Global Voices Online

The Corruption-free Anguilla blog is devoting a series of posts — one, two, three, four — to a detailed analysis of the country's public service and its discontents.

Titilayo supplements what she knew previously about the Caribbean Direct Recruitment scheme, through which London Transport recruited Caribbean migrants to the UK, with information from an exhibition currently on at the London Transport Museum.

Barbados Free Press compares the attitude of the Indonesian authorities to drug smuggling with that of the authorities in Barbados, and concludes that the latter are sending mixed messages of major proportions.

Jamaica experiences a spate of murders just as the new year begins, six of the victims police officers. Leon is outraged that the government seems more concerned about solving the crime problem for the sake of protecting the country's tourist industry than for the well-being of its citizens, and expresses support for capital punishment.

Foreign Notes continues to cover Kyiv mayor's unlawful initiatives involving land.

Carpetblogger writes an angry open letter to AeroSvit: “Should Ukraine continue on a Western, rather than Eastern, trajectory (certainly not a given at this point, given the unabated rise of the banditocracy of late) your airline might one day lose its protected status. Kyiv's strip clubs will be clogged by British stag parties but they won't be flying in on AeroSvit. Borispil will be swamped by airlines with even worse service than yours, but offering tickets at 1/3rd the price. I shall not mourn you. You suck.”

Anegdote shares a gruelling and humiliating European travel experience that many citizens of the former Soviet bloc can relate to.

White Sun of the Desert writes on winter sports and posts photos of snow and ice fishing in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

Snowsquare posts pictures of Moscow's Squirrel graffiti and “the last unbranded cafe.”

Ruminations on Russia ruminates “on 2007 with half an eye on what happened in 2006.”

Romerican writes and posts pictures on the recent celebrations in Romania's capital: “The 2007 Revelion wasn’t going to be just another celebration of a new year. No, no, it was going to be hand-in-hand with official admission of Romania into the EU. In other words, a momentous occasion which happens once in a lifetime. And there are some things you just can’t miss.”

Csikszereda musings posts “the official 2006 ‘Best Of' Miercurea Ciuc awards.”

Andy H of Csikszereda musings is willing to talk to the press: “Still, if anyone else wants to contact me to pick my brains on the EU, Romania and the relationship between Romania and Britain, take this as a come hither look with a saucy wink.”

The beatroot posts a follow-up on the African refugee's HIV case.

The beatroot reports on the resignation of a Polish archbishop who had been collaborating with the Communist regime for 20 years: “Watching on TV now it looks like a wedding where all the guests turn up only to discover it’s a funeral.”

All About Latvia reports on a new tourist attraction: “For 5 lats, you can experience a Soviet prison first hand.”

Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar posts some “more migrating piffle.”

Itching for Eestimaa poses these questions: “Why don't conferences about the need for reformist European governments include discussions on older members that could also benefit from reform? Why do people focus on the region “from the Baltics to the Balkans” when the European Union as a whole presents a far more inclusive category for lumping various countries together and discussing their shortcomings. Why do some people insist on carving Europe into East and West when it's clear that Europe as a whole suffers from similar problems that transcend Cold War geography?”

Neretva River writes about xenophobic attacks against immigrant communities in Croatia and the growing intolerance toward non-Bosniaks in Sarajevo.

J. Otto Pohl writes about Russian-Germans and the Soviet fishing industry - and “Soviet dentistry” - 65 years ago.

The Economist's Edward Lucas on the EU's newest members - and on Central and East European “stars and soggy bottoms.”

Fresh fish, docks and Mumbai captured in photographs at Trivial Matters. “Ferry Warf, Mazgaon, is a daring mix of the bright colours of the machiwalli’s saris, dried salted fish, and the flowing melt of sea-scented blocks of ice. It smells of diesel exhaust and fish guts.

Wagle Street Journal on watching Nepali movies. “Produced with comparatively low budget, Nepali films are poor in quality and other benchmarks. An average Nepali film’s standard budget is around Rs. 4.5 million (slightly more than US $ 55 thousands).”

All Things Pakistan on folklore and the story of Sohni-Mahiwal. “Folklore is a mixture of beliefs, facts and fiction. Over time, the different elements get so interwoven with each other that often it becomes difficult to separate one from the other.”

indi.ca on the changing tactics of the LTTE and why the attack on civilians amounts to terrorism. “However, the LTTE has now begun what they started a bonafide and terrifyingly random campaign of terror against average citizens in the South.”

Mezba on why men of the expat and diaspora community go back to Bangladesh and why he may not do the same. “Even though girls from back home are maybe more Bollywoodishly beautiful, charming, will make tea for me (my only demand), and so on, my reasons for marrying a Canadian Bengali woman would be as follows”

Old Man's Blog comments on Reporters Without Borders ranking Brunei at 111 in its Press Freedom Index. The blogger talks about the places where Brunei is areas in which Brunei is better than its neighbours with respect to press freedoms and also discusses the weaknesses of Brunei press.

