tagged w/ Investors
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Human rights activists say tens of thousands of people in western Ethiopia are being driven off fertile ancestral lands so the government can lease or sell large tracts of farmland for commercial agriculture to investors, including foreign governments.
Since the 2008 global food crisis wealthy Middle Eastern states, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and others, such as India and China, have been buying up vast areas of arable land across Africa to grow food to feed their burgeoning populations.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 2011 that over the last decade global food prices have risen an average 83 percent.
Human Rights Watch said this month in a report titled "Waiting for Death," that the Addis Ababa regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is forcibly moving tens of thousands of villagers out of the remote Gambella region of western Ethiopia.
Human Rights Watch said the people received little compensation and were moved to villages elsewhere that have inadequate food and lack health and education facilities.
By 2013, Addis Ababa plans to resettle 1.5 million people from Gambella and the regions of Afar, Somali and Benishangul-Gumuz, Human Rights Watch said.
Gambella, the size of Belgium, has a population of 607,000. Its richly fertile soil has attracted foreign and domestic investors who have leased large tracts at "favorable prices."
Between 2008 and last January, Human Rights Watch said, Ethiopia had leased out at least 9.5 million acres of land.
The report says the government has repeatedly denied the clearances are linked to large-scale land-leasing for commercial agriculture. But Human Rights Watch said many villagers it interviewed claim they were told this was the reason.
These land grabs have been widely criticized as a new form of neo-colonialism that leaves large parts of Africa in the hands of foreign states and investors while displaced local populations are left to suffer and go hungry.
In 2010 up to 123.5 million acres of African land -- double the size of Britain -- have been snapped up or is being negotiated by governments or wealthy investors, various assessments conclude.
Ethiopia alone has approved 815 foreign-financed agricultural projects since 2007.
Last fall, Oxfam International reported that Asian and Middle East companies had bought up 560 million acres of farmland in developing countries, often at bargain prices, with some reportedly less than $1 a hectare.
Oxfam estimated Ethiopia now supports the export of fruit and vegetables worth $60 million annually, as well as flowers worth $160 million per year.
It noted that Ethiopia's per capita income is around $1,000 per year. That's less than Haiti, often listed as the world's poorest country at $1,200 per year.
Rich Arab states like Saudi Arabia have bought up huge tracts of land across Africa in recent years in a bid to combat global food shortages, water scarcity and desertification and to feed their swelling populations.
But now the scramble for Africa is intensifying, with investment banks, hedge funds, commodity traders, sovereign wealth funds, corporations and business tycoons out to grab some of the world's cheapest land -- for profit.
More at the linkHuman rights activists say tens of thousands of people in western Ethiopia are being... more
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An Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion. As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here’s why: http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/43029-why-iceland-should-be-in-the-news-but-is-notAn Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a... more
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worrg
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3 months ago
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Film Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones explains why independent filmmakers may be wise not to limit offerings to accredited investors only. http://www.baselineintel.com/research-wrap?detail/C8/why_so_many_accredited_investor_only_film_offerings_failFilm Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones explains why independent... more
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Film Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones provides an overview of different types of film financing to help filmmakers decide which to pursue. http://www.baselineintel.com/research-wrap?detail/C8/an_overview_of_film_financeFilm Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones provides an overview of... more
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Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains the critical differences a theatrical documentary business plan involves.Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains the critical differences a... more
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Specialty Film Researcher Jeremy Juuso advises how to add comparable film information to your film’s business plan.Specialty Film Researcher Jeremy Juuso advises how to add comparable film information... more
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Once Again Pandora’s box was opened. In a joint move between LulzSec and Anonymous, as part of Operation Antisec, were released documents, photos, audio files and videos, exposing that wich was one of the greatest corruption scandals in the recent history of Brazil. In 2008, after four years of investigations, the Operation Satiagraha resulted in the arrest of several bankers, CFOs and investors, accused of corruption, misuse of public money, as well as money laundering. Antisec Hackers released a cache of evidence revealing government cover up of a corruption investigation involving the CIA, theBrazilian telecom industry, and multiple US corporations. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/42994-operation-satiagraha-brazil-corruption-scandal-exposed-former-sao-paulo-mayor-banker-arrestedOnce Again Pandora’s box was opened. In a joint move between LulzSec and... more
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worrg
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6 months ago
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Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns tells filmmakers why they need to be sure there are no errors in their presentations.Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns tells filmmakers why they need... more
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Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains why a business plan for your film is necessary when seeking money from investors.Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains why a business plan for... more
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Film Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones explains the important elements to consider when using finders to raise investment capital for your film.Film Finance Attorney, Author, and Lecturer John Cones explains the important elements... more
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Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains how to put together a well-crafted and tightly-focused pitch deck for meetings with investors.Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains how to put together a... more
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Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains the fundamentals of how to deal with equity investors when raising money for your...Independent Film Finance Consultant Louise Levison explains the fundamentals of how to... more
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Independent film marketplace trends seem to be coalescing as we take a look at the news coming out of Cannes this year.Independent film marketplace trends seem to be coalescing as we take a look at the... more
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Renewed worries in the euro-zone over the weekend pulled the euro down to a record low against the Swiss franc, weakened risky assets such as Asian stocks and boosted safe haven investments like U.S. government debt and gold on Monday.
:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/23/us-markets-global-idUSTRE71H0EB20110523Renewed worries in the euro-zone over the weekend pulled the euro down to a record low... more
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Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains why it is critical to approach film investors only after you know how your project will solve their needs.Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains why it is critical to... more
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Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains the basics of what you must do for an investor to take you seriously as a film producer.Film Producer, Consultant, and Teacher Norman C. Berns explains the basics of what you... more
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Specialty Film Researcher Jeremy Juuso explains why a well researched business plan minimizes the risk of money being lost out of the gate due to sheer ignorance or incompetence.Specialty Film Researcher Jeremy Juuso explains why a well researched business plan... more
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The New Zealand dollar gained as investors’ appetite for higher-yielding, or riskier, assets was whetted by record-high business confidence in Germany, allaying fears of a European debt meltdown.Stocks in Europe and on Wall Street gained after the German Ifo institute’s business climate index reached its highest level since records began for a reunified Germany in 1991.
:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1101/S00279/nz-dollar-rises-as-german-business-confidence-surges.htmThe New Zealand dollar gained as investors’ appetite for higher-yielding, or... more
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suzane
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1 year ago
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Bankers may have surpassed lawyers and child pornographers as the country's most reviled people. They did this through tanking the world economy and extorting money and property from customers and the government...and complaining they weren't paid enough to do it. A recent informal Vanity Fair poll indicated 56% of banking greedheads felt their bonuses were too small.Bankers may have surpassed lawyers and child pornographers as the country's most... more
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