Global Voices Online

Reunion blogger Pierrot Dupuy announces (Fr) that the government of Mauritius plans to facilitate free internet access for 40% of its population by the end of the year.

Afghan Warrior says that Pakistan must do more to control its territory so that the security situation in Afghanistan can improve.

Burnell of Blogrel says that Armenia should move away from thinking of Russia as the best export market for its products.

Yulia of neweurasia rounds up the week in the Kyrgyz blogosphere.

Nareg discusses a phenomenon in Armenian fashion he calls monochromosis armeniaca.

Christian Garbis spent the weekend on the plains of Ararat, and reports on the perseverance of a successful farmer, his surrogate father in Armenia, who works the land there.

Alexander Sadikov reports on the Tajik government's decision to block access to certain “harmful” foreign websites that criticize the government, a move, Sadikov says, that indicates the government's determination to extend control over all facets of life in Tajikistan.

Prominent politician and daughter of the president Dariga Nazarbaeva has proposed that Kazakhstan become a party list parliamentary democracy, reports Sean Roberts, who also discusses whether or not she really means it.

Grandiose Parlor thinks Naija Blog simplified and over-dramatized the corruption phenomenon in Nigeria: For example, the blog states “If you go into public office and don’t come out rich, you are a failure. Your immediate and extended families will curse you…” Really? I didn’t know this. And as I peruse the post I couldn’t find any plausible solutions proposed to solve the problem beyond asking various religion bodies to speak against corruption. The Priest, Imam, Bishop etc, have never been effective ‘anti-corruption’ advocates because of how they operate under the constitution and in the society.”

Words of wisdom from African Affairs: English or no English, Tanzanians and Kenyans should embrace each other.

Gream Houze opposes the ban on Matatu grafitti in Kenya: “The ban on Matatu grafitti is a sad one for me and I call it “The Murder of art”. I thank a matatu poster for what I know about Che Guevara. The visual image on him on a route 58 matatu was an amalgam that evoked immediate response in me (of wanting to know who the hell he was).”

The politics of Niger Delta: the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

India Uncut has a post on the possible chasing of Orkut in India because of a community that appears to hate India. “Let me put a question to you: does anyone get harmed in any way if some jokers show a burning Indian flag? Does anyone get harmed in any way if a bunch of people who hate India get together to discuss it?”

The established triumvirate of Venezuelan, opposition, English-language bloggers each give their own account of this weekend's rally in support of opposition candidate Manuel Rosales: Daniel Duquenal, Miguel Octavio, and Alek Boyd.

Blogs and politics will intersect today at the City Legislature of Buenos Aires, where a debate is scheduled at 7 p.m. about “the right to information and new technologies [ES].

fusildechispas welcomes [ES] famed Argentine-Costa Rican journalist Amelia Rueda [ES] to the blogosphere. Rueda's impressive CV is also available [ES]. While her first posting [ES] says she is adapting to new times, it remains to be seen if her weblog will accept readers' comments.

Vilhelm Konnander writes about Anna Politkovskaya murder and Vladimir Putin's silence: “The fact remains: When Russia's “first journalist” is silenced, Russia's “first person” stays silent. No word from Putin, no word from the Kremlin when the freedom of the press is trampled on by brutal suppression. The tacit message thus sent, resounds with piercing echo: Freedom of speech has no place in Putin's Russia.” White Sun of the Desert writes that Politkovskaya's “death is a tragedy for Russia. If somehow the government was involved, it represents a disaster.” Edward Lucas posts the Economist's obituary. A Step At A Time translates an earlier interview with Anna Politkovskaya's editor, Dmitry Muratov. The Accidental Russophile compiles links on the tragic event; La Russophobe accuses him of “an early attack” on the murdered journalist.

Kushtrim Xhakli writes about the Haki Xhakli Exhibition in Pristina, Kosovo.

Wu Wei writes about her favorite bookstore in Pristina, Kosovo: “I don't know why I find it so satisfying a place to browse. The stock presumably doesn't change that much, but it seems to get rearranged, so that new juxtapositions appear, surprising you and offering new discoveries. It's rather like supermarkets are supposed to rearrange their stock every now and again so you are forced to examine new items, on the search for the familiar items you always buy. But I am already like some of the Poles and Lithuanians in Oxford, gradually reading their way along the supermarket shelves, looking at the unfamiliar labels trying to guess what the disguised names really are.”

