Global Voices Online

Onnik Krikorian reports from the site of the bombing of Prosperous Armenia offices in Yerevan, mentioning that many believe the attack to be the work of the Republican Party. If true, the bombing may be a hint of clashes to come between these two powerful groups during election season.

The blogger at Daily Brunei Resources, currently on an official visit to Japan encounters demonstrators protesting against the visit of Chinese premier in Tokyo.

Tolkun Umaraliev reports on the second day of protests in Bishkek calling for the president to resign.

Bonnie Boyd writes that since 1991, there has been more hot air than progress on saving the Aral Sea.

East Timor Journal comments on the unusual numbers of invalidated votes in the East Timor elections.

Beyond the River says that recent cultural reforms the president of Tajikistan has implemented stand to alienate youth.

Axel Braunlich lives in Khovd, Mongolia, and he recently started a blog called Birding Mongolia that contains accounts and photos of his birding adventures in Mongolia.

Eating Asia has pictures from a Kenduri - a traditional Malay ceremony or feast. The blogger describes the preparation of the food. “All kenduri involve protocol - there are must-do's and must-don'ts; dress should be appropriate, and ritual respected. But this is Malaysia, a country where food is never an afterthought. So, as the betrothed-to-be prepared herself for the afternoon's events, assorted relatives and neighbors cooked up an amazing meal for the guests.”

Borneo Blues posts pictures from the inaugural National Alliance of Bloggers Meet. Malaysian Bloggers are coming together in response to statements made by politicians against them.

Rocky's Bru says that PAS, a party ruling the Malaysian state of Kelantan has hired “Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz, the owner of the politically-potent Kickdefella blog to work for the state government as a Corp Comm Officer“. What is interesting about this news is that Syed Azidi Syed Abdul Aziz is currently a member of UMNO, the party currently ruling Malaysia and often critical of blogs.

Tubleweed says that if it comes to a run-off between the two leading candidates in East Timor elections Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres might be favored over Ramos-Horta.”From the personal views i've gathered , votes for Lu'olo seem to be really sentimentally tied to the resistance years. Fretilin still evokes strong emotions and pride in the people. THe resistance years were a time when they stood united as a people.”

Return to Rai Ketak looks at the announced results of East Timor elections and tries to predict the outcome in other districts where the counting is still on.

Bar Sahleh Salmat[Fa] says she is shameful that Iranian police announced that women who do not respect veil properly, will be punished.She says she carries chador but it is a personal choice.The blogger writes it is just like all country's problems get solved and only women's hair can make trouble.

Pictures of Bucharest, at Novala, Europa.

Balkan Baby writes about Australia's decision to extradite a Croatian war criminal Dragan Vasiljkovic: “The tables have been turned since the last time he was in Croatia. Back then he was the man who served out his form of cruel justice, now though he looks like the cockroach, defenseless, just as a large boot comes down. Fortunately for him, Croatia is a modern democracy and he can expect a fair trial which will probably take place under the microscope of the international media.”

How much should the EU members know about one another? Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar disagrees with the Hungarian president.

Romerican writes about “a crude start” of a recycling initiative in Brasov.

The Turkish Invasion and De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis mark the Day of Cosmonautics.

Copydude reports that it's not allowed to cross the Russian border on a bicycle.

Olechko writes about Mykhailo Demtsiu's work currently on view at a Kyiv gallery.

MoldovAnn writes on playing a foreigner in a Ukrainian movie about an orphanage child: “So, our part is literally in the last two minutes of the film, and we are far from the focus of any scene. But hell, we’ll be in the credits!”

In what comes across as a PR disaster, the government in India appears to be asking women in the civil services about their menstrual cycle and pap smears in their appraisal forms. (News reports suggest that the government has dropped the idea today.) Gilli.in collates some links discussing the issue.

Metroblogging Lahore reminds us that while the cricket team may not have fared well at the World Cup 2007, the Pakistani umpires are doing a great job. “Not very long ago, Pakistani umpires were looked down upon - Remember Javed Iqbal of Ashes fame? But these two have done exceptionally well at the international level and it's high-time we recognize their achievements!”

Kathmandu Speaks has an interesting post on a lot of things -including childhood, literature and citizen journalism. “Citizen Journalism- I didn’t know anything about this wonderful phenomenon until I was called for an interview. I was sure towards the end of the interview, that I had really impressed those three impressive men. Yeah, I was selected out of other tens of competitors, and I was the first employee of my current office.”

Jamaican b C wishes the West Indies well, but calls a spade a spade: “The truth is, the West Indies team is a minnow. You can't win matches when your opening pair of batsman can't give you more than 24 runs. You can't win when only one strike bowler actually takes wickets. You can't win when your entire middle order is almost incapable of half-centuries. You can't win when the fate rests in one man's hands.”

Writing from the U.S. Virgin Islands, News of St. John chuckles at a few signs of the times…

Uncommon Sense, citing reports by both Reuters and The Miami Herald, wonders if the Catholic Church has caved to pressure from the Cuban regime in halting the publication of Vitral, a church-sponsored magazine that, according to one anonymous activist, “worried both conservatives in the church and hard-liners in government”.

Egyptian blogger Ibn Al Dunya links to an article by Amnesty International which details systematic abuses of human rights in the name of security in Egypt.

Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein explains to us why he hates Facebook here. “Simply, facebook is just a reincarnation of Orkut, Hi5 and the same old … concept of closed social networks that demonstrate nothing but it is a small world after all(tm) phenomenon. People are all excited about it, because of the social pressures I discussed above. It is only a way for people to express their vanity online,” he explains.

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif retracted a post in which he posted a copy of a cheque for about $10 million in the name of an MP, claiming that it is a fake. “Therefore, and with further assurances of the officials I spoke to, this is a wholly fabricated situation. I offer my sincere apologies to MP … if I have caused any offence by publishing the original article, but I know he understands that it was done in the interest of fairness rather than malice,” he explains.

Writing in The Arabist, blogger Tim Seah links to a statement issued by Reporters Without Borders which calls for the immediate release of arrested human rights activist Ibrahim Zoro, 47, who regularly posts material on foreign-based opposition websites. Journalist Muhened Abdulrahman and writer Habib Saleh are also in prison in Syria for posting material online.

Saudi blogger Rasheed Abou-Alsamh links to an article in which he writes about how discussion groups in private homes in Saudi Arabia are now required to register with authorities or face legal action. ‘She says she received a troubling call from a government official a few weeks ago asking her to register the group with the Ministry of Interior or face police action against her group. “The official kept calling me, but I said I would not believe what he was saying unless he could send me something in writing,” recalls the academic, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution,' he writes.

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif has just been summoned to show up at the High Criminal Court on April 17 for a libel suit being brought against him by a minister for comments he published on his popular blog. “I am convinced that I did no wrong. I have portrayed my criticism squarely at a public figure and a government organ both of whom I think did not execute their job to the full extent of their capability. This case is nothing more than a scare tactic to silence any form of criticism, especially that of a public official. Why else is a case like this is to be heard at the highest criminal court in the land? Why else is a defamation case looked at in the same court that adjudicates murder and treason cases?” he argues.

A Nigeria blogger, eshuneutics, joins the debate about blogger's code of conduct: “The civil values that we prize today were not built upon polite speech. The pamphleteers of the seventeenth century—the bloggers of their day—were renowned for transgressions and fierce intellectual argument. What I most worry about in this move for a Code of Conduct (and the right to have a Sheriff Star Badge on a blog site…a Sheriff Badge?) is that trolling and debate are becoming confused. A Code of Conduct is not going to restrict trolling.”

We all know who the Amazons are - but to learn more about the Abazons - Saudi Stepford Wife's latest post is a must read. “Abazon- An abaya-clad Amazon who, as their literary counterparts in the past, threaten the masculinity of most Saudi men. As such, the typical goal of the Saudi man has been to defeat and humiliate them as a way of reasserting their own, masculine superiority,” she writes. The Abaya is a black cloak which covers the body and which is worn by Muslim women.

Saudi-based blogger Nzingha's maid is gone - and she can't hide her happiness. “And I'm so happy she is finally gone. I have learned a few things with this experience, one is that I will never again hesitate in firing a person if it isn't working out,” she writes.

Jamaican Geoffrey Philp features writer, producer and filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon in her own words: “Creation is a form of Terror, particularly when you come from a colonial context and background in which Empire (read: a sense of inferiority) was imposed through education, language, culture, as much if not more than through the barrel of a gun.”

Ethio-Zagol Post writes about suspected “terrorists” detained in Ethiopia: It was Replica Iran. Eight “terrorists” detained in secret prisons in Ethiopia (some referred to them as TPLF’s Guantanmo) were paraded on ETV yesterday. The “terrorists” in broken English told the world that their captures were humane; and provided them with clothing and meals of their own choice. The claimed Ethiopian jail guards were friendly, and like brothers to the jailed. What a moving story!

Trinidad Carnival Diary is puzzled about the T&T government's construction priorities: “While the Prime Minister (or new Prime Minister given that General Elections is carded for later this year) will be sitting pretty in a brand, spanking, new “crib” we masqueraders will have to eat dust on the streets of Port of Spain for the next few years only because we truly LOVE the mas!”

With all the blogging and reporting that's been done on the now-infamous nailhouse, Davesgonechina takes a long look back—two, actually—and still finds many unanswered questions.

Late last year blogger Joi Ito brought us a post on the Chiba Newtown Chuo, a “designed from scratch community in the middle of nowhere near my house.” This week he brings us photos.

David Ajao briefly discusses domain name usage in Nigeria and reports that the government of Oyo State website displays Google Ads after domain name expiration:
A case in point is Oyo State. The government website was at oyostate.gov.ng Later moved to oyostategov.com (for whatever reason). Now the .com domain name has expired and the official website of the government of Oyo State is displaying Google Ads.

In light of today's meeting between Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, ROK Drop blogger GI Korea asks if 2,300 Korean businessmen might be able to do more for the Arab nation right now than the same number of Korean soldiers in ‘Less Zaytun, More Hyundai‘.

Ongoing election bloggage from the eponymously-named debito blogger: “Read on to hear about a naturalized Korean-Japanese’s campaign for a prefectural seat in Osaka, campaigning his Korean roots overtly.“

As if the powerhouse China Law Blog weren't enough, now there's the new Japan Law Blog. Via gen at the Gen Kanai weblog.