HERE IS A GLOBAL MAP: -
Homosexuality legal
Other type of partnership (or unregistered cohabitation)
Marriages from other jurisdictions recognized
Limited federal recognition of marriage in states without same-sex marriage
Same-sex unions not recognized
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Homosexuality criminalized/restricted
Restrictions on freedom of expression
Unenforced penalty
Imprisonment
Up to life in prison
Death penalty
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question:
Which country (or countries) is most tolerant of homosexuality?
answer
Well, as I studied a little about homophobia and laws regarding homosexuality, I think I can answer your question. First of all, there is sure no country where people absolutely tolerate homosexuality, at least not now. The countries whose laws tolerate are shown in this picture :
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co…
(Countries in dark blue allows same-sex marriage, countries in light blue allows other types of partnerships, countries in grey do nothing about gays, countries in yellow and orange punishes gays and lesbians, countries in red and dark red just kill the homosexuals)
But people don't necessarily think what the laws say. I'd say that homosexuality gets the most tolerance in the US, Canada, Northern Europe and parts of the Western Europe (the Scandinavians are the first to recognize same-sex marriage) In Latin America, Australia, Southern Europe and parts of the Eastern Europe (Hungary and Czech Rep., perhaps ?) the people give a sympathetic look towards gays and lesbians. Homosexuals should avoid East and Southeast Asia (with the excluding of a friendly Japan and Thailand) countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, or HongKong just vomit as they see gays. (Lesbians are, surprisingly, more tolerated than gays. Perhaps it was because of the Confusianism ideology's influence ?) Lastly, you must avoid Middle East and North Africa (Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia...) at all cost if you're homosexual. There's STATE-SPONSORED HOMOPHOBIA there !
As for me, if you're not straight, then the US would be the best for you, especially in the Northeast
SOCHI- WHAT DO ALL OUR CANADIAN ATHLETES WANT- 4 years of training- the Winter Olymics must go ahead- but Olympics and FIFA and world sports MUST CHOOSE CIVILIZED COUNTRIES....China was wonderful and awesome- WHY CAN'T RUSSIA?- our global children deserve respect 4 their sporting skills.... our Olympics and Paralympics deserve honour
and... darn...it..... we want our Winter Olympics in Russia- come on!!!!!- don't diss 200 global nations.... and FIFA must do the same.... civilized nations must be the way of progress 4 humanity....it just must..... we have been kind long enough... imho- BUT WE ALSO MUST ACCEPT COUNTRIES ON THIS PLANET.... and honour what we can.... discard what we can't- we had a wonderful time in China.... it was awesome- what's 2 say it won't be in Russia- BUT IF GAYS RUIN EVERYTHING THERE WITH SPOILT MEDIA 'ME, ME, ME'- instead of honouring our nations and their flags and the youth - the world's finest.... then look out gay bros and sis-tas cause we'll nev-a 4give ya-
...many of us walked the talk since the 60s and 70s..... and when we came 2 u 4 help with PAEDOPHILES, ABUSE OF WOMEN, PAY EQUITY, WORKPLACE SAFETY, GLOBAL POVERTY.....CHILDREN'S RIGHTS, DISABLITY- VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE... AND RACE EQUALITY... ETC... ya all ignored us..... and that hurt.....
.... so let's all stand alongside each other 4 human rights.... but let's remember- ALL HUMAN RIGHTS.... especially children and ONE BILLION RISING- breaking the chains of abuse of girls, boys and sex trafficking... ok??? IMHO
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia - Venue Preview - Unravel Travel
Sochi 2014 staged in Russia will be the most compact Winter Games in the history of the Olympic Movement. It will be possible to get from one venue to another in just a matter of minutes and all Olympic and Paralympic competition will take place in the same venues. It is for this reason that all athletic facilities for the Sochi 2014 Games are being built with the needs of disabled people in mind. Eleven athletic venues will be built for the Sochi 2014 Games, which will be divided into two clusters - mountain and coastal. The clusters will be located within 48km of each other, which is less than a 30 minute ride along a new railway.
Each cluster will contain an Olympic Village. The travel time from the Olympic Village to a competition venue in the coastal cluster will be no more than five minutes. Additionally, travel time from the Olympic Village to a competition venue in the mountain cluster is less than 15 minutes. The central focus of the coastal cluster will be the Olympic Park. It will connect up all competition venues, the parking zone and the infrastructure elements. For the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, all ice arenas will be within walking distance of one other. The Olympic Park will be able to accommodate about 70,000 visitors when full. The Mountain Cluster will include Biathlon and Ski Complexes, a Bobsleigh Track, a Ski Center, a Ski Jump Complex, as well as a Snowboard Park and Freestyle Center.
5,500 Olympic athletes, 1,350 Paralympic athletes, 25,000 volunteers, and 13,000 members of the press will come to the Games in Sochi. Sports venues in the Olympic Park will be visited daily by more than 75,000 people, and the Games' television audience will be approximately 3 billion viewers! In addition, residents of Russia's major cities will be able to watch a live television broadcast of the Olympic events at specially equipped Olympic sites called Live Sites. The Live Sites will be traditional celebration sites in city centers which will be equipped with big screens, sound, light, and a stage for people to watch the Games together, experience the atmosphere, and celebrate the victories of Russian athletes. It is expected that a total of up to 30 million people will visit the Live Sites, so almost every family in Russia will be able to be part of the Games in Sochi.
Sochi 2014 http://www.sochi2014.com/en
Live broadcast Unravel Travel TV http://www.unraveltraveltv.com
?Unravel Travel TV Twitter http://www.twitter.com/UnravelTravelTV?
Unravel Travel TV on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/UnravelTravelTV
?Unravel Travel TV http://www.unraveltravel.eu
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CHINA'S SUMMER OLYMPICS HAD US IN TEARS ROUND THE WORLD- sooooo awesome- and China's equality of women- especially serving their nation, education, progression etc.... and maybe Russia needs 2 catch up- but if our kids want Sochi- DAMM IT THEY ...GET... SOCHI....
-it's up 2 all the athletes who have put 4 years of guts and garters in2 being the best on the planet
WINTER OLYMPICS 2014- don't spoil this world 4 our global 4yr hardwork athletes and the billions that watch.... seriously... AND WE LOVE OUR RUSSIAN BEAR-
Sochi 2014 - "Gateway To The Future"
CHINA SUMMER OLYMPICS- THE JOY.. THE JOY... Bejing won our hearts completely and honestly- and allowed us to honour a beautiful nation- we love our China Dragon baby!
Opening Ceremony - Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games
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AHEM... AHEM.... USA - UK AND SOME EUROPE.... don't be hypocrites please
International pressure increases on Russia
August 7, 2013 - 11:38pm GRAHAM DUNBAR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Obama among voices criticizing Olympic Winter Games host’s anti-gay laws
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — With the Sochi Olympics just six months away, U.S. President Barack Obama, Stephen Fry and international gay rights group All Out have increased attention on Russia over its new anti-gay law.
The law, which was signed by President Vladimir Putin in June, bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" and had already seemed likely to spark protests until the end of the Feb. 7-23 Winter Games. The issue gained more momentum Wednesday as Moscow prepares to host International Olympic Committee leaders for meetings ahead of the athletics world championships starting Saturday.
Obama cancelled a planned September meeting in the city with Putin in a diplomatic rebuke over Russia’s harbouring of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, having also said in a television interview hours earlier that he had "no patience" with countries which discriminate against gay people.
"I think they (Putin and Russia) understand that for most of the countries that participate in the Olympics, we wouldn’t tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently," Obama told host Jay Leno on Tuesday’s edition of NBC’s "The Tonight Show."
Fry, the British author and actor, went further in an open letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron and IOC president Jacques Rogge, comparing Putin’s "barbaric, fascist law" to persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany.
"An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 in Sochi is simply essential," Fry wrote. "At all costs, Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilized world."
Fry’s letter was delivered by All Out at Olympic headquarters in Lausanne along with a 320,000-name petition asking the IOC to denounce the law in Russia.
After a one-hour meeting with All Out campaigner Guillaume Bonnet, IOC spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press that the Olympic body "cannot enter into political debate,"
"Our challenge is to change the world through sport and in sport, and that is what we are doing," Adams said. "We very much respect and welcome gay athletes to the Games. We will ensure to the best of our ability that people can come and compete and spectate free of discrimination."
Earlier this week, IOC board member Ser Miang Ng — a presidential candidate to succeed Rogge next month — suggested to reporters in London that Olympic officials were engaged in "quiet diplomacy" with the "highest authority" in Russia.
All Out’s Bonnet noted that Rogge will soon be in Moscow, where the IOC has a joint board meeting and news conference with the IAAF athletics governing body on Friday.
"That is an amazing moment to take a strong stand and ensure the IOC is the guardian of Olympic principles," Bonnet told the AP, after a "positive" meeting. "The Olympics are an amazing opportunity to pressure Putin to remove the anti-gay law that is affecting all Russians’ freedom of speech and legitimizing the anti-gay crackdown in Russia."
Whether Russia is willing to compromise could become more apparent today, when sports minister Vitaly Mutko is scheduled to share a news conference platform at a Moscow hotel with Lamine Diack, the IAAF president and longtime IOC member.
Mutko raised concern last week among gay rights advocates with comments that the law would be enforced during the Sochi Games. It allows Russian authorities to impose fines for providing information about the gay community to minors or holding gay pride rallies. Foreign citizens — potentially including athletes — can be arrested, jailed for 15 days and then deported.
Also Wednesday, IAAF deputy general secretary Nick Davies suggested that hosting international events could lead to Russia reconsidering its position on gay people.
Seeing people with "alternative lifestyles … may serve as an impetus for them (Russia) to reconsider their views instead of just living in an isolated society," he said in a statement.
Still, Davies said that although the IAAF is opposed to any discrimination, it would follow the IOC by not raising political issues during its sports events.
The IOC’s Adams said its diplomatic efforts had worked, notably on gender issues ahead of the London Olympics last year. With Brunei Darussalam, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all sending female athletes, it was the first Summer Games when all teams were represented by men and women.
"It does show the success of our approach to these topics," Adams said.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/1146506-international-pressure-increases-on-russia
COMMENT:
I find it somewhat hypocritical of President Obama to make the statement about "we wouldn't tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently" when severe homophobia is still rampant in your own country. If I recall, there are only a handful of states that allow same-sex marriage, so is that not treating both gay and lesbian couples differently in the majority of your own country? We live in such a sad world where people still do not accept homosexuality... The only reason anyone ever denounces it is by flogging the bible, Qur'an, or some other fictional work which causes more harm than good.
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AND... HERE...WE.... GO.... GLOBAL GAYS WILL DESTROY THE WINTER OLYMPICS AND BREAK THE HEARTS OF ALL THE KIDS WHO HAVE WORKED THEIR GUTS OUT 2 COMPETE....
..... and this is just wrong on so many levels... so now gays will hijack the Winter Olympics?????? and ruin Paralympics???? really???? now how is that different than Putin????? cause Russians and countries want the olympics..... don't blow the elegance of Stephen Fry please???
... act with decorum and grace like in Vancouver and Utah..... impress the world..... like u did in China... RIGHT!!! Don't f**k this up ..... cause the world won't stand in ur corner.... and if the olympics are ruined for athletes and paralympics.... u will NEV-A be forgiven..... this ain't Nazi land.... it's simply the Russian bear.... it's their culture.... and 99% of Russians 4 one reason or nother... accept it... apparently.... please don NOT ruin the Winter Paralympics/Olympics Sochi 2014
Gay European Tourism Association calls for gayest games at Sochi Winter Olympics
Image via gaywelcome.com
Aug 05, 2013
GETA, the Gay European Tourism Association, has called upon the International Olympic Commission to act against discrimination at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games and to make a clear and visible statement in support of gay rights.
The Association has written to the IOC reminding it that the Olympic Charter commits it "to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement" and has launched an on-line petition to put pressure on the Commission to act.
In response to the Russian Government’s recent laws which ban the promotion of homosexual propaganda GETA calls upon the IOC to act –
• to make clear and highly visual statements about its opposition to discrimination through creating gay venues, encouraging gay athletes, team members and spectators to be open about their sexuality and reasserting the IOC’s commitment to act against discrimination;
• to encourage gay athletes to make their presence known and all athletes to show their opposition to discrimination in what they say, what they wear and what they do; and
• to defend the rights of spectators to promote their opposition to discrimination in non-violent ways.
"The IOC is committed by its Charter to act against discrimination and we want to make sure that it does so at their games in Russia" said Carlos Kytka, Executive Director of GETA."GETA exists to make it easier for gay people to travel in Europe. Team members and spectators visiting Russia face arrest, jail, deportation and physical harm for behaving in accordance the Olympic Charter commitment to act against discrimination. The IOC has to take a very visible and vocal stand. We want them to make these the gayest games ever."
GETA is seeking the support of European Governments for its stand by raising the issue with European Sports Ministers and supportive parliamentarians.
"The World Outgames have just started in Antwerp showing how sport should embrace everyone, regardless of their sexuality. We urge everyone who opposes discrimination to sign the petition and put pressure on the IOC to act," said Carlos.
You can see more about the campaign and sign the petition at GETA’s travel website, www.gaywelcome.com
Source: gaywelcome.com
Global Issues
http://www.eturbonews.com/36805/gay-european-tourism-association-calls-gayest-games-sochi-winter?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Eturbonews-TravelAndTourismIndustryNews+%28eTurboNews+-+for+the+global+travel+professional%29
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CANADA GAMES- 2013- Sherbrooke Quebec
Canada Games Day 6: Preview
Horton High's Kyle Johnston, 18, Hantsport, catches the ball as a player from Team Saskatchewan slides into base during play at the Canada Games Aug. 3. P Megan Mahon - Communications Nova Scotia
Published on August 8, 2013 Jennifer Hoegg RSS Feed
Soccer, swimming, baseball and basketball
Topics : Canada Games , Coldbrook , Newfoundland and Labrador , Kings
As the first week of the Games wind down, Kings County athletes are still competing in four sports.
The women’s soccer team plays for a bronze medal at 5 p.m. Atlantic, with Port Williams’ Jessica Shaffelburg and Coldbrook’s Emily Nickerson, along with Axewomen recruit Katie Ross, in the lineup.
Another Axewoman, Meghan Earle, plays in a placement match with Newfoundland and Labrador against Saskatchewan at 11 a.m.
Men’s basketball
Port Williams Gage Sabean and Wolfville’s Brett Dickie and Team Nova Scotia have a placement game at 4:15 p.m. against Newfoundland and Labrador.
Men’s baseball
Jake Lonar, Coldbrook, and Horton High’s Kyle Johnston, Hantsport, have a final contest of the Games at 2 p.m. against Manitoba.
Swimming
In the pool, eight Wolfville Tritons and Acadia swimmers finish racing today. Preliminary heats are at 10:00 a.m. Finals are at 7 p.m.
Find out more...
Live swimming results are available here and a slideshow of swimming photos is here.
Kassandra Parsons, 16, of Kentville, swims in preliminary heats in the women's 200m butterfly Aug. 5 at the Canada Games.
Watch the Canada Games online.
Full schedules, results and statistics are available here.
Read more about the local athletes or see a slideshow of them at the Games.
Mobile-friendly link to Kingscountynews.ca coverage.
http://www.kingscountynews.ca/Sports/2013-08-08/article-3342166/Canada-Games-Day-6-Preview/1
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Shelburne cadet earns top sail award at HMCS Acadia
Colton Wagner (left) of Shelburne, shakes hands with Lieutenant Commander Shayne Hall, Sail Operations Officer, as he accepts the CPO1 Matthew Symes Award July 26. Photo Credit: Capt. Wendy Patterson, Acadia UPAR
Greg Bennett Published on August 7, 2013
Topics : Atlantic Canada , Shelburne
A local cadet earned the top sailing award during the Basic Sail Course at HMCS Acadia, Canada’s largest sea cadet summer training centre.
On the three-week long sail course, Colton Wagner spent almost every day on the water, learning the ropes of sailing a small two-person racing boat, called a dinghy. He was selected as the most outstanding candidate from his division of 21 other cadets from all over Canada and abroad.
At home, 14-year-old Wagner is a cadet with 180 RCSCC Saxon in Shelburne, where he holds the rank of Master Seaman. He says his favourite things about cadets are summer training courses and the chance to sail for free. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, hunting and skateboarding, and uses his cadet skills to race sailboats.
HMCS Acadia is one of five Cadet Summer Training Centres in Atlantic Canada. Cadets, from across Canada and abroad, are at the training centre this summer taking part in music, sailing, seamanship, and fitness and sports programs. Through participation in the Cadet Program, young people develop valuable life skills in teamwork, citizenship, leadership and physical fitness while having fun and meeting new friends.
http://www.thecoastguard.ca/News/2013-08-07/article-3341485/Shelburne-cadet-earns-top-sail-award-at-HMCS-Acadia/1
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NOVA SCOTIA-Nouvelle-Ecosse
HMCS Sackville drums up waterfront show
August 6, 2013 - 5:14pm By THE CHRONICLE HERALD
HMCS Sackville is sponsoring an amateur drum circle on the jetty beside the ship Thursday at 7 p.m.
Anyone with a djembe or African-style drum is invited to an evening of drumming, led by Glenn Fraser, the director of Drum Dance. Also bring a chair.
Those who don’t have a drum can come and enjoy the rhythm.
The public is invited to tour the Second World War corvette, which will be open the night of the performance.
HMCS Sackville is located on the Halifax boardwalk, directly behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Lower Water Street.
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Local teen reaches new heights on cadet course
Cadet Justin Stevens descends down the Abseil tower. - Captain Tracy Williams photos
Published on August 4, 2013
Topics : Argonaut Army Cadet , Atlantic Canada , Gagetown
A Kentville cadet was all smiles as he took part in Abseiling recently at Argonaut Army Cadet Summer Training Centre in Gagetown, N.B.
Justin Stevens is attending camp for the second year in a row, having taken a two-week course last summer. This year, he is taking a three-week drill and ceremonial course, but it’s not all about drill. He’s also participating in a wide variety of challenging activities such as Abseiling, which is a controlled descent of a wall or rock at the end of a rope.
"It was terrifying, but a lot of fun, too," said Stevens.
Argonaut Army Cadet Summer Training Centre is one of five Cadet Summer Training Centres in Atlantic Canada. Cadets from across Canada and abroad are at the training centre this summer taking part in expedition, pipes and drums, leadership, and fitness and sports programs.
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Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Eid al-Fitr
August 8, 2013
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark Eid al Fitr:
"As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, Laureen and I wish Muslims in Canada and around the world a joyous Eid al Fitr.
"Throughout the period of spiritual self purification that is Ramadan, Muslims everywhere have demonstrated the strength of their faith and charity. Now, they gather with family and friends to pray and to celebrate the end of the Fast at sunset tonight.
"Once again, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish all Muslims a very blessed Eid. Eid Mubarak!"
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NOVA SCOTIA- NOUVELLE - ECOSSE- CANADA'S OCEAN PLAYGROUND- WEBCAN PHOTOS
http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/special/event-cam.html
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WW1 - NOVA SCOTIA - NOUVELLE-ECOSSE CANADA
CANADA'S SIKH MILITARY - WW1
Camp Aldershot was bustling 98 years ago
Kings County News Published on August 4, 2013
Topics : Nova Scotia Highland Brigade , YMCA , Soldiers Service League , Aldershot , England , France
In honour of the 99th anniversary of the start of the First World War Aug. 4, we remember with this piece.
By John Cunningham
It had been two years since the guns opened up on the the Western Front when a visiting Yarmouth Times reporter wrote, "Aldershot has become, as if by magic, a military town."
Training in Camp Aldershot in the summer of 1916, as Canadians marked the second anniversary of this country’s entry into the First World War, were four battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade and the Royal School of Artillery.
As many as 7,000 troops at a time were at the facility, named after Camp Aldershot in England, said author-historian Brent Fox, in his book Camp Aldershot - Serving Since 1904. The terrain, with its barren sand dunes, provided a landscape well-suited for drills and maneuvers.
The program was arduous and discipline strict, it was noted in The Nova Scotia Highlander, an in-house camp newspaper published in 1916. Battalion bands marched the soldiers with measured precision through daily changing of the guard ceremonies. Soldiers, responding to barking commands of non-commissioned officers, bustled about.
The ordinary rank soldiers slept six to eight men in damp, musty tents on the plains.
"We are not ducks, but we expect to be if the rain continues," said Pte. Garnet White, in a letter published in a June 1916 Advertiser.
At any given time, 100 to 160 men were being treated because of illness or training accidents at the camp infirmary. Hospitalized soldiers, keenly interested in keeping up with the war news, could follow coverage of the fighting in Belgium and France through fairly current copies of newspapers, provided by the men of YMCA. The "Y" volunteers also honed the dull razors to lessen the "pain and unpleasantness" of "men who must be their own barbers."
In what was revolutionary and unique for the times, the YMCA, in conjunction with the Soldiers Service League, put on concerts of music played over gramophones that were moved from one YMCA tent to another. A call went out to the civilian community to send on any "good double-disc records of which they have grown weary."
A robust sports program of baseball, football and track and field helped keep the soldiers entertained and in shape during off-duty hours. Wives and girlfriends were rarely allowed on campgrounds, so other than the reading rooms and the gramophone concerts, there was little evening entertainment.
Soldiers lucky enough to be granted leave found, after a short railway trip into Kentville, that the town welcomed them. Restaurant and merchants had quickly adapted to accommodate army needs and tastes. E.J. Bishops was taking orders for suits and raincoats for military officers. Campbells, on Main Street, carried a full line of badges, whistles and cords. Teddy’s Khaki Restaurant billed itself as an eating establishment where "every soldier is King." Mrs. A.C. More’s Green Lantern Restaurant tempted soldiers with ice-cold sodas, milkshakes and banana splits.
Back in Aldershot, officers and men of the Nova Scotia Brigade were standing by the camp rail depot at 6 a.m. for the mid-June arrival of Canada’s Minister of Defence, Sir Sam Hughes. A march past involving the entire four-battalion unit took place, along with an inspection supervised by the general, who was visiting camp as part of a cross-Maritime tour.
Hughes had high praise for the men training at Kentville. He said that from all reports, the soldiers had exhibited exemplary character while working in camp or on leave in town.
"Their work showed the most careful training," he said.
The men were training for the trenches at a time casualty tolls were reaching an almost-incomprehensible level. British Forces had attacked the Somme region of France July 1, 1916, preceded by an artillery barrage that could be heard on the south coast of England. What was to have been a triumph had turned into "the darkest day in British military history," when 57,000 soldiers were either killed, wounded or reported missing. The Canadians, fighting further north in Flanders, were about to move down to the Somme.
Most of the men from Aldershot would soon cross to England for more training before crossing over to the Battlefields of France and Belgium. These young men, when war was declared Aug. 4, 1914, had viewed it as an opportunity for adventure and glamour, but were now well aware it was not going to be easily won by Christmas.
Camp Aldershot had been established in 1904 to prepare Canadian soldiers to fight for their county and its values despite the conditions of war. It shows "the determination of Nova Scotians to discharge their duty and obligation to their country," a visiting Yarmouth Times reporter said 98-years-ago. "(Its) debt to the nation, a blood tax as real as any other tax."
John Cunningham is a retired newspaper reporter and is currently writing a book on the First World War.
http://www.kingscountynews.ca/Community/2013-08-04/article-3337810/Camp-Aldershot-was-bustling-98-years-ago/1
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ONE BILLION RISING-SHANIA TWAIN- breaking the chains of abuse...
IDLE NO MORE CANADA- Shania Twain was adopted by her stepfather Ojibway Jerry Twain and grew up on the reserve as non-status indian.... Shania always said Jerry Twain (and she adored Grandpa Twain) treated respectfully and loved Shania's mother Sharon so much..
..... but Shania said the enormous abuse among the Reservations should shame all of Canada.... and men need counselling and respect as much as women...
Shania Twain - Black Eyes, Blue Tears - Live!
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First-in-Canada law allows N.S. cyberbullying victims to sue, seek protection
By Nick Logan and Erika Tucker Global News
A woman holds a photo of Rehtaeh Parsons in Halifax on April 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
HALIFAX – Bullying victims can now sue cyberbullies or get court-ordered protection in Nova Scotia.
The law, which includes a first-in-Canada investigation unit, is part of Nova Scotia’s new Cyber-Safety Act introduced in April following the death of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons.
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"Too many young people and their families are being hurt by cyberbullies," Justice Minister Ross Landry said on Wednesday. "I committed to families that the province would work with them to better protect our children and young people. Court orders, and the ability to sue, are more tools that help put a stop to this destructive behaviour."
In the case of a lawsuit, parents of cyberbullies could be held liable for damages if the aggressor is a minor.
But while many hailed the new legislation, some academics and psychiatrists argue it won’t address the roots of bullying. In some cases, one professor says, it could make it tougher to come forward or more likely, problems may fester until they escalate to courtroom proportions.
Parsons’ family alleged the Halifax-area high school student endured months of bullying after a photo of her allegedly being sexually assaulted by a group of boys was shared among schoolmates.
READ MORE: Report calls for new law against sharing intimate photos without consent
The new unit, called CyberScan, will begin work in September under the direction of former police officer Roger Merrick.
Merrick will oversee five investigators looking into cyberbullying complaints — regardless of if the victim is a child or an adult.
Changes to the Education Act will also mean school principals will be responsible for responding to incidents of bullying and cyberbullying at school, as well as beyond school hours and the school grounds.
"This sends a clear message, cyberbullying is a serious act with serious consequences. Think before you text," Landry said.
There have been calls for Nova Scotia and other provinces across Canada to crack down on bullying and cyberbullying.
The Parsons case caught international attention and prompted protests, eventually leading to provincial leaders addressing the issue at the Council of the Federation meetings in July.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also spoke out about Parsons’ death and met with her parents, Leah Parsons and Glen Canning.
Following the girl’s death, reviews were