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CHINA: China has over 34 million bloggers
Beijing --- The number of blogs in China hit a record 34 million in August, 30 times more than just four years ago when the on-line writing phenomena began to sweep the country. More than 17 million people in China consider themselves blog writers, offering personal insights and opinions on any topic they choose, according to a report on China’s blog market, which says 75 million people regularly read blogs. The report also points out that nearly 70 per cent of the blog...
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Botswana: Business Place Gaborone to Boost SMMEs
Lack of management skills by many of Botswana’s Small to Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) could be a thing of the past, as the newly established Business Place (Centre) Gaborone will endeavour to address these shortfalls. The centre, which was unveiled to stakeholders last week during the donor presentations, is situated at Maraka House at the Gaborone bus station. The donor presentation gave sponsors a chance to present their pledges and funds, which amounted to over P1 million.
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Indian SMEs need access to finances
New Delhi: Indian small and medium enterprises (SME) have not kept pace with the country’s economic growth because of their inability to access finances, says industry experts. The reasons for the poor growth of SMEs and strategies to put them on a high-growth curve were discussed Tuesday here during the launch of the first publication in the series of ’Emerging Auto Component SMEs of India.’ The first of its kind, this series is sponsored by Dun & Bradstree...
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Africa closes tech gap with flashy phones
Rickety minibus taxis weave between corrugated iron shacks, dodging street hawkers and the odd scrawny child with trousers gaping at the knee. Alexandra is one of South Africa’s roughest townships, and yet you can switch on your laptop there, slide in a data card and access your e-mail in seconds using the world’s most advanced commercial wireless technology. About a decade after mobile phones started to spread across the poorest continent, trailing Europe by several years, wireless t...
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Corruption still holds emerging markets back
The development of emerging market economies continues to be held back by corruption and poor governance in spite of their increasing influence on the global stage and growing foreign direct investment in other countries. That was the most striking message from a two-day meeting of current and former central bankers, development experts, finance ministers, investors, and presidents of countries such as Brazil, India, and Tanzania.
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China’s development ’experiment’ key to future growth
Maintaining a balance between environmental sustainability and the continuing process of urbanisation is a major issue facing the Chinese, write the researchers. Although much of China’s biodiversity is being threatened by rapid economic development and human activities, Tang Zhiyao and colleagues report the existence of ten biodiversity ’hotspots’ in mountain ranges that remain largely unaffected. Protecting these mountainous areas is critical for cons...
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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Business in Africa: The flicker of a brighter future
Ultimately, doing business in Africa is a gamble on the future?that the continent will make something of the commodity boom that has helped it grow faster in the past three years than at any time in the past few decades and, possibly, ever. If the economy takes off, investors intend already to be there, firmly rooted. Excerpt: Ultimately, doing business in Africa is a gamble on the future?that the continent will make something of the commodity boom that has helped it grow faster in th...
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Potential of Doha accord ?has been overstated?
This month?s Singapore meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and the largely inconclusive meeting of trade ministers that finished on Thursday in Cairns, Australia, rang with the ritual claim that the suspended Doha trade talks had the ability to lift millions out of poverty. But experts note that these claims appear increasingly oversold, amid sharp downward revisions of estimates of the effects of trade liberalisation in reducing poverty. Writing recently i...
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