http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-13/nigeria-s-naira-advances-from-month-low-on-stronger-oil-prices
Nigeria's currency the Naira appreciated from a near month low on speculation that it will be supported as stronger oil prices outweighed an increase in gasoline import orders. The currency strengthened 0.3 percent to 157.85 per USD. Nigerian benchmark Bonny Light crude has jumped 16 percent this year alone. Nigerian oil production has been growing stronger while higher prices are also a boom. Nigeria has to import 70% of its fuel because of its lack of refining capacity approved 3.57 million metric tons of gasoline imports into the country for the second quarter. The economy of Nigeria sub-Saharan Africa's second largest expanded 7.68 percent in the last quarter of 2011. Also borrowing costs on Nigeria's domestic bonds due 2015 increased 0.11 percentage points. This shows how important the production of oil is to Nigeria's economy yet due to their lack of refining capacity they have to import oil. This leads to high economic disparity within the nation because of its crisis in the demand for oil. Also the domestic violence by groups such as Boko Haram continue to weaken the country and leave it more vulnerable.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Current Event 3/11/12
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203961204577269422399619502.html
China's parliament unveiled legislation that restricts police powers to detain people at undisclosed locations without informing their families. However activists say that Chinese police rarely observe legal procedure and the new revisions include many loopholes that would allow police to detain people in politically sensitive cases. China's security forces have frequently detained activists at undisclosed locations without informing their relatives especially since online appeals last year for a Chinese version of the Arab Spring events taking place around the world. The increasing use of such detentions without charges raised concerns among Chinese lawyers and liberal academics that China was sacrificing three decades of efforts towards building a legal system for the sake of political stability. Some individuals who have been detained are Mr. Ai who was a critic of the government, Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer who served more than four years in prison for campaigning against forced abortions, and Liu Xia who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, is still under effective house arrest at her apartment still awaiting any charges. Legal experts said the revisions represent a rare example of public and expert legal opinion pushing back China's increasing effort to hold onto political control. This shows how the Chinese government is trying to censor all material and destroy any criticism of the communist government in order to keep their stranglehold on power in the country.
China's parliament unveiled legislation that restricts police powers to detain people at undisclosed locations without informing their families. However activists say that Chinese police rarely observe legal procedure and the new revisions include many loopholes that would allow police to detain people in politically sensitive cases. China's security forces have frequently detained activists at undisclosed locations without informing their relatives especially since online appeals last year for a Chinese version of the Arab Spring events taking place around the world. The increasing use of such detentions without charges raised concerns among Chinese lawyers and liberal academics that China was sacrificing three decades of efforts towards building a legal system for the sake of political stability. Some individuals who have been detained are Mr. Ai who was a critic of the government, Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer who served more than four years in prison for campaigning against forced abortions, and Liu Xia who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, is still under effective house arrest at her apartment still awaiting any charges. Legal experts said the revisions represent a rare example of public and expert legal opinion pushing back China's increasing effort to hold onto political control. This shows how the Chinese government is trying to censor all material and destroy any criticism of the communist government in order to keep their stranglehold on power in the country.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Current Event 2/26/12
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-02-26/nigeria-church-bomb/53250530/1
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a major church on Sunday killing three people and injuring 38 in a restive central Nigerian city that has seen hundreds die due to recent violence. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram took responsibility for the attack on the main headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria. This attack follows many others that the group has been responsible for against Christians in the north which has been widening distrust between the two faiths in the country. Boko Haram has launched increasingly bloody attacks across Nigeria including many against churches. The city of Jos and the surrounding Plateau state have been torn apart in recent years by violence pitting its different ethnic groups and religions against each other. However most of the time the violence mostly has to do with local politics, economics, and rights to grazing lands. The government of Plateau state is controlled by Christian politicians who have blocked out Muslims from being recognized as citizens which has locked out many prized government jobs in the region.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a major church on Sunday killing three people and injuring 38 in a restive central Nigerian city that has seen hundreds die due to recent violence. The radical Islamist group Boko Haram took responsibility for the attack on the main headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria. This attack follows many others that the group has been responsible for against Christians in the north which has been widening distrust between the two faiths in the country. Boko Haram has launched increasingly bloody attacks across Nigeria including many against churches. The city of Jos and the surrounding Plateau state have been torn apart in recent years by violence pitting its different ethnic groups and religions against each other. However most of the time the violence mostly has to do with local politics, economics, and rights to grazing lands. The government of Plateau state is controlled by Christian politicians who have blocked out Muslims from being recognized as citizens which has locked out many prized government jobs in the region.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Current Event Blog Post 2/19/12
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-vazquez-mota-20120219,0,3817241.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fmostviewed+%28L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories%29
Former congresswomen and education minister in Mexico Vasquez Mota aged 51 has embraced her role as Mexico's first female presidential candidate for a major party. She currently trails the leader at the polls but has stated she does not hesitate to use the gender card at certain times. Vasquez Mota must tread on a fine line because the party she represents the National Action Party (PAN) is very conservative on many social issues considered important to women. She has made it clear that she is hewed to the heavily Catholic PAN's opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Another obstacle to her victory is the current unpopularity with the government with the PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto leading in the polls by a double digit margin. She will have to formulate a new strategy confronting drug cartels than Calderon's criticized military strategy. Mexico already has one of the highest participation rates of congresswomen in the representative body of the country so their is already a high sense of feminism.
