Stories about Economics & Business from March, 2013
Will Singapore 2013 Budget Promote ‘Inclusive Society'?
Singapore’s 2013 budget certainly tries to give Singaporeans what they have been clamoring for: Stricter limits on foreign labor, carrots and sticks to increase local productivity, a more progressive tax structure, more measures to cool house and car prices. Through the budget, the government wants to establish a more ‘inclusive society’. But will it work?
The Old Woman and a Potato: Ukraine's Poverty Story Goes Viral
Journalist Olena Danko wrote a short post about her supermarket encounter with an old woman who had just enough money to buy a single potato. A heartbreaking story, typical for Ukraine, with nothing in it that could surprise anyone who has lived in the country. Yet, within hours, it went viral.
In Spain, Money for Bulls But Cuts for Citizens
In February, the government of the People's Party (PP) agreed to debate a popular initiative to name bullfighting a "Cultural Interest Good" in Spain. It is calculated that more than 500 million euros are invested in bullfighting a year in Spain in the midst of severe of welfare cuts and austerity measures.
Aung San Suu Kyi Endorses China-backed Mine in Myanmar
The commission formed by the government and headed by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to probe the violent dispersal of protesters in the Chinese copper mine project has released its report. It found out that police used smoke bombs to disperse protesters. But it still approved the project as long as reforms are implemented in the contract. Residents are criticizing the report
Cigarette Vendor Sets Himself on Fire, Self-immolations Continue in Tunisia
Twenty-five months after fruit street vendor, Mohamed Bouaziz had set himself on fire, the phenomenon continues in Tunisia. Out of socioeconomic despair, Adel Khadri, a cigarette street vendor set himself alight on March 12 in the capital Tunis. He died today [March 13].
“Ten Years Without Zoran Djindjic”: Serbia Honors Slain Politician
Zoran Djindjic, the first democratically elected Serbian Prime Minister, was shot to death on March 12, 2003. On the tenth anniversary of his assassination, thousands of people marched in Belgrade to honor his memory.
Fears of Ticket Hikes As China Scraps Indebted Railways Ministry
China has decided to dismantle its powerful but indebted railways ministry in a bid to boost government efficiency and tackle corruption, a move that some Chinese Web users worry could mean higher ticket prices on the horizon.
Mercedes for President of Dilapidated Slovak University
Blogger Tomáš Homola blogs [sk] about a new Mercedes Benz E car recently acquired for 63,096 Euros for Professor Karol Mičieta [sk], the Rector/President of Comenius University in Bratislava. Homola describes Mičieta's connection to politics, and also recalls that the Ministry of Education just a short time ago was forced...
Propaganda & Mystery in Russia's Browder-Magnitsky Case
Conspiracies are the stuff of Russian politics, and the anarchy of online political discourse makes the RuNet an especially exciting place to watch conspiracy theories unfold. Consider Bill Browder and the late Sergei Magnitsky, the two key figures in a multimillion-dollar tax fraud scam. For years, Russian federal investigators and Browder’s firm have traded accusations about who’s to blame for the theft of 230 million dollars.
British Security Firm Profits from Mali War
Ramzy Baroud writes [fr] about the conflict in Mali on Pambazuka: British security firm G4S will rake in enormous profits due to the crisis taking place in Mali, Libya and Algeria. Recognized as the biggest security firm in the world, the group was downgraded at the time of the Olympic Games in London last...
Video: Ukrainian Lawmaker Flouts Law, Berates Airport Employee
Vadym Kolesnichenko, a Ukrainian ruling party MP, set off a small-scale online campaign when he lashed out at an airport employee who was just doing her job.
Business Over Politics For Africa's Chinese
Nan Chen, a Chinese American working in Nairobi, interviewed some Chinese expats and local Kenyans about China's business culture in Africa (via Tea Leaf Nation): For Chinese expats, business comes first and politics second. The upcoming Kenyan elections matter only to the extent that they impact business. While among my western...
All About Social Curation
Gaurav Mishra explains social curation and describes how Media, organizations and brands can curate contents to drive social engagement.
Crowdmapping Media Layoffs in Greece
Journalist Ioanna Iliadi has created a crowdmap to monitor press layoffs in Greece, mounting in numbers and frequency, as an already brewing media crisis has been compounded by the financial crisis.
Greece: Corruption, Police State and Struggle in Skouries
Skouries residents, a region in Chalkidiki, Northern Greece, oppose against Canadian company Eldorado Gold, which obtained the Kakkavos Mountain gold mining rights through a controversial process. Netizens in solidarity play a significant role in news dissemination.
Hiding $2.34 Trillion in China
The Chinese hide as much as 14.7 trillion yuan [2.34 trillion US dollars] in income per year from the government's official numbers, deputy director of the National Economic Research Institute Wang Xiaolu reported during a recent talk at the Finance Museum.
Malawi's President Banda Versus ‘Selfish’ Members of Parliament
Malawi's President Joyce Banda has caused chaos in parliament by insisting that members of parliament not get their fuel allowance arrears, saying her government has no money to pay. The MPs are demanding fuel allowances backdated to 2009.
Slovakia's Roads: “Adopt a Pothole and Watch It Grow”
This year, the situation on Slovakia's roads isn't very good. in Košice county alone, there are over 37,000 square meters of potholes. Tibor Blazko reports.
India Aims to Woo Women With New Budget
Women-centric programs get a hefty 10 percent increase in India's new 2013-2014 budget. However, some women’s and citizens' groups claim that the government's move is inadequate and superficial.
Russia's Public Petitions: By the People, But for Whom?
Yesterday, on March 4, Vladimir Putin signed an executive order regarding the creation of a government petitions online platform, which will allow Russian citizens to create and vote on various policy issues at the federal, regional, and local levels. The website, which is scheduled to go live for federal petitions in April 2013 and regional and local issues in November 2013, will be called the “Russian Public Initiative.”
