Global Voices Online

neweurasia has a collection of 11 posts on minorities in Central Asia and Afghanistan in its latest cross-blog survey.

At the CRD/TI Armenian Election Mointor 2007, a student from Yerevan writes about how the Prosperous Armenia party targets students.

Afghanistanica says that the well-known writer on the Taliban, Afghanistan, and Central Asian Islamism, Ahmed Rashid, seems to have a bit of a problem with Uzbeks.

Registan.net says that Uzbekistan has not shown the change of heart regarding its human rights practices that some European Union officials claim it has.

The sad plight of migrant workers in Lebanon comes under the spotlight in an article by Syrian blogger Yaman which appears on Migrant Rights in the Middle East.

(Warning: the item linked to in this post contains graphic and upsetting images)

With the release of the movie 300 in Singapore, people are talking about Greek history. Modernburrow.lah.cc takes on a history teacher's letter to a newspaper in a bid to reflect the history more accurately.

Israeli blogger The Elder of Ziyon refutes the claim that Gaza is one of the most crowded cities in the world here.

Israeli blogger The Elder of Ziyon claims that US aid to the Palestinians will be used against Israel. “Of course, this would not be the first time that US weapons are used by Fatah against Israel,” he notes.

Israeli blogger Yaeli suggests that her country responds to the Saudi initiative using the analysis being made by a Lebanese.
“If Israel’s position is reasonable - and I think it is (the green line needs to be renegotiated, among other things), then these opinions should be put to the Arab delegations softly. To Arab diplomats, the whole point of negotiations is to keep the negotiations going. They are not a waste of time if nothing gets done,” she quotes the report as saying.

Ted Belman says Israel's economy is booming and this is why.

Libyan blogger A.Adam announced that he would celebrate his blog's third anniversary by marking its ‘end.'

Tunisia-based blogger Sub-Zero Blue discusses what he thinks of small talk. “Small talk, I think, should be reserved for those awkward moments when you're with someone and you have nothing to say to them, they have nothing to say to you, and there's this haunting silence hanging above you; that's when it could be considered somehow useful,” he writes.

Qatar-based blogger Kareem links to an article which announces the 3rd Annual Forum, entitled Media and the Middle East: Going Beyond the Headlines, being hosted by Al Jazeera at the Sheraton Doha and Convention Resort from March 31 to April 2, in Qatar. Sessions in this year's forum will explore the growing influence of politics on media and vice versa, media credibility in times of conflict, the role of media in building bridges or walls, and case studies from the Middle East and Africa on the practical aspects of ‘deep reporting'.

Saudi-American blogger and journalist Rasheed Abou-Alsamh discusses whether a number of jailed Saudi citizens are terrorists or political activists.

Saudi blogger Fedo links to an episode of American Dad, in which Stan Smith and his family are relocated to Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain-based blogger Bint Battuta introduces us to the fresh works of aspiring Bahraini artist Waheeda Mallulla.

Motherhood and two children at The Mad Momma. “I held her against my chest and made him put his head down in my lap and comforted both and tried to fight the sense of utter despair. How would I protect one from the other without destroying one? She is so tiny and physically needs protection and he is so vulnerable and emotionally needs me to support him.”

Khatmandu Speaks responds to a comment made at Global Voices Online on the issue of monarchy in Nepal. “You don't know how he runs his businesses. He manipulates the state mechanism to avoid taxes among other things. Stories of vehicles lost in the country of manufacture- to being sold to our government- they have yet to be confirmed.”

Behind the Chairman's Door takes a harsh look at Pakistan. “In Pakistan, the only goal is to get more money, no matter it be by honest or dishonest means. The traffic police take bribes to not write a citation. The city police take bribes to register cases, real or false. Politicians take bribes in the guise of aid donations to their party to continue to support someone’s agenda.”

Unheard Voices takes a look at the violence in Nandigram in India. “What is remarkable in this tragedy is the arrogant attitudes and brutal actions of a government that is democratically-elected and that is filled with nominal socialists and communists. In true deshi fashion, the police forces’ brutality has been backed up by the ruling party’s hired goons.”

Darkness at Noon continues with the discussion of the Russian street beggars: La Russophobe guest-blogs around the issue; bloggers discuss the post in the comments.

Vilhelm Konnander reports on Estonia's new coalition government.

Strangely, no one from outside Russia can access the site of the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, reports Sean's Russia Blog.

Sean's Russia Blog reports on no progress in the investigation of Anna Politkovskaya's death. (Also, Sean mentions that Politkovskaya's last - posthumous - book is coming out in May.)

