Blog Italy

Hey blog-followers!

I recently arrived in Italy, one of my favourite countries in the world. What a pleasure to be here, it’s like coming home. The Italian culture, the people who are always extrovert, the delicious food, …. As you can read, it’s a dream to live in this country! But every country has its shortages and so has Italy. And the country's biggest problem is, as we all know, Berlusconi.

It seems like the Prime Minister of Italy is accused of something every week. This time we could read that he has been accused of paying for sex with an under-aged prostitute and abuse of power. He abused his power by helping the girl when she was accused in another case. He tried to get out of these problems by saying he thought the girl was the granddaughter of the Egyptian leader, Mubarak. The process will start on 6 April 2011 and Berlusconi risks an imprisonment for this case. Despite the fact Berlusconi lost his immunity from conviction, he doesn’t have to appear in court in person. Berlusconi is also involved in three other trials what may infect his worldwide image even more. In Italy, Berlusconi still hasn’t lost his popularity since the poll ratings are still around 35%.

I think the problems of Berlusconi are affecting the image of Italy. Negative ‘publicity’ about a Prime Minister causes a negative view towards the whole country. I personally think this is a shame for Italy since the country has a wonderful culture and the people are extrovert and friendly all the time. It’s typical that the whole country suffers from the acts of its Prime Minister, but they shouldn’t be judged for that. Political issues have to stay purely political and they shouldn’t have consequences for other facets of the country like for example the economy. Italy is a very important economic country of the EU and should stay so. When we look at the country’s history, it’s amazing what she has already realised. Personally, I see Italy as one of the countries who’s at the base of the world economy these days. I think the country does suffer from the negative publicity. Almost every week the whole world hears negative messages of the country and its political figures, what causes people to create a general thought of Italy. According to me it would be better if they decided to discharge Berlusconi and to give him the punishment he deserves . In this case, Italy is a little too soft and conservative I think. They’d rather give him another chance. If Italy decides to discharge him, they would be faced with some changes, but it would have a positive influence on their general image.

I still adore Italy, but not its prime minister. He creates a rather negative image for the country because of his personal problems and that’s unfair towards its inhabitants. Besides this, Italy is a country you should really visit some time!

If you want to read the article check, out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12083491

That’s it for today! I’ll catch up with you when I arrive in France, another country of love.

Ciao!

Kimberly Pauwels

Tunesia

Hello everyone

The next country I visited is Tunisia. Tunisia is a beautiful country with a lot of friendly people. In my  next blog I’m going to discuss an article about the economy of Tunisia, more specific the export and business creation.

Exports up and business creation down

The industrial situation in Tunisia is changed. late February 2011 they noticed that the export is increased and the creation of new businesses is decreased.

the industrial export is raised with 9 %. that rise is due to the 18% of exports of mechanical and electrical industries and the 20% increase in chemical industries

the investments are increased by almost 10%. this would create more then 10 000 additional jobs in the industry sector.

there are about 150 projects that have been recorded in de  regional development regions. These projects account for 58% of all investment  and should create over 10,000 additional jobs in these regions.

Regarding progress of the National Upgrading: 80 more companies have joined the Regarding progress of the National Upgrading Programme. this causes a decrease of 18%.

My opinion is that it’s very good for the economy of Tunisia that the export is increased. The increase is due to the larger export of mechanical and electrical industries. More companies make investments, so that is also very good for the economy of Tunisia. The investments would create more then 10 000 jobs, so the unemployment will decrease. There are also 150 project that will create over 10 000 jobs in certain regions of Tunisia, that is very good for the local inhabitants and the local economy. When people earn more money, they will spend more and the economy will improve.

So this was blog for this week. I hope that you learned something new about the economy of Tunisia. The next country we are going to visit is Italy.

Kimberley Bracke

http://www.tunisiaonlinenews.com/exports-up-and-business-creation-down/

Nigeria

Hello everyone,

This is my first blog. I started my journey in Nigeria. Because my blog is about the economy of Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful country  with a lot of historical background. So here is some information about the economy of Nigeria, I hope you will enjoy my blog.

