Stories about Economics & Business from December, 2010
Laos: New banknotes
Lao has introduced a new 100,000-kip (US$12.45) banknote and several coins to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the capital, Vientiane. Oliver Tappe, writing for New Mandala, analyzes the design of the banknote.
Laos: Center of tiger trading
Lao Bumpkin writes about a village he visited in Laos which he described as the “center of the international trade in tigers, leopards and other endangered species.”
South Korea:Cows Culled As Mouth and Foot Disease Spread
As the mouth and foot disease spread around South Korea, the government ordered farms to slaughter their cattle, including yet healthy cows and pigs to slowdown the wide spread the disease. @Biguse tweeed a photo of healty cows having their last supper just before being culled.
Iran: Subsidies Cutback Causes Drastic Rise in Prices
Severe cutbacks on subsidies that have kept prices on many goods artificially low are feared to cause problems for many middle class and poor citizens in Iran.
Tunisia: Unemployed Man's Suicide Attempt Sparks Riots
An unemployed Tunisian set himself on fire in protest against his joblessness, sparking a wave of riots on the ground and solidarity and support on social networking platforms. While the fate of Mohamed Bouazizi, aged 26, from Sidi Bouzid, in southern Tunisia, remains unclear, Tunisian netizens ceased the incident to complain about the lack of jobs, corruption and deteriorating human rights conditions in their country.
Bangladesh: The Finance Bubble – Will it Burst?
J. Rahman at Mukti observes the sharp twists and turns of the Bangladesh stock market and comments on the country's monetory policy.
China: Gold farming couple handed down heavy sentence
The verdict this month of a fine of USD 450,000 and several years in prison for one couple who ran a gold farm throughout 2007 has left those following the trial shocked, angered and wondering how something so common in China could suddenly be punished so heavily.
Haiti: Behind Cholera
“Cholera is a disease of the poor, of the disenfranchised. Poor people in poor countries. Cholera thrives where there is no clean water, where there is inadequate sanitation, where there are poor health systems”: Haiti Grassroots Watch takes an in-depth look behind the cholera epidemic.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Fete List
“I personally still think that fetes are too expensive…prices will certainly determine which ones I will make it to”: Trinidad Carnival Diary is making a fete list and checking it twice.
COP16: Conclusions from Young Trackers
Young trackers from the Adopt a Negotiator Project blogged throughout COP16, United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Cancún, Mexico. These were some of their concluding statements and thoughts on what happened at COP16 from their country's perspective.
Bangladesh: Power Crisis – Facts and Figures
Jyoti Rahman at Drishtipat Writers’ Collective offers some facts and figures pertaining to the ongoing power crisis in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh:Discussing the Controversy Surrounding Dr.Yunus
Badrud Doza, on his blog An Ordinary Citizen, discusses the recent controversy surrounding Dr. Yunus – Nobel laureate and founder of Grameen Bank.
Cuba: Economics or People?
Laritza's Laws blogs about “economic readjustment…at the expense of the welfare of Cubans.”
Bermuda: The 6 Billion Dollar Hole
Vexed Bermoothes says that “Bermuda is in a bad squeeze” – 6 billion dollars worth.
Africa: The Scandal of the “Ill-gotten Gains”
In the scandal of the wealth accumulated by some African politicians, the French Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the verdict pronounced by Paris Court of Appeals a year ago. The court of appeal deemed that the claim of embezzlement filed by Transparency International against the leaders of RDC, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and their entourage was valid. Bloggers discuss the implications of this wealth accumulated by African leaders in contrast with the poverty of the rest of the population.
South/North Korea: A Review of 2010 in Keywords
From Cheonan incident in March to the latest North Korean attack on Yeonpyeong island, Global Voices took a look back at the year’s hottest keywords that have been widely circulated over Korean internet venues.
Dominican Republic: Two Bodegas
The Dominican blogger from the diaspora, Dino Bonao, writes about the two bodegas [es] close to his apartment in New York City.
Dominica: Authentic Craft
Dominica Weekly is proud of its craftspeople, saying: “Dominica is ahead of the game when it comes to authentic art and craft.”
Cuba: Economic Crisis
Iván's File Cabinet says that the “times of crisis” that the country is facing is affecting everyone – even the prostitutes.
D.R. of Congo: Conflict minerals guidelines and murder of bishop's wife
Stories to watch from the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Bishop Levy Mbala, the head of the Church of Christ in the Congo – one of the largest protestant church groups in the country – was wounded and his wife killed in an attack on their house in Goma on Monday....
Africa: Banana leaf packaging for street food
Banana leaf packaging for street food in Africa: “…banana leaves are a packaging solution that has existed for thousands of years, still exists today, and that could benefit the environment by simply expanding their use to new areas”
