Stories about Development from November, 2012
Wiping Out Ethiopia's History for the Sake of Development
Ethiopian netizens react to unconfirmed reports circulating online that iconic statues of Emperor Menelik II and Pope Abule Petros might be destroyed because of the construction of an Addis Ababa rail tunnel.
Trinidad & Tobago: Kublalsingh's Hunger Strike Continues; So Does the Debate
Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh's ongoing hunger strike to protest the proposed route of a highway in south-western Trinidad is raising questions of transparency, good governance and the approach to political debate. Some bloggers feel that the current administration is out of touch with the needs of the people and they are concerned about the way in which the government is dealing with dissident voices.
Developing Latin America Hackathon Draws Near!
We are only 2 days short of commencing the regional hackathon Developing Latin America 2012. Anca Matioc, who is in charge of organising the event, spoke with us about the preparations. She also answered some questions relating to the development of a hackathon like Developing Latin America.
A Glimpse of the Human Moment of Chinese Leaders
A Chinese micro-blogger, Wang Dongdong tweeted the above image on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter on November 23, which has been retweeted over 103,000 times. The blogger [zh] said, I really like this picture. Why doesn’t our media give us more images of leaders like this one, instead of always making them look...
Côte d'Ivoire: Online Campaign Says No to Holding Multiple Public Offices
Ivorian bloggers have initiated a campaign for a real public debate on the issue of parliamentarians simultaneously holding multiple elected offices in Côte d'Ivoire. Tired of seeing parliamentarians also being mayors or presidents of local councils, these netizens are using social media and organizing a petition.
Deadly Factory Fire in Bangladesh Raises Questions of Worker Exploitation
The recent tragic fire at a clothing factory building in Ashulia, near Bangladesh Capital Dhaka, that killed more than 110 garments workers, has raised many questions. Bangladeshis are expressing their anger on poor working conditions and exploitation of workers.
Documenting New Bike Lanes in Macedonian Capital Skopje
Na tochak (On a Bycicle), a group of cyclists organizing the Critical Mass movement, used video and photos to document the experience of riding in the bike lanes of several Skopje boulevards, reconstructed and widened ahead of the local elections scheduled for March 2013.
Trinidad & Tobago: Alternate Highway Proposal
Environmental activist Wayne Kublalsingh, who is currently on a hunger strike, explains the alternate proposal for the Debe to Mon Desir section of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway in a new video.
Indigenous Organization Denounces Brazil at the UN
The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) denounces [pt] human rights abuses against the indigenous populations in an open-letter [pt] to the United Nations. Among several issues, APIB calls the attention to the Guarani-Kaiowa genocide, the mining projects on indigenous lands and the illegal constructions in the Amazon rainforest...
Bangladesh Protests Against Open Pit Coal Mining in Phulbari
In Phulbari, 350 kilometers northwest of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, local communities have come together to raise their voices against the proposed Phulbari open pit coal mining project. If implemented, it will evict almost 100000 inhabitants from more than 100 villages within a 59 sq. km radius and will create a long term impact on the environment.
Bangladesh: Disappearing Playgrounds
The Bangladesh Capital Dhaka has seen one of the largest price-booms in the real estate sector which resulted in the decrease of the number of open fields in the city. Amader Kotha discusses the perils of the encroaching real estates, the concept of making a playground for children is gradually...
Doubting the Efficiency of EU Funding for Slovakia
The European Commission has unveiled plans for priorities in funding Slovakia during the years of 2014-2020. One of the problems is that the EU money is often used for unnecessary and unproductive initiatives and projects. Tibor Blazko translates netizens' views on the issue.
China: “Most Awesome Nail House” Stands In Middle Of Highway
The picture above is the screen capture of a TV report on a house, which stands in the middle of a highway near the railway station in Taizhou, Wenlin, Zhejiang province. As the relocation settlement is not enough for the reconstruction of his 5-story-building, the owner refused to move and...
Malaysian Residents Oppose Rare Earths Refinery
Malaysia is set to build the world's largest rare earths refinery after the High Court rejected petitions opposing the project. In response environment groups, residents, and concerned citizens have vowed to step up protests against the plant.
2012 Census is Undergoing in Bolivia
Bolivia holds today, November 21, the National Census of Population and Housing 2012. Citizens are restricted from leaving their homes until 23.59 hrs local time. Media, bloggers and netizens are commenting and reporting via Twitter using #Censo2012 and #CensoBo.
China: Five Street Children Suffocated to Death in Dumpster
Last week, on Friday November 16, five young children were found dead in a dumpster, due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Guizhou province. Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream reported on the sad story.
Brazilian Court Suspends Eviction Order of Indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá
The mass online mobilization that followed an appeal from the Guaraní-Kaiowá indigenous community of Pyelito Kue in Mato Grosso do Sul gave crucial support to their struggle to resist expulsion from their lands. In late October, the Brazilian courts decided to suspend their eviction order. However, the struggle continues until their lands are officially demarcated.
On World Toilet Day, Introducing the Crap Map Project
With both big technology players and local partners in Ghana, we’ll be hacking together our “crap map” using existing open source tools and software paired with meaningful offline facilitation around behavior change in sanitation. Molly Norris of Ideo.org explains the objective of the Crap Map project: “to stimulate collective action...
Coming out of the Water Closet: Haiti on World Toilet Day
Today is World Toilet Day. Of a global population of 7 billion, a staggering 2.5 billion people have no access to clean toilet facilities - that's about 1 in 3 people. Some of them live in the Caribbean; many of these live in Haiti - and the lack of this fundamental human right to sanitation continues to cause unnecessary disease and death.
Bangladesh: Money Doesn't Build A School
Shawn Ahmed of Uncultured.com explains in a video blog that donations only doesn't help building a school. Watch the video to see what he means:
