Stories about Economics & Business from June, 2023
A brief overview of AI use in West Asia and North Africa
In general, using Artificial Intelligence technologies almost always allows for greater surveillance of individuals, and therefore, is especially concerning in authoritarian regimes.
Kenya’s decision to remove visa restrictions sparks discussions about a borderless Africa
The Africa Visa Openness Index Report 2022 from the African Development Bank, highlights that only three countries — Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles — currently offer visa-free access to all African nationals.
Displaced Ukrainian women's football team carries on while dreaming of returning home
The path they've already made in their home city of Mariupol must be made again by building a new competitive team, step by step.
Can Hong Kong afford its planned artificial island construction project?
In addition to the irreversible damage to Hong Kong's marine life and sea beds, the city’s fiscal reserves may be completely drained in a decade or so thanks to the pricy project.
Award winning environmentalist empowers women cotton pickers in Pakistan
Global Voices interviewed environmentalist Javed Hussain who received the prestigious ‘Gender Just Climate Solution Award’ for his work to secure the rights for women cotton pickers in Pakistan.
Ukrainian businesses from destroyed cities are fighting for survival — and winning
Some entrepreneurs have lost everything twice, in 2014 and in 2022, but managed to restore their businesses again.
How to silence an environmental protest Azerbaijan style
Residents say the existing artificial lake, built in 2012, is used to dump toxic waste from the mine poisoning the drinking water with severe consequences on residents' health.
Togo and China: Half a century of fruitful cooperation, but also of rejection of any form of criticism
After a presence since 1972, China celebrates 51 years of cooperation with Togo in 2023. While Lomé and Beijing publicize an ideal relationship, the reality on the ground is more complicated.
President Erdoğan's obsession with childbirth expands past Turkey's borders
Independent economists say under existing economic conditions and salaries, it is nearly impossible to support five children in Azerbaijan.
Tajikistan's government adds another colossal building to its tally
Tajikistan building all these buildings is all the more striking given the fact that it is the poorest country in Central Asia.
Central Asian leaders sigh with relief as Erdoğan wins presidential elections in Turkey
After a cooling off in the relations in the 1990s and early 2000s, the blossoming of cooperation between Turkey and Central Asia has come under Erdoğan’s rule.
Switching from Taiwan to China has led to more exploitation: Interview with Cameroonian scholar Richard Atimniraye Nyelade
Cameroon first established relations with Taiwan upon its independence, later switching to Beijing. While Taiwan remains largely absent today, China dominates in Cameroon yet the relation remains far from equal.
How climate change is affecting food production in Guyana and St. Vincent & the Grenadines
While small island developing states (SIDS) like the Caribbean have attempted to ramp up food production to combat rising food costs, climate change has been hindering these efforts.
Battle of the donuts: Can a foreign brand displace a local Jamaican favourite?
While the new brand's marketing blitz excited the taste buds, created some much-needed fun, and was generally acknowledged to be skilfully done, it may also spark a “donut war.”
Taiwan and Burkina Faso: A tumultuous history of cooperation and estrangement
While Taiwan was present in Western Africa in the 1960s, there is little memory left of this period, as Taiwan-based Burkinabe scholar Dramane Thiombiano explains to Global Voices.
In a post-election Turkey, the country remains divided on political lines
On June 1, the Supreme Electoral Board announced the official results of the second round of presidential elections. President Erdoğan received 52.18 percent of the votes while his opponent, Kılıçdaroğlu received 47.82 percent.
Negotiations for Moldova's accession to the EU could commence this year
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, made an impactful statement suggesting that Moldova could potentially become an EU member despite the unresolved Transnistria conflict.
Hungarian watchdog Atlatszo uses FOIA lawsuit to obtain data on overpricing EU-funded package for the poor
Journalists used documents released though a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit to reveal that Hungarian government overpriced by more than 330 percent when purchasing milk with money from an EU-funded package for the poor.
Undertones: Indigenous Bolivian youth question media narratives on fossil fuel extraction
Coping with severe drought, Indigenous communities in the Gran Chaco want local media to also highlight how oil companies impact their communities
Arvin, California: Lost futures, past hopes, deferred promises
“Owners no longer worked on the farms. They forgot the land, the smell, the feel of it, remembered only that they owned it, what they gained and lost by it.”
