These are the 18 most corrupt countries in the developed world

REUTERS/Henry Romero

Every year, Transparency International, the global anticorruption coalition, releases its Corruption Perceptions Index, a survey into the countries people perceive as the most corrupt on earth.

As Transparency International notes, there is no hard-and-fast way "to assess absolute levels of corruption in countries or territories on the basis of hard empirical data." This is basically because, by its very nature, corruption is usually hidden from the public.

But it creates a ranking based on several other corruption studies, and gives 168 countries a ranking out of 100, where 100 is the least corrupt and 0 is most corrupt. This helps to give a pretty good idea of where in the world is most corrupt.

The countries seen as most corrupt tend to be in Africa and the Middle East, in societies with weak legal and governmental systems and widespread poverty. For example, Somalia tops this year's list, with North Korea and Afghanistan close behind.

Business Insider decided to take a look at the wealthy, democratic nations where corruption is most rife. To do so, we looked at the positions of countries within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and then picked out those with the highest levels of perceived corruption.

Check them out below:

Amir Khan and wife Faryal splash £100,000 on their 2 year old daughter's birthday party

29 year old boxer Amir Khan and his wife 24 year old Faryal Makhdoom Khan splashed £100,000 on their daughter, Lamaisah Khan's second birthday party.
The birthday party which was held at Khan's Bolton Wanderers football club had 250 guests in attendance. The party took Mrs Khan three months to plan and it featured Disney princesses, Peppa Pig, a real-life ballerina, a giant cake and a carousel.
In an exclusive interview with Hello! magazine, Amir Khan talked about his daughter's 2nd birthday party.

Jihadi Junior smuggled into Sweden for surgery by his Nigerian Jihadi mother

A four-year-old British boy, Isa Dare, AKA Jihadi Junior, who appeared to blow up a group of ISIS prisoners in a propaganda video, has been reportedly smuggled into Sweden for an operation by his London-born Jihadi bride mother Grace Dare, The Sun reports.
It is reported that Grace who has changed her name to Khadijah smuggled her son from the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa to Sweden after he had been sick for some months.

24-year-old Nigerian man and Thai woman nabbed in Bangkok with 8.5kg of drugs hidden in handbags

A Nigerian man and a Thai woman have been arrested after 8.5kg of crystal methamphetamine or "ice" were found stuffed into new handbags imported from China.

24-year-old Nigerian national John Anike Chinedu & Sawaros Nathawil, 34, were arrested separately in Samut Prakan and Bangkok.

 

Venezuela's political crisis is reaching a breaking point

Social unrest has simmered in Venezuela for the last few years, at times breaking out in widespread protests, and tensions have mounted this year, as an opposition-led legislature leads aneffort to recall President Nicolas Maduro.

But a protest that broke out near the presidential palace in Caracas on Thursday indicates that the strife has reached a segment of the country critical to the government's popular support.

A group of Venezuelans waiting in line at a supermarket in Caracas made a run for Miraflores, the presidential palace, after they sawwhat appeared to be people affiliated with the government taking food they had been waiting for hours in the heat to buy.

I transformed my Jeep into a moving house to travel around Africa for 2 years — here's what it was like to build

Dan Grec

Hi, I'm Dan. A few years ago, I drove a Jeep from Alaska to Argentina.

I learned a lot on that trip about where I want to go and what kind of vehicle I want to live in.

After years of saving and planning, I bought a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) Rubicon to turn into a house on wheels to drive around Africa for two years.

My build focused on interior living space, strong 4x4, and it had to fit inside a standard 20-foot shipping container.

Here's what it was like:

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or visit me over at my websiteor YouTube channel. I also wrote an e-book, "Work Less to Live Your Dreams."

First, the finished project: My house on wheels completed.

Apple should buy Uber

Calling Uber a Silicon Valley unicorn is passé. Uber is a $62.5 billion monster that's threatening to take down a nervous tech market.

The latest news is that Uber last week accepted a $3.5 billion investment from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

That means Uber now has $11 billion to fuel its growth. But what's conspicuously lacking from that assumed growth is some type of exit strategy for Uber's earlier investors.

Will there ever be an IPO? Not anytime soon, if CEO Travis Kalanick has his way.

There is another option of course: acquisition.

Conservatively, Uber's acquisition value would be something like $80 billion. That's a big bite. Tesla has a market cap of about $30 billion. General Motors is $46 billion. Ford is $52 billion.

WOMEN WANT MORE SEX THAN MEN THINK, SAYS AWESOME NEW STUDY

According to a series of studies, men in relationships often underestimate how often and when their girlfriends or wives want to have sex.

The researchers at University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario studied a total of 229 couples who reported having sex an average of one to two times a week, with an average relationship of six years. 

The couples documented their general sexual desire, perception of their partner’s sexual desire, and their satisfaction with their relationship via journal over the course of three weeks, or went into the lab and reported those same factors in person.

