Stories about Development from October, 2012
Sri Lanka: The Future In The Hand Of Young Leaders
Sri Lanka Unites (SLU) is a youth reconciliation movement led by a team of young professionals drawn from different ethnicities and religions in Sri Lanka who are working towards reconciliation, peace, change and are kindling hope. It is organizing workshops, leadership conferences and school tours across the country.
General-Secretary of La Francophonie Wants a Seat for Africa at the UN Security Council
Abidjan Net writes [fr] that General-Secretary of La Francophonie Abdou Diouf demanded at the opening of the 2012 Francophonie Summit [fr] that the African continent be granted a seat at the UN security Council. He argues that the current situation allows for some nations to be blamed for human rights violations whereas others nations are getting...
São Tomé & Príncipe: Deforestation Threatens Biodiversity
São Tomé and Príncipe, like other islands in the Gulf of Guinea, is one of the countries on the West African coast that stands out when the issue at hand is biodiversity. However, large areas of its unique forests are disappearing to make way for monocultures for the production of biofuel.
Czech Republic: Přednádraží Forced Eviction Struggle Continues
The movement against forced evictions of Roma families at Přednádraží has suffered several severe blows over the last month, but as the pressure keeps rising, alliances also continue to grow. Daniela Kantorova reports.
Dominican Republic: A Fiscal Apocalypse?
Proposed fiscal reforms by the Dominican government are causing negative reactions across all sectors of society. Various organizations are demanding transparency in the use of state resources, as well as the implementation of measures to avoid and punish corruption.
Slovakia: Comparing the Income of Roma and Non-Roma Neighbors
Tibor Blazko translates netizens' comments on some of the issues brought up in a recent World Bank report: unemployment, safety nets and the gap in income between Roma and non-Roma families in Slovakia.
France, World Bank to Help African Nations Negotiate Mining Contracts
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Franc Zone monetary cooperation agreements, the president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, and the French Minister of Finance, Pierre Moscovici, have published a joint text advocating the establishment of an initiative to end "the excessive exploitation of Africa’s reserves". African bloggers have been giving their opinions on this development.
Brazil: Speaking Out About Hydroelectric Plants and the Amazon
Last week we published the first part of an interview with Sany Kalapalo, a young indigenous woman from Xingu and one of the most active voices in the mobilization against the construction of the Belo Monte power plant. In the second part of the interview, Sany focuses on hydroelectric power plants, indigenous people and Brazil's development.
Blog Action Day 2012 Celebrates ‘The Power of We’
So far, bloggers from 95 countries are ready to type with fast and fit fingers. For one day they will blog about one common theme creating a colorful collection of stories and reflections that will reach a collective audience of millions. On October 15, 2012 - it's Blog Action Day!
Camels Die from Overwork During China's Weeklong Holiday
Several camels at a tourist hot spot in Northwest China have died from receiving a record-high number of visitors during China’s eight-day holiday. Ministry of Tofu translated netizens’ discussion on the incident.
Russia: Crowdmapping Corruption with Bribr Mobile App
Bribr is a newly-launched iPhone/iPad app that allows anonymous users in Russia to submit the locations and the amounts of the bribes they pay. Later, it will be possible to report on the bribes taken as well.
Bangladesh: Video Contents In Students’ Reach
A growing number of contents available online become useless to people, who do not have access to the internet. Agami, a project based in San Jose, CA has made it possible to provide access of educational videos of Khan Academy translated in Bangla to underprivileged students in Khulna, Bangladesh using...
China: Golden Week Holiday Chaos
China's week-long National Day holiday has again brought chaos due to limited capacity, with news and images of blocked roads and littered tourist spots spreading across micro-blogs. Some suggest that it is about time to review the Golden Week Holiday policy.
France, Africa: The Debate on Genetically Modified Organisms Grows Contentious
A two year scientific study studying the effects of genetically modified organisms on laboratory rats has been conducted by a team of French researchers. The researchers arrived at conclusions which have reawakened debate on the effects of GMOs.
Brazil: Sany Kalapalo – Young, Indigenous and a Xingu Activist
Sany Kalapalo, a young indigenous from the Xingu region, is only 22 years old and is one of the more active voices against the construction of Belo Monte hydroelectric powerplant, in the Xingu river, in the Brazilian state of Pará. Meet her in the first part of this interview she gave to Global Voices Online.
Peru: Monoculture Puts Iquitos Water at Risk
In this third and final post about the water problem in the city of Iquitos we focus on monocultures in the Nanay River and the controversy this issue causes between those who support this type of crop and those who advise avoiding it.
Burkina Faso: Architect Innovates with Sustainable Primary School
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has designed a sustainable primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso, using mud bricks and corrugated iron. The innovative design allows much needed light and ventilation in a village where temperatures sometimes reach 104° F.
