· June, 2007

Stories about Development from June, 2007

Bahrain: The Tale of a ‘Legal Slave’

No longer a tax haven, people in Bahrain are fuming at the introduction of a one per cent tax to benefit an Unemployment Fund. Bloggers caught on the bug and are ranting and fuming on their blogs in this report by Ayesha Saldanha. In other related matters, bloggers talk about a new law which bans workers from working between noon and 4pm in the summer heat, lavish weddings and the forgotten 'martyrs' of the civil unrest which rocked Bahrain in the 90s.

Bahamas: Planning for New Providence

  29 June 2007

Population growth, limited road capacity and potential hurricane threats make it critical for the Bahamas to think about urban planning. Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit explains.

China: Luxurious Buildings and Shanxi Bricks

  29 June 2007

CCTV News investigation team asked the Tianya community to submit information concerning extravagant and luxurious building in China (zh). There were many submission. Cha Jing highlighted one of the comments: Without building all these, where to sell all those bricks (produced by slave labour) in Shanxi? (zh)

Lebanon: Syria's “in the eye of the storm”

A strange conversation took place last April between Syrian president Bashar El Assad and UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon, writes Sophia. The meeeting ends with Bashar El Assad telling Ban Ki Moon: “We are in the eye of the storm. You will need to stay in contact with us.”

Anguilla: Slave Labour?

  28 June 2007

As imported Indian labourers marched against unfair wages on a high-profile resort project, Corruption-free Anguilla writes: “Our government has lost its way. It was the compassion of the ordinary Anguillian that redeemed our government today.”

Russia, Belarus: Blaming Putin and Lukashenko

Adam Goodman of Being Had admits that life is tough in Belarus and Russia, but disagrees with La Russophobe‘s perspective: “[…] I refuse to believe, just as I have since I started writing about Belarus, that it is appropriate to place the blame solely on Lukashenka or Putin.”

China: The China Opportunity

  27 June 2007

Fons tried to address the question: “Are you positive or negative about the effects of China on the world?” put forward by international delegations at China Herald.

NGO worker on Darfur

  26 June 2007

Alliance pour la democratie et le progres interviews an NGO worker (Fr) on the situation in Darfur. “Things won't get better quickly.”

Hong Kong: Migrant workers support pier preservation

  26 June 2007

Hoidick from inmediahk.net reported on a survey on migrant workers’ opinion towards public space at Central, especially near the city hall and Queen's pier: Given that Queen’s Pier (and also City Hall and Star Ferry) is so important to the Filipino/as’ community as an irreplaceable ‘home away from home’, it...

If Bloggers attended the Conference on the Caribbean…

  25 June 2007

This past week (June 18-21) leaders of CARICOM met with President George W. Bush and other top U.S. government officials in Washington as part of the Conference on the Caribbean. Official word from the U.S. Press Secretary is that: “The Conference on the Caribbean continues an important dialogue between the...

Africa: the US Farm Bill and African farmers

  25 June 2007

African Viewpoint writes about the US Farm Bill, African farmers, and Koffi Annan: “While the corporate food supply basks in the shadow of the poverty of poor Africans farmer to continue its degradation of America, many Americans are in lala land pertaining to subsidies. They think their cry for saving...

Lebanon: Almost Non-Political Questions

What are we eating? Why are our banks flourishing? Who are those clearing cluster bombs? How will Brazil help in recycling Lebanese wastes? Where are some of the children who were caught in the crossfire? What about some music? These are some of the questions answered in this week’s selections from the Lebanese blogosphere.

Lebanon: UNIFIL Attacked

The UN peace keeping force in South Lebanon, UNIFIL, came under attack on Sunday. Six Spanish UN peacekeepers were killed and more were injured when a bomb exploded near their convoy. MacDara wrote that he “had intended for Sunday Nights post to be lighthearted and showing some of the good...