Nigeria is a country that is located in West Africa. Nigeria has a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The borders of Nigeria are Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Nigeria is the thirty-second largest country in the world. The Country has a total population of over 154 million inhabitants. Most of the inhabitants live in poverty and 70% of them live below the international poverty line. The petroleum sector is very important for the economy of Nigeria

The Nigerian economy is one of the most developed economies in Africa. Compared to other African countries, Nigeria has a developed financial, communication and transport sectors.

The petroleum sector is the most important industry in Nigeria. Nigeria is the 12^th largest producer of petroleum in the world.  90% of the petroleum is exported to other countries.

When we look at the Nigerian economy in general, lacks basic infrastructure. Most of the efforts to improve the basic infrastructure have failed.

I think Nigeria has a lot of potential to improve the economy. Nigeria has a long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean so they can export more products over sea.

The workers in Nigeria are underpaid, that is the reason that 70% of the inhabitants live below the international poverty line. And as long the workers are underpaid the economy can’t grow. Because when the inhabitants have no money to spend, this is negative for the economy. I think there is significant room for improvement in the economy of Nigeria.

The petroleum sector is the most important industry, but Nigeria need more products then just petroleum that they can use for export.

So this was my first blog, I hope you learned something more about the economy of Nigeria.

Kimberley Bracke

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/nigeria/

Blog 2 - Tunisia

Hello!

After we visited Nigeria, we continued our travel to the second country, Tunisia.

This country is currently going through a difficult period in its history. In January, the people of Tunisia started a revolution against their president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They protested against the high unemployment in the country, corruption and censorship. This protest is called the Jasmine Revolution, after the national flower of Tunisia.

Now, a month later, the president has fled the country and the revolution has come to an end. Tunisia is now searching for its own independence. Many Tunisians thought that a lot would change after the revolution. But their lives haven’t really changed. The curfew has been lifted, but they still don’t have a date for the next elections. People know that they have some rights, but they don’t know how far these rights go and what the limits of these freedoms are.

First of all, I would like to say that Tunisia is a very beautiful country, but because of this revolution, it is not the best time to visit Tunisia. The country has lost a lot of its potential visitors, because of the political and economical problems. Our trip could have been a lot better and easier if we hade come at a different time.

I think it is very important that the local population has the right to speak their mind. These protests show that there are a lot of things that need to change in this country. The departure of the previous president is a good beginning. But things should continue to develop.

Belgium is struggling with a similar problem. Approximately 260 days after the elections, there is still no government. People are starting to wonder, if the politicians will ever get to an agreement. I am also of the opinion that it is taking the politicians too long.

To conclude, I can say that our trip to Tunisia wasn’t a big success. I would still come back to this country, but only if the political problems are solved. And I wouldn’t travel through the country, but stay in a nice hotel at the coast, far away from all these problems. If you want to know more about Tunisia after the revolution, this is the source I used: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/02/16/curry.tunisia.snapshot.cnn?iref=allsearch

The next country we are going to visit is Italy. I am really looking forward to it!

Bye

Elisa Debleu

Tunesia

Hello everybody,

The next country I’ve visited is Tunisia, Tunisia is known for its grand tourism, they say that it’s the most European country of North Africa. But there are also negative points in Tunisia, for example: there is much poverty and a high degree of unemployment, corruption is also unavoidable there.

Today, there are many political changes in Tunisia. The people of Tunisia must elect a new president because president Ben Ali has left the country. Why the president has left the country is because the people protested against his course of action. He dictated all the people and they must all listen to him. The riots have caused many injuries and deaths so there was a lot more panic in Tunisia and all the tourists must left the country.
It’s an enormous challenge for Tunisia to rebuild the political system with all those riots, the country may even fall into a anarchy.
The Tunisian revolution has started in December 2010 because a man had committed suicide because there are no good prospects for Tunisia and the poverty level continues to rise.
So everyone was in revolt, especially those who has just graduated and they were immediately unemployed.

So Tunisia has to do something quickly because the protests should stop.

My opinion is that it’s the fault of the ex-president Ben Ali. Because he handled in a way that was the best for him and not for the country. He only took account of himself and commanded everyone.
I think they must follow the presidents strictly and the presidents cannot take decisions by themselves, they must consult with other persons. The people who live in Tunisia are right to protest, the president must take into account with his people.

