Global Voices Online

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, reformist politician and blogger, says probably situation in Iran and many other parts of the world, in 2007 won't be better than previous year. He adds, but there are events in the world that you can never predict.The blogger writes,we live in hope, happy new year to all humanity [Fa].

Reacting to a Christmas speech by Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis announcing a tougher stance on gang-driven kidnappings, Deky Lakyel from Collectif Haiti de Provence writes (Fr): “Not so long ago the stance was still to negotiate with the bandits. Today the approach and the discourse are more a-propos to the nation's expectations. The thugs must be tracked down on their turf.“

The Trinidad and Tobago government's decision to re-locate a controversial aluminium smelter project prompts Jeremy Taylor to raise numerous questions about some key development decisions taken by the current administration: “Would we really need a rapid-rail system costing TT$15 billion if a bit more common sense was applied to the roads? Should we really be throwing up skyscrapers when we have hardly begun to solve the problems of crime and poverty, drugs, crumbling infrastructure, health and education systems that are not delivering what the country needs? How come so many people are getting so stinking rich during this oil/gas bonanza, while so many others are finding it harder and harder to stay afloat at all?”

Opposition Malaysian politician Lim Kit Siang asks “why the authorities were caught off-guard despite the availability of sophisticated early-warning systems about the massive floods in the south of the country”. Southern states of Malaysia have seen record levels of rainfall and massive flooding in the last couple of weeks.

Ktemoc comments on the execution of Saddam Hussein and calls the execution as “unnecessary” and is concerned about more violence. “The Iraqis would be better off locking up Saddam and throwing the key away.”

Jojo of Collectif Haiti de Provence is happy (Fr) that Spirit Airlines is offering a Miami-Port-au-Prince flight in addition to American Airlines' but cautions: “Spirit Airlines is welcome so long as it doesn't align itself to the detriment of the public with American Airlines' practices. $370 for a 2 hour flight is prohibitive and abusive. In off-peak season, it is possible to pay less to cross the Atlantic … May this be the end … of the American Airlines monopoly.”

At neweurasia, Kamron discusses Uzbekistan's decision to allow Russian military planes to land at the Navoi airport, saying that the government is filling the vacuum left by the expulsion of the US Air Force last year.

Snowsquare guides the readers through a typical New Year's celebration in Russia (a ten-day affair, by the way!) Happy New Year, everyone!

Aleksandr Litvinenko's case is probably off everyone's radars by now, but Sean's Russia Blog offers a latest news roundup.