Former congresswomen and education minister in Mexico Vasquez Mota aged 51 has embraced her role as Mexico's first female presidential candidate for a major party. She currently trails the leader at the polls but has stated she does not hesitate to use the gender card at certain times. Vasquez Mota must tread on a fine line because the party she represents the National Action Party (PAN) is very conservative on many social issues considered important to women. She has made it clear that she is hewed to the heavily Catholic PAN's opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Another obstacle to her victory is the current unpopularity with the government with the PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto leading in the polls by a double digit margin. She will have to formulate a new strategy confronting drug cartels than Calderon's criticized military strategy. Mexico already has one of the highest participation rates of congresswomen in the representative body of the country so their is already a high sense of feminism.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Current Event 2/12/12
http://www.news24.com/World/News/Putin-vows-to-grow-Russian-population-20120213
In Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed to reverse the demographic decline and boost the population of the country to 154 million in order to ramp up his re-election campaign. Putin has also promised salary hikes for teachers and doctors. He also discussed other social policies that could increase Russia's population which was gone down to 147 million and could fall drastically to as much as 107 million by 2050 if nothing is done. After seeking two presidential terms between 2000 and 2008 Putin is seeking a third term however he is facing a huge legitimacy crisis. Some problems that the Russian population is currently facing are unhealthy lifestyles, a disregard for safety protocols, and combating alcohol and drug abuse. Critics however believe this isn't going to work because one in eight Russians still lives in poverty making the gap between rich and poor pretty big. The social issues mentioned in this article will probably be a big part of Putin's campaign to get elected because they have such huge consequences on the country. If Russia's population does not stop declining than the biggest country in the world will have a lot of open space with a small population.
In Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed to reverse the demographic decline and boost the population of the country to 154 million in order to ramp up his re-election campaign. Putin has also promised salary hikes for teachers and doctors. He also discussed other social policies that could increase Russia's population which was gone down to 147 million and could fall drastically to as much as 107 million by 2050 if nothing is done. After seeking two presidential terms between 2000 and 2008 Putin is seeking a third term however he is facing a huge legitimacy crisis. Some problems that the Russian population is currently facing are unhealthy lifestyles, a disregard for safety protocols, and combating alcohol and drug abuse. Critics however believe this isn't going to work because one in eight Russians still lives in poverty making the gap between rich and poor pretty big. The social issues mentioned in this article will probably be a big part of Putin's campaign to get elected because they have such huge consequences on the country. If Russia's population does not stop declining than the biggest country in the world will have a lot of open space with a small population.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Current Event 2/05/12
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/china-sends-team-of-government-officials-to-libya-to-look-at-post-war-reconstruction/2012/02/05/gIQAvmo7qQ_story.html
This article talks about how China is now sending a team of government officials into Libya to look into post-war reconstruction after the fall of Gaddafi. The conflict between the rebels and Gaddafi began on February 15 2011 and ended when Gaddafi was killed on October 20 2011. During that time NATO forces were helping the rebels to help overthrow the totalitarian government that they were under. China however was was slow to support the rebels and was the last member of the U.N. Security Council to recognize the transitional council as the country's ruling authority. It only agreed to this when it was assured that business contracts negotiated under Gaddafi's rule would still be recognized. China has invested billions of dollars into Libyan projects over the past couple of years. This shows how China's foreign policy is starting to invest more into the international world and is continuing to have business interests around the globe. China could start to become the biggest economy in the world because of all its business conducted around the globe.
This article talks about how China is now sending a team of government officials into Libya to look into post-war reconstruction after the fall of Gaddafi. The conflict between the rebels and Gaddafi began on February 15 2011 and ended when Gaddafi was killed on October 20 2011. During that time NATO forces were helping the rebels to help overthrow the totalitarian government that they were under. China however was was slow to support the rebels and was the last member of the U.N. Security Council to recognize the transitional council as the country's ruling authority. It only agreed to this when it was assured that business contracts negotiated under Gaddafi's rule would still be recognized. China has invested billions of dollars into Libyan projects over the past couple of years. This shows how China's foreign policy is starting to invest more into the international world and is continuing to have business interests around the globe. China could start to become the biggest economy in the world because of all its business conducted around the globe.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Question Of The Week 1/15/12
At the halfway point of my senior year I have completed a lot so far. I have kept up good grades in all my classes and prevented myself from going into a senior slump. Also I applied to all the universities that I want to attend and hopefully I get into one of my top choices. Coming into 2nd semester ill probably still keep up with my work but I won't let myself become as stressed as I was 1st semester with everything else that was going on. I am looking forward to graduation in June and letting my college career start soon and getting high school over with.
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