On Wednesday, Iranian members of parliament voted to discuss a draft bill that seeks to “toughen punishment for disturbing mental security in society.” The text of the bill would add, “establishing websites and weblogs promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,” to the list of crimes punishable by death.
*This article is cross-posted on Global Voices Advocacy.

Beijing Announces Traffic Rules to Combat Air Pollution

Danwei says Beijing recently announced traffic rules that will be in effect during the Olympics. The rules dictate that from July 20th to September 20th 2008, only cars with license plates ending in odd numbers can drive, among other rules.

Americas: Region Celebrates Rescue of Betancourt and Other Hostages

The entire Latin American region celebrated with the people of Colombia upon hearing the news that ex-Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages were rescued. In the operation named “Jaque,” Betancourt, 3 U.S. citizens and 11 members of the Colombian forces were freed after the rescue attempt. Bloggers from many countries throughout Latin America shared the excitement and wrote their own personal reflections.

Colombia: Íngrid Betancourt and Other Hostages Rescued

Colombian bloggers praise the government for the military operation that rescued 15 hostages held by the FARC, all without a single shot being fired. This has proven to be yet another blow to the guerrilla group. Others analyze the media coverage provided to the event saying that Betancourt’s rescue overshadowed the other 14 hostages.

Today on Global Voices Advocacy: China: Facebook blocked? Not quite!

Just as pictures from Hong Kong’s annual march for democracy began appearing on Facebook, a segment of the users of the social networking site in mainland China began blogging their troubles accessing the site altogether, seemingly fulfilling predictions made when news that a localized Chinese version of Facebook was in the works first surfaced last year.

Today on Voices Without Votes: McCain Visits Colombia and Meets with Uribe

Republican presidential candidate John McCain began his Latin American tour in Colombia where he met with his counterpart Álvaro Uribe. Discussing issues such as a free-trade agreement, drug policy and the fight against the FARC guerrillas. His visit also happened to coincide with the rescue of 15 FARC hostages.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a dailymotion video depicting Angola of 34 years ago, the large number of children working in hazardous conditions in Pakistan, an unnecessary search of a Muslim woman at the airport, and much much more!

Zizou from Djerba recently introduced his readers [Fr] to Souheil Ftouh, whom he describes as “surely the most pro-Jewish and admiring of Israel of all Tunisian Arabs :-)”, a man whose perspectives, unorthodox for a Tunisian, left Zizou’s readers respond a bit appalled.

Morocco: Catching Up With Peace Corps Bloggers

Morocco is host to a vibrant Peace Corps program. All over the country, American Peace Corps members volunteer their time teaching English, sustainable growth, assisting with agricultural and women’s projects, and a multitude of other tasks that come along with being a young, active volunteer in Morocco. And Moroccans, known for their hospitality, are for the most part, very welcoming to these volunteers. Many of my Moroccan colleagues remember young Peace Corps volunteers and Fulbright scholars who have passed through with fond memories.

Egypt: The Lollipop and The Flies

An image has been circulated for a while via email. It’s one of those campaigns targeting women in order to cover their body and get veiled. But many bloggers in Egypt found it offensive and pathetic, Tarek Amr explains.

Kyrgyzstan: From Sorrow to Happiness

Early in June a sorrowful groan was heard from the Kyrgyz blogosphere: the great Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov died. Almost all Kyrgyz bloggers wrote about the death of a famous writer in their blogs. But as Elena Skochilo explains, human nature can’t grieve for a long time and another event came to the Kyrgyz blogosphere: Euro Championship.

Taiwan: Conflict over Diaoyutai Islands

On June 11, a Taiwanese recreational fishing boat United(聯合號) sank following a collision with a Japanese coastguard vessel 11km off the disputed Diaoyutai(釣魚台) (Japan: Senkaku) islands, an island chain simultaneously claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China. Passengers and crew on the sinking boat were picked up by Japan. Shortly after, Taiwanese mainstream media covered the accident. Political talk shows and call-in programmes, in particular, ardently discussed the accident and the long-standing sovereign dispute over Diaoyutais.

Bahrain: Bloggers’ Code of Ethics Against Sectarianism

With the political divide in Bahrain usually framed in sectarian terms, blogger Mahmood Al Yousif has posted a code of ethics aimed at stopping the propagation of hate online.

Ukraine: Grassroots Activism

Many Ukrainians, fed up with a culture of lawlessness that is flourishing in their country, are becoming increasingly involved in grassroots activism. One of the latest rallies - Velonayizd (”Bicycle Attack”) - took place in Kyiv on June 21, when nearly 500 cyclists, bikers and pedestrians gathered in front of the municipal police headquarters for a Critical Mass-type event, prompted by the recent deaths of at least two cyclists and the authorities’ failure to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Southeast Asia: Alternative sources of energy

Due to skyrocketing oil prices, many Southeast Asian countries are intensifying efforts to tap alternative sources of energy. Lifestyles are changing since people are now more aware about the oil price crisis.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Obama Nenay! (Madagascar for Obama)

Madagascar is a country better known for its cartoon portrayal than for its media representation, yet its blogosphere is actively voicing its opinions of the upcoming U.S. elections. One blogger, Ketablaogy [fr], explains the reason for creating the Facebook page, Madagascar for Obama/Obama Nenay.

