Stories about Economics & Business from February, 2012
Bermuda: Economic Debate
“This Friday parliamentarians will hold the annual economic debate against the backdrop of a sustained global recession and two competing views about how to get out of it”: Respice Finem debates the value of austerity measures as opposed to economic stimulus.
Brazil: Dispute Over the Falklands Opens Debate on Economic Perspectives
The 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War and the recent public statements by Argentine President Cristina Kirchner cause us to evaluate those events from new perspectives, including their current implications for Brazil as the largest economy of Mercosur.
Taiwan: Say No to Ractopamine Tainted American Meat
Ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing feed additive, is banned in Taiwan and more than 150 other countries. However, under pressure from the US government, the newly elected Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is now considering lifting the ban.
Cuba, USA: Blogger Perspectives on the Embargo's 50th Anniversary (Part 1)
The United States' economic embargo against Cuba has been in existence for 50 years. To mark the occasion, Global Voices interviews two bloggers about the blockade and what it has (or hasn't) accomplished. This is Part 1, in which Cuban diaspora blogger Alberto de la Cruz shares his views.
Cuba: Dialogue with the Opposition?
“It might be paranoia. In totalitarian states, suspicion and the absurd become habit. But it isn’t insane to think that to give the dissidents a space if circumstances force their hand, could become a part of the island’s mandarin’s calculus”: Iván's File Cabinet puts forward a compelling theory.
Tajikistan: Energy Loss Reduction project continued
Avicenna writes about the Energy Loss Reduction Project in Tajikistan, which has just received additional financing of $18 million from the World Bank Board.
China: Capitalizing Social Network
Jin Ge from China Bubble Watch reports on how star micro-bloggers capitalize their social network by merging their influence with e-commerce.
Singapore: Reactions to the Proposed 2012 Budget
Netizens react to the proposed 2012 budget of the Singapore government, which includes a commitment to lower the country’s dependence on foreign workforce, greater assistance to the elderly, the disabled and the lower-income families, and boosting the capacity of public transport and public hospitals.
East Timor: Oil and Politics
Silas Everett writes about the impact of rising oil revenues on the politics of East Timor
Italy: Historic ‘Guilty’ Verdict in the Eternit Asbestos Trial
It is a historic verdict: on February 13, 2012 in Turin, northern Italy, the two top senior executives of the multinational Eternit, a producer of asbestos, were sentenced to 16 years in prison after a criminal trial began in 2009. Here are the reactions of the associations and the families of asbestos victims in Italy and Europe.
Bangladesh: The Ethical Dilemma of Using Opportunities
In developing countries, where bureaucracy, corruption and misinformation thrive, people may create opportunities to cash in from those anomalies. Some consider this as creativity or simply a part of the livelihood and some question about the ethics in using those opportunities.
Trinidad & Tobago: Fashion over Festival?
Rishi Sankar explains why he will not play mas with one particular Carnival band ever again.
Cuba: Bejerano Against Corruption
“Eliot Ness and his group in Chicago…[have] a female version in Cuba”: Iván's File Cabinet blogs about the country's “Iron Lady”.
Barbados: CLICO Conflict of Interest
Barbados Underground has it “from a usual reliable BU source” that the CLICO scandal is about to take a new twist.
Greece: ‘Catastroika’ Documentary on Public Sector Privatization
A new documentary about the catastrophic consequences of the privatization of the public sector in Greece, entitled Catastroika [el], is in progress. The title comes from the combination of the words ‘catastrophe’ and ‘Troika’ (the tripartite committee led by the European Commission with the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that organised...
Russia: Navalny vs Kadyrov
At Jamestown Foundation Blog, Valery Dzutsev reports that Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya, has called politician and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny “a real chatterbox” – and Navalny retaliated by publishing (here and, later, here; ru) “the results of his investigation of the Chechen police’s car inventory acquisitions, naming and...
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Damage
Plain Talk suggests that Trinidad and Tobago Carnival “is no longer an expression of culture but an exercise in excess set to music…no longer something to be proud of but two days of decadence that undermines our society a little more each time.”
Morocco: “Stop French Made TGV Rail Project”
StopTGV.com is a web campaign launched by a number of Moroccan NGOs. It calls for the cancellation of the controversial French-made Tangier-Casablanca TGV rail link due to start operating by December 2015 and which is worth an estimated 20 billion dirhams (US$2.4 billion). The campaign calls on the authorities to...
Evil Overlords or Lucky Devils: The Men Who Rule Hong Kong
Time out Hong Kong from ChinaSMACK explains how the fate of Hong Kong is controlled by a number of tycoons while middle class have become slaves in the city.
Angola: Anti-Corruption Initiative Urges CNN to Refuse Advertising Deal
Maka, a website that monitors corruption in Angola, launched an online campaign petitioning CNN International to stop accepting advertisement from the government of President Dos Santos. The presidential budget for 2012 allocates about US$17 million for promoting a positive image of Angola on CNN International, through a company run by...
Africa: African Arguments Online
African Arguments Online is a multi-blogging platform that covers contemporary African events and develops debates on themes that are important to an ever changing continent. The platform has 6 blogs: Making Sense of Sudan, African Politics Now!, Rethinking Zimbabwe, Business Africa, The Central Africa Forum and Diaspora Debate.
