· May, 2008

Stories about Economics & Business from May, 2008

Kazakhstan: ENRC Goes Charitable

Adam reports that ENRC mining giant is still in rivalry with copper corporation Kazakhmys over who is going to eat who, as the Kazakh government urged the two companies to come to a conclusion concerning the merger.

Argentina: The Countryside and Social Conflict

  23 May 2008

During the last two months, the Argentinean political agenda has been marked by the conflict between the government and “the countryside,” a generic denomination that groups everything from big land owners, to private companies that rent the land for soybean harvesting, to small producers, and rural workers. Blogs on both sides take a stand on the conflict.

St. Lucia: Effects on Consumers

  22 May 2008

Blogging from St. Lucia, Looshan Ramblings is concerned about the effect of rising oil prices and the global food crisis on consumers: “We need to know that our leaders are trying their best to put measures that will cushion the fall out from this global food crisis and recession.”

Hong Kong: Private Deal Against Basic Law?

  22 May 2008

Luke pointed out that the private deal between Hong Kong government and the Time Square property management concerning the Time Square public space may have violated the Basic Law [zh], which protects freedom of expression and gathering.

Tajikistan: The power of gossip

Recently, the Uzbek website UzMetronom disseminated information about possible murder of Hasan Sadulloev, the bother-in-law of Tajik President Rahmon. Hasan is considered to be one of the wealthiest and powerful persons in today's Tajikistan. According to the website, Hasan was shot by his nephew on May 2 and died in...

Africa: Powering mobile payments in Africa

  21 May 2008

Mobile Africa reports about a mobile payment system empowering rural communities in Africa: “Leading mobile payments provider Mi-Pay has signed a contract with an East African operator to deliver a mobile money ecosystem to its subscribers in rural communities. Mi-Pay’s technology and expertise will enable subscribers to benefit from international...

Bermuda: A Taxing Situation

  21 May 2008

Vexed Bermoothes says that one of the defining features of democracy is the incentive of taxpayers to turn out a government that does not perform: “And herein lies a major challenge for Bermuda: our largest taxpayers cannot vote. You see, our Government is propped up by the massive taxes and...

Kenya: The battle for mobile phone market

  21 May 2008

Ka-Investor blogs about “mobile wars” in Kenya: “The stage for a bruising battle for control of the local mobile phone market is now set and the main target is the safaricom’s near monopoly 9.2 million subscribers (although some of them are absentee subscribers). Other battle frontiers are the cash transfer...

Kenya: My experience with M-Pesa

  21 May 2008

Digzer writes about his experience with M-Pesa, a service that allows people to send money using mobile phones: “For all the simplicity using Safaricom’s M-Pesa is meant to provide, I’ve had a rather hard time at it. I’ve always noticed long queues at various M-pesa agent points and so thought...

Southeast Asia: Coping with the rice and food crisis

  21 May 2008

Food prices continue to rise in the world market. Southeast Asian governments are now re-examining their food and agricultural policies in order to prevent consumer panic and social unrest. Bloggers are discussing the food crisis and its impact in the region.

Trinidad & Tobago: Emergency 101

  20 May 2008

A fatal road accident along Trinidad's North Coast leads KnowProSE.com to comment: “Emergency medicine infrastructure and preventative measures are not a priority, it seems. It seems a victim of economic triage…does the Government of Trinidad and Tobago value the lives of citizens and visitors, much less the quality of life?”

Bahamas: Thoughts on Crime

  20 May 2008

Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com laments that crime is out of control, while Craig Butler over at Bahama Pundit thinks that parliamentary hearings on crime should be broadcast on television.