Global Voices Online

Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote[fa] in his blog that he is faithful to Ayatollah Khomenie's ideology and his government tries to change economic institutions but there are some political obstacles on its way.

Azarmehr reports that all the demands made by the Teacher Training Students were met by the university administration after the students at this college went on hunger strike for 11 days. 120 students had taken part in the hunger strike.

Ryoko from Pingmag writes an interview feature on the renovation of traditional silk craft into modern hair pin design.

Harvey from Japan newbie discusses about work culture and the phenomena of “death by overwork” in Japan.

Ruan Yifeng summarizes a local magazine's special feature on the culture of reading in China, with some statistic information on best selling books [zh].

Crackdown on the opposition in Zimbabwe: “MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti has just been arrested at Harare International Airport upon arrival”: this is a short press release just received via email. We don’t have any more information than this at the moment, but as soon as we do we’ll let you know and ask you to get ready tostand with us and help to ‘watch his back’ and keep him safe.

The Costa Rican capital San José placed among the top 10 safest cities in Latin America writes La Foto Salió Movida [es] and writes that the challenge is to continue improving safety and remove the stigma that the city is more dangerous that it is.

“The conversation about the rights of gays and lesbians in this country is stuck in a Christian fundamentalist scriptural war that cannot see gays and lesbians, bisexuals or transgender people as integral to the wide spectrum of human existence”: The Gaulin Wife writes a stirring tribute to slain AIDS activist Solomon Wellington Adderley, while examining Bahamian attitudes to homosexuality.

Uncommon Sense and Child of the Revolution report on “a new rule that will allow Cubans to earn according (to) their labor”.