Global Voices Online

Information Policy links to a story in the International Herald Tribune on the protest of Slovak newspapers against the new requirement “to print responses by people or institutions to any news article even if the published information were true.”

The Economist's blog, Certain Ideas of Europe, reports from the Czech Republic on how “charging patients a small sum for visits to publicly funded doctors” has more or less eliminated “micro-bribing.”

At A Fistful of Euros, Douglas Muir writes about Marshal Antonescu of Romania, and Alex Harrowell writes about an “outbreak of arseholes in Central Europe.”

“One of the last things you would expect to find in Morocco is a pig farm. Given that the consumption of pork is a religious taboo it may come as a surprise that this is a growth industry. And the reason? Tourism,” writes The View from Fez.

Syrian Abu Fares explains why he blogs in this post. “I blog therefore I am,” he concludes.

Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar shares an interview conducted with him by PBS news hour.

Naseem Tarawnah, from Jordan, shares with us some of his “delicious pickings” in this post.

Plataforma Angola Mais Solidária [pt] is a new blog intended to create a space for reflexion and debate of ideas. They welcome the readers: “If you arrived here it is because you care about our Land! If you arrived here it is because you believe we deserve a better Angola! If you arrived here it is because you believe that discussion and explicit ideas may help our leaders better decide!”

“It is said that each Palestinian expelled from their land - and not just since 1948, when it the state of Israel was created - keep a key which they always carry with them. This is not the key for their car, office or a shed lost somewhere between Jordan, Syria and Iraq. These are the keys to their homes, in the land identified as sacred by their religion and where they could never go back to”. Sakamoto [pt] has pictures from a demonstration held in São Paulo, Brazil to demand the end of Gaza Strip.

Carlos Serra [pt] reports some more protests against the increase in the cost of living, this time in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, where food prices have gone up. The sociologist-blogger forecasts these may not be the last ones: “I remember similar manifestations taking place recently in Cameroon, Burkina Faso and in our country. I predict that this phenomenon will be widespread in our continent.”

“Ten years ago, exactly on March 31, 1998, I was publishing my first blog, the modest Diário da Megalópole [Megalopolis Diary, pt], which was possibly the first blog ever in Portuguese”, remembers Nemo Nox, who still goes strong.

Freedom in Bhutan on the recently conducted elections in the country, and the idea of “openness” in democracy.

Five Rupees on the case of a woman who is trying to escape being killed for her family's honour - bringing to light issues of women's status in a society and the idea of lost honour.

United We Blog! on why the government in Nepal should allow peaceful protests for the cause of Tibet, even if their political stand on the issue is different.

Bahas explores the idea of a “culture of impunity” - the legacy of poor law-enforcement in Nepal.