Today on Global Voices Advocacy: Citizen Media and Online Free Speech

While the first session of the 2008 Global Voices Summit focused on how internet censorship works in Belarus, Japan, Egypt, and Pakistan, and how activists have responded to those limitations, the second session was specifically focused on how censorship affects bloggers and citizen media.

Also today on Global Voices Advocacy: Towards a total human rights outlook

How can NGOs seeking to advance freedom of expression most effectively work with on-the-ground free speech activists to combat censorship? As a journalist, author and blogger living in Sydney, Australia, Antony Loewenstein writes “the opportunity to be involved in this Global Voices event is a privilege. I thank the organisers for the opportunity”.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find Indonesia’s resignation from OPEC, help build a list of environmentally friendly blogs in the Middle East, the meaning of the Prague Spring, and much much more!

While Day One of the Global Voices Summit focused on Advocacy, today focused more upon Global Voices proper, with information presented on the other GV projects of Rising Voices and Lingua. Be sure to visit our conference blog to see all of the content that you missed. Session notes, personal impressions of the meeting, and conference highlights will be added in the next coming days….

Today on Voices Without Votes: Facebook’s Armenians for Obama

Just as there are Canadians for Obama, South Asians for Obama, and even Madagascar for Obama, there are Armenians for Obama. This group consists of both diasporic Armenians and those in Armenia, and the group’s members are quite active in their support of Barack Obama.

And don’t forget! Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups.

On the completion of the first day of the Global Voices Summit, Jillian York wrote the following: “The first day of the Global Voices 2008 Summit in Budapest, Hungary was a wild success, as far as we can see (obviously we can’t know all of the implications this early in the game).” Find out what you missed.
*This article is cross-posted on the Global Voices Advocacy site.

Kuwait: Video Games, Newspapers and Female Bloggers

Who should regulate the video gaming scene in Kuwait? This and many other questions are on the minds of Kuwaiti bloggers in this round up by Abdullatif AlOmar.

Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport

As French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, shots rang out. A quick assessment revealed that one of the Israeli members of Sarkozy’s security detail had turned his weapon on himself, apparently committing suicide. The victim, whose name has not been revealed at his family’s request, was in his early 30s and had been a border guard for eight years after his release from the Israel Defense Forces. He was a member of the Druze community.

Public Health Projects to Use Citizen Media to Empower Community Voices

Rising Voices and Open Society Institute’s Health Media Initiative are happy to announce the six newest health-focused citizen media outreach projects. We received over 110 proposals from health activists and organizations based in over 50 different countries. The six selected grantees represent the most innovative applications of citizen media tools like blogs, podcasts, and online video to help further the advocacy goals of public health organizations, and to empower the communities they work with.
*This post is cross-listed on the Rising Voices site.

Today on Rising Voices: Rising Voices Trailer

It has been one year since Rising Voices awarded its first round of five outreach grants to project in Sierra Leone, Colombia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, and India. Those first five grantees where then joined by five more projects in December, 2007. Today, as we are about to announce our newest round of six more citizen media outreach projects, we would like to take the time to step back and reflect on all that the first 10 projects have accomplished over the past year.

Today on Voices Without Votes: Facebook’s Canadians for Obama

Living within such close proximity to the United States, Canadians are more affected by the U.S. elections than many. Canadians for Obama, a Facebook group featured on Voices without Votes in April, has been having a lively discussion of Obama’s merits, with many participants lobbying from the other side of the border.

And don’t forget! Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups.

If it’s quiet on Global Voices the next couple of days, it’s because we’ve transported around 80 of our editors, authors, and translators to Budapest, Hungary for a Summit about online freedom of expression, citizen media, and the role of Global Voices in the next year. You can follow all of us live throughout the day via webcast, liveblog, Twitter, and photos. See how, on our Summit website.

Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis

Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine’s ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the deal.” Maya Norton brings us the reactions from the Israeli blogosphere.

Morocco: Shutting down Al Jazeera?

After a clash between protestors and police in Sidi Ifni lead to injuries and possible deaths, Al Jazeera issued a report at a news conference held by the Moroccan Human Rights Centre that several protestors had been killed. The Moroccan authorities, angered by the report, charged Al Jazeera’s Rabat bureau chief with publishing false information on June 13. Unfortunately, few news sources and few bloggers have spoken up about the issue.

Palestine: She Shoots, She Scores

Muna Nawajaa has scored a victory for social justice. Using a camera given to her by B’Tselem’s Shooting Back project, Palestinian Nawajaa recorded the masked beating of members of her family, resulting in an investigation and arrest of suspects by Israeli police.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find an alternate Russian blogs roundup, Belarusian cuisine, mistreatment of people with disabilities in Bulgaria, and much much more!

