Global Voices Online

English-language DRC blogger Le Salon counts down to the July 30th election by reporting on a lukewarm response to Joseph Kabila's visit to the UDPS opposition party stronghold of East Kasai province and by estimating that the Congolese catholic church is by and large encouraging a boycott of the election.

Afghan Warrior shares his idea about how Taliban can be defeated. The blogger says there are hundreds of international peacekeeping forces in the big cities but we need their presence more in the troubled areas to ensure security for the Afghans. He writes the increased presence of NATO forces in the border areas will restore the situation and it will curb the terrorist activities and the enemy resistance will be broken . So NATO should continue its commitment and deploy more troops to Afghanistan. The enemy should know that their guerrilla attacks will not succeed.

Vadim reports on Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to Tajikistan and relations between Iran and Tajikistan.

Light in the Heart of Darkness, an english-speaking expat blogger based in the DRC, says Kabila's popularity in Kinshasa is waning and fears that if he is elected, “the country is going to burn.” She points to yesterday's UDPS-led poster-snatching protests as evidence that the burning may have begun.

Reunion-based Pierrot Dupuy, himself the father of a victim of housing discrimination in France announces (Fr) advocacy group CollectifDOM's legal victory in the area of housing discrimination against French citizens from the French Overseas Departments and Territories (DOM-TOM) living in France. From here on, landlords can no longer ask for proof of a mainland French bank guaranty as a criterion to select tenants.

Le Renouveau Congolais posts a (Fr) photo-essay showing protesters tearing down presidential candidate posters in the DRC days to the July 30th election. From Azarias Ruberwa to Interim President Joseph Kabila to Professor N'Goma, the photos show a broad cross-section of political candidates are being targeted while slogans seem to be particularly anti-Kabila.

Human Rights Watch calls on the Ugandan government to investigate the alleged torture and electrocution of a security detainee in a government “safe house” in Kampala on May 4.

LEvko of Foreign Notes points out a serious problem one encounters when attempting to follow Ukrainian politics: “Tracking events in Ukrainian politics is often confusing because of conflicting and contradictory reports and comments given by the media, and by leaders and spokesmen from differing political parties.”

Konstantin of Russian Blog argues with certain points made in a Boston Globe editorial on Shamil Basayev's death.