Global Voices Online

White Sun of the Desert reports on President Putin's upcoming meeting with major Western oil companies seeking access to Russian oil reserves.

Oneworld Multimedia reports on revolutionary cafe culture in Yerevan.

Nabetz of New Mongols discusses and applauds Mercy Corps for encouraging small-scale investments in economic activity over awarding grants in rural Mongolia.

New Mongols' Nabetz is frustrated with a report claiming China is the center of Mongolian studies and looks forward to the day on which Mongolia is recognized as the academic center of its own heritage.

Bahamas Blog says that Minister of Education, Alfred Sears, admitted at a town hall meeting that construction “contracts were given to people for political reasons who did not do an adequate job.”

Lost in Smallness promises to not post again on Natalee Holloway and has her last say in doing so.

Janine Edwards has posted photos of this years Parade of Troupes on Bob Green's Anguilla News.

As Nuevo Laredo gets ready for tonight's “scream of independence,” Google Sightseeing reveals the gigantic Mexican flag at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Like most of the blogosphere, AnimalPolitico finds it humorous that the president of the United States asks permission to use the bathroom.

As part of its “End of the Line Series,” Scraps of Moscow has images and text from Krylatskoe Station, the end of the light-blue line.

Neeka's Backlog reports that Mike Tyson continues his travels in Russia. He is now in the Chechen city of Gudermes for the opening of a boxing tournament commemorating Akhmad Kadyrov.

Sami of An Iraqi's Thoughts says that now Iraqis have freedom of speech, they are abusing it and sadly instead of pushing towards changing the country, they instead try and build bridges between themselves.

Mozzy talks about the power of nothing, we should first consider the mystery of nothing, is it unbearable, the word mystery?

Emirati offers his readers a guide to tour Saudi Arabia major cities, using google earth.

Amira asks, what is it with people who have zero respect for their workplace?

Zimpundit posts an analysis by top political adviser Eddie Cross on Zimbabwe's chances of getting kicked out of the International Monetary Fund for not servicing its debts.

Onyango Oloo sorts the bananas from the oranges in a long essay on the Kenya Democracy Project, looking at the prospects for political change and providing a recipe for an alcoholic beverage made from bananas.

E.K. Bensah takes a look at movie reviews for the forthcoming movie The Constant Gardener, based on the novel by John Le Carre, which is set - and banned - in Kenya. Former Nairobi expat Marian also takes note…

Nazret.com's EthioBlog picks up on a report by the World Bank which lists Ethiopia as the poorest country in the world.

Congo Girl expresses anger at a news release from the United Nations detailing the continuing nightmare of sexual violence against women and girls in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur, asking whether such late publicity will translate into action.

From a Singapore Angle posts another follow-up on the case of two ethnic Chinese bloggers charged with sedition for allegedly making racist remarks on their blogs.

Tony Demark has built a del.icio.us-tagged slideshow which allows you to toggle between Before and After shots of the tsunami as it hit Banda Aceh and Sri Lanka's Kalutara Beach. The Digital Globe images aren't new, but this shocking presentation makes sure we don't forget, and links to donation sites for the victims.

Lanka Libertarian on why “knockouts are better” when it comes to Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka.

The Asia Pages takes a look at the deep deference to authority behind your average raucous South Korean protest.

pakistani perspective links to an article on families, and a mother-in-law from Pakistan. The author says:

When I told these stories to a class in terrorism at Wilmington College in Ohio earlier this year, the students turned their attention away from whether Osama bin Laden is hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and peppered me with questions about my marriage and everyday life. What most Americans know of Pakistan can be summed up in the images we glimpse on CNN when a bomb explodes or a government collapses.

Ko has a go at pulling Musharraf's leg, and quoting him in various instances making some very tall claims.

EastSouthWestNorth reports on the trial of former Lianjiang county Party Secretary Huang Jingao, best known for a letter he once wrote to the People's Daily online edition entitled “Why I Wore a Bullet-Proof Vest For Six Years”.

The politics of Madrassas. The “war against extremism” could mean less education opportunities for some children says Publius Pundit.

Danwei notes that Xinhua news agency has published a series of tastefully decorated nude photos of top male model Hu Bin on its “Inner Mongolia Channel”, as a counterpoint to its more commonly seen images of semi-clad women.

Uma has a post on the value of learning, education and teachers in the community, and links to other sources.

The former editor of Guangdong's cutting-edge Southern Metropolis News, Cheng Yizhong, has been invited by Sohu.com to write a daily commentary on Chinese newspapers, reports Sophie Beach at China Digital Times.