Stories about Development from November, 2011
Myanmar, Thailand: Mong Kok Coal Project
A special report was published by Shanland about the devastating impact of a coal mining project in Mong Kok. The project will affect several communities in Thailand and Myanmar.
Bangladesh: Climate Change to Increase Hunger and Malnutrition
As governments gear up for COP17, which starts today, experts are warning that among climate change's greatest consequences in developing countries are the risks to the agriculture sector, including an increased risk of food insecurity. Bangladesh is among the top five most vulnerable countries.
China, Macedonia: Chinese Netizens Outraged by School Bus Donation
The news of a Chinese government donation of 23 school buses to the Republic of Macedonia on 25 November, has outraged Chinese netizens, who are mourning for the death of 19 preschool kids in a car accident in Gansu province on 16 November.
Bangladesh: Corporate Social Responsibility – A Half Truth
Shahriar Amin opines that in implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR), the primary objective of any organization is not doing the welfare of community but to provide welfare of the brand. So CSR is really a kind of half truth.
Mali, Niger: Tuareg Voices Barely Heard Over the Sounds of War
Since the start of the war in Libya, many security and political experts have warned against potential Touareg threats in Mali and Niger. Is it a real threat or mere speculations? For the moment, the only place to hear the voices of the Tuareg is on the internet.
Maldives: The Changes The 17th SAARC Summit Brought
Hassan Ziyau describes how the preparations for the 17th SAARC Summit brought astonishing changes in Addu and Fuvahmulah, the two atolls where the summit was held.
Nicaragua: The Poor State of Roads in Nueva Guinea
Ronald Hill [es] denounces the poor state of roads in Nueva Guinea, “the largest, most densely populated municipality and biggest economic hub of the Autonomous Region of the Southern Atlantic” in Nicaragua.
Peruvian Amazon: The Challenges of a Wonder of Nature
The Amazon rainforest has been declared as one of the provisional 7 new wonders of nature, a recognition that is expected to benefit the Peruvian region of Loreto and the city of Iquitos by incrementing tourism. But is the region actually prepared for this?
Kenya: Life in Dadaab, the World's Largest Refugee Camp
Around 75 percent of all refugees are believed to reside in countries neighboring their own, and this is particularly true in Kenya, where approximately 450,000 people inhabit the world's largest refugee camp.
Global: 1 of 7 Billion Short Film Competition
The 1 of 7 Billion Short Film Competition is open to submissions for videos exploring one of the seven issues targeted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 7 Billion Actions initiative. Global Voices Online has been writing about the different actions that individuals and small organizations have been taking...
Comparing China and Other Countries
He Bing posted a set of photos comparing China with other countries. Archer Wang from Ministry of Tofu explained the context of the comparison.
Madagascar: Population Grows Tired of Power Outage
For the past week, Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, has experienced scheduled daily power outages [fr] that lasted on average 2h and 30 minutes in the evening and it seems that it could get worse [fr]. Several bloggers have expressed [fr] increased frustration [mg] with the ongoing situation that was...
Nigeria : Homes made of Plastic Bottles
In the village of Yelwa — North of Nigeria — a new style of construction intrigued the curiosity of the locals. Noorinfo publishes photos of rounded huts [fr] built with plastic bottles. These new constructions look like a potential alternative to the old-fashioned bricks.
Tanzania: How Not to Launch a Data.gov
Mbwana Ally explains how not to lauch a Data.gov: “Checking my twitter stream I saw that the Tanzania Government had launched a Open Data website initiative (Kiswahili)…The complaints on twitter started mounting and I gladly participated. Where is the data? The SMS no. set up does not work. The site...
Kenya: Africa’s Story of Mobile Conquest
Africa’s story of mobile conquest & why utility beats ‘coolness’: “Why was MPESA [mobile-phone based money transfer service] such a success? Simply put – it was a necessity. Pre-MPESA (sounds like when someone asks ‘how did we ever survive without Google?’), people still had to do all the things that...
Brazil: Real State Speculation Threatens Sacred Ground
Sagrada Terra Especulada (Sacred Speculated Ground), a Brazilian collective that advocates for indigenous land rights, is promoting a documentary [pt] and a petition [pt] in defense of the Pajé Sanctuary, close to Brasilia´s Pilot Plan. Real estate speculation [pt] threatens this area of savannah with the construction of a so-called...
China's Real Estate Bubbles
Sascha from Chengdu Living has written down some frontline observations of the real estate bubble in China.
Brazil: Toxic Documentary on the Amazon
Brazilian journalist Felipe Milanez (@felipedjeguaka) published [pt, en] a documentary about the Amazon in the series Toxic – “the various ways in which we detonate our planet” – of the Vice website. The documentary features the environmental activist Zé Claudio Ribeiro da Silva who was killed in May 2011.
Brazil: Online Campaign to Protect Xingu Against Belo Monte
A new movement called Gota D'Água (Drop of Water) [pt] has launched an online campaign to discuss Brazil's energy planning through the analysis of the Belo Monte dam project. The campaign includes a video featuring public figures and a petition, that has already gathered 1923 signatures, to be handed over...
Brazil: Suspicious Fires in Slums of São Paulo
Brazilian teacher and urban planner Raquel Rolnik writes [pt] about a wave of suspicious fires in slums of the city of São Paulo. Allegedly, a few days after the last fire, a construction company had already turned the aftermath into a building site for new developments.
Brazil: Federal Senate Approves New Forestry Code
Blogger Conceição Oliveira, on her blog Maria Frô, informs [pt] that the new Brazilian Forestry Code was approved by the Federal Senate on November 8, and is now up for President Dilma to either approve it or veto it.
