Global Voices Online

Adam Isacson reviews a recent and troubling report evaluating official “programs to demobilize and reintegrate former combatants, especially ex-paramilitaries.”

Tim Muth says that the controversy surrounding the “International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) which will use US personnel to provide training of police, judges and prosecutors from around Latin America” is not a simple matter.

At the Amerinidian issues blog The CAC Review, Maximilian C. Forte announces the publication of six new articles in KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology.

“So God is a Paraguayan, it seems,” writes Jeremy Taylor in response to Paraguay's 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago this evening at the World Cup, and answering a question he raised in an earlier post where he described the scenes in Trinidad: “Even the banks are closing early so that staff can get home to watch the Soca Warriors play Paraguay in Germany. . . .” Over at the Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Blog, Stacy-Marie Ishmael sends closing messages to select members of the team.

Miguel Octavio has translated a post by Ana Julia Jatar questioning Chavez' purchase of firearms from Russia (ES).

People and breathtaking descriptions of Arrandu in Pakistan by Shirazi - “This village is located ‘on' the Pakistan Afghanistan boarder. Dir-Chitral Road bifurcates near village Mir Khanni and a jeep able track along Kunar River leads to Arrandu through Domail Nisar and onwards into Afghanistan.”

Paramendra on women and the revolution. “This is so very wrong. This is offensive. The April Revolution might not have earned the women total equality yet, but it sure earned them and everyone else the right to peaceful assembly. Why were they roughed up? Senior ministers should have come out to meet them and listen to their grievances.”

There is a good chance that election day will make for a close race in Mexico. Ana Maria Salazar tells readers when they might expect definitive results.

Mash at Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying reflects on the recent illness of his little daughter and illness in the developing world - “It takes only commitment and some resources from the developed world. The $10 billion we spend every month in Iraq could instead change the face of this world in a hurry if used for improved sanitation and access to rehydration therapy in the Third World.”

Senegalese blogger Semett posts (Fr) a Medecins du Monde petition protesting the new French policy of conducting immigration checks in hospitals. Excerpt from the petition (Fr): “The right to care is inscribed in the preamble to the French constitution. It is a fundamental human right. It must never be used for any means other than health preservation.”

LEvko and Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes are discussing possible Ukrainian parliamentary coalition combinations. LEvko also provides a flashback that shows how the partnership that seems likely now would have been impossible just a few years ago.

Lemuel of Deleted By Tomorrow is upset about the results of the election and discusses the most likely coalition combinations. Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros looks at the results and makes coalition forecasts as well.

Peter Myers of Adventures in Moldova writes about his adventure in Prague - a visit to the Museum of Communism: “However, I do sense that the Czech Republic and Slovakia have moved on rapidly since 1989, unlike Moldova. Why have they moved on while Moldova has stayed behind?”

Traveller One of Stepping Stones shares her notes on the “Albanian Rules of the Road”: “Seatbelts. Only for babies. No wait. Albanian babies and children never wear seatbelts, so why should you, a full grown adult. In fact, why do manufacturer's even bother to put them in cars destined for Albania?”

Alwyn Thomson of Our Man in Tirana writes about and posts pictures of the demolition of a number of local restaurants in downtown Tirana: “All the premises that were destroyed consisted of extensions that had been built onto existing structures. Presumably, these businesses never had permission to build these extensions, though there are many other buildings of the same kind that remain untouched.”

Alwyn Thomson of Our Man in Tirana provides an update on the fate of the five Uighurs, who were moved to Albania from Guantanamo, but are unlikely to settle there.

Alwyn Thomson of Our Man in Tirana cites the results of a survey on corruption in Albania and realizes that healthcare is “the most corrupt public service insitution in the country.”

Ivan Lenin of Rush-Mush translates a note most likely posted by president Lukashenko's security on the eve of his appearance to take part in the opening of a new library.

Peter of neweurasia writes about accusations from the Turkmen government that implicate the French government and the OSCE in a plot to overthrow the Turkmen government.

Oneworld Multimedia reports on efforts to save Armenia's forests.

…yuu bna? has a short update on the activities of Mongolia's peacekeepers in Sierra Leone.

Elizabeth writes on mosque, pod'yezd, and social obligations in Tajikistan.

neweurasia writes on cars as social, political, and economic indicators in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Le Blog de [Moi] announces (Fr): “Martiniquan writer Joseph Zobel, author of the novel Rue Cases-Negres [a.k.a Sugar Cane Alley or Black Shack Alley in English] (brought to the big screen by Euzhan Palcy), passed away Saturday (June 17) at the age of 91 (…) in the Gard where he had retired over 30 years ago. His career had taken him from Martinique to France then to Senegal where he worked for 20 years.” France-based Togolese blogger Kangni Alem bids him farewell (Fr) as well. Both bloggers post pictures.

