Global Voices Online

Ben Paarmann says that Russian emigration from Kyrgyzstan is on the rise.

Notes from Hareinik reports that this year's unusually high snowfall has made Yerevan's streets treacherous.

James of neweurasia reports on the US reaction to Tajikistan's condemnation of the Danish Muhammad cartoons.

ArmYouth Blog writes about volunteerism and international volunteer programs that serve Armenia.

Daniel Duquenal has an well-thought out six part series on Venezuela's future.

James, a Christian volunteer in Honduras, writes of his experience in the the Suyapa pilgrimage which ends at a large Cathedral on a hill above Tegucigalpa.

With just a month left until El Salvador's elections, Tim looks at the polls to find, among other things, that current president Tony Saca has a 76% rate of approval of those surveyed.

In 2003, part of an installation by a Polish artist had “a photograph of a fragment of a naked male body, including the genitalia” projected on a cross. The gallery that exhibited the artwork was forced to close down; the artist was tried and sentenced to six months of community service. The Beatroot writes on “Section 196 of the Penal Code, which prohibits ‘offending religious sentiment'” and on the impact that the Christian-nationalist League of Polish Families has on Polish politics.

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine sums up the news on the gas deal with Russia, poll numbers and other campaign developments, and the neglected Georgiy Gongadze murder case.

Adam Isacson has a meticulous analysis of the U.S. State Department's “Function 150″ aid to Latin America request. In what might be a joke, he tells readers to not expect too much detail.

José Daniel says it could be more than 15 days until Costa Rica's new president is declared. Bob Glass writes that the TSE elections committee has refused to allow international observers to monitor the hand count currently underway. According to Glass, “A group of 30 people held vigil on Monday night to pressure the use of international NGOs in the count.” Boz finds it surprising that Haiti's new president will be declared before Costa Rica's.

Risa writes about “An Interesting Proposal” made by the mayor of the Colombian town, Tulua which would “require all the residents over 14 to carry a condom with them at all times. If someone is stopped and doesn't have a condom they will be required to pay 408 pesos ($108).” Risa adds that Colombia has the highest number of AIDS cases in South America and that Tulua has the second highest number of cases in Colombia. Andrés Duque writes about a Venezuelan photographer living in Spain who is pushing a pro-contraception movement called “BEARback Yes, Bareback No” in English, or in Spanish, “Pelos Sí, a Pelo NO.” Finally, Paxalles links to an article which says that 25 million condoms will be distributed at this year's Carnival in Brazil.

Brazilian photographer, Tatiana Cardeal has begun posting her vivid photos from the World Social Forum in Caracas.

David McDuff at A Step At A Time has translated, for the Prague Watchdog, Ruslan Isayev's piece on the recent reshuffle in the “underground Chechen government”: “After the death last year of Aslan Maskhadov, President of independent Chechnya, the differences of opinion between the radical and moderate representatives of the Chechen resistance were obvious, but almost no one expected them to be manifested so soon. […] In short, it can now be boldly asserted that the radicals are winning this struggle.”

Andy at Taking Aim explains why Russia may soon run out of vodka.

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine describes how Ukrainian politicians are finding all kinds of faults with one another - and aren't likely to stop anytime soon, definitely not until the March 26 parliamentary election is over.

South Africa-based Caribbean blogger Crossing Worlds wonders whether the struggle begun by the architects of the independence movement is safe in the hands of the current generation. “As the US Civil Rights leaders, the black power activists and the liberation leaders begin to die, it seems even more important to think about issues of legacy and succession,” she says. “Are we up to the challenge?”

Francomenz adds her two cents' to the debate about the boundary separating so-called “culture” from respect for private space and property in the context of Trinidad's Carnival.

Malaysian blogger Mack Zulkifli weighs in on the Danish cartoons controversy: “As far as I can see, in this specific conflict, nobody is coming out the winner. This is not freedom of speech. Don't champion it.”

As a result of a tragic event in my family, in which my son, being in depression, received encouragement and instructions how to commit suicide over the net, 8 years ago, which resulted shortly in his death, I decided to set up a non-profit organizatioon in Israel, called ESHNAV, translated in Hebrew to “People for Safe Internet“, Dr. Avshalom Aderet said.
ESHNAV is promoting the public’s awareness of the positive and negative effects of the use of the Internet on society and its values, and for the furthering of the appropriate and safe use of the Internet.

Indonesia Matters searches Friendster to find out with which local Islamic movement most Indonesian youth online affiliate themselves. His conclusion: the most popular Islamic party among the hip, connected, urban young who populate Friendster happens to be the one of the most Islamist.

Lux Mean comments on the advertisements that often appear in Cambodian newspapers from relatives searching for family members who went missing during the Khmer Rouge regime: “When I see such notices I always read to see whether the names match my lost uncles.”

Inspired by the Granta essay “How to Write about Africa,” Torn and frayed in Manila posts on how to write about the Philippines. “For your cover, only a jeepney or a smiling Filipina with a flower behind her ear will do.”

Azrael's Words on the police force in Sri Lanka. “I have several issues with the Police, the most significant being that they are not as well trained as the armed forces and I think it is this lack of training that spills over when they handle civilians.“

Sadiq asks some questions about respecting the prophet. “Is it that cartoonist or it is those so called fanatic people who claim to be muslim and trying to show their egoistic religious zeal. “

Rezwan provides a comprehensive overview of the controversy surrounding the infamous cartoons and on reactions from various quarters.

