Stories about Economics & Business from April, 2011
Ghana: Accra Hustling in Photos
Photos of Accra hustling by Ghanaian blogger and photographer Nana Kofi Acquah. Accra is the capital city of Ghana.
Examining Africa's Growth
While the African Development Bank announced three days ago that it will downgrade its forecast for growth in Africa as a result of the turmoil in various regions of the continent, the rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing regions. Bloggers are unpacking the reasons behind the growth.
Africa: How France Robs Africa
This is how France robs Africa: “It is the colonial pact that set up the common currency for the Francophone countries, the CFA franc, which demands that each of the 14 CFA member countries must deposit 65% (plus another 20% for financial liabilities, making the dizzying total of 85%) of...
Arab World: On Revolutions and Capitalism
For days, my tweeps have been retweeting thought nuggets from the Twitter account @_Capitalism_. Here, I will select a handful of reactions to the on-going Arab revolutions.
Bermuda: MPs’ Salaries
Bloggers are unimpressed by “the continuing refusal of MPs [Ministers of Parliament] to take a pay cut, even a symbolic one.”
North Korea: North Korean Defectors’ Remittances to Families in North
North Korean expert Andrei Lankov, wrote about the remittances from North Korean defectors on the East Asian Forum site. Despite their economic struggle in capitalistic South Korea, they send money to their starving families in the North, a basically illegal act according to both South and North Korean law.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: REDjet Delay
“People don’t take kindly when you make newspaper announcements that you’re coming for dinner, but you didn’t bother to inform the host”: Barbados Free Press blogs about new regional carrier REDjet's apparent failure to comply with licensing processes in Trinidad and Tobago.
Bermuda: Shrinking Population = Shrinking Economy?
In the face of declining local retail sales, Vexed Bermoothes believes that “the real reason for the anaemic economy is that Bermuda’s population has shrunk … and that the local economy has shrunk correspondingly.”
Russia: Social Networking Via a “Prison” Game, Female Users’ Photos
Katya Trubilova of Social Media Lessons From Russia and the UK writes this, among other things, about Russia's largest social network VKontakte: “The most popular app on Vkontakte is a game called Тюряга (Prison) with 6 134 947 installations. The goal of the game is to make tattoos to become...
South Korea: Search Engine Censorship Claims
As South Korea's biggest search engines file an anti-competition charge against Google, net users have started to look back at the various companies' contributions to the Korean net environment. The nation's most visited portal, Naver, has come under particular fire for alleged news screening and censorship of information, along with its monopoly in the field.
Bahamas, U.S.A.: Economic Empowerment
“The best way to address poverty and fairness in our society is through a radical overhaul of our failing education system”: Bahama Pundit sees some parallels with the U.S. regarding debt and income inequality.
Ukraine: “Crumbs From the Table”
Foreign Notes reports that a Ukrainian MP Rinat Akhmetov has bought a penthouse in London for £136 million ($222 million), and intends to donate $1 million for the construction of the new containment structure at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant; Akhmetov's fellow Party of Regions MP Mykola Lisin died in...
Bermuda: Doing Less With More
“One of the many impacts of the PLP’s spend-a-thon over the past 10 years is that Government now cannot afford to continue many of its basic services”: Vexed Bermoothes explains how public transportation is taking a hit.
Cuba: Reaching the Limit
Cuban bloggers weigh in on Raul Castro's recent announcement of term limits for leadership of the country.
St. Lucia: Cricket – Symbol of Wider Malaise?
The poor state of West Indies cricket gets Sun Rain Or… wondering “where is it that we are supposed to find enough motivation day after day for us to achieve the greatness that lies stifled within?”
Uganda: Government Attempts to Block Facebook, Twitter as Protests Continue
As opposition politicians and others angry over rising fuel and food prices in Uganda continue to stage "walk to work" protests against the current regime, the government is asking Internet service providers (ISPs) to shut down access to Facebook and Twitter.
China: Dumping Meat
Ministry of Tofu posts a series of photos showing how Shuanghui Group, China’s largest meat processor, dumped tons of meat products, including ham sausages, into a huge pit it excavated and fills it with chemicals to destroy them after the food security scandal.
Kyrgyzstan: Authorities ponder on confiscation of the mobile operator
It appears that Kyrgyzstan’s leading mobile operator MegaCom is about to be confiscated by the government, amidst an ongoing political and law enforcement scandal related to the company, Malika reports.
Ukraine: Kyiv Post Editorial Staff on Strike
Democratist writes about the situation with Kyiv Post, an English-language newspaper whose staff went on strike last week to protest the publisher's decision to fire the editor-in-chief over the publication of an interview with the Ukrainian minister of agriculture.
Côte D‘Ivoire: The Regional Economic Impact of Post-Election Conflict
Aconerly looks at the regional economic impact of post election conflict in Côte D‘Ivoire: “Seasonal migrant laborers from Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali face a prospect of unemployment as a result of the upheaval caused by the political conflict between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and contested President Allasane Outtara.”
Vietnam: Facebook partners with local telecom giant
James Bao cites a report from PC World Vietnam about the partnership of Facebook and FPT, a telecom giant in Vietnam. Facebook is regularly blocked in Vietnam and FPT is often blamed for making the popular social network site inaccessible in the country.