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Economy Geopolitics Society

As Zimbabwe’s Retail Sector Collapses, Black Market Becomes The Only Market

The price of doing business in Zimbabwean gold — the country’s latest currency — is too steep for many retailers, who can’t compete with an informal market still churning on U.S. dollars.

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Economy

A Charcoal Ban In Uganda Bumps Up The Price Of Clean Cooking

The government is pushing for cleaner fuel options. But costs and traditions stand in the way of change.

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Israel-Palestine War

Memories For Food: Gaza Mothers Sell Family Heirlooms To Feed Their Children

The Israeli blockade of food, water, fuel, and essential medicines and supplies is inflicting immense suffering on Palestinians. Women in the Gaza strip are forced to sell their jewelry to feed their children amid lack of humanitarian aid and soaring prices, reports independent Arab media Daraj.

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Economy Geopolitics

“Third Shock” In Four Years? How The World Economy Could Absorb The Gaza War

The destabilization of the Middle East could send prices soaring once more and trigger a new shock for the world economy, which has so far been resilient despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

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Food / Travel Society

La Dolce Vita Has Gotten A Lot More Expensive

On the Italian coast, you’ll be asked €200 per day for a beach umbrella and sunbed at the cheapest bathing establishments. Nowhere else makes clear the huge post-pandemic gap between the haves and have-nots.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Uprising In Ecuador: Lenin Moreno And The Price Of Betrayal

Moreno is now reversing course on austerity measures that provoked nearly two weeks of mass protests. But it may be too little too late to salvage his reputation.

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In The News

Lourenço’s Turn, The Past Hanging Over Angola’s New President

João Lourenço succeeds José Eduardo Dos Santos, who ruled with an iron fist since 1979. But Dos Santos has been busy keeping his hands on the levers of power.

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Economy Ideas

How ‘Standard’ Pricing Became A Thing Of The Past

NEW YORK CITY — The 19th-century French sociologist Gabriel Tarde defined the marketplace as a war between buyers and sellers. He called price “a truce” obtained by haggling. It was because of that “war” mentality, he explained in his Selected Papers, that authorities in Europe began fixing prices on goods and services. The goal was […]

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Food / Travel The Endless War

Hungry Gaza Farmers And The Price Of A New Year’s Tomato In Israel

Last year, the price of vegetables surged 140% during the high holiday season, yet the Israeli government still opposes the import of cheap, high-quality produce from Gaza.

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Economy Geopolitics

Venezuelan Health Care System, Now On Life Support

The supply crisis that has plagued supermarkets and consumers for months now has hit the health care sector, with medicines, doctors and even emergency care in short supply. Plummeting oil prices are a major factor, as is the legacy of Hugo Chavez.

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Economy Geopolitics

Canadian Election: The Meaning Of Vancouver’s Runaway Cost Of Living

VANCOUVER — James Hankle, a software engineer in his 50s sporting bluejeans and a Green Party T-shirt, is explaining his fix for Vancouver’s runaway property prices when he’s interrupted by an eavesdropping passer-by: “Stop allowing people from China to buy our houses and leave them vacant,” she says and walks away. Despite British Columbia’s aversion to pipelines and affection for pot, housing affordability has pushed both aside as the No. 1 issue raised by area residents in the run-up to Canada’s election this month. It’s not completely surprising given that Vancouver has become North America’s most expensive city. Surging purchase […]

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Society

Tackling Egypt’s Energy Crisis With Online Consumer Tools

As electricity costs climb in the face of energy shortages and a steep reduction in government subsidies, a new website helps consumers track their consumption and calculate costs.

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Food / Travel Society

Protest In A Pita: Bargain Falafels Help Israeli Middle Class Stave Off Crisis

TEL AVIV — The Israeli middle class is tired of paying a full hour’s salary for a few bites of street food — and the market is reacting. Cofix, a leading coffee to-go chain, broke all the rules and came up with the symbolic price of 5 shekels ($1.40) for either a cup of coffee, […]

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Economy Geopolitics

No, Colombian Farmers: Free Trade Is Not To Blame

Striking farmers in Colombia say free trade agreements are responsible for their woes. Better to look closer to home, including industrial cartels and all the contraband entering the country.

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Society

In Israel, Where Child Care Is A Prime Barometer Of Economic Squeeze

TEL AVIV — The school year is starting soon, and with it comes another not-so-small burden on families around Israel: pre-school and pre-elementary education can cost up to one-third of a person’s gross salary, even in upper-income cities and towns. Indeed, child care expenses for young families was a central point of contention during the […]

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Economy

How Congo’s Civil Strife Drives Up Food Prices For All

MASISI – Every day at 6 a.m., a parking lot near a roundabout in this northeastern Congo city fills with minibuses, motorbikes and heavy cargo trucks. The atalakus (ticket sellers) shout out names of destinations: “Masisi! Nyabiondo!” Passengers board with their packages: manufactured goods, drinks, salted fish…Everyone is pushing each another, trying to get the […]

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Economy

Germany: The High Price Of Phasing Out Nuclear Power

BERLIN – After the initial euphoria, it’s back to earth for Germans. The decision to exit nuclear power was initially quite popular, but today many are having second thoughts. Their main issue with the decision is its resulting cost, which is paid for by households and small businesses but has spared big industrial consumers. When […]

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