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On Surfari Haiti from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

A writer's search for journalism in the age of branding

Moe Tkacik's bittersweet reflection on journalism in the age of meltdown makes compelling reading. Here's a flavor of what happened when she joined the Wall St Journal's LA bureau:

And so when the time came to resume the regimen of inquisitions into whether Barbie dolls could reclaim supremacy from the insurgent Bratz, or rappers could be convinced to switch sneaker brand allegiances from Nike to Reebok, and was the preeminent patron saint of pre-adolescent sartorial taste Britney Spears or Avril Lavigne . . . well, that was something of a relief, too. The biggest relief, though, would come when I was fired.

By Patrick Smith, Editor Africa Confidential

Indian companies are routing tens of billions of dollars through Mauritius each year in a giant tax avoidance scheme

India is changing its tax laws in a bid to introduce greater transparency into its financial transactions with Mauritius. The aim is to stem 'round-tripping' of funds by politicians, businessmen and criminal syndicates, and assuage concerns about the unregulated and 'hot' money which transits through the Mauritian economy and into India. The licit and illicit financial flows from Mauritius account for as much as 90%, or tens of billions of dollars, of foreign direct investment in India each year.