Alaa's wife, Manal, reports that her husband was finally released. He will be back home tomorrow morning or maximum by Thursday.
Congratulations Alaa!

Freedom for Egyptians explains why Egyptian females should marry a Western not an Egyptian guy.

Silly Bahraini Girl comment on the new book, which just published links the so-called Bahrain terror cell to a plot to attack New York's subways with poison gas.

QArab report that the Lebanon's acting Interior Minister denied charges by conservative Muslim clerics that the government had approved a gay rights group as well as nudist beaches at two resorts.

Sotho has an excellent post on “Why Africa is so Poor“……………..”Africa is waking up, however, and I hope it does so in my lifetime. The present state of affairs has lasted long enough. It is time to swing things around. I urge you to visit Timbuktu Chronicles if you want to see just how Africa is waking up.”

White African points to “the soccer's longest video chain” which is part of a soccer social network

The Voice of Somaliland Diaspora-Ottawa posts on the case for a Unitary Government By “Mrs. Edna Adan Ismail, Mnister Of Foreign Affairs Republic Of Somaliland”

Sudanese Thinker comments on a new business development in “The Mogran of Khartoum” which will further increase the gap between the rich and the poor…..”This crappy damn project is made with the sole purpose of enabling the corrupt Sudanese dictatorship of filling its stinking deep pockets only further.”

Scribbles from the den comments that Cameroon is one of the world's World’s Scientifically Lagging Countries – Alongside Chad and Fiji…..”Caught up with daily survival, people in these societies do not necessarily see the value in building [Science & Technology] capacity because the payoffs are not generally immediate.”

Ramblings of an African Geek gets on with his Ghana fever as all of Africa rejoices at their latest win.

View from Iran says there are a lot of different kinds of police in Iran. The blogger writes we had heard about Iran’s new motorcycle cops: a band of tough-looking, clean shaven guys riding serious motorcycles.

Squatter City points to a report from Kenya where thousands have been made homeless after being evicted.

African Gadget shows how to make a pair of headphones from scratch - via the Takoradi Institute in Ghana

Francis Wade notes the arrival of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship and the National Church Alliance, the first organised anti-gay groups in Jamaica, and quotes a Jamaica Observer article which states that the groups have proposed that the phrase “free and democratic society” be replaced in the country's Charter of Rights with “and in keeping with the aspirations and norms of the Jamaican people”.

Ktemoc takes a break from serious commentary on his blog and remembers a rubber tapping experience from his younger days. “Unc assigned me to a young lady instead of a man that I expected. She would call for me at 4-ish. “But Unc, don’t they tap in the morning?” He laughed and replied that it was 4-ish in the early morning, and not late afternoon as I had initially thought. 4 a.m? Gulp, what had I gotten myself into?”

Senor Enrique in Manila encounters and outsmarts a store that is ripping customers off with its refund policies.

Mady June in Myanmar explains why she got into blogging. Myanmar and neighboring Lao have lower number of Internet users compared to other South East Asian countries. Most of the visible Myanmar bloggers live outside the country.

Attillah Springer checks out the Labour Day festivities in Trinidad on June 20, and observes that “the labour leaders seem stuck in a 1930's groove, they speak with a microwaved eloquence about reigniting the spirt of Butler but I wonder if they really know what that means. Is that simply to speak in the same tones? Shout and make noise, not understanding that maybe the reason why those old guys shouted was because they simply didn't have good public address systems? My concern is that we don't get caught up in fossilisation.”

Dreadlocked Trinidadian blogger CunningLinguist draws up a series of guidelines to assist others who follow, or who are considering, the dreadlocked lifestyle. Two examples: “you are expected to be a definitive source on bob marley” and “expect delays at airports”.

Vutha in Cambodia reports that the government is not allowing the teachers demanding higher pay to hold a protest strike. Commenting a government officials callous statement on the teacher's salaries, Vutha writes “What he said about raising the high salary is what is unbelievable. It meant that government have no its reall willings to improve teachers’ living standard. “

Fabian Foo at Macam-Macam blog is asking if Australia is appeasing Indonesia.

The blogger at Timor-Leste's Underwater Wonderland is back diving after a month of chaos that disrupted day to day life and tourism.

Simon World reminds us that the world's fastest growing economy is in little Macau. Macau’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 18.8 percent in real terms in the first quarter of this year, as compared with the same period of 2005, official figures showed.

Florence in Over the Rainbow asks in her post what were you (woman) doing when you were 25/26? and what would you be doing when you were 46? how can woman cultivate a sense of security by themselves? (zh)