Stories about Development from December, 2008
Bhutan: The Next Data Hub
The New Horizon analyzes the economical growth potential of Bhutan in the energy sector. The country has also the possibility of becoming a cyber hub of Asia with the help...
Jamaica: Communing
“We won’t be condemning the Palestinians or the Israelis…we won’t be contributing to the chaos on frontlines…[we] have decided that our approach will be to help bridge communities”: Jamaica's Abeng...
Egypt: Down sizing Car factory
In the middle of everybody's talk about Gaza's siege and Israeli brutal attack on Palestinians, Egyptian blogger Zeinobia is asking people not to forget Egyptian internal affairs. In her new...
Kenya: Banks should embrace money transfer service M-pesa
Bankelele explains why he thinks Kenyan banks should embrace M-Pesa, the popular money transfer service offered by the mobile phone provider Safaricom: “Banks need to change and embrace M-Pesa as...
Cuba: Waiting for Cable
The submarine cable linking Cuba and Venezuela has “a vague completion date” of 2011, but Generation Y is clear about “what this projected umbilical cord should bring us.”
Senegal: Domestic workers’ exploitation
Faty Dieng at Dakar Bondy Blog [Fr] denounces about the working conditions of domestic workers in Senegal, some of them as young as 16, which she describes “a form of...
2008: A turbulent year for South Asia
Looking back on the events that rocked South Asia in the year 2008 we see that terrorism took the center stage in many places in this region. This was also...
Mongolia: Ninja Mining
Bilguun writes about so-called ninja miners in Mongolia – the people, who dig small unauthorised mines or pan dirt for gold. Ninja mining towns have become more or less self-sufficient,...
Morocco: A Moroccan Christmas
As Morocco is primarily a Muslim country, the majority of its residents do not celebrate Christmas. Still, bits and pieces of the holiday can be found, thanks to French influence and a good-sized expat community. This year, expat and Peace Corps bloggers share how they celebrated the holiday.
Cuba: Be Part of the Solution
Generation Y‘s Yoani Sanchez has the solution to Cuba's problems: “Let everyone speak, no matter whether in complaint or in support of a proposal designed to address the problems…only freedom...
MSF's Top 10 Humanitarian Crises in 2008
MSF (Doctors without borders) has released its annual list of Top 10 Humanitarian Crises of 2008 and the DR Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Ethiopia's Somali region made the cut....
Morocco: The age of the green car?
In a recent blog post, Abdelilah Boukili wonders “is it the age of the green car?”
Morocco: Out with the old, in with the new
The View from Fez shares a discussion with Aziza Chaouni, an architect with a plan to redesign and repurpose the famous tanneries of Fez.
Turkey: Campaign for a Joint-Commission on the Armenian Question
Talk Turkey urges individuals to join his new campaign to demand that “Turkey and Armenia form a joint-commission to research and investigate the facts of genocide and other claims; without...
Ukraine: Crisis, Microfinance and Politics
Below is a selection of recent posts from English-language blogs on the political and economic crisis in Ukraine.
Cape Verde: Success Stories From Peace Corps Volunteers
Christopher writes about a Peace Corps Volunteer who is working with community members in Cape Verde to start a sustainable internet cafe business.
Russia: The Crisis and The Potential For Unrest
In mid-October, Global Voices published a roundup of Anglophone bloggers' views on the financial crisis in Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine. Below is another installment on the effects and the likely consequences of the crisis in Russia.
Madagascar, Kenya question wisdom of foreign land deals
Following national and international outrage, the land deal that would have let South Korean firm Daewoo Logistics lease a large swath of Madagascar's arable land, was finally rejected. However, the number of reported land deals between wealthy countries and developing nations continues to grow, and bloggers wonder if these deals will really benefit the interests of ordinary people.
Egyptian Spinsters
The outcasts of the Egyptian society – the spinsters – are raising their voices in an attempt to change how society views them. Khokha – the anonymous author of The...
Looking at Egypt's First Female Mayor
Eva Habil, a 53 year-old Christian lawyer, became Egypt’s first female mayor on December 14, representing Komboha, a rural town in conservative Upper Egypt with a Coptic majority community. Yusra...
Eman Hashim blogs against Berlitz Egypt
Has corruption tarnished Berlitz Egypt's reputation? Egyptian blogger Eman Hashim wrote on facebook and on her blog wondering how come her students received their grades and certificates when she never...
