· February, 2011

Stories about Economics & Business from February, 2011

Honduras: Taxi Drivers and Teachers Strike

  28 February 2011

“La Gringa” blogs about a strike led by teachers and taxi drivers in La Ceiba on February 21. “This was the third national strike of the school year, which only began on Monday, February 14,” she writes.

Haiti: Preventable Suffering

  28 February 2011

“The earthquake did not kill people. Bad buildings killed people. Lack of medical care killed people. Lack of infrastructure killed people. Lack of caring government officials kill[s] people”: Dying in Haiti is convinced that “most Haitian suffering is not necessary and is preventable in the first place.”

Australia: ‘Tea Party’ Style Campaign Against Carbon Tax

  28 February 2011

If the Oz blogosphere is any indication, the next Australian Federal election will be a referendum on a proposed climate tax. And the issue has already become nasty and personal. GV author Kevin Rennie gathers online reactions to this controversial measure.

Trinidad & Tobago: Saving by Sou Sou

  28 February 2011

“A sou sou is structured where one person will be in charge of collecting monies from a group of people. All the monies collected will be given to one person in the group, on selected dates, and it rotates that way until each person has received what they call, a...

South Korea:Protest Against Foreign Finance's Encroachment

  28 February 2011

KEB(Korea Exchange Bank)'s employees and civil rights groups held a protest in Seoul today against Hana Financial Group's final decision to takeover KEB. The protesters, explaining the U.S. buyout fund Lone Star's involvement with Hana,  accused it of foreign finances’ encroachment on Korean turf. South Korea's influential Tweeter @Barunsori6 posted a photo of...

Ukraine: Choosing to Leave

  28 February 2011

With Ukraine hit hard by the economic crisis and most citizens disappointed with the overall economic and political situation, more and more discussions about emigration alternatives have been appearing online. Tetyana Bohdanova translates some of the netizens' views on the issue.

Bhutan: Tax Or No Tax For Development

  24 February 2011

The idea of citizens contributing towards this in the form of taxes is still a new/alien concept in Bhutan. The Bhutanese twitter-sphere broke the news of the verdict in favor of the Opposition who protested against the legality of imposing vehicle tax in the country.

Yemen: At the Boiling Point? (Video)

  24 February 2011

President Saleh of Yemen has begun offering concessions to opposition protesters, ordering security forces to protect demonstrators. But most people don't appear ready to take the ruler at his word. Meanwhile, large anti-government protests continue to take place. The government's goodwill could be tested in a planned pro-government march on the nation's capital on Friday.

Caucasus: Peace Village

  24 February 2011

Tamada Tales, a EurasiaNet blog, comments on plans by an Armenian peace activist to establish a peace building center in a village situated close to the intersection of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Noting that Armenians and Azerbaijanis are “implacable foes,” the blog notes that Georgia has often proven itself to...

Kenya: Top Earning Sports Personalities in Kenya in 2010

  24 February 2011

Top earning sports personalities in Kenya in 2010: “Sport in Kenya has slowly become bread and butter for people fully engaged in it professionally. Fondly referred to by its peers as a ‘sporting nation’, the fact of the matter though is that much of the earnings are lop-sided with the...

China: The Risk of Shutting Up Sina Weibo is Zero!?

  24 February 2011

The reaction of the Chinese government towards the anonymous “Jasmine Revolution” message circulated around overseas dissident websites and Twitter has alerted investment banks’ analysts to cut the rating of Sina's stock value. Some banks apparently anticipate an increase in the risk of the Chinese government tightening regulations on social media,...

China: The fable of donkey island and piggy island

  24 February 2011

Why the hardworking donkey island keeps serving the wealthy piggy island? Utopia Net has a fable [zh] telling the relation between China and the U.S.. Mary Ann O'Donnell from Shenzhen Noted retells the fable in English.

Saudi Arabia: The Return of King Abdullah

  23 February 2011

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz returned home on Wednesday 23 February, 2011, after a three month period abroad for medical treatment. Anticipation of serious political and economic reforms filled the air upon his arrival. Here is a snapshot of the reactions of Saudi netizens.