Algerian blogger Nouri links to an article which sums up his thoughts on Iran's conflict with the West. He even gives us his commentary here.
“Had the Iranians not just kidnapped the 15 Britons, but opened fire on the Cornwall, the Coalition would have reason to attack the Iranians, with the possibility of crippling Iranian military capabilities, similar to the Israeli strike on Egypt's air force in 1967,” writes the 18-year-old blogger.

Ukraine Update shares a small business success story from Kherson.

Olechko posts notes and sketches from her last year's trip to Mezhyrich Monastery in Ostrog.

MoldovAnn reads Piers Paul Read's 1993 book on Chernobyl (Ablaze: The Story of the Heroes and Victims of Chernobyl) and discovers that she has been to a few Ukrainian towns mentioned in it: “Sometimes I forget what my colleagues lived through, that they themselves are first-hand witnesses to the Chornobyl catastrophe.”

Ukrainiana writes about Ukraine's new 32-year-old minister of foreign affairs.

Despite talk of Maidan #2, PM Yanukovych feels pretty comfortable and even publicly admits that he did serve time in prison. This and a report on more troubles for Yuri Lutsenko, at Foreign Notes.

Foreign Notes writes about the killing of mobster Maxim Kurochkin and the investigation into it.

Over at Siberian Light, readers discuss weird first names, such as Stalin, Ninel, and Vladlen. Carpetblogger writes about the Donetsk Heating Company's Stalinist methods to get this East Ukrainian city's population to pay their utility bills.

Andile Mngxitama responds to Mahmood Mamdani's article about the conflict in Darfur: “If we cut through all the historical and sociological verbiage proffered by Mamdani, we can more clearly see his Arab settlerist sympathies. He uses a hierarchy of suffering method (genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of war and civil war) to show that what is occurring in Darfur is not genocide but a “civil war”, the lowest in his rubric of suffering. His aim is to plead the case of Khartoum and the counter insurgency, by denying the historical roots and the continued settler Arab and African problematic on the African continent and the Sudan in particular.”

A young blogger Zola travelled to Chongqing to report on the “Nail House” issue (zh) and came up with a series of report (already 4 posts). His trip was sponsored by other bloggers.

Is putting your hands up in the air illegal in Zimbabwe?: The Media and Information Commission (MIC) whose business it is to accredit newspapers and journalists think some gospel music producers have taken the gospel too far. According to The Standard newspaper, Geoffrey Chaparadza who was involved in the production of the album was summoned by the MIC to explain why he had produced an “opposition music album”.

After spending a year in Darfur as a UN/AU military observer, Soldier of Africa is going home. Well, after they get paid: “We have done our part, spent a year in Darfur as promised, but now we have to wait for news on when we go home. All we have to go on are possibilities and rumours. We have successfully cleared out so we are officially off the AMIS system, but we have to wait to be paid and then we should know for when our airline tickets have been booked.”

Caribbean Public Relations links to Rohit Bhargava for some tips on good blog karma: “They’re really common sense approaches to being courteous and open online, and expanding your network.”

“Can We wait another 20 years to develop the world-class education We need to compete as equals on the global stage?” Gil the Jenius examines the state of Puerto Rico's education system.

Find out why GuyanaGyal hasn't been blogging in a while…

A reader of Politics.bm comments about the “surefire sign” that elections in Bermuda are imminent…

Barbados Free Press marvels at the low crowd turnout for the West Indies vs. Australia Cricket World Cup match yesterday and wonders “How many hundreds of millions of dollars spent to get to this point?” And they're even less impressed about the ICC's move to charge bar owners for showing the matches in their establishments: “What is the story in Barbados? I haven’t been to a bar since reading the article about 5 minutes ago, but now I think I need a drink.”

Richard's Life in Thailand takes to an unusual tourist attraction that has not yet made it to the guidebooks.

The youth in Cambodia are very active helping their fellow citizen's learn blogging and get to grips with information technology. Vutha has some pictures from a recent training held in a Cambodian city.

com125lo feels that a online participatory media site run by Singapore's main news paper has room for improvement. The blogger suggests that the site invite more bloggers to contribute and widen its coverage.

Edo from Pink Tentacle introduces some fasinating origami made by paper money.

Debito reports that Joetsu City will abolish Nationality Clause in limiting foreigner for holding administrative positions (kanrishoku) in the Japanese civil service.

Simon blogs the 4 government building models released yesterday. The government has invited the public to vote: So you can't vote for who sits in the place but you can vote on what they sit in.