Global Voices Online

Huib Riethof at Blogactiv.eu discusses Bulgaria's parliamentary elections, urging Europe not to neglect the political earthquake of results, as voters once more quashed the country's political élite.

Due to the Xinjian riot, the propaganda department gave a long filter list to the search engines on July 8, 2009. (via China Digital Times)

English Russia tells the story of how the vodka issue was dealt with by political leaders during the soviet era.

LJ user supehero gives his very own explanation [RUS] to why President Medvedev looked so drowsy at the G8 summit in Italy.

Sergei Makedonov at OpenDemocracy discerns an increasing foreign policy split between Russia and Belarus and explains why.

The Bermudian Premier has announced that Public Access To Information legislation “will be one of the first topics on the parliamentary schedule in November” - Vexed Bermoothes thinks that “the complete law must be exposed to the public in an advance consultation, and advice solicited from outside experts in freedom of information.”

With “Love Japan“, Rakuten Inc. has enabled personal donations to politicians via credit card, a first in Japan. Hit Okano [ja] ponders about the relationship between the amount of donated money and its influence on politicians, while blogger Satotaku [ja] refers to U.S. President Obama's success with online contributions and expects other services to follow.

Guess who's coming to dinner in Accra, Ghana: “Today's edition of the nation's flagship newspaper Daily Graphic offered a rather hefty edition, starting with key articles like these, offering reasons for Obama's desire to come to Ghana.”

Inspired by Obama's view that states serving its peoples, and not rulers serving their own interests, tend to survive and flourish in the long run, LJ user agitator mass posts [RUS] a poll with the question: “Do you want to live in such a country?”