written By economist

The data economy demands a new approach to antitrust rules

A NEW commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry, prompting antitrust regulators to step in to restrain those who control its flow. A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Now similar concerns are being raised by the giants that deal in data, the oil of the digital era. These titans—Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft—look unstoppable. They are the five most valuable listed firms in the world. Their profits are surging: they collectively racked up over $25bn in net profit in the first quarter of 2017. Amazon captain  half of all dollars spent online in America. Google and Facebook accounted for almost all the revenue growth in digital advertising in America last year. Read more →

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Written By  Prof. Al Mariam

In memory of Liu Xiaobo, Chinese dissident, human rights advocate, co-author of Charter ’08,  Nobel peace laureate (2010) and political prisoner who died in Chinese government custody on July 13, 2013.

An enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation and inflame brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and hinder a country’s advance toward freedom and democracy.

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Author’s Note: In this commentary, I wish to share a “prophesy” I made in January 2016 calling for “eternal vigilance” in anticipation of the return of the T-TPLF land snatchers to the outskirts of Addis Ababa to gobble up the lands of struggling Oromo farmers. The excerpt of that foreboding “prophesy” follows this note. 

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Author’s Note: The ruling Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF) in Ethiopia is said to be on the verge of passing a “law” protecting “Oromia’s special interest in Addis Ababa” and “giving Oromia extensive rights in the capital city” (hereinafter the T-TPLF Masters’ Addis Ababa Plan B). It is a trial balloon “leaked out” by the T-TPLF to gauge public reaction (hoping the Ethiopian public will be blinded, hoodwinked  and bogged down in recrimination about what name to give the capital) while they implement their diabolical Addis Ababa Master Plan B in broad daylight.

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