Global Voices Online

Lyn Jeffery from virtual China translated a discussion from Sina BBS concerning “People's Congress Delegate Advocates Repealing Concept of Illegal Cohabitation”.

At neweurasia, Daniel reports on an Almaty exhibition of the works of Kazakhstani artist Rustam Khalfin.

The CRD/TI Armenia Election Monitor reports on Armenia's first flash mob.

Nicholas Laughlin pays tribute to Caribbean intellectual Lloyd Best, who passed away on March 19: “We will desperately miss–because we desperately need, now more than ever–his hard-won but lightly worn knowledge, his insight, his optimism, his humour, his integrity. No one has understood the Caribbean better, and few have lived so selflessly.“

On the eve of the World Cup match between the West Indies and Zimbabwe, Robert Frische at cricketwukup.com asks whether “in light of the atrocities being committed in that country,” Zimbabwe should be allowed to play international cricket.

Nicolette Bethel wonders whether the complete absence of any discussion about the anniversary of abolition in the Bahamas is because it's an election year: “Is it because people on the PLP are afraid to make too much out of it because of the long years of invoking slavery in election years. . . have rendered the concept of slavery impotent as a political tool?“

With a little help from “grandmaw Florence”, Lee Vanderwalker manages to avoid being mowed down by a landing Cessna on an airstrip in Caye Caulker, Belize.

Marc Masferrer has a series of posts on the subject of the commemorations of the fourth anniversary of the March 2003 crackdown on dissidents and journalists known as the “black spring”, including one on the “Damas de Blanco” (Ladies in White), and a message from a hunger striking political prisoner. Claudia posts a list and photo of some of those jailed, and says: “There has been no international outrage for these arrests and imprisonments. There has been no outcry for justice. Why?“

Yesterday marked the 32nd anniversary of the death of the last Egyptian monarch King Farouk. Egyptian blogger Zeinobia gives us an insight into his life here.

Bahraini blogger emoodz gives us his thoughts about the movie 300 here. “If you haven’t heard already, the movie has caused quite an uproar amongst modern Persians/Iranians who see the movie as not only something of a fabrication, but also an insult to their history,” he writes.

US-based Tunisian blogger Leilouta has guests from back home, whom she took to an anti-war protest over the weekend.

Tunisian blogger Subzero Blue is inviting his readers to guess to name of the film based on quotes he lists here.

Frederik Richter, writing for The Arabist, links to an article which visits the Alexandria home of Islamic clergyman Abu Omar, who was kidnapped by the CIA in Milan and tortured in Egypt.

Issandr Al Amrani still has a few unanswered questions about the Islamic bikini - burqini. “I’m not trying to make fun of this — people can wear what they want — but why call it burqini? A burqa is a rather extreme form of fundamentalist gear that is not found in much of the Muslim world outside of Afghanistan and, to a much less degree, India and Pakistan. Is the Taliban what they want their product to be associated with?” he writes.

Saudi “businessmen” spend $15 million to fund a US “documentary” film to “improve its image around the world,” writes Lebanese blogger As'ad Abu Khalil here.

“Iraqis are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future of their country and unhappy about their lives, a survey suggests.”
And this: “Only 18% said they had confidence in US and coalition troops, and 51% said they thought attacks on coalition forces were justified,” writes Lebanese blogger Asad Abu Khalil here.

Lebanese blogger As'ad Abu Khalil is full of praise for Condoleeza Rice - who just met with a handful of Arab ministers “brief them and grill them with instructions prior to the Arab summit. I thought that this was a very nice gesture that deserves praise. I mean, she did not want those ministers to go unprepared and not know how they should behave, and how they should vote. That was very kind gesture, I thought.”

Carlos Donderis, a Spanish blogger living in Panama, gets a kick out of Panamanian addresses [ES], which have more to do with description than a specific address.

Rob Rivera's blog is becoming much more than just a great source of laughs and insight into Panamanian culture - it's also becoming an inclusive social hotspot. The next two upcoming events: a tribute to the Deftones and the next “Beers & Blogs Panama”.

After a widely publicized protest against the harsh treatment of maids in Peru's beach resort communities, Hypathia's Daughter says the movement for maid's rights made a visit to the upper-class neighborhood of Miraflores in the capital city, Lima.

Gabo of From Uruguay chronicles Bush's recent visit to Montevideo.

Oil Wars, responding to news of food shortages in Venezuela, points out that food consumption was up 16% in 2006: “Truth be told, after noting how chubby Chavez himself appeared in the Barbra Walters interview I suspected as much.” Daniel Duquenal, meanwhile, asks, “Does Barbara Walters work for Chavez?” Find out why.

Abdymok posts a picture of the preparations to Aleksandr Lukashenko's visit to Ukraine's capital: “Workers on March 19 build a new fence around Belarusian Embassy in Kyiv. The last dictator in Europe is expected any day.”

Blog Bucharest complains about the Romanian postal service, Bucharest's Baneasa Airport, and discrimination against the country's non-Roma population.

Darkness at Noon guest-blogs at Sean's Russia Blog on the recent elections and the Russian political culture.

Vilhelm Konnander fears the Russian state may be preparing another attack on freedom of speech - and on bloggers - in Russia.

The Russian Dilletante corrects Andre Glucksmann: “To use “the Kremin” to denote Russia's supreme authority in the 19th century is a crude anachronism. The seat of imperial power from Peter I to Nicholas II was St. Petersburg, and the period in Russian history from the early 18th century to 1917 is known as the Petersburg period.”

Russia Blog posts pictures of winter sports at Vorobyovy Gory in Moscow. Sochi Travel posts pictures from the skiing and snowboarding competition that took place in Krasnaya Polyana on March 1-3.

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