So it was not a funny journey through Tunisia with all those with all the protest, but I’m glad I’ve learned something about the politics of Tunisia. I hope it’s more fun in Italy…
I see you there.

Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/tunisia/index.html

Charlotte De Hainaut

Tunisia

Hello!

Here I am again. I stayed in Tunisia for a couple of days and the day after tomorrow I go to the next country: Italy! Here is an update about my stay in Tunisia:

I stayed in Djerba, more specific in Zarzis. The view that you have on the beach is really beautiful. But no one would ever think that a couple of days ago there took place a dramatic story! A ship, that was leaving the fishing port of Zarzis to go to Europe, was intercepted by the Tunisian coast guard. There were 120 people on board of the ship, some looking for work in Europe, some on their way to visit someone. The coast guard ordered the captain of the ship to stop and said the passengers should lay down on the ground. After that the coast guarders hit them and the ship turned into the water, upside down.

There was 1 survivor who wanted to tell his side of the facts. He saw a friend holding on to the ship and yelling that he didn’t want to die! Almost everyone who was on the ship is missing or drowned. He and his cousin survived the whole incident. He doesn’t know exactly how he and his cousin survived it. The only thing he knows is that they found some food and that the water was very cold.

The story that the government is telling is a whole other story! They say that the captain of the ship refused to stop and that they picked up 85 people who survived the whole incident. Only 5 people are dead.

In what a cruel world are we living?! That’s the question that came up in my head when I saw the video. The story that the man is telling sounds like something unreal, something that just cannot happen. These people were just looking for work in Europe or wanted to visit someone in Europe. They haven’t done anything wrong! The fact that the coast guard ordered the captain to stop is not that bad because the coast guard have to do his job also. But the fact that the coast guarders hit the people that were on the ship is just a terrible thing. I think that the guarders just take advantage of their position. And of course, the government is telling another story. They just don’t want to face the facts, the truth! They say that only 5 people are dead, but there are a lot of other people that argue this fact. I think that Tunisians face a tough journey in their hunt for safer shores.

I’m leaving Tunisia with a strange feeling. Everything looks so peaceful and quite. But on the other hand there is a lot of unrest among the people. I’ll talk to you soon when I’m in Italy!

Bye

Noerens Libera

The video I was talking about: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/02/18/curry.tunisia.survivors.cnn?iref=videosearch 

Tunesia!

Hey again!

Meanwhile I arrived in Tunisia. Here’s my second weekly blog:

I posted a movie of a protest action of more than 30.000 people in the streets of Tunisia on the 12^th of January 2011. It took place in Sfax, a Tunesian city near the Mediterranean Sea. People were protesting because of the huge and unfair authority of their government. They wanted to show people how it really is to live in Tunesia and not how the government shows outsiders what it is like. Shortly we may say that the Tunesian people are just fighting for their freedom and against the authority of their government.
Sad part of the story is that two people died during the protest action. They were shot.

I think it’s important that the Tunisian people stand up for their rights and fight against the government and its authorities. For people in other countries this might seem ‘far away’ but in one way or another we’re connected with every country in the world. The bad political situation of Tunesia will have its indirect consequences on countries like ours too. I think these protests can produce a huge progress for Tunesia since they’re infectious. Other cities of Tunesia may start protesting too because they’ve seen what result it may have. It’s time for the Tunesian population to speak because if they don’t do it now, it’ll only get worse and more difficult to do something about it. It can also be a help for people in other countries to see what’s happening here in Tunesia since this isn’t the only country with an authoritarian government. The pity side of such a protest action is that it always brings dead people with it. People who are shot by police officers or who are being trampled and so one. It’s a pity that there always has to be a bad side to good things.
And last but not least I think it’s a circle that never ends. If something has to be done against the authority of the government, it will probably have to be done by someone else with authority. In that way the problem of too much authority and neglecting human rights will always stay an important political and social issue of the country.

Check out the video yourself by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsyEhjr2_0.

So, that was my blog for this week. See (read: hear) you all when I arrive in the country of love and culture, Italy.

التحدي!

Kimberly Pauwels