Stories about Economics & Business from January, 2013
Peru: ls the Renewal of Telefónica's Contract a Good Thing?
On January 21st the Peruvian government, through the Minister of Transportation and Communication, Carlos Paredes, announced the renewal of the expired cellular phone contracts with Telefónica for a period of...
Slovak PM's Support for 2022 Winter Olympics Bid Draws Criticism
Whereas Norway and Switzerland are planning to hold referenda before submitting their 2022 Winter Olympics bids, the fate of the Slovak-Polish joint bid already seems decided: the Slovak Prime Minister...
Navigating Entrepreneurship in Ghana
Ghana, a sub-Saharan country, has many budding young entrepreneurs. Some have even been recognised and awarded by international organisations, including Bright Simons, Regina Agyare and Elikem Kuenyehia.
Indigenous Xavantes of Marãiwatsédé Fight for the Right to Their Land
Having inhabited the Marãiwatsédé territory in the north of Mato Grosso for centuries, natives of the Xavante ethnic group face occupation and threats from farmers who are trying to evictl...
Hong Kong: Law Amended to Hide Company Data
The revision of company ordinance in Hong Kong will allow corporates to hide significant company data and the public is worried that the decision has been made under the influence...
Bangladesh: Missed Call – A Tool For Protest?
An intentional missed call is a widely used method in developing countries to save money or mobile minutes. In Bangladesh this is being proposed as a way to protest and...
Hotel Development near the Pitons Raises Concerns in St. Lucia
A planned hotel development near the Pitons in Saint Lucia has fueled more debate about the way to balance development with cultural and environmental concerns. The proposed “eco-luxury” development is...
Spain: An Airport Without Planes?
Spain has an airport that has made both print and online headlines since its opening: Castellón airport. Netizens share their opinions on this airport that has an endless number of...
Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars
Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control...
France: NGOs Condemn Privatisation of Public Domain
Seven European free culture associations issued a statement [fr] protesting against a public-private partnership between the French National Library BNF and Proquest database [fr], whose aim is to digitize a...
Egypt: Why Open Source Software?
After introducing to Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) in the previous article, one might still wonder why corporates and governments need to adoption it or encourage its adoption. Tarek...
Russia's Siberian State Within A State
Roughly 90% of Russian gas production originates in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, located in the northwestern corner of Siberia. In recent months, bloggers and Russian netizens have reacted to the...
Haiti: Like a Phoenix from the Ashes?
Haiti Grassroots Watch examines the pros and cons of the Phoenix Project – a “massive public-private business deal [involving] a factory that would transform garbage from the capitol into electricity,...
Guyana: Minimum Wage and Inflation
The welfare of the working poor who have seen their purchasing power steadily eroded in the past ten years, or what one must consider, after reviewing the facts, as phantom...
Peru: Government Renews Concession Agreement with Telephone Operator
The blog Globalizado [es], by Global Voices in Spanish editor Juan Arellano, collects different reactions following the announcement of the renewal of the concession agreement with Telefónica for an additional...
Flashmobs and Citizen Classrooms – Spain's Creative Protests Channel Discontent
Spain's anti-crisis movement- characterized by its creative protests- has been in full sway since 2011. Here we take a look at some of the movement's tactics and strategies.
Slovakia: Social Benefits for Roma
Lucia Kureková, in her blog analysis [sk], shows that in Slovakia the majority of those who receive the Benefit in Material Need (BMN) are not the “typical” Roma families with...
The Cultural Aspect of Wildlife Trade in China
Terroir from Beijing Cream criticizes professional photojournalist Patrick Brown's photographs series, Trading to Extinction for being over simplified in the explanation of wildlife trade in China as “naive” and “greed”:...
‘Travelling with Nannies’ Proves Controversial in Brazil
A blog post with useful tips for families who travel with nannies raised controversy as the author's statements reflected a prejudiced view of domestic workers and deeper troubling issues in...
Slovak Antimonopoly Office Defends Obligatory Microsoft Use
European Information Society Institute, a Slovak NGO, reports [sk] that the Slovak Antimonopoly Office (AMO) does not see it as a problem that the country's Financial Directorate is forcing taxpayers...