The municipal elections in Nepal begin with an uneasy calm. United We Blog! has some images from Khatmandu on the day of the elections.

While the controversy of the Danish Cartoons continues, Raheel asks some pertinent questions on what Islam is doing to improve its own image.

The Bearded Man has a series of reports from Zimbabwe including “Zimbabwe Opposition Leaders Reject Mbeki Claims ” denying knowledge of an agreed constitution with Zanu-PF and the Zambian government states it does not want any Zimbabwean oppostion parties in the country.

Pilgrmage to Self writes on racist bullying in her daughters school in England and wonders whether she should return to Nigeria or not.

EthioBlog points to an article in the Irish Examiner which states that “Irish development aid may be propping up a corrupt government regime in Ethiopia“..

TIGblogs provides a detailed explanation of everything you need to know about Nigeria's forthcoming census.

Magaidi writes that women's problems should be seen as society's problems otherwise they will remain in the “back burner of society's hot stove“.

Fodder comments on the land issue in South African and writes….”But the reality is that huge skew towards white ownership of land has to be redressed and so far little or nothing has happened. The problem in Zimbabwe was in part that twenty years after democracy whites still controlled the majority of the land, and we have to ensure we don't repeat that.”

Nigerian Times adds his thoughts to the Prophet Mohammed cartoons and reactions by Muslims to the publication.

Aqumada reports on an Ethiopian book club that was set up to encourage more Ethiopians to read…”The club sent its far reaching tentacles nationwide to be able to offer memberships to a great number of people. The way it works is simple. I get one new book a month and every three months a newsletter (can see samples, especially page 8 here and here )accompanies the book. The newsletter has a book review section where books I will be getting have been reviewed”.

Agathon Rwasa writes that Pope Bendedict urges the FNL to stop killing people following the murder of a Jesuit Priest killed in Burundi on the 4th February.

Mr.Behi, Iran based blogger, says even if we suppose that the newspaper wanted to show the “ugly face of intolerant hard-line Muslims of our time” It was easier to symbolise them in better ways without mixing them with the roots of the religion and without offending the entire race of the believers. Be aware that the hard-line Muslim leaders around the world are doing their best to prove that “west is trying to destroy Islam”.

Kenyan Pundit comments on government waste in Kenya and calls for a Freedom of Information Act in the country and for more Kenyans to question their government.

On his personal blog, Indo-Guyanese political party leader Ravi Dev reproduces the eulogy he delivered at the funeral of controversial Afro-Guyanese journalist Ronald Waddell, who was murdered in January.

Baturrico relates (ES) an anecdote from the February 7 general elections in Haiti, where the tension over the long wait in one voting center is defused by the singing of La Dessalinienne, the Haitian national anthem.

Two interestingly divergent views on children, schools and parenting from Abeni in St. Vincent and Lowatel in Puerto Rico.

The Danish cartoons issue causes Caribbean Free Radio to remember the time she almost became “the Howard Stern of the French Overseas Departments”. And The Limey in Bermuda reports on the results of his “Open Mike” session on the matter.

Michael Turton in The View From Taiwan argues that the US's strong negative reaction to the Lunar New Year's speech from Taiwan's President Chen clearly shows ” how US officialdom is clueless about Taiwan“. Chen called for seeking UN membership under the name “Taiwan” and working toward a referendum on a new Constitution. Washington, a long-time Taiwan supporter, considers the speech an unilateral attempt to change the status-quo and thus the stability between Mainland China and Taiwan (which China regards as a renegade province).

Konrad Lawson tells a few anecdotes on a recent trip to Japan and discusses the illusion of the new pan-Asian identity movement - “a regional based ‘Asian identity' which is constructed at the hands of intellectuals or political policy based on what will inevitably be a contradictory set of perceived commonalities between participants”.

The Limey examines the local reaction to the landing of 3,200 gay cruise ship passengers in Grand Cayman last week, but cautions the Bermudian writer of a letter to a Cayman news outlet that the Bermudian response in such a case might be even more negative.

Barbados Free Press notes the striking lack of attention paid to last week's historic ratification of the Caribbean Single Market by the international press.

In light of Indian company Mittal Steel's recent attempt to acquire Arcelor, a European counterpart, Congolese blogger Mouele Kibaya advises at Le Pangolin that (FR) Africans purchase stock in companies that exploit African raw materials. He continues: “Ivory Coast should purchase stock in leading cocoa companies. Congo should use its meager oil royalties to purchase Total stock on the Paris stock market.”

ESWN translates and sums up the reporting from 5 newspapers on a different kind of “mass incident” in Zhanjiang, China. More than 500 villagers were involved in a fight with shots fired and bombs thrown. More than 20 were injured. Unlike like other “mass incidents” against the totalitarian government, in this case “a more open society has allowed the tradition [village feuds] to return”.

After a bout with bureaucracy, Kinga of Kinuk in Poland has finally obtained her Polish marriage license. Name change in her Polish passport is next.

Today is Prešeren Day in Slovenia (aka the Day of National Culture): the death anniversary of Francè Prešeren (1800-1849), the country's beloved poet. For the third year in a row, Michael M. of The Glory of Carniola celebrates it by interviewing the poet's living namesake (this year it's Matjaž Prešeren, 32, of Maribor).