There is no doubt that much of the world has
high hopes for U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (like the
Pakistani children we reported on last week). But even Obama's most strident supporters doubt he can resolve housing disputes in Kazakhstan.
Just don't tell that to the Kazibekov family.
Authorities in the city of Almaty had slated their neighborhood for demolition as part of an urban-renewal project. But while their neighbors accepted government compensation and moved elsewhere, the Kazibekov's stood fast and refused to budge.
Our
Kazakh Service reports that the family of eight took to the streets in the city of Almaty on November 6 to protest a court order evicting them. One woman held a sign (seen in the photo above) reading: "Help Us Barack Obama! The Court Has Decided to Demolish Our Home."
-- Brian Whitmore