Stories about Development from June, 2007
Nigeria: the evolution of mobile telephony
The evolution of mobile telephony in Nigeria: “The emergence of mobile telephony is obviously one of the major revolutions of communication in Nigeria.”
Malawi: Chasing the windmill in Malawi
A moving story of William Kamkwamba who used local materials to create electricity for his home in rural Malawi.
Africa: challenges of web 2.0 in Africa
Christian Kreutz discusses challenges of web 2.0 in the context of development in Africa.
Cambodia: Blogs sharply criticize donor meetings
Hun Sen promised to purge his government of corrupt officials, pleaded for more aid, and was granted his wish, without question, by the international donor community. The decision comes directly after a slew of charges against the Cambodian government, which includes evidence of illegal logging and severe human rights violations.
Brazilian and Indian Doha Round Solidarity: Is it a reason for blame or a call for leadership?
A blame game seemed to start as soon as Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath walked out of the G4 talks with their counterparts from the US and the EU Thursday in Postdam, Germany. The meeting between these four key players in the World Trade...
Kuwait: Give Women More Rights
As usual, this week's Kuwait round up by Abdullatif Al Omar addresses a number of issues including the disappearance of people in summer, Kuwait's unwritten traffic code, the attack of a Kuwaiti diplomat in Iran and the plight of mothers who cannot be considered as legal guardians for their children - simply because they are women.
China: Nailhouse 2: Residents fight back
Unlike the Chongqing Nailhouse which was demolished earlier this year, some residents of an entire nailbuilding in eastern China came to an impasse with police this past week; blogger photos and accounts from the scene suggest they won't be leaving without a fight.
U.S. Concerned About Armenia’s Ties With Iran
“Iran is planning massive investments into the economies of Georgia and Armenia. We’re talkingof 1 billion dollars for Tbilissi and a analogous offer to Yerevan. For your consideration: the total amount of Russian investments in Georgia in 2006 did not exceed 30 million dollars, as to Armenia, after arrangements made...
D.R. Congo: Who profits from underdevelopment?
“A half-century of mistakes and political instability has pulled the rug out from under one of the potentially richest countries on the planet,” Du Cabiau à Kinshasa writes of D.R. Congo. Du Cabiau à Kinshasa blames 30 years of Mobutu and those who benefit from underdevelopment (Fr), namely state monopolies...
Moldova: Chisinau's New Mayor
Chisinau has a non-Communist new mayor, and Public Policy Watch believes he will introduce change and reforms for Moldova's capital.
UAE: To Hoot or not to Hoot?
Will there be a Hooters in Dubai? UAE blogger Seabee revisits the subject here.
Arabeyes: Arabs Should Talk to Each Other Rather than the West
Arabs should open up avenues of dialogue amongst themselves before starting conversations with Europeans and the West, writes Batir Wardam from Jordan. Why? He explains his stance in the following post, where he sheds light on why Arabs cannot communicate with each other, let alone with those of different opinions in their own countries.
Bahamas: The Importance of Preservation
“It's hard to explain why we in the Bahamas are so indifferent to our own fascinating heritage,” writes Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith, as he makes a case for the preservation of historical buildings in Nassau.
China: Online discussion on slave labour
Bingfeng observes some interesting features in the online discussion of slave labour despite the government censorship instruction.
Arabeyes: World Refugee Day – Focus on Iraq
As the world marks the World Refugee Day today, the Middle East finds itself again at the centre of a mounting humanitarian tragedy. With more than 4 million of the 10 million refugees being Iraqi, let us see what bloggers are saying about this mounting humanitarian tragedy, often neglected by mainstream media.
Turkey is Typing…Sex Matters
The equality of the sexes has been a topic on the fingertips of Turkish bloggers as of late. Even with reforms to the penal code about a woman's right to veil (or not too), a woman's freedom of body, and stricter repercussions for rape, the equality between man and woman in Turkey is still contested. The legacy of Ataturk's secular reforms when the Republic of Turkey was founded has given the country the veneer of female equality...but with probing questions does the polish wear away?
Congo: Small business important for economic growth
Congopage writes about the importance of small and medium businesses (Fr) and private initiative for economic growth.
South Korea: How Does Seoul Rank Globally?
R. Elgin from Marmot's Hole points to the fact that Seoul's quality of life ranks below 50 best cities globally.
Arabeyes: The Middle East in Pictures
This week's pictorial tour of the Middle East takes us to a wedding with a difference in Amman, Kuwait in a dust storm, where Lebanese escape the news and finally a picture of a hatching Bulbul in a tribute to a loving father from Bahrain.
Bahrain: Red-Taped Social Responsibility
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif discusses “red-taped social responsibility” in this post.
Bahrain: High Score in Failed States Index
The Third Annual Failed States Index is out, reports Bahraini blogger Jadd William. “Bahrain has scored relatively well. At 134, Bahrain ranks better than Kuwait (at 124) and Saudi Arabia (at 83 ). The remaining GCC countries beat Bahrain: Qatar (at 137), UAE (at 138) and Oman (at 146),” he...
