Stories about Economics & Business from August, 2012
Pakistan: Economics And Secularism
Ayusyha Khanna at Pak Tea House argues that if Pakistan truly wants to realize its potential as far as economic performance is concerned, then it should adopt secularism to create an atmosphere of peace.
Ukraine: Authorities Shut Down BitTorrent Tracker Demonoid
In what is believed to be an attempt to please the United States without angering local voters, the Ukrainian authorities have shut down Demonoid, one of the world's largest BitTorrent tracker sites, whose servers were hosted by a data center in Kyiv.
Tajikistan: New Oil and Gas Find is Good and Bad
Canada-listed Tethys Petroleum has recently announced that they found a large gas and oil field in Tajikistan. On Registan.net, Joshua Foust explains why the discovery is both good and bad for Tajikistan.
Africa: Moving Beyond the Resource Curse
Why is it that African nations endowed with many natural resources such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria or Madagascar to name a few are also plagued with endemic poverty? This is the paradox of the resource curse, which has blighted many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Cameroon: Olympic Escape – Blame the System, Not the Athletes
"It's rather sad, however, to see that our country has become a prison, from which everyone wants to escape at any cost." Cameroon delves into reasons behind the disappearance of seven athletes from the 2012 London Olympic Games.
London Olympic Games made in China
Beatrice from Ministry of Tofu puts together a set of infographic and reports on products related with London Olympic Games which are made in China.
Bulgaria: Don't Dismantle the Train Services!
Bulgarian blog “Работнически глас” (Worker's Voice) publishes [bg] a few photographs of a protest on Sofia's Central Railway Station. Held on August 9, this flashmob gathered around 100 people who chained a “human train” by standing one behind another. This “train” travelled inside the station while the protesters were calling...
Spain: Expropriation of Food for the Most Needy
Politicians and labor unionists have expropriated food from supermarkets in order to give it to the most needy in times in which Spain is experiencing a serious socioeconomic crisis. Chris Moya writes about the action that has caused a commotion in the country.
Côte d'Ivoire: Debate Rages over University Fees
The universities of Côte d'Ivoire are getting ready to re-open their doors on September 3, 2012, bringing to an end long months of closure, controversially ordered by the Ivorian president. Joy at this announcement was swiftly replaced by a wave of indignant reactions following the decision of university heads to increase registration fees. Debate continues to rage in the Ivorian media as well as various social networks.
Guinea: Statistics on Poverty on the Rise
Mamadou Aliou Barry wrote on the Facebook page Voice of the Guinean Youth [fr]: “According to the results of the study on poverty and inequality in Guinea from 1999 to 2012 published [fr] on July 30, 55.2% of Guineans are poor in 2012, as compared to 53% in 2007. What might...
Bangladesh: Ugly and Deadly Billboards in Dhaka
Dhaka skylines are covered with commercial billboards. These not only block the view of the sky but during string winds and storms they are prone to collapse and harm pedestrians. So far 15 people have died in billboard related accidents.
Egypt: Cairo Blackout
Egyptians woke up today [August 9, 2012] to a Cairo without electricity. The city's metro and the Egyptian Stock Exchange stopped functioning. Netizens took to their keyboards to complain.
China: Online Advertisement Contract
Dan Harris from China Law Blog looks into the advertisement contract with Baidu, the largest search engine in China and highlights some of the unique arrangement in the business agreement.
Argentina Returns Frozen Bank Deposit Funds
On August 3, 2012, the Argentine government returned depositors' funds which had been frozen during the year 2002 and which puts an end to the corralito era. The news was announced during the anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, and immediately there were comments on the Internet, for and against.
Mauritania: Bribery and String-Pulling, Made in China
"The Chinese accused of bribing escaped any legal pursuit. What matters is, as far as I know, that he is the first civil servant to report a bribery case in Mauritania." After three Chinese investors tried to bribe him, Mauritania's General Director of Taxation locked them in his office and called the police.
Spain: ‘I Won't Pay’ Campaign Hits Catalan Highways
A wave of protests against rising tolls on Spanish highways reached its five-month mark last week, when a clash between motorists and private authorities motivated a company that oversees more than 6,713 kilometers of European motorways, to put up barriers blocking the flow of traffic on the C-33 highway.
Cuba: Food Measures
“General Raúl Castro acknowledges that beans are more important than canons”: Iván García explains why “food is a matter of national security.”
France: The Currency Taboo Deciphered
In the latest [fr] podcast episode “Monnaie Libre,” dedicated to deciphering monetary systems, French bloggers Galuel and Jean-Baptiste B. discuss the reasons why currency is taboo among economists. They also explain how central banks work and give alternatives to the monetary system, such as basic income and neo-chartalism.
Angolan and Mozambican Politicians Among Most Influential Africans
Brazilian blogger Marcio Pessoa comments [pt] on personalities from Portuguese language countries who have been featured on the list of the world's most influential Africans of the magazine The Africa Report: the Angolan Manuel Vicente, former president of the state oil company (Sonangol), and the Mozambican Daviz Simango, the founder and...
Myanmar: Outrage Over ‘Buddha Shoes’
Myanmar netizens are outraged over the ‘Buddha shoes' created by a United States company called Icon Shoes. They flooded the website and Facebook page of the company with complaints and it seems to have worked because the controversial shoes have been removed from the online store
Cuba: In a Decade
Iván García suggests four possible scenarios for Cuba ten years from now.
