Stories about Development from September, 2008
Suez Canal donates 1,000,000 Egyptian Pounds to Doweika Victims
Like Asser Mattar, many Egyptians were happy to find out that Suez Canal canceled its annual celebration on September 14 to donate a total of one million Egyptian Pounds to support the victims of the Doweika tragedy. Scores of people were killed and injured when huge rocks fell on 35 homes in the slum in one of Cairo's poorest neighbourhoods.
The Balkans: Subotica Mosque; Balkan Muslims
Kakanien Revisited writes about the new mosque of Subotica, the first one in Serbia's Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, “built with funds from Novi Pazar […] and Turkey.” The 8th Circle jots down notes on the Balkan Muslims from a recent Reuters piece.
Dominica: Longevity
Dominica Weekly takes a look at aging gracefully in “The Nature Isle”.
Cuba: Assessing the Damage
“The blow to food supply is particularly severe: crops lost in the field, stocks damaged in warehouses, and Cuba’s capacity to import affected by losses in sectors that generate foreign exchange earnings”: The Cuban Triangle posts a roundup of reports on post-hurricane damage in Cuba, which is estimated to be...
Latvia: Stradini Hospital
Arnis Balcus posts photos from one of the biggest and oldest hospitals in Latvia.
Bangladesh: The other face of Dhaka
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh comes with the usual facets of a megacity; it is congested, polluted and with a lot of traffic jams. Dhaka Dweller reminds that it also has its “cultural diversity, the sheer warmth of the people and the magic of the old town”.
World Bank Film Competition – Social Dimensions of Climate Change
The world bank has a call for submissions of short 2-5 minute documentaries that show the social effects or aspects of climate change. The deadline for the competition is October 24th 2008. They would like submissions from developing countries (particularly from the youth), covering any of the following categories. -...
Cuba: Suffering a Setback
“To Cubans and others who love the country, what just happened is truly heartbreaking. Two powerful hurricanes in ten days ravaged agriculture, wreaked havoc with the electricity grid and telecommunications and damaged or destroyed well over three hundred thousand homes”: Havana-based blogger Circles Robinson says that “Cuba’s development strategies for...
Hong Kong: Save the Ha Pak Nai Wetland
A major developer in Hong Kong is planning to develop one of the most beautiful piece of wetland called Ha Pak Nai in Yuen Long. The plan is to build 122 country houses, 56 village style hotels, a golf court around the 5 million square meters wetland and a tiny insect museum, which means the whole wetland area will be privatized in term of spatial arrangement.
Africa: Your Majesty, Stop Marrying!
Several Malawian journalists joined many others in attending a three-day Highway Africa conference at Rhodes University in South Africa under the theme Citizen Journalism: Journalism for Citizens. The conference which is the largest annual gathering of African journalists (over 700 in attendance) focuses on new media issues and is also the forum for critical reflection on journalism, media and technology and a celebration of Africa.
Saudi Arabia: Traditional menswear revitalised – meet the iThobe
The traditional apparel for men in Saudi Arabia is a long white garment called a thobe. Recently a number of designers have been transforming the look of the thobe by adding colour – even designing an iPod-friendly iThobe. What is the verdict of bloggers on the new styles?
Kenya: The Looming Class War
James Muritu discusses the looming class war in Kenya. He writes, “I remember reading, almost a year ago, an article by the former member of parliament for Subukia, Hon. Koigi Wamwere, that spoke of a section of Kenyans retreating to high-walled complexes in search of solace and security.”
Mozambique: Political crisis in central city of Beira
Angry Renamo supporters poured onto the streets of Beira in a protest against the Party's decision of substituting current mayor Davis Simango by Manuel Pereira as the Renamo's candidate for municipal governance in the local elections taking place on November 2009. Historian Egidio Vaz writes on his blog an open letter to the Renamo President, Afonso Dhlakama.
Ghana: GhanaConscious Banner
What is GhanaConscious banner?: “The idea behind the GhanaConscious banner is to represent Ghanaian role models in various disciplines and careers that the youth of Ghana can look up to.”
Mozambique: Is corruption the best place to stand and fight?
After a long period of debate on donor cuts to Mozambican State Budget, Joe Hanlon, a British scholar joins the debate to comment on the Mozambican government positions. In his article tittled “Government stand up to donors-but is corruption the best place to stand and fight?“, Hanlon examines the whole...
Angola: Chaos and hopes mark first election in 16 years
"I waited for this day with great anxiety and curiosity because I knew it was a special day for Angola and Angolans. For many years our daily lives had been marked by the sadness of war. A war that claimed lives, destroyed property and consumed much of our resources and energy. At last we face a historic event", says a blogger about his first vote.
Caribbean: Ike Strikes
The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season is not letting up. Beleaguered Caribbean islands like Cuba and Haiti barely had time to recover from the ravages of Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna when Mother Nature struck once again, this time in the form of Ike. Tensions were high with bloggers Caribbean-wide.
China: Free market economists urge post-Olympics social and political reforms
The huge economic strides China has taken over the past thirty years was one of the main themes in Olympics coverage; now that foreigners and their media have stopped gawking and left, Chinese economists are busy eking out the next thirty-year plan.
Haiti: The Road Ahead
jmc strategies says that “Michèle Pierre-Louis is now officially the Honorable Prime Minister of Haiti…just in time for the opening of the chapter on what may turn out to be the biggest challenge facing Haiti this decade: how to rebuild after the devastations wrought by Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and...
Afghanistan: First Policewomen
Azar Balkhi reports that for the first time in Afghan history, first policewomen were appointed on official positions in Herat, western province of Afghanistan.
Mongolia: Alcoholism Problem
Bilguun says that the problem of alcoholism in Mongolia is one of the bigger obstacles to progress and development in Mongolia.
