· August, 2012

Stories about Development from August, 2012

Combatting Cocaine Production in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru

Drug production and trafficking is a major issue in Latin America that governments are constantly trying to deal with. However, as the continent leaders gathered last April in Colombia for the Summit of the Americas fully agreed, the so far US-led war on drugs has failed in the Region. Peru, Colombia and Bolivia are the three largest illegal cocaine producing countries in the world. What are these Andean Countries doing to combat illegal drugs?

30 August 2012

Controversial Tibet Theme Park Project Launched

Tibetan dissidents have described the USD 4.7 billion Chinese project as the “Disneyfication of Tibet.“ The park will first be used to shoot 'Princess Wencheng', a film about the niece of a Tang-dynasty emperor who married a Tibetan king.

30 August 2012

Tracking Counterfeit Medicines in the Developing World

Some 700,000 people die annually from fake malaria and tuberculosis drugs alone. The WHO reports that the annual earnings from substandard or counterfeit drugs stand at about USD 200 billion. More important than its economic impact, counterfeit medicines pose a significant global public health problem.

30 August 2012

Hungary: Shantytown Destroyed to Help Real Estate Investment

Some 45-50 people have been living in their makeshift shacks in the abandoned woods of District X in Budapest. Some of the residents have built up self-supporting farms, but in June 2012 the local municipality started to move them out, which is not a unique phenomenon in Hungary's capital.

29 August 2012

Assessing Quality of Life in African Cities

One study on the quality of life in cities across the world reports that, of the ten least liveable cities, six are situated in Africa. However, another finds that the populations of certain African cities are happier than those of several European counterparts. So what exactly is the reality of quality of life in Africa's cities?

29 August 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Independence & Governance

Afra Raymond uses the recent firing of a junior minister in the Ministry of National Security, Colin Partap, and Trinidad & Tobago's upcoming 50th anniversary of Independence to think about issues of governance, responsibility,...

28 August 2012

Chinese Style Romance

Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu has translated a Chinese video that explains the material conditions of love relation in China.

28 August 2012

Philippines: List of National Roads

The Philippine government has uploaded a spreadsheet identifying the quality of the country's national roads. It's also a mechanism for citizens to report and monitor badly paved roads

25 August 2012

Angolan Tourists Spend Big Bucks in Portugal

'Little by little we see Angolan money starting to dominate businesses and the economic sectors in Portugal.' According to a netizen this is in stark contrast to 70% of Angola's population which 'is barefoot, have empty stomachs, (and) live in a slum.'

24 August 2012

Caribbean: The Number Portability Game

. . . there has been considerable buzz around [Number Portability], and several countries across the Caribbean have embarked upon activities that ultimately should lead to its implementation. Yet, how...

23 August 2012

Portugal: The Dark Side of the National Dam Program

The dams in the Programa Nacional de Barragens (National Dam Program) will cost the Portuguese government €16 billion, to be spent on construction, subsidies and interest on loans. Together with wind farms, they are going to make Portuguese electricity the most expensive in the world.

23 August 2012

Hong Kong: Campaigning Against Cattle Relocation Policy

Agriculture was vibrant just decades ago in Hong Kong in rural areas, and yellow cattle were a particular feature. Pressure from local government to relocate 8 cattle in Mui Wo Lantau Island has been met with fierce protest by animal rights activists and local residents.

22 August 2012

Brazil: Belo Monte Halted, but for How Long?

When it seemed that all was already lost, the movements opposing the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant were surprised by an order suspending the works, which were being carried out on the Xingu River in the state of Pará. News of the decision, which was made on the night of the 13th of August, spread like a wave of hope for the activists, who inundated social media with exuberant reactions.

20 August 2012

Brazil: Belo Monte, the Film

The film Belo Monte, Announcement of a War was recently launched in the Internet. It is the result of a collective effort that involved the independent producer, Cinedelia, and a...

17 August 2012

Video: What Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Colombia Have in Common

The search for justice in the wake of conflict is what Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Colombia have in common. The Case for Justice is a series of videos debating on the relevance of what is known as transitional justice, a set of systems that is put into place to allow for accountability in the wake of massive human rights violations.

15 August 2012