Global Voices Online

Kevin has a post that argues why the next web killer app won't be developed in Singapore.

B.art and life, Barbados Free Press and the West Indies Cricket blog weigh in on West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels' conversation with an Indian bookie.

An encounter with a family friend reminds Guyana-Gyal about the adage about “marrying for conversation.”

The Voice of the Taino People blog solicits support for the Jamaica Maroons.

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia shows no sympathy to the news of Anna Nicole Smith's death.

Egyptian blogger Tareq wrote to Fox News, complaining about what he claimed to be their impartiality.

“We are sandwiched between Saudis lamenting sectarianism and the Shia threat, and Iranians raging war against America and Israel. Instead of finding a united cause to bring us together we became up for grabs for all,” writes Iraqi blogger Hala. She says the division tearing her people apart has taught her that they have “failed in the most important test….the test of Love.”

Iraq Pundit reports on a new book which claims that ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's double was hanged.

Omar, at Iraq the Model, is in shock that it is quiet in Baghdad. He feels that there is something out of place but can't pin it down.

Iraqi blogger Attawie attended a double-birthday celebration, in a Free to Pay restaurant. Her experience is described here.

Iraqi blogger Truth Teller says a reader asked him why the US was being blamed for all the ills in Iraq. His answer is here.

Iraqi blogger Rejected doubts the credibility of newspapers in the UAE. Read this to know why.

Ailleurs Vu D'ici reflects on democracy in Haiti (Fr): “Today, the institutional crisis in its different expressions reminds us that the rule of law is not just about more or less successful elections.”

Iranian Truth shares his opinion about “The Bush Policy on Iran”. The blogger says Those who travel to Iran often see what the want to see and reject the multitude of diverse beliefs, particularly those which run counter to their own perspective. An Iranian-American who wants to believe that Iranians are pro-American for the most part will completely discount the elements of Iran which are clearly pro-Iranian government. Or those elements will be discounted as “foreign” to the country, when they’re really not. On the other hand, those who have an anti-American perspective, will view Iranians as being hostile to Americans, moreso then they really are.

You can see and listen to a Christian song in FarsiPraise blog.

Lebanese blogger Abu Kais is wondering what has happened to the Lebanese-Israeli border, following clashes between the Lebanese army and the IDF.

The Black Iris is wondering whether Jordanian women are worse drivers. To take part in the debate, click here.

TOL's Belarus Blog writes about “Groundhog Day, Belarusian-Style”: “These days it seems that Belarusians are seeing their own version of this script being acted out by our politicians.”

South East Europe Online explains what “Serbiality” is: “So, I came up with the word Serbiality to define the Serbian reality (or realities), based on concensus instead of fact. So, for example, if Serbs agree that there was no genocide attempt by Miosevic in Kosovo, then there wasn't. Or, if Srebrenica didn't happen, then it didn't. Serbiality is hard to break through.”

Neretva River writes about sour relationship between Slovenia and Croatia.

Neretva River reports on an American firm recruiting the unemployed in the Balkans “to carry out various jobs assisting the US military in Iraq in fields of work ranging from truck driving to engineering”: “One 22 year old prospective KBR employ noted that his family were praying that he wouldn’t get a job with KBR and wouldn’t get sent to Iraq, but he also made clear the fact that if he remained in Croatia, he had no prospect of finding a job.”

Some people in the Balkans and the EU believe that “Serbia’s integration into the EU should be prioritized over the arrest of those most responsible for the worst atrocities committed in Europe since the Second World War,” writes Neretva River.

Finding Karadzic thinks it's a bad idea for the U.S. to go ahead with deportation of 14,000 Bosnian Serb men who “may bear a connection to war crimes” - primarily because it “serves as a distraction in our efforts to catch the real bad guys. You know, the ones with outstanding indictments from the Hague whose criminal behavior leaves no doubt. Namely, Karadzic and Mladic.”

“Kosova has been given the blessing of the international community to begin proceedings for independence in earnest and with the sincere belief that their country will be recognised.” More on this at Balkan Baby.

Our Man in Tirana posts photos from the German WWII Memorial located in a park in the Albanian capital; an anonymous Albanian comments: “I find the nazi memorial insulting, to be honest. These people came to our country to kill and burn and we're raising them a memorial? My grandfather's house in Berat was burned to the ground by this “young angels”, as were many other historical houses in Berat and all over Albania. How about the village of Borova, that was wiped off the map, with everyone in the village killed and every house burned, will the government raise them a memorial? Maybe not, since they're only Albanians.”

Our Man in Tirana posts more photos of election campaign posters: “Why bother with one poster when you can put up 20 or 30 or 50?”

Indian Muslims comment on the refusal of movie theatre owners to screen a movie. “So, Parzania would not be screened in Gujarat. Not anytime soon at least. It seems the entire state is being held hostage to a particular ideology and anyone protesting against it would be silenced. All sighs stifled and all pain concluded imaginary.”

A famous actress indulges in a little harmless piece of superstition that has some people in arms. Amardeep Singh explains. “Aishwarya Rai, who has been in the news lately because of her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan, has apparently been ritually married to not one but two trees before her real marriage”. Meanwhile Known Turf on five things feminism has done for the author.

groundviews on why democracy is undermined by the lack of respect for human rights, and why Sri Lanka needs to get together the case for fighting violation of human rights. “There is no way in which effective human rights monitoring can be conducted by national institutions. The National Human Rights Commission is undermined at the top by the intentional violation of the Seventeenth Amendment and the non –constitution of the Constitutional Council as well as by a lack of resources.”

Life in the Terai gets harder. An account of the days as they go by in the middle of the Madheshi Movement, and the impact on the lives of people at My Vision.

He may have won the Nobel, but could he win the Bangladeshi elections? Journal of a Disturbed Mind on Dr Yunus contesting the elections. “He may find 300 honest and competent candidates, but will he find even 150 popular candidates from different seats to win the next election. Very difficult, no doubt. Because popularity is the X factor here, simon cowell would say.”

neweurasia reports that Tajikistan's energy crisis has gotten worse as a hydroelectric station serving the Pamir region has just gone out of service.

Joshua Foust argues that Central Asia should be given more attention by Western policymakers.

Social Science in the Caucasus reports on the findings of research on minority youth in Georgia, including recommendations on integrating them into public life.

Mutantfrog blogs about the politics of name-rectification in Taiwan. Michael Turton from the View from Taiwan believes that “in any normal postcolonial state these monuments to the previous power would be either rehabilitated or destroyed. That is the process that the DPP is attempting to carry out“.

Gaijin Hanzai Underground Files is a comic book in Japan about “foreign crime”. Many foreigners complained that the book has full of racial discrimination and distortion. Debito explains the details of the distortion.

David Weber from Japundit blogs a serie of photos on Japan's spring festival and the ritual in driving away demons.

Charles mok is one of the memeber in the Chief Executive election committee member, representing IT professional. He has nominated Alan Leong as a candidate. Today he revealed in his blog that Donald Tsang had arranged meeting will all the election committee members, except those who had nominated Leong.

The local version of “Vagina Monologue” was on show in Hong Kong. The title has been translated into “VV silent talk”. Lian at inmediahk.net criticized that the local version still refused to spell out the word “Vagina” loud, and it missed the whole point of the drama and against Eve Ensler's original intention (zh).