Day: March 8, 2017

RANKED: The 30 poorest countries in the world


A cityscape of Dakar is seen from the top of African Renaissance hill, Senegal December 19, 2016.

The ranking of the world’s poorest countries is once again dominated by African countries, according to an analysis by Global Finance Magazine.

The ranking was published in February 2017 and based on data from the International Monetary Fund.

The magazine ranked the world’s countries according to their gross domestic product (GDP) based on purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita.

The PPP takes into account the relative cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries to compare living standards among the different nations.

Most of the countries populating the top of this ranking are under authoritarian regimes where corruption is rampant. This a big deterrent to foreign investors, even if some of those countries have huge amounts of natural resources. 

The GDP per capita listed represents the amount of wealth produced in 2016 and is expressed in international dollars.
Here are the bottom 25 (and here’s the full study):

30. Senegal — GDP per capita: $2,578 (£2,102)

29. Yemen — GDP per capita: $2,521 (£2,056)

28. Nepal — GDP per capita: $2,480 (£2,022)

27. Mali — GDP per capita: $2,264 (£1,846)

26. Benin — GDP per capita: $2,184 (£1,781)

25. Uganda — GDP per capita: £2,066 (£1,685)

24. Solomon Islands — GDP per capita: $1,995 (£1,627)

23. Afghanistan — GDP per capita: $1,957 (£1,596)

22. Zimbabwe — $1,953 (£1,593)

21. Ethiopia — GDP per capita: $1,916 (£1,562)

20. Rwanda — GDP per capita: $1,905 (£1,553)

19. Kiribati — GDP per capita: $1,820 (£1,484)

18. Burkina Faso — GDP per capita: $1,790 (£1,460)

17. Haiti — GDP per capita: $1,784 (£1,455)

16. South Sudan — $1,670 (£1,362)

15. The Gambia — GDP per capita: $1,664 (£1,357)

14. Sierra Leone — GDP per capita: $1,651 (£1,346)

13. Guinea-Bissau — GDP per capita: $1,568 (£1,279)

12. Togo — GDP per capita: $1,545 ($1,260)

11. Comoros — GDP per capita: $1,529 (£1,247)

10. Madagascar — GDP per capita: $1,504 (£1,226)

9. Eritrea — GDP per capita: $1,321 (£1,077)

8. Guinea — GDP per capita: $1,271 (£1,036)

7. Mozambique — GDP per capita: $1,228 (£1,001)

6. Malawi — GDP per capita: $1,139 (£929)

5. Niger — GDP per capita: $1,113 (£907)

4. Liberia — GDP per capita: $882 (£719)

3. Burundi — GDP per capita: $818 (£667)

2. Democratic Republic of Congo — GDP per capita: $784 (£639)

1. Central African Republic — GDP per capita: $656 (£535)

St. Nikolaos Greek Orthodox Church in Havana
The story of St Nicholas of Myra Greek Orthodox Church in Havana, Cuba; the first Church built by Fidel Castro’s government and the only Church in over 50 years.

The Cuban Revolution overthrew the Batista regime on January 1st 1959. During Fidel Castro’s 49 year reign as Cuban Prime Minister and then President, there had not been any new churches in Cuba. 

Except one.

“A Beacon in Havana” is a short documentary that examines how the Saint Nicholas of Myra Greek Orthodox Church in Havana, Cuba came to be. The documentary looks into the role of the Church in Cuban society and Greek Orthodoxy in Cuba today.

Mosaic depicting the handover of the keys by Fidel Castro to Patriarch Bartholomew

George Michael died as a result of heart and liver disease, a coroner has confirmed


It has taken 10 weeks for George Michael’s cause of death to emerge

George Michael died as a result of heart and liver disease, a coroner has confirmed.

The pop star was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, according to Darren Salter, senior coroner for Oxfordshire.

The singer died aged 53 on Christmas Day at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

Because there was a “natural cause of death”, the coroner said there was no need for an inquest.

Thames Valley Police originally said his death was unexplained but not suspicious and an initial post-mortem examination was “inconclusive”.


George Michael’s death came as a shock to his millions of fans

On Tuesday, the coroner said in a statement: “Inquiries into the death of George Michael have been concluded and the final post-mortem report received.

“As there is a confirmed natural cause of death, being dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and fatty liver, the investigation is being discontinued and there is no need for an inquest or any further enquiries.

“No further updates will be provided and the family requests the media and public respect their privacy.”

The medical terms used on death certificates outline the cause of death, but not all the risk factors that have led up to it.

George Michael’s lists three conditions: dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and fatty liver.

This means his heart was enlarged, weakened and inflamed. The muscle wasn’t doing the job of pumping blood as well as it should have.

His liver was also abnormal, containing unhealthy collections of fat. There are many possible causes for this – heavy alcohol use is one.

At the weekend, the singer’s former partner Kenny Goss was quoted as saying: “I think his body just gave up. All these years, it was just weak.”

He told The Sunday Mirror: “We just want closure, we want the funeral to happen, it’s been a long time now.”


George Michael was at home in Goring-on-Thames when he died on Boxing Day

Fans also left tributes outside Michael’s London home after his death

Fadi Fawaz, the singer’s partner at the time of his death, told the Telegraph in late December he had found the star “lying peacefully in bed”.

After the cause of death was revealed on Tuesday, Fawaz responded to weeks of speculation by posting a photo of himself with Michael on Twitter along with the words: “The Truth is out…”

Following the coroner’s statement, Thames Valley Police said it had closed its investigation into Michael’s death.

“As the cause of death was natural, no further action is proposed or required,” it said.

Michael made his name with pop group Wham! in the 1980s and went on to enjoy huge success as a solo performer.

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