Stories about Economics & Business from September, 2010
Nigeria: Oil Wealth Flows, Hunger Persists
As the BP oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and its aftermath continue to make headlines, the catastrophe has also brought a little global media attention to the oil-related woes in another country—Nigeria.
Trinidad & Tobago: Sound Plan?
KnowTnT.com weighs in on “government's plans for bailing out CLICO's short-term investment and mutual fund depositors”, while Plain Talk adds: “The contentious…CLICO issue…has…ended up only rewarding the gang of thieves that caused the problem in the first place.”
Vietnam: Living in a garbage dump
VietNamNet Bridge has a feature article about Ho Chi Minh City residents who are working and living in a garbage dump.
East Timor: Managing oil resources
A facebook commenter reminds Australia to respect the right of East Timor to manage its oil resources. “It is the right of Timorese people to determine where their resources should be processed for the people's best interest…”
Russia: Bloggers Discuss the Market Bombing in North Ossetia
A suicide car bombing outside a market in Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania, killed at least 18 people and wounded over 100 on Sept. 9. Below is a selection of blog posts that appeared after the attack.
Russia: Wheat Export Ban Triggers Worldwide Panic
A new Russian ban on grain exports, including wheat, has created a panic over how the move will impact wheat prices and food security. Russia is among the world's top five wheat exporters, but crops were devastated this summer as the country was hit with a record-breaking heatwave, severe droughts and wildfires.
Venezuela: Will the Economy Really Improve?
In Venezuela News and Views, Daniel Duquenal shares his opinion about the recent statements by Finance Minister Jorge Giordani, who said they hope to keep inflation low and see economic growth this year. Daniel says, “The fact of the matter is that for people like me, at ground zero, there...
Ghana: Cassave peeler and sweet sleeping child
A photo of a cassava peeler and her child in Ghana from Ghanaian blogger and photographer Nana Acquah.
Kenya: PayPal Users Can Now Receive Money
PayPal users in Kenya can now receive money,Nigerian blogger Oluniyi Ajao reports: “The big P of e-commerce, now offers more service to residents of Kenya. Paypal users in Kenya can now receive money via PayPal, and withdraw same to a US bank account if they have one.
Brazil: Independence Day and East Timorese Self Determination
“To talk about Brazil, I chose East Timor”, wrote [pt] Leonardo Sakamoto, on the 188th anniversary of the Brazilian “political independence”, September 7. He talks about dignity and self-determination, while reflecting on the lessons learnt from the recent history of East Timor, that voted for independence in a popular referendum in August 1999.
Cuba: Change the Model
Of Fidel Castro's admission during an interview that the Cuban economic model doesn't work, Along the Malecon says: “Most of 11 million Cubans endure great economic hardship because the Cuban economy does not work. Castro should not only acknowledge that, as he evidently did, he should take bold steps to...
Trinidad & Tobago: Same Old
B.C. Pires says that Trinidad and Tobago's Budget Day was “more like Reshuffling the Same Old Pack Day.”
Taiwan Without Petrochemical Industry…
What would have happened had petrochemical industry ceased to exist in Taiwan? The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under Taiwan's Ministry of Economical Affairs has tried hard to convince Taiwanese citizens that if Taiwan does not build more petrochemical industrial plants, its economy will collapse and people will suffer.
Africa: African Merchants in Ancient China
Eccentric Yoruba discusses African merchants in ancient China: “In my previous post I mentioned that I had read somewhere that two slaves given as gifts to the a Chinese Emperor by an Arab delegation were the first Africans to enter ancient China.”
South Africa: South Africa's Strike Season
Prisha blogs about South Africa's public sector strike: “It is a well known fact that South Africa has a strike season. That’s right, you heard me: a strike “season” -just as we have winter, spring, summer and autumn – so too, do we have the public sector strike! The last...
Trinidad & Tobago: Budget Day
Today is Budget Day and Plain Talk has a few bits of advice for the new Finance Minister: “There has been a change in Parties at the helm of Governance, and if that change is to have any meaning…the real Leaders…need to espouse a vision [that] is very clear in...
Macedonia: Bronze Lions, Accountability & Transparency
The new statues of four bronze lions on a Skopje bridge attracted the attention of the Macedonian public by the end of August. The initial arrogant refusal of accountability by their creators overshadowed the questionable artistic achievement related to these publicly funded felines.
Azerbaijan: Baku welcomes the world's highest flag… and a strong wind
After the significant expense of participating in the Eurovision song contest and holding the annual Flower Festival, oil-rich Azerbaijan keeps on surprising the world. Last week, for example, the world's highest flag was hoisted in the capital, Baku.
Cuba: Prince Claus Award
Generation Y blogs about the “great surprise” of receiving the 2010 Prince Claus Award, saying: “I’m only going to focus on the satisfactions: the growing alternative blogosphere, the cracks that have opened in the wall, the Podcast I just inaugurated a few weeks ago, and all the text messages I’ve...
Taiwan: The Allure of Night Markets
After sunset in Taiwan, when the stars start to twinkle, night markets are crowded with people from all walks of life. To Taiwanese, night markets are more than mere eating places, and now the culture of the night market has become a distinctive and precious touristic experience for foreigners visiting Taiwan.
Russia: Reactions to the “Buckwheat Panic”
The article reviews the blogosphere's response to the "buckwheat panic" that emerged due to the rising prices of this type of cereals.
