· December, 2008

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...

31 December 2008

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...

31 December 2008

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...

30 December 2008

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.”

29 December 2008

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...

27 December 2008

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,...

27 December 2008

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.

26 December 2008

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...

24 December 2008

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.

21 December 2008

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.

21 December 2008

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...

20 December 2008

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...

20 December 2008

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...

18 December 2008