Stories about Economics & Business from June, 2009
Bahrain: Train And Hire Bahrainis, Please
Bassam Noor is pleased that a Bahraini has been hired in a senior position in major investment firm Investcorp for the first time, but says: “It’s unfair that Investcorp benefits from Bahrain’s tax-free environment, and geographical proximity to cash-rich regions, but it yet refuses arrogantly to provide further training to...
Trinidad and Tobago: Fighting Words
From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue calls the Prime Minister's choice of words “improper, inappropriate, and tasteless for the political arena.”
Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Attillah Springer addresses the judge whose ruling caused construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt: “This victory is for denuded hills and depleted fish stocks. This victory is for every unsolved crime, every unkept campaign promise. What you have done has...
Belarus: Signs of change?
A Fistful of Euros thinks that something may be stirring in Belarus, and even believes it to be signs of an improvement in the regime's relations with the West.
Japan: On How to Perceive the Japanese Web (Part One)
Reporter Yuka Okada from the Japanese tech news site ITmedia brandished her well-regarded interviewing skills for a one-on-one session with Mochio Umeda. The result was “The Japanese web is ‘disappointing': An interview with Mr. Mochio Umeda” Part One and Part Two [ja]. In reaction, the Japanese blogosphere had to give...
Russia: Carbon dioxide emissions up 30% till 2020
The reference frame discusses Russia's plans to increase its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% until 2020, in contrast to international trends and the goals of the Kyoto accords.
Barbados, Antigua: Stanford Similarities
Barbados Free Press sees striking similarities between Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme and the CLICO Barbados scandal, with one notable exception: “Antigua has integrity legislation.”
Jamaica: Can the IMF Change?
“There is talk of the possibility of the current Jamaican administration returning to do business with the International Monetary Fund“: Abeng News Magazine wonders whether the IMF leopard can change its spots.
Vietnam: Growth of Saigon
Michael Sieburg writes about the economic expansion of Saigon and enumerates some of the notable construction projects in the city.
Guyana: Blackout Stimulus Package?
“People across the country are cussing bitterly about the almost nationwide blackouts which Guyanese are suffering on a daily basis”: Imran Khan thinks that “there is serious economics behind it all.”
UK: Romanians Attacked in Belfast
LimbicNutrition Weblog writes about violence against Romanian immigrants in Belfast.
Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter & Democracy
As a legal ruling causes construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt, This Beach Called Life comments: “This case is destined to go to the Privy Council and if the EMA (Government) should lose then the reputation of the EMA would be damaged beyond repair...
Brazil: Petrobras Blog Versus Mainstream Media
In the first week of June, Brazil's giant semi-public oil company Petrobras created a free blog on Wordpress. Among the posts publicised during the blog's first days were questions and answers of journalists that were going to be part of their respective newspaper headlines and stories throughout the week. This attitude has been seen as an act of transparency by some bloggers, a threat to journalism by some newspapers and led to heated debate on the power of media and blogging.
Barbados: Aquaponics
“Aquaponics is the new way to farm”: Barbados Underground blogs about “its potential to feed Barbadians and at the same time [be] the ideal model for food security.”
Trinidad & Tobago: The Outsiders
“We are all begging to be let in. For our voices to be heard. For our opinions to matter. And the father of the nation builds a big tall wall around what is for him and those who support him. Like a club bouncer he gets to say who gets...
Barbados: Tourism and H1N1
Barbados Free Press is torn: should Barbados admit a cruise ship at the risk of increasing the incidence of the H1N1 virus – or go for the tourism dollars?
Ukraine: £2.47 Million for Repin and Petrov-Vodkin
IZO reports that Alina Ayvazova, Kyiv mayor's wife, has paid £2.47 million at an auction in London to acquire two paintings by Russian artists Ilya Repin and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin.
Japan: HBS on Japanese Anime Industry
Matt Alt links to a Harvard Business School working paper (pdf) on the state of the Japanese anime industry: “If Japan wants to bank on its ‘Gross National Cool’, it will have to overcome the inertia of system that has essentially reduced its most talented architects to the level of...
Dominica: Chavez’ Visit
“It's like the uncle who comes with some cash in his pocket and the whole family gets lined up by the door of a recently cleaned room”: Caribbean Man reports on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ visit to Dominica.
Trinidad & Tobago: Up in Flames
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but who would want to flatter matches?”: From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life explains.
USA, Singapore: On Buying Brides with Credit Cards
The Human Trafficking blog by Amanda Kloer at Change.org in the United States declared victory on Friday in their campaign to get the credit card company Diners Club International to stop doing business with a company in Singapore that sells Vietnamese mail order brides. More than 800 people signed a petition to get Diners Club to stop making it easier to purchase women for marriage.