In a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin. Sopheap Chak is another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions. The 23-year-old, originally from Kampong Cham province, is a prominent human rights activist. When she talks about changes she believes in it’s as if she’s a new hopeful inspirational leader.

Global Voices Summit Meeting

The Global Voices Summit Meeting in Budapest has started. For up-to-date information visit the Summit Website. We have a live web-feed of the proceedings, as well as live blogging sessions (select “watch now” to view). We will have session notes and opinion pieces on the summit site as well. Other coverage areas: Crowdvine, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. As the meeting progresses more information on coverage will be posted.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find Hungarian national pride, the cultural milieu of Miami’s Little Havana, mistreatment of people with disabilities in Bulgaria, and much much more!

The president of the Ecuadoran Constituent Assembly, Alberto Acosta, recently stepped down. Many local bloggers are wondering the role that President Rafael Correa and his political party had in this resignation. Others wonder about the future of the new Constitution and whether articles will be passed through without much discussion, now that a person considered to be fair is no longer presiding over the debate.

Today on Rising Voices: Blogging Since Infancy: Engaging the community to build new media applications for OLPC laptops

The OLPC (Hundred Dollar) laptops currently miss many applications to help students learn and participate in the classroom. The Plan Ceibal (Blogging Since Infancy) of Uruguay, a Rising Voices grantee arranged a programming “jam” to get local programmers involved in developing innovative applications for the OLPC laptops including new media tools like blogging. Learn more about it in this week’s feature.

Today on Voices Without Votes: If Venezuela could vote…

What if Venezuela could vote in the U.S. elections? Link TV’s Dear American Voter series allows citizens of other countries to share their opinions on the upcoming elections. Francisco Toro of Caracas Chronicles does just that, giving viewers a sense of how the U.S. elections could affect Venezuela.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find that women place more significance on the importance of religion in their lives than men, Cuban students performed better than the rest of Latin America in elementary education, the international airport Carrasco in Montevideo, Uruguay has several tools on its website making life easier for travelers, and much much more!

Today, Uzbekistan is remaining one of the repressive countries in the region that maintains a tight grip on mass media. Despite it has all the nominal guarantees of the freedom of speech, the media is being systematically attacked by the government.

Korea: Hiddink’s Miracle and Korean Politics

When Hiddink led the Korean soccer team into the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup he became a hero in Korea. Everywhere – in bookstores and on advertisements – was his face. People were busy talking about his leadership and fresh thought. However, he was harshly criticized by the media early on when he was hired for the 2002 World Cup.

Morocco: The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music

As the 14th annual Fez Festival of World Sacred Music comes to a close, bloggers - both Moroccan residents and travelers - share their experience with this year’s festival. Jillian York brings us the View from Fez bloggers.

“Qatar’s greatest football moment…”

Football fans in Qatar were ecstatic over the Qatari national teams 1-0 win over Iraq in a World Cup qualifier. Mohamed Nanabhay brings us reactions from the match.

Serbia: Socialist Party Forms Coalition Government With Democratic Party

The Socialist Party of Serbia (Slobodan Milošević’s party) is forming a coalition government with the Democratic Party. This means Serbia will continue on its way towards European Union integration. Many bloggers reacted to this news, and offered their predictions.

Hungary: Photoblogging

As the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Budapest is less than one week away, and after introducing a few Hungarian food blogs, we have been now browsing through Hungarian photoblogs. There are many of them and the quality is very high, so here’s just a little sample.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find the security concerns from using Internet cafes, “the third gender”in India and Pakistan, “protest power” in Bangkok, and much much more!

Russia: “Football Revolution”

It was a wild, sleepless night in Russia, following the national football team’s 3-1 win over the Netherlands and its advance to the Euro 2008 semi-finals on Saturday. In the streets of Moscow, some 500,000 fans celebrated this unexpected victory - and similar euphoria engulfed most Russian cities as well. Below are a few reactions and photo posts by Russian bloggers.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find a report on how AIDS patients in Korea live and die, more than 700 are dead or missing after a ship capsized in central Philippines, the lack of paypal services in Sri Lanka, and if you are joining the Global Voices crew–a list of things to do in Budapest!

In 2007, when President Hugo Chávez announced that he was going to begin the “5 engines for the construction of socialism in Venezuela,” he did not know that one year later that he would be changing speeds or in some cases, going in reverse. This is part 1 in a series of articles about some of these changes in education and intelligence policies.

Today on Rising Voices: A Podcast About La Loma by HiperBarrio

ConVerGentes, the San Javier La Loma-based group of young journalists who form part of HiperBarrio, have started a podcast in Spanish. Have a listen to learn more about their community, how it is different from the rest of Medellín, and why they are headed to Campus Party.

Roundups

Get the blog buzz from the world over in the Global Roundups, where today you can find three African companies who won the 2008 Ashden Awards, vlogging the Olympics might be off-limits for now–or is it?, poachers threaten the Blue and Gold Macaw in Trinidad, and much much more!