Global Voices Online

“On days like this,” writes Zimpundit, “I catch myself wondering what it is going to take for us, the laity in Zimbabwe, to take our destiny from the hands of fate and render our influence on what the future holds for us.”

G8 leaders meeting in St. Petersburg on July 15-17 should firmly tell the Sudanese government that it must immediately accept the deployment of a United Nations force to protect civilians in Darfur, Human Rights Watch Africa says.

The beatroot writes about two identical twins who are now running Poland: “Opinion polls have been pretty consistent. Poles would rather not have identical twins who not only shared the same egg but also share the same political outlook in the two top jobs.”

Sean Guillory contributes a lengthy post to Publius Pundit on the effect Basayev's death might have on Chechnya.

My Czech Republic Blog writes that Cesky Krumlov, one of the most visited destinations, whose historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, finally has a presentable website.

TOL's Belarus Blog writes about a new law that allows early voting in Russia - which, in its turn, would allow manipulations.

Ed Alexander of Balkan Baby writes from and about a Croatian village of Podsused, and covers the latest news from the region, including Slovenia's upcoming entry into the Eurozone.

Alwyn Thomson of Our Man in Tirana writes about the upcoming street protests against the government (organized by the Socialists; 15,000-20,000 people expected).

Europhobia writes about the political crisis in Ukraine: “Ukraine showed signs of hope, and there is still hope there - but it could all too easily go the route of Belarus and slide slowly towards dictatorship.”