Jordan: Double Celebration

Natasha Tynes had a double celebration this week – her birthday and the naming of Petra among the world's seven new wonders.

Jordan: A Week to Fix the Airport

Ahmad Humeid from Jordan tells us how King Abdulla has given airport officials a week's ultimatum to “fix” the airport.

Iraq: Summer Blues

Omar at Iraq the Model battles the summer heat to bring us the latest from Baghdad in this post.

Bahrain: Sri Lankan Maid to be Executed in Saudi

Esraa from Bahrain links to a news article about a Sri Lankan maid facing execution in Saudi Arabia.

Kurdistance: The State of Kurdish Activism

Some may be surprised to hear that coverage of the Kurdish blogosphere has been appearing on Global Voices for longer than coverage of the Turkish blogospheres. Whereas the Turkish blogosphere has been expanding, the Kurdish blogosphere (at least the English language end) is slowly disappearing. Today's article will focus on the current state of Kurdish activism (as blogging can be considered as a primary element of that) and a new initiative that is designed to help extend the Kurdish voice.

Tajikistan: Threatened reptiles

Vadim says that a Chinese roadbuilding project in Tajikistan puts a threat to local reptiles. Snakes and turtles are being sold to Chinese cooks for as much as $10.

Tajikistan: Nuclear waste

nonpon says that it might take another few years before actions follow words in cleaning up Tajikistan's radioactive debris.

Armenia: Tourist guide

nazarian links to the latest edition of the free online tourist guide to Yerevan – a 150-page PDF including all the information one might need on how to spend a hot summer day in the Armenian capital.

Armenia: Lawless shootings

At Blogrel, Harmick writes that “tit for tat” killings are becoming a regular occurence in Armenia.

Afghanistan: Pessoptimist

Barnett Rubin, in his first post on a new blog about global affairs, says that being pessimistic about Afghanistan is not an intellectual challenge. Instead, Rubin (who was on the UN team during the Bonn conference a few years back) is a practicing “pessoptimist”: “Every morning we thank the Lord...

St. Vincent & the Grenadines: J'ouvert

Abeni confesses to being a “party animal” and posts some photos taken at St. Vincent's J'ouvert celebrations.

Haiti: Making Movies

“Even in hard times, Haitians go to the movies.” Marginal Revolution refers to a report that examines the blossoming Haitian film industry.

Cuba: Election Fever

Child of the Revolution has his eye on Cuba's upcoming elections, which he thinks “will provide some guidance, for want of a better word, on the future role of Fidel Castro within the regime.”

Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Kei Miller Reading

Antilles blogs about the work of Jamaican author Kei Miller and links to a podcast in which he is interviewed.

Barbados: Welfare of Chinese Workers

Barbados Free Press wonders whether the island's imported Chinese labourers are being fairly treated: “Forget about the fact that they are taking Bajan jobs. The Chinese workers should be entitled to all the fundamental human rights that we would want for any fellow human being.”

Bahamas: Independence Day

As the Bahamas celebrates 34 years of Independence today, THE iPINIONS JOURNAL pays tribute by posting a painting by the internationally-acclaimed Italian artist, Benini, while WeblogBahamas.com posts audio of revered Bahamian musician Joseph Spence.

France suffers African dictators: Denis Sassou-Nguesso warmly welcomed by Sarkozy

France is famous for getting cozy with the dictators who govern their former colonies, a tradition called Françafrique that newly-elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy appears keen to continue. In March, he received Omar Bongo, President of Gabon since 1967. And last week he played host to Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President of...

Arabeyes: I am a Professional Male Prostitute

I'm a professional male prostitute and a part-time drug dealer That's what I will answer if someone asks me what do I do for a living. These days that's better than being an Arabic doctor.

Argentina: Snowfall in Buenos Aires

Line of Sight captures images of Buenos Aires’ first snowfall, the first time in close to one hundred years. A YouTube video also has been making its rounds.

Argentina: Reoccurring Energy Crisis

Fabio.com.ar [ES] writes about the energy crisis in Argentina, and notes that this was a topic of discussion on different occasions over the past three years.