· April, 2011

Stories about Economics & Business from April, 2011

Examining Africa's Growth

  24 April 2011

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

  23 April 2011

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...

Bermuda: MPs’ Salaries

  22 April 2011

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

  22 April 2011

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

  21 April 2011

“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?

  21 April 2011

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.”

South Korea: Search Engine Censorship Claims

  20 April 2011

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

  20 April 2011

“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”

  20 April 2011

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

  19 April 2011

“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.

China: Dumping Meat

  18 April 2011

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.

Ukraine: Kyiv Post Editorial Staff on Strike

  18 April 2011

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.

Vietnam: Facebook partners with local telecom giant

  17 April 2011

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.