TOL's Belarus Blog posts a Belarusian blogosphere digest.

All About Latvia writes about election results and Latvia's minority voters: “As if speaking to Latvia’s MEP Tatjana Zdanoka, one woman exemplified a sentiment of most minority voters, when she said ‘Tatjana, people are simply tired of fighting and barricades. Long time ago, we all learned to speak Latvian and now want to live peacefully.'”

English Russia re-posts a video from a Russian Nazi site - their “most non violent video”: “We at englishrussia.com are against violence, so we would not put such violent videos here. This is just a light version in order to give the readers an example of what’s going on in the minds of some Russian teenagers these days.”

Writing from Santiago, Rosario Lizana cites a recent study by the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, which found that 45% of all web pages on the internet are written in English while only 4.6% are written in Spanish. The reports suggests the creation of an governmental “Agency of Linguistic Coordination” to multiply the amount of online content in Spanish. Juan Pablo Tapia [ES] comments that, according to Sifry's latest “State of the Blogosphere,” only 3% of weblogs are written in Spanish.

Naked Reflections [ES] is a Colombian weblog that deals with a lot more than just skin. blogsColombia describes [ES] the Medellín based project as “a subtle blog, feminine and with all the candor of a complex and sensitive woman. An unequalled hostess, Lully takes her audience for a journey across her ideas, sentiments, and experiences with a sense of freedom and love for life which encourages its exploration with body and mind. It is a sincere and spontaneous journey which incites you to keep reading and keep exploring.”

Peruvian bloggers based in Lima are constantly getting together to extend their online interactions offline. Now bloggers based in northern Peru get their chance. Fredy Zegarra describes the Trujillo “Bloggers Reunion of the North [ES]” to take place on October 28.

A year on after the infamous IIPM controversy in the Indian Blogosphere, Gaurav Sabnis reflects on his actions then, the support of other bloggers and blogging. “Bloggers can not topple governments, change policy and end world hunger. But what they can do is remove asymmetry of information. And this is bound to have massive implications in the world of business in general and marketing in particular.”

Metroblogging Islamabad on the exclusive skills sets of girls and boys. “What creates problem is the differentiation; between both male and female .As in our society women still face great discrimination not only in business world but also in every walk of life.”

The controversy surroundin Straw's comment on the veil worn by Muslim women has Dateline Bombay wondering - “My sense is that more and more countries are going to question their policies of free-for-all immigration and assimilation, often driven by economic necessity, on social grounds.”

Say Na Something.. on speaking English and why it's important. An interesting discussion in the comments space.

Blogdai doesn't have very high expectations from the round of talks in Nepal. “blogdai says it here: The Maoists will walk away from these talks with everything they need– and fully armed. “

Pearls of Iraq announces the details of an English language children's book drive for the Kurdish children in Sulaimaniya, Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan. This book drive is sponsered in part by Kurdistan Save the Children and the University of Sulaimaniya.

Naija Blog writes about the culture of corruption in Nigeria:
“There was an interesting passage by one of the better This Day journalists, Simon Kolawole, in This Day yesterday (on the back page). He goes to the nub of the problem of corruption in Nigeria by showing how it is grounded in social expectations and conventions. Corruption stems from the structure of society itself, in terms of patronage systems and the expectations of the extended family. Until there is a break away from patronage culture and clientism, Nigeria will continue to be deeply beset by problems of corruption.”

A thought provoking conversation between Eshuneutics and Naijablog about the Male Black Body.

Angel D has a lovely Flickr photoset of images of Havana, Cuba.

Trinidad blogger Jeremy Taylor weighs in on the Jack Straw affair: “Jack starts to sweat. He tries hard to be liberal and tolerant, poor fellow. On the other hand, he was the man who with Tony Blair helped to plan and execute Britain's role in the disastrous Iraqi war. And this figure in front of him, with only the eyes visible, could be anyone. A suicide bomber. A gunman. What if there's a grenade under the niqab?“

Hassan Voyeau has a proposal for Trinidad and Tobago: “All holidays should be changed to fall on the closest Monday or Friday thus always creating a long weekend thus maximising the usefulness of a holiday.”

Jamie has an update on the recent labour conflicts and relation: a road map is drawn by the government concerning the relation between business, government and labour, which is considered as a setback on labour conditions.