Global Voices Digest

Egypt: Parliament on Fire

Egyptian bloggers are in a daze, after the country’s iconic Parliament Building, went up in flames earlier today. And while an official reason has yet to be announced for the cause of the fire in the 19th century palace, which houses the lower parliament or Shura (consultative) council, bloggers are seething - though not lost for words.

India: Stopped trains in Kerala leave passengers stranded

The following video uploaded by YouTube user peshaku shows irate commuters at the Angamali railway station in the southern Indian province of Kerala after they have been stranded due to a particular type of protest where workers cease operations. This phenomenon is called Harthal (Hartal) and has become a constant problem in Kerala.

Silencing online speech in Tunisia

Blocking web 2.0 websites (Youtube, Dailymotion, Facebook) and barring access to local outspoken websites and blogs is the most obvious way of cracking down of the online free speech in Tunisia. It should be emphasized, however, that this is only one tool in the regime’s hand. Tunisia has adapted to the web 2.0 revolution by developing a broader strategy composed of a wide range of instruments.

Angola: Electoral campaign fails to excite voters

After 16 years without the right to vote, Angolans have been savouring the taste of the election campaign for almost a month now. Contrary to expectations, there is a lukewarm atmosphere around the capital Luanda. Clara Onofre shows why electors are not impressed.

Beijing Olympics Coverage

Counting the medals? Thanks to support from Reuters, Global Voices is covering citizen media reactions to the Olympics from citizens in China and around the world on our special coverage page and in our Olympics Twitter feed. The Twitter feed is also being translated to French by Global Voices in French and is published on French website, Rue89.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find an autobiography of Ivoirian football star, the ugliest house in Kuwait, what Finnish women want, and much much more!