THE WORLD'S FIRST SEX CRUISE WILL BE AN 8-DAY ORGY AT SEA

Mexican "adult hospitality" firm Original Group has just chartered the Royal Caribbean Azamara Quest for the world's first sex cruise setting sail to Italy, Croatia and Slovenia in 2017. Dubbed the “Desire” cruise, the 690 passenger ship will spend eight days indulging in epic debauchery in international waters where anything goes.

Lightning strikes 71 rock music fans as a freak thunderstorm hits a German festival leaving injured with scorch marks and burn holes on their jeans

More than 70 festival goers were struck by lightning at a major music event in Germany.  

Dozens of medics have treated people at Rock-am-Ring festival after severe storms caused heavy flooding. 

The organisers said acts will continue to perform over the three-day event as Saturday night headliners, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, prepare to play.

One man suffered burn holes and scorch marks after being hit by lightning.  

Spokeswoman for the festival Katharina Wenisch said: 'We are not considering cancelling the festival.'

Emergency services attending to a man at Rock-am-Ring festival, It is believed the man was hit by lightning when a storm passed over the festival

Dozens of medics have treated people at Rock-am-Ring festival after severe storms caused heavy flooding

Muhammad Ali, The Greatest in pictures: A look back at the life of the most famous sportsman in the world

Muhammad Ali was the first person to become heavyweight champion of the world three times.

Born Cassius Clay in 1942, he won Olympic Gold in Rome aged 18 and floored Sonny Liston to shake up the world in 1964. 

Then heavyweight champion, he became Muhammad Ali and would dominate the division for more than a decade - minus his three-year exile for refusing to fight in the Vietnam war - beating the likes of Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Foreman.

Here, Sportsmail looks back at the life of one of the most remarkable men to walk the planet...

Muhammad Ali knocks out British challenger Richard Dunn in the fifth round of their fight in Munich in May 1976

British tourist arrested in Tenerife after girlfriend falls to her death from high-rise holiday apartment

A British tourist has been arrested in Tenerife after his girlfriend fell to her death from their high-rise holiday apartment.

Ann Kerry Roberts, 25, who is also believed to be British, died instantly after plunging from the 12th floor of the building in the south of the island in the early hours of yesterday morning.

According to reports in Spain, the man was detained by police after detectives viewed footage from CCTV cameras which showed her returning to the flat.

Ramadan for non-Muslims: An etiquette guide

There are 7 billion people in the world. And a full 22% of them -- 1.6 billion -- are about to begin a fast that'll last from sunup to sundown. Every day. For an entire month.

Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, begins after the sun sets Sunday.

But what if you're not a Muslim; just a caring, considerate person. Is there anything you should be doing so you don't come across as insensitive to your fasting friends?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No. But you can earn some cool points if you follow these 10 tips.

Impossible worlds caught on camera

A river that shatters like glass? A dog that floats like a balloon?

These bizarre visuals may seem like magic at first glance, but they are the careful handiwork of Swedish artist Erik Johansson, who edits images to create beautifully peculiar collages.

"I create these pictures in order to find a connection between two everyday objects in an unexpected way," says Johansson.

"It's a look into another world -- one that is much like ours, but just a little bit odd and different."

A master photo manipulator, Johansson's 'Perspective Illusion' series uses photography and photo editing to bend landscapes out of proportion, twist objects beyond comprehension, and create images that depict the impossible.

'You inspired me, thank you for everything'- Floyd Mayweather posts touching tribute to late Muhammad Ali

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali passed on early this morning at the age of 74. Floyd Mayweather, the World's richest boxer took to his IG page to pour tributes to his hero and inspiration. He wrote;

'Today my heart goes out to a pioneer, a true legend, and a hero by all means! Not a day went by entering the gym that I didn't think of you.'

'Your charisma, your charm and above all, your class are all of the elements that will be greatly missed by myself and the world. You are someone that inspired me greatly throughout my boxing journey and words cannot express how great you were as a person! Thank you for everything you've done for Black America, in the the world of sports & entertainment and for the legacy you leave behind! My sincerest condolences to the Ali family!'

Woman gives birth to baby in a hospital toilet, tries to flush it then throws the baby in a trash can

Ashley with her first child

A 22 year old Iowa woman, Ashley Hautzenrader, gave birth to a baby on May 8, around 9:30pm at the John Colloton Pavillion at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, then she proceeded to flush her newborn baby down the toilet, after which she put the child in a pillowcase, before leaving the baby for dead in a hospital trash can.
Hautzenrader has now been arrested and charged with attempted murder. She is facing the new charge in addition to a previous charge of child endangerment according to The Des Moines Register and the University of Iowa police.

Stephen Curry shared a great anecdote about guarding the Warriors' Game 1 hero in practice

Stephen Curry gets taunted by teammates while trying to guard Shaun Livingston in practice.

Christian Petersen/Getty

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, it wasn't Stephen Curry who led the Golden State Warriors to a 104-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On a night when Curry scored just 11 points on 4-15 shooting, backup guard Shaun Livingston carried the Warriors off the bench, scoring 20 points on 8-10 shooting.

The 6-foot-7 Livingston, who doesn't possess Curry's gifted shooting stroke, instead punished the smaller Cavs guards, prodding his way into the paint for midrange jumpers and floaters that couldn't be blocked.

How the US military trains to take any airbase, anywhere in the world in just 18 hours

Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, begin an assault on an enemy-held urban environment as part of a live-fire range at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 10, 2015.

Staff Sgt. Jason Hull

What happens when all hell breaks loose and the US military needs to act within hours?

Enter the 5,000 specialists of Global Response Force, from the Army's 82nd Airborne Brigade, Joint Special Operations Command, and the US Air Force capable of deploying to any location on earth within 18 hours.

"We need to have demonstrated legitimacy in this capability. It's our muscle. It's us flexing our muscle. Nobody wants to get in the ring with the undefeated heavyweight champion," Staff Sgt. Dillon Heyliger said of the GRF.

In the slides below see how the GRF trains to take enemy airfields with overwhelming force.

Incredible transformation of woman after undergoing life-changing surgery on enormous facial tumour

Samira Benhar with Doctor Cavadas after the surgery

A woman whose face was left disfigured by a massive tumour has had an amazing turnaround thanks to surgeons.

Samira Benhar found herself isolated and alone after the massive facial tumour left one side of her face hideously mutated.

The 39-year-old mum of two, who was disowned by her own husband due to the condition, was given a lifeline by Doctor Pedro Cavadas , a world-renowned surgeon in reconstructive surgery and implants.

He has been treating the patient for 13 months at Manises Hospital, in the city of Valencia in the eastern Spanish region of the same name.

Muhammad Ali dead: Sporting icon passes away aged 74

Boxing great Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74.

The three-time former world champion, widely considered among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport, has passed away after being taken to an Arizona hospital with respiratory issues.

Ali had suffered for 35 years with Parkinson’s disease, having been diagnosed three years after his retirement in 1981.

The last several years has seen the former boxer’s public appearances diminish as he continues to battle the crippling condition. Recently he was forced to cancel a planned trip to London to open an exhibition on his life.

Two years ago reports surfaced the Olympic gold medalist’s health had deteriorated so much he was unable to speak. It led him to miss the premiere in Hollywood of the new I Am Ali movie, due to his frailty.

THE FATHER OF A SERIAL KILLER’S VICTIM ATTACKS THE MURDERER DURING SENTENCING

One of the hardest things any human being will ever do is confront someone that’s killed a loved one. The combination of emotions and urges that will arise is overwhelming to even think about, let alone experience.

That notion makes the above video both shocking and completely understandable. Today in Cleveland, Michael Madison was sentenced to the death in the killing of three women: 18-year-old Shirellda Terry, 28-year-old Shetisha Sheeley, and 38-year-old Angela Deskins. Shirellda Terry’s father, Van Terry, took the courtroom podium to address the court following Madison’s sentencing, and he barely got out the words he’d planned to say before he tossed the podium aside, charged at Madison, and quite literally launched himself across the table at which Madison was sitting in an effort to express his grief in a more physical manner.

Court officials got to Terry before he came close enough to Madison to attack him, but Terry’s actions speak for themselves, and the real emotional damage losing a loved one to a senseless act like murder can cause.

7 behaviors of people who are easy to talk to

Learn the subtle strategies good conversationalists like Fredrik Skavlan use to guide the interaction.

Fredrik Sandberg, TT

Maybe it's because I'm a journalist, but the way I know I'm in a good conversation is that I unconsciously start to reach for my notepad, because everything we're discussing fascinates me so.

On the one hand, I want to take notes on what we're talking about - maybe they're telling me about an awesome vacation they took or maybe I'm telling them about my relationship with my family.

But on the other hand, I want to record those subtle strategies they're using to guide the interaction. How did I wind up gripping my chair in suspense? Or, how did they get me to open up like that?

I imagine I'm not the only one who's had these questions. So I turned to someQuora threads for insight into the most common behaviors that make someone a pleasure to talk to.

Looks like Lamar Odom may be back on hard drugs

 Friends of Lamar Odom fear he is back on crack-cocaine...

Lamar Odom's family and friends believe he's back on hard drugs -- and tell us they recently confronted the NBA star and questioned him about crack pipes in his home. 

Odom's history with crack is well-documented -- but people close to him thought he'd been scared straight after he overdosed at a Nevada brothel back in October.

kylie Jenner shows off underboobs in new photos

The 18 year old reality star who recently split from ex-boyfriend Tyga, displayed her underboob and toned body in a cross neckline bandage jumpsuit as she headed to The Nice Guy, in West Hollywood. More photos after the cut.

TEEN DIES AFTER ATTEMPTING DANGEROUS NEW “TASER CHALLENGE”

Kryon Mathews, a 17-year-old boy, was found dead by authorities late last night. The teen was fatally injured after attempting an extremely dangerous challenge that has gone viral across the Internet.

The “Taser Challenge” encourages people to place a stainless steel butter knife, or any metallic butter knife in their mouth and shock it with a Taser gun. In some cases, the challenge has resulted in brain damage, nerve damage, and in this case death.