Stories about Development from April, 2014
Puerto Rican feminist organization Taller Salud Celebrates 35 years
The feminist grassroots organization Taller Salud [es] (@tsalud), which focuses on education and prevention in the areas of sexual and reproductive rights in Puerto Rico, is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Thirty-five years of hard work and struggle. The organization now works mostly with women and girls in the northeastern coastal town of...
Does Kyrgyzstan Need A Putin?
There is only one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, but does a fledgling democracy like Kyrgyzstan need its own version?
A ‘Stressful’ Taxicab System in Cameroon
Ghanaian blogger Kuukuwa writes about her experience with the taxicab system in Cameroon: There are no taxi stations, so taxi drivers move around town all day looking for passengers. And, mind you, this is a shared taxi system. Depot (“dropping” in Ghanaian English), where one person hires a taxi isn’t...
Collaborative Economy Visionaries Gather at OuiShare Fest 2014 in Paris
The OuiShare Fest 2014 will gather thousands of activists for a conference on collaborative economy from May 5 -7 in Paris, France. The objective of the festival is to exchange on a common vision of an economy relying on horizontal networks and communities. Here is a video presenting the festival:
So You Need to Get Around Madagascar?
Public transportation can be a challenge in Madagascar. The country's road infrastructure is antiquated and underdeveloped and overcrowded buses and minivans are often the only option.
China's Revised Environmental Law Toughens Penalties Against Polluters
The new law lends more power to environmental agencies to use punitive powers to rein in powerful polluters and does away with caps on pollution fines.
Call to Stop Construction to Protect the Leopard Cats in Taiwan
Leopard cat is listed as a vulnerable species [zh] in Taiwan. Since the big cats live in the forests and jungles in both plains and in hilly areas and their home range is very broad, their habitats in Taiwan are easily disturbed by new construction projects. The Taiwanese environmental evaluation...
Pure Grenada
What comes to mind when an unexposed individual envisions the Isle of Spice? Grenada’s brand, though it fuels patriotism, isn’t targeted at Grenadians. We already know what our country has to offer. Nisha writes about about the re-branding of Grenada‘s tourism product.
A Peek at Hong Kong's Collaborative Sharing Economy
Different initiatives in Hong Kong connect people with others to help fix household items, give away unwanted goods and borrow a book.
Who Benefits from Trafficking Women from Madagascar to the Middle East?
Aaron Ross reports on his investigation in the heart of the ongoing human trafficking of young women from Madagascar to Middle Eastern countries: For some enterprising businessmen, the collapse heralded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So-called placement agencies sprang up in Antananarivo and other cities across Madagascar, promising the good life in...
French Economist Piketty Links Inequality to Instability of Democracies
French economist and Associate Chair at the Paris School of Economics, Thomas Piketty recently published a book called “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” that has generated quite a buzz among fellow economists and political leaders. Piketty's central thesis is that inequality is not an accident, but one of the consequences of the excess of capitalism. Piketty...
VIDEO: Judging Boyfriends by Their Housing in Hong Kong
In this funny video, the mother in a viral video reacts differently to her daughter's boyfriend depending on where he says he lives.
Turning Faecal Waste Into Business Opportunities
Clean Team Ghana organised a Twitter chat using the hashtag #WasteOpportunities to discuss the business potential of faecal waste.
In Bangladesh, Cycling to Break Free of Dhaka's Notorious Traffic
Dhaka is one of the most unlivable cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, and its extreme traffic congestion contributes a lot to this fame.
9 Essentials Uncles You Need In Sri Lanka
Cerno opines that ordinary Sri Lankans need the right network of relationships with many ‘powerful uncles’ to survive properly.
Historical Overview of Cambodia's Land and Housing Problem
Hallam Goad analyzed the problems and issues that plagued Cambodia's urban development in the past two decades: Phnom Penh has followed the clichéd patterns of newly emerging nations almost to the letter with the urban poor shouldering many of the downsides. What few people recognise is that most of it...
Exploring Trinidad & Tobago's Digital Divide (Part 2)
In the second installment of our post about the digital divide in Trinidad and Tobago, Global Voices talks with Kenfield Griffith, CEO of mSurvey, the company that conducted the research.
Cancer-Causing Chemical Pollutes Chinese City Lanzhou's Water Supply
Benzene, a highly carcinogenic chemical, has been detected in the city's water supply, at one point measured at a level 20 times what is considered to be safe.
Caribbean Loses Valuable Steward with Passing of Professor Norman Girvan
Economist, intellectual, Caribbean man: As news of Professor Norman Girvan's death spreads throughout the region, netizens pay him tribute in glowing terms, calling his legacy "powerful" and his voice "magnificent".
Trinidad & Tobago Mourns Former Prime Minister & President, A.N.R. Robinson
Twitter users are paying their respects to the late A.N.R. Robinson, former Prime Minister and President of Trinidad and Tobago, who is being hailed as a visionary and a patriot.
Last Week 337 Workers Fainted at Garment Factories in Cambodia
Poor working conditions probably led to another mass fainting case involving 200 workers in a garment factory in Cambodia.