Global Voices Online

Religious political parties are entering Kenyan politics. Young Joint thinks religion should stay out of politics.

Dumisani argues that state funeral for P.W. Botha is simply a bad idea, “We actually have a debate about whether it's appropriate to name South Africa's main international airport after O.R. Tambo, a giant in making South Africa the country that it is today, and then we have a crazy dictator get hero status?”

Trinidad and Tobago's police comply promptly with a request from their London counterparts for a DNA sample. Why, wonders the Modest Goddess, didn't they act with the same promptness in connection with DNA testing for a now infamous local case involving the murder of a minor?

The central issue in Jamaica's next general election, says Xamayca, is determining who has “ownership” of the country.

Geoffrey Philp publishes the results of his Bob Marley/Rastafari survey and posts an “In My Own Words” piece with Jamaican writer Donna Weir-Soley.

Francis Wade tries to put his finger on the thing he believes makes Jamaicans an “unreflective” people: “Our reluctance to pursue these inner questions leaves the wild contradictions in our lives firmly place. It therefore means that they never get resolved on a national scale.“

Mahmood's blogs was officially unblocked today. He had to make some concessions in order to lift the ban on his site; specifically, he removed few posts and all attendant comments on those articles until the related case discussed in them expire. The gag order related to the case was issued by the High Court published on the 5th of October, 2006.

Recent updates on Ukrainian business, politics, utility services, opinion polls and more, at Foreign Notes.

Carpetblogger writes about banya and private parts.

Yesterday, Aljazeera unveiled a monument to honour journalists who were killed in the line of duty. A blogger on Qatar Living has the story and first pictures.

Atrocity News highlights violations and violence that is sidelined by the mainstream media. “Our basic objective is to bring to notice the inhuman actions done by many, noticed by few that have larger social implications. We are here to make aware masses for a widespread struggle against injustice and prejudices. “

Now, we are seeing the new, modernist leaning, Jordanian architecture arriving in even bigger way. The Children Museum will be a landmark of that trend. While it still has some elements of stone, the structure is dominated by concrete, glass and metal cladded facades. The formal composition is very dynamic, if not deconstructionist, Ahmad Humeid said.

Mark describe what they have in Kuwait compared to what he saw in Bahrain during his last visit and said: “Boring designs, no luxury hotels, small toy stores, and generic books and magazines. It feels like some people in Kuwait think we (the consumers) are not worth the effort. You know why? Because we don’t complain.

Wagle Street Journal has notes from a village with a phone while on a trek. “Phu Phone Man: Nyima Chhesang, 35, is the phone man of Phu, says that the installation of telephone in the village two years ago has made life easier. “Before we had to go to Chame (more than a day’s walk) to deliver a small message to people in Kathmandu,” he said. “Now Kathmandu is just a call away.” “

Drishtipat on how the gap between the privileged and the poor in Bangladesh is still wide. “Simply put, it’s because our policy makers, our industrialists, the rich and the beautiful in our society don’t have to deal with this joke of a system. They either go abroad or they go to Apollo Hospital for their physical check ups.”

Sepia Mutiny on identity and the word term South Asian. “If “South Asian” exists mainly in the imagination of the diaspora, does that make it less meaningful?”

“Is the Caribbean Global Voices portrays the true Caribbean?” asks Trinidad blogger Taran Rampersad, in a thoughtful post pondering the ability of certain kinds of initiatives to represent communities adequately.

Vutha describes the life of a girl working at a Karaoke bar in Cambodia. Koraoke bars are a common sight across South East Asia and East Asia and they usually employ young girls as hostess to provide company to the mostly male clientele.

Elizabeth in Philippines describes her visit to the family graves on the all saints day. “Like most of the people there, we also offered flowers and lighted candles. The lawn was neat since we had a caretaker and he even provided some nicely arranged flowers… of course we also brought some including orchids from our garden. Unlike some visitors there though, we did not offer food for the dead. We had lunch there and of course the whole family said prayers, well most of the kids could not keep still but the adults still managed to say the prayers.”

Turning mortar shells into coffee machines in Ethiopia: Azmeraw Zeleke is turning burnt-out shells into cylinders used in coffee machines…He uses old mortar shells, which stand about one metre high, to make his coffee machines.He cuts off the pointed ends, seals them and puts holes into the aluminium cylinder. The cylinder channels the water, coffee and milk.

Google has launched a Nigerian version of its search engine, Gbeborun of Lagos reports: A search on the Google Nigeria version of the phrase ‘election 2007′ with the ‘pages from Nigeria' options checked will return results from Nigerian web pages to you, saving you the stress of finding much needed info among the millions of result returned.

The Head Heeb writes about the latest international attempt to end civil conflict in Cote d'Ivoire , “In an attempt to keep the Ivoirian “peace process” on life support for another year, the Security Council has adopted a modified version of an ECOWAS proposal to strengthen transitional prime minister Charles Konan Banny.”

Read Celebrating Miserable African Leaders and K'naan, Somalia Needs You, at The sub-Saharan African Roundtable.