimes http://nyti.ms/12pswsz)
Global Corruption Survey: One in Four People Have Paid a Bribe
Transparency International releases some striking data on bribery. “According to the survey, many people regard corruption as a very serious problem for their societies. On a scale of one to five, where one means “corruption is not a problem at all” and five means ‘corruption is a very serious problem’, the average score across the countries surveyed was 4.1. Concern was highest in Liberia and Mongolia, which both scored 4.8. More optimistic were people in Denmark, Finland, Rwanda, Sudan and Switzerland, all of which recorded scores below three…The survey reported that 27% of respondents had paid a bribe – the most direct experience of corruption for a person – with police the most often bribed institution. Police bribery rates were highest in the Democratic of the Republic of the Congo (75%), Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.” (Guardian http://bit.ly/12psKQu)