· October, 2012

Stories about Development from October, 2012

China: Ningbo Protests Point to Middle Class Discontent

  30 October 2012

Over the weekend, residents took to the streets in Ningbo, Zhejiang, to protest against the expansion of a paraxylene (PX) plant in their city. Sophie Beach from China Digital Times highlights the middle class discontent reflected in the protest.

Brazil: Wikileaks Reveals Officials’ Disdain Towards the Guarani Kaiowá

  30 October 2012

Brazilian investigative journalism website Pública reports [pt] on documents leaked by WikiLeaks on the plight of the request for land of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá. A cable from 2009 reveals disdain by local authorities from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul towards Guarani-Kaiowá's demands for the demarcation of the lands...

Entrepreneurship, Culture and Solidarity in Africa

  28 October 2012

Despite strong economic growth, the African continent is still struggling to develop a class of local entrepreneurs to manage strategic industries. Many African scholars and researchers try to better understand the influence of cultural habits on entrepreneurship on the continent.

Malaysia: Penang's Bicycle Lanes

  26 October 2012

anilnetto writes about the proposed 12.5km bicycle lane in Penang, Malaysia. The first phase of the project has already started and completion is targeted in the next two years.

Madagascar: A Case Study for Small Scale Mining

  25 October 2012

The Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) in Protected Areas and critical ecosystems (“PACE”) programme (ASM-PACE) has released a case study on how Madagascar can “ensure continued socioeconomic development without undermining ecological resiliency”. The report focuses on successful and failed methods to cope with mineral rushes.

Benin: Organizing Volunteer Holidays to Share Specific Expertise

  23 October 2012

Youphil writes [fr] about a project driven by Espace Volontariats du Bénin and supported by France Volontaires that promotes volunteer holidays in Porto Novo and Sô-Ava. The project will help experts share their knowledge in fields such as accounting, communication, ICT & project management with local NGOs.

Uganda: Getting Ready for the Second Coming of #Kony2012

  22 October 2012

“I didn’t pay much mind to the #Kony2012 kerfuffle when it first surfaced back in March. I couldn’t be bothered to watch the film and was a bit blasé about the re-emergence (as it seemed to me) of the Lord’s Resistance Army as a topic of wide international interest. But...

Sri Lanka: Bumper Harvest Of Fish

  21 October 2012

Malaka Rodrigo reports that many fish species have aggregated to the Sri Lankan East coast giving a bumper harvest to the fishermen. Experts say that this might have happened due to changing patterns of Oceanic Currents and climate change.

India: Conflict Over Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Continues

  19 October 2012

The Atomic Power Project in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has started operations last month but protests continued and arrests are still being made and protesters remain in jail. This week also marks a call for a fortnight of protests across India in solidarity with people’s struggle against the Nuclear Plant.

Haiti: Yéle Haiti Facing Allegations of Financial Impropriety

  16 October 2012

Various allegations of financial impropriety have been directed at musician and activist Wyclef Jean's charity Yéle Haiti. The allegations are centered on the millions that the defunct charitable organization received in donations after the Janury 2010 earthquake period that devastated the island.

Zambia: YouTube Documentary on Negative Impact of Copper Mining

  14 October 2012

A documentary titled “Zambia: Good Copper, Bad Copper” about Zambian copper mining and its negative impact on society has emerged on YouTube and has so far attracted over 6,000 hits. After watching the documentary, one YouTube user wrote, "Cry our beloved country. Why should we remain poor when a coveted product is plenty and mined at the expense of the locals' health."

Serbia: Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2012

  14 October 2012

Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2012 took place in Belgrade on October 13–14, 2012, and is the first Wikimedia CEE Meeting for Central and Eastern Europe. The primary goal of the event is to intensify cooperation among the Wiki communities, Wikimedia chapters, and other interested groups from Central and Eastern Europe. The...

Sierra Leone: Is Ami Musa the Saddest Pinterest Page in the World?

  14 October 2012

One blog, Lovelyish, considers a Pinterest campaign about a 13-year-old girl Ami Musa from Sierra Leone by UNICEF UK to raise awareness about children living in poverty in Africa "the saddest Pinterest page in the world." Another blogger, Tom Murphy, argues that Pinterest represents a bit of a brave new world for NGOs to reach newer audiences.