Stories about Economics & Business from March, 2013
As Liberal Russia's Secret Superhero ‘KermlinRussia’ Unmasks, Some See Evil
Arseny Bobrovsky, the owner of a Russian PR firm called “Daily Communications,” would be a thoroughly typical example of Moscow’s “creative class” liberals, were it not for one thing: Bobrovsky has a secret identity. At least he did, anyway, until March 25, 2013, when he and his accomplice Katya Romanovskaya outed themselves to the world as the authors of KermlinRussia, one of the most popular accounts on Russian Twitter.
VIDEO: Ukrainian Power Plant Ablaze, Town's Future Uncertain
At least one person was killed and five injured on March 29 in a major fire at the Vuhlehirska Thermal Power Plant in the Ukrainian town of Svitlodarsk, whose survival is now at stake.
Russian Anti-Corruption Blogger Appeals to Readers
Alexey Navalny, unofficial protest leader, took to his blog [ru] on March 27 to defend himself from what he says are unfair allegations of corruption. Navalny is currently a suspect in two different embezzlement investigations. One of these, the so-called KirovLes case, involves the supposed use of a shell company to...
Europe for the People, Not the Markets
From March 11 to 17 European citizens organized a week of protests against austerity measures imposed on the countries of the European Union, know as the European Counter Summit. People from different countries have protested in the streets and commented on the events through Twitter under the tag #EuropeanSpring.
VIDEO: Student Film on Japan's Ruthless Job Hunt Goes Viral
Recruitment Rhapsody, an emotional short animated film that captures the rigid and obstacle-ridden job hunt process Japanese students must endure has gone viral with more than 350,000 views.
Migration a ‘Tragedy’ for Kyrgyzstan
About 2,000 young and well-educated professionals leave Kyrgyzstan every year. Begimai Sataeva on NewEurasia.net calls the outward migration of the bright and skilled young people a ‘real tragedy’ that affects Kyrgyzstan's economy and international competitiveness.
Chinese Couples Divorce to Dodge Property Tax
A capital gains tax hike in China has couples rushing to file for divorce to avoid paying a steep rate on the sale of their second home.
Global Voices at OECD Global Forum on Development
Global Voices bloggers have been commissioned to liveblog the OECD Global Forum on Development in Paris on April 4-5, 2013. Leading up to the meeting, our team is submitting posts that help serve as weekly online discussion topics.
Russians Can't Agree on Billionaire's Suicide
When Alexander Dobrovinsky, lawyer to Russia's rich and famous, announced on his Facebook that Boris Berezovsky, controversial Russian oligarch living as a refugee in London, had committed suicide, RuNet reacted with disbelief.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Golden Globe
It’s another piece of our history that may disappear from our landscape because we lack the interest in preserving things of value. Tillah Willah thinks that the Globe cinema is worth preserving for another generation of Trinbagonians, adding: “I would pay good money to go and see that and make...
The Highest Money Transfer Fees in the World Are in Sub-Saharan Africa
Babylas Serge de Souza wrote [fr] on his blog: Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive destination in the world for money transfer: the average cost of transfer from abroad reached 12.4% in 2012. The average cost of money transfers to Africa as a whole is around 12%, which is higher than...
Tunisia: “No to IMF Loan”
As Tunisia works to secure a US$1.78 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to cover next year's budget, the government has ignited anger across the country raising taxes and cutting subsidies at a time when the economy is struggling to recover from the country's Arab Spring uprising.
The Criminal Economics of Kremlin Propaganda
Anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny is causing more waves at Aeroflot Airlines, where he has called for an internal investigation into a contract worth 64 million rubles awarded without competition to Apostol Media Group.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime & Punishment
Right now the war is on for the soul of our country and if we’re not, every last one of us, actively engaged and prepared to battle, then what is the point? A must-read post by Tillah Willah about crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
Cyprus Cuts Access to Banks Amid Bailout Crisis
If you are in Cyprus, your life's savings hangs in the balance, as the government deliberates a controversial €10 billion bailout agreement reached with the Eurogroup that puts the country's saving deposits down as collateral.
Spanish Youth in Exile: “We're Not Leaving, They're Kicking Us Out!”
In 2012, the number of Spanish youth (15-29) residing abroad grew to 302,623. They have left for economic reasons related to the lack of employment in Spain. The Juventudes sin Futuro (Youth WIthout a Future) movement has launched a campaign entitled "We're not leaving, they're kicking us out" with a Twitter hashtag with the same name.
Tokyo Smog Stokes Fears of China's Spreading Pollution
Alarm is growing in Japan that neighboring China's jaw-dropping levels of air pollution may be wafting over the island nation.
“Suitcase Mood”: Why Ukrainians Are Moving Abroad
Some 6.5 million of Ukrainians, or 14.4 percent of the population, are emigrants. The theme of leaving Ukraine temporarily or for good comes up regularly in conversations that Ukrainians are having online.
China's $20 Billion Pledge to Africa
Deborah Brautigam from China in Africa: The Real Story looks into the nature of China's pledge of $20 Billion to Africa at the fifth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation held in Beijing last summer: I went back to examine the Chinese discussion around this $20 billion....
East Timor a “Failed State-in-Waiting”?
The La'o Hamutuk NGO links to an editorial of the influential Petroleum Economist which discusses the problems faced by East Timor's economy: Timor-Leste was once seen as the poster child for developing nations. It had natural resources, a comprehensive legal framework covering their extraction and an oil fund. Now, almost...
Myanmar: ‘Save Our Zoo’ Campaign
Arguing that it is already a health threat, the government of Myanmar wants to relocate the Yangon Zoological Gardens which has been a city landmark since 1906. Residents and netizens are opposing the proposal and they suspect that the relocation is being pursued to build hotels in the area.