Soudabeh Ardavan has spent 7 years in prison in 80's because she was a member of a leftwing group.Soudabeh is a painter and she is painting about her suffering and dreams.

Lucia Lai hopes for the success of Visit Malaysia Year program that was announced recently to attract more tourists. The blogger also comments on the installation of a ferris wheel in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. “i will still talk negatively on the eye of malaysia as i feel it was a waste of money to spend on a (copied) giant ferris wheel just for some breath-taking views of the city. you know the ride last only 12 mins and it cost RM15 - isn’t that too expensive?”

Dili-Gence talks about the shortage of eggs in East Timor. “I asked two locals and both said that there had been a huge buy-up for Christmas feasting. One (with a wicked smile on her face) blamed the Portuguese for baking too many cakes.”

Bjorn Lee comments on a event that a government agency is organising in Singapore to kick start web entrepreneurship. The blogger says “For starters, dun get government to push it. Get industry leaders, academics, foreign thought leaders from technological hubs in israel, silicon valley to speak at fund launches like this.”. Singapore has a very good network infrastructure but there have been very few successful web ventures.

Leila posts a translation of a post calling for laws on youth that work.

The latest Armenian Parliamentary Election Monitory at Oneworld Multimedia rounds up the latest election news with a large section devoted to Gagik Tsarukian, who is now making headlines not for losing tons of money or gunfights involving his hired muscle, but for giving out potatoes to buy votes.

KZBlog reports an update to the fate of Kazakhstan's beleaguered Hare Krishna community.

Vadim rounds up goings-on in the blogosphere related to Tajikistan.

Afghan Lord posts a clip from Kabul Express, a Bollywood film that has been banned in Afghanistan for insulting the Hazara ethnic group.

Onnik Krikorian writes about an Armenian blog he's newly discovered called Armenia Blog. Content on the blog covers all variety of topics germane to Armenia, and Onnik draws attention to a post on the Soviet Union's biggest naval disaster and the search for a mate for the elephant at the Yerevan Zoo.

Julia Opoti blogging on African Path asks whether Nairobi is ready for the World Social Forum 2007, “According to Brian Adero, a reporter with the East African Standard, the Kenyan hotel industry is worried about handling the large influx of delegates in Nairobi. In addition to the need for accomodation is the logistical and security burden on the city. In this same article, Adero speaks to a hotel manager who tells him Nairobi hotels could barely host the 5,000 delegates during the Climate Change.”

Timbuktu Chronicles writes about the Nigerian film director, Lancelot Imasuen, and the possible collaboration between Nollywood and Hollywood, “With a $200, 000 non-union budget film titled, Friendly Enemy Imasuen has also succeeded in entering a major deal with three Hollywood companies that might see coming into fruition the much-expected Nollywood/Hollywood collaboration.”

Francis Wade looks for the rationale behind what he perceives to be a tendency among Caribbean consumers to “when confronted with what seems to be an unreasonable price, . . . .claim that the person selling it is a thief.”

Babalu Blog reports, briefly but with typical rancor (echoed by many in the comments thread), that US anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan “and her Code Pinko cohorts” are visiting Cuba.

Noticiero Cuba reports (ES) that Fito Cabrales, a rocker from Bilbao, Spain, has publicly criticised the system of “apartheid” which bars Cuban nationals from entering hotels on the island. The post notes that “the majority” of these hotels are run by Spanish hotel operators.

Metty Jaduong blogs about poverty in Tanzania, “Some have blamed colonialism, while some have blamed imbalances in the world trade. Very few have plainly put the blame on us. I tend to lean towards placing the blame on us.”

Kenyan Pundit writes about BBC's webcast on the mobile phone revolution in Kenya and the Acumen Fund Fellowships

Bella Naija posts beautiful photos from The CatWalk the World – Fashion For Food, which took place in Accra, Ghana.

One man band width forsees the attack of the red bombs in the coming year of Pig.

Granite Studio looks into the modern history of 19 century intellectual self-criticism on backward manner in China. The blogger thinks that the recent Beijing government's campaign to ensure that Chinese tourists' behaviour “compatible with the nation's economic strength and its growing international status” is another reflection of contemporary Chinese modernity.

ESWN translates a story about a media ethics debate in which a reporter had informed the police of a fugitive who had contacted the reporter about to turning himself in.

Paul Nicholls in Japundit blogs about Furoshiki, a traditional wrapping cloth, which has easily been adapted in modern Japanese society. The ministry of environment recently promoted Furoshiki as an ancient wisdom of environmentalism.

Ampontan introduces various traditional festivals (or matsuri) in Japan.

Adamu from Mutantfrog discusses about the school bullying issue in Japan and explains how the education minister has missed the point in addressing the issue.