· October, 2009

Stories about Development from October, 2009

Cuba: Contemplating Change

  28 October 2009

“I think that for Cuba to transition to an open society from a society ‘with some emergency exits’, some of the people now occupying positions of power in the government could take a long vacation…”: Octavo Cerco contemplates what's needed for meaningful change in Cuba.

India: Climate Policy

  28 October 2009

“India’s climate policy must be founded on the development needs of the majority of its population and the needs of India’s future development,” opines Prabir Purkayastha at Roger reports.

China's Dark Satanic Mills

  28 October 2009

On Oct. 14th, Chinese photographer Lu Guang won this year's $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his photos on China’s environment. The Fund’s website posts the following paragraph describing Lu Guang’s project: Lu Guang has been documenting the ecological disasters in China resulting from the rapid growth...

Hong Kong: Property market bubbles burst into public outrage

  27 October 2009

Earlier in October, an apartment in Hong Kong was sold for USD$57 million, a recording breaking price, locally and globally. The 6,158 square foot duplex apartment is in a building called “Conduit Road 39″ located at the western mid-levels of Hong Kong Island. The unidentified buyer is from Mainland China....

Morocco: Education Under Bloggers’ Scrutiny

  23 October 2009

Torn between insistent calls for modernization and a powerful conservative drive; caught in an excruciating debate over which languages to include in its programs; overburdened by an opaque and centralized administration, the Moroccan education system has long been the target of passionate critiques, not least among bloggers.

Trinidad & Tobago: Truth or Dare

  21 October 2009

“We are a society that publicly cries corruption but privately upload mega-project photos on Flickr with misguided pride”: This Beach Called Life uncovers “the hidden truth” about Trinidad and Tobago.

Ghana: Blog Action Day ’09

  19 October 2009

On Blog Action Day, Ghanaians interrogated world leaders, took issue with World Bank papers, introduced new web sites and wondered why there was so little discussion about climate change in the country—while acknowledging that there are certain things countries like Ghana are doing right.

Guadeloupe: The Water Days

  19 October 2009

In The French-speaking Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, also dubbed “the Island with Beautiful Waters”, water is vital. Bloggers share their thoughts on the recently concluded les Journées de l'Eau en Guadeloupe (Water Days in Guadeloupe) conference.

Reading the world on Blog Action Day

  15 October 2009

More than 9000 bloggers are devoting a post to climate change today as part of Blog Action Day, an annual initiative started by Change.org to unite the world's bloggers in reaching their millions of readers.

Georgia: New Media Forum

  14 October 2009

Following last year's Caucasus Bar Camp in Tbilisi, Georgia, came this week's New Media Forum. It also gave Global Voices Online's Caucasus Editor the opportunity to interview three of the country's most prominent and prolific new media advocates.

Anguilla: Construction Transparency

  14 October 2009

Inspired by a speech from the Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago chapter of Transparency International, Corruption-free Anguilla is concerned that “fair play, transparency, and accountability will continue to be unknown in the Anguillian public sector construction sector.”

India: High Maternal Mortality

  14 October 2009

Ben Piven at World Focus interviewed Aruna Kashyap, researcher for the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch and the writer of the report on maternal health care in India titled “No Tally Of The Anguish“. In this interview Aruna discusses why the maternal mortality in India is still exceptionally...

India: Interviewing The TED Fellows

  14 October 2009

Renowned Indian Blogger Kiruba Shankar has launched an initiative called the ‘TED Fellows project’. The plan is to assign 15 Indian bloggers to interview the TED India Fellows with a view to know them better as there is not much information available on them. Kiruba posts his first interview –...

China: Vist to North Korea

  14 October 2009

Alice Liu translated Rose Luqiu Luwei (闾丘露薇)'s blog post on her trip to North Korea to report on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit. Luqiu Luwei is an executive news editor for Hong Kong's Phoenix Satellite Television.

Mongolia: Agriculture Initiative Changes People's Lives

  13 October 2009

How could Mongolian nomadic herders find a new living in capital city Ulaanbaatar? Ariungerel, citizen journalist of Nomad Green, interviewed Ms. Baytskhandai and told us her story of how she manages to change lives of poor and disabled people and be environmental-friendly by teaching them agricultural skills.