Panama papers / Myanmar gifts / Measuring sleaze

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INFO: Hong Kong, Singapore implicated in ‘Panama papers’ rich people scandal.  The so-called "Panama Papers" allegedly show how the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes and among the tax havens identified are Hong Kong and Singapore in Asia, while the rest are mainly in the Caribbean.

Read the story in The Rakyat Post: http://www.therakyatpost.com/world/2016/04/05/hong-kong-singapore-implicated-in-panama-papers-rich-people-scandal/

INFO: Myanmar issues new ‘Guidelines’ on gifts for civil servants.  In an act viewed as targeting rampant corruption in Myanmar, President's Office minister Aung San Suu Kyi has ordered all civil servants not to accept any gift worth more than 25,000 kyats (US$21), an amount more than 10 times lower than the threshold allowed by the previous government.

Read the story by Kyaw Phyo Tha, in The Irrawaddy: http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/nld-issues-guidelines-on-gifts-for-civil-servants.html

COMMENTARY: Giving people a voice - lessons from measuring corruption.  "As the world embarks on the ambitious global development agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is important to have accurate measures of progress, or even lack of progress. Otherwise the goals themselves are at risk of becoming illegitimate. To track the goals, we need to have meaningful indicators that reflect what is actually happening to people on the ground."

Read the article by Finn Heinrich, in Transparency International: http://blog.transparency.org/2016/03/31/giving-people-a-voice-lessons-from-measuring-corruption/

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