Global Voices Online

Liz Henry has translated a portion of Venezuelan-born Meibell's account (ES) of purchasing a live chicken in Harlem, New York.

With a title quoting the Commissioner of State Security, Wilfrido Robledo Madrid who said that “in Atenco the police did not carry firearms,” Eduardo Arcos posts a photo of a policeman pointing his pistol. Enlace Zapatista has an audio speech, photo gallery, and transcription (ES) which accuses Mexico's mainstream media of “manipulating images, photos, and words” in their coverage of the riots that broke out last week in the small town near Mexico City.

Prince du Fleuve du Congo reflects (FR) on foreign involvement in Congolese politics: “We made a big mistake when we accepted to sit around a table with foreigners to engage in power sharing at Sun City… Today we must recognize that the transition was not a solution, that elections will generate more problems than solutions … Foreigners from the East want to rob us of our country via so-called free, democratic and transparent elections.”

Barbados Free Press posts a follow-up to an earlier entry concerning the boat found adrift off the Barbados coast containing the corpses of 11 men. It would appear the men were en route from Senegal to the Cape Verde islands.

Parlons Peu uses the blog medium to publish (FR) his father Marcel Salnave's journalistic works from the 40s and 50s. Recent posts include a raving review of Haitian musical prodigy Ernst Lamy written in 1940 and reflections on the Haitian National Bank written in 1946.

Black Looks reports that Jacob Zuma has been aquitted of rape……..”The verdict is a loss for the Khwezi and for all the other women who will now be deterred from reporting rape knowing that they cannot expect justice to be done. That their personal lives will be invaded in the courtroom should it reach that far. That their credibility as sane people will be challenged. That she will be abused and denigrated in the media. That other women will stand against her and heckle her.”

Pawlina of Nash Holos writes about an Australian internet scam that involves Ukrainian folk music instruments.

Akshay has a breathtaking collection of photographs that he took in Kashmir. He writes “This was not the Srinagar we read about in the papers or see on the news channels. This is not the Srinagar of curfews and bandhs, of grenade attacks, of bomb blasts, of shoot outs, of encounters, of security checkpoints and bunkers, of armed men in uniform, of abandoned buildings, of sniffer dogs, of military convoys, of lurking fear and of 6000 missing young men.”

Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes writes about May celebrations in Ukraine.

Mat Savelli of Roma Roma writes about a rock festival taking place in Kyiv, Ukraine, that may inspire some U.S. musicians to refer to the Cossack history in their bands' names.

Brooke, “a temporary Serb” and author of Desperate Serbwife believes that Bulgaria is “boring” and “certainly not ready for the EU”: “At least you feel like you're in Europe when you're in Belgrade, even if things are still creaking their way out of the decade of conflict. It's simply not fair that each and every Serb is still being punished by the EU because of Milosevic (I mean, they overthrew the guy, shouldn't that count for something?) - and it is a real shame that a developing country like Bulgaria is considered more EU-worthy than Serbia.”

Romerican writes about what it takes to get internet access through Romtelekom and predicts the company's future: “I predict Romtelecom will dwindle in the face of competition as the telecom market slowly cracks open here to VoIP companies and international competitors.”

Kinuk wishes good luck to the Polish students who are about to take their final exams: “Maturzysci, as the students taking the end-of-school exams (the equivalent of British A-levels) are called, still dress up to write their exams. Black trousers or black skirts for some, white shirt or blouse and often a black jacket or cardigan sets them out from the rest of the crowd on the bus or the street. Being all caring-teacher-like, I want to go up to each and every one of them and wish them best of luck.”

Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about five words that he thinks have been borrowed from Hungarian.

Traveller One of Stepping Stones posts a translation of Agron Tufa's poem about Albania.

Our Man in Tirana writes about five Uighurs who are being moved to Albania after five years of detention in Guantanamo.

In his weekly roundup of Belarusian politics, Tobias Ljungvall discusses the recent shift within the opposition: “Apparently, Lebedko sees a bigger role for himself, and is also proposing a more radical style of work than that which the thoughtful Milinkevich stands for. Milinkevich, on the other hand, is now equally eager to create a new national movement.”

br23 blog posts a sampling of what Minsk police talked about during the Chernobyl March opposition rally. The conversations were intercepted by a hacker and are available online in mp3 format, in Russian.

United We Blog! presents an “agenda for change and transitional justice” as Nepal makes the transition to democracy.

Andrei Khrapavitski and TOL's Belarus Blog write about the disbanding and future fate of Zubr, a Belarusian youth opposition group.

Leo Finkel of Maidan International reports on a flashmob protest against re-naming the streets of Minsk into Soviet names, which took place inside a police bus.

The issue of camps, rights and diaspora in Sri Lanka. Are Tamils justified in supporting LTTE if they are pro-peace? Tiny Little Fractures says “The reason is this: If someone is fighting for my rights then I expect them to RESPECT my rights. The LTTE negates this, the rights that they fight for are not ‘Tamil’ rights, instead it is LTTE rights.”

Twilight Fairy does a roundup on the Delhi Bloggers Meet. Large range of topics, blogs and nuances discussed.

Zeyad reports that a fire destroyed the accounts and records floors of the Iraqi Oil Ministry. As a result, employees have been told that salaries cannot be paid for some time. He posts a photo and reports rumours that the fire was started deliberately to hide a corruption scandal.

A Jamaican businessman raises the question of whether prostitution should be legalized in Jamaica to help control the spread of HIV/AIDS, but Leon Robinson's not having any of it. “Legalizing prostitution may have the reverse effect,” says Leon, “making solicitation a more accepted practice. Plus it would further destroy the delicate moral fabric of the country, and would further encourage sex tourism. A more practical solution would be to create more jobs, because no prostitute is proud of the life he/she lives, and most would gladly take a 9 to 5 job if one presented itself.”

Francis Wade details a few of the innovations in service and use of technology which have been introduced into Jamaica's Carnival. “The food at the Frenchmen Jamaican fetes is simply outstanding, and makes the evening well worth the money (which worked out to about US$70.) From the shrimp soup, to the sushi, to the desserts, to the _very_ wide variety of choices… I thought it way above any fete I have ever been to in Trinidad.”

Pickled Politics points towards stories on Poorism - or Tourism that lets the tourist take a peak at the poorer parts of India.

CXW of neweurasia breaks down the recent protests in Kyrgyzstan and says that the opposition should look for other ways than more protests to move forward.

Humour site God Bless the Whites takes on Kevin Sites' coverage of Haiti for Yahoo's HotZone.

Luke Distelhorst publishes an interview he conducted with Mongolia's Minister of Health on HIV/AIDS.

neweurasia reports on constitutional reform in Kyrgyzstan and the debate over submitting constitutional reforms to public referendum.

Writer Geoffrey Philp is delighted to see his books beginning to appear on the Caribbean literature syllabuses at various institutions, including the University of Iowa.

Luke Distelhorst reports that Mongolian police forcefully dismantled protesters' gers (Mongolian yurts) as South Korea's president arrived for a visit. Tom Terry, meanwhile, writes on the reaction of police to Eagle TV reporters' attempts to film the event.

Maurina at Turquise and Roses has on post on 1962 Brunei revolution and how the subsequent suppression of the revolt helped Brunei continue with its policy of bilingual education.

villageidiotsavant wonders if Filipinos and other Asians are overreacting over an incident where a Filipino-Canadian student was punished in his school for the way he used his spoon and fork while eating.

Onnik Krikorian writes about Kurdish nationalism in Armenia and has many more posts and photos of Armenia's Yezidis.

Bien Vu offers (FR) an update on Martinique's immigration fraud scandal: “About three people have been incarcerated. More than a quarter of 11,000 of the suspicious immigration files …reveal grave anomalies. A well organized ring that operated within local government has been dismantled.”

why360 in Malaysia goes exploring man made entrances on the side of the hills. These openings lead to the tin lode mines that used to generate a large part of exports from this part of the world.

At the West Indies Cricket Blog, Ryan Naraine notes that the Caribbean will bid farewell to two cricket grounds this season, Guyana's Bourda and the Antigua Recreation Ground.

How much does it cost to raise a child in Hong Kong? No, how much does it really cost?

Two sets of answers at Simon World, along with the refutation three weeks later of a food safety story one blogger suggested the downplaying of which would serve the interests of both one media company and the alleged perpetrators involved.

Blogger chlim01 in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh is roporting that the city now has 90% of it's area covered with WiMax. WiMax stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access and this technology allows for high speed wireless internet connection over large distance. The technology is ideal for places like Cambodia where wired infrastucture does not provide enough coverage.

How do you blog with one broken hand? The last few posts from Ryan at The Lost Spaceman tell us how.

The Taipei Kid blogger mocks the Taiwanese government's decision to use foreign faces and exotic accents in an attempt to educate locals about Taiwan's tax policies.

Jason Li at Virtual China looks at the various spin-offs that have popped up in recent months of an online spoof of a movie released last year.

Bolo from Martinique Sans Fil loved her first Skypecast ever: “I am very moved. :) Imagine thirty or so people from all over the planet using different platforms (Mac, PC etc.) communicating on the same subject.”

Lalaoshi at Laowiseass blogs on yet another book which sells the secret of breaking into the Chinese market with his own take on the author's theory of that which motivates Chinese consumers: protection and projection.

Agathon Rwasa reports that the Burundian government has ordered the police to “beat anyone that does not obey the law”.. The President is reported to have said “I told journalists that if the police tell you not to go beyond this line and you do so, they have the permission to beat you,”

The blogger at e pur si muove posts a marks card of blogs that where trying to predict the election results. Singapore's general election on Saturday brought back the ruling People's Action Party into power.

Enough is Enough links to various reports from Zimbabwean blogs over the past week..

AsiaPundit's myrick blogs back with a new look, a new host and a new server following nearly two weeks of silence.

IGLHRC (International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) reports that Cameroonian government continues to refuse to release the 9 men equitted of homosexuality charges….In a further travesty of justice, the government is forcing the men to stand trial again.At their initial trial, no witnesses were called and no proof offered by the prosecution, so Judge Tonye, the magistrate overseeing the case, declared the men innocent of all charges..

Kids Doc in Jos gets hit by local “nail boys” or “revenue boys” - they stop your car place a board with nails on the road in front and demand money…Doctors get discounts so instead of paying N10,000 you only pay N2,500 about £15

Says (FR) blogger Philippe Liondjo at Prince du Fleuve du Congo,: “A powerful coalition is emerging. Rumors of negotiations between Bemba's MLC, Tshisekedi's UDPS and other groups and political parties born in the diaspora are being confirmed and point to a shift in the struggle for the [D.R. of]Congo's survival. The nationalistic character of this emerging coalition is reinforced by another very influential factor here in the Congo: the involvement of the Congo's Catholic Church.” This coalition, the post suggests, would serve as an opposition to ruling party PPRD.

Senegalese blogger Semett posts (FR) a Le Soleil article about Microsoft's plans to launch Wolof language applications. The new applications should help bridge the digital divide and modernize government as they will permit “individuals to fill out forms such as fiscal forms online instead of on paper.” Says Cheick Modibo Diarra, the head of Microsoft-Africa: “Today it is important to broaden access to multimedia by facilitating access for those who can read and write in languages other than French and English.”

Sudanese Thinker has three posts on the Darfur peace talks - The Sudanese government still has not given permission for UN troops in Darfur

Action Alert: Sokwanele announce the start of a campaign “Dignity Period” . “Shortages of sanitary ware go to the heart of women’s rights: it’s an issue which raises questions of whether a woman is forced to stay away from work or school; whether she is putting her health at risk by picking up infections or, if she is HIV positive, whether those infections will literally shorten her life span”

Grandiose Parlor reports that one of Nigeria's largest foreign businesses, Julias Berger has been ” nailed for unethical ‘pharmaceutical practices and discriminatory administration of drugs’ by the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) late last month. The regulatory agency has since shut down all four pharmaceutical drug stores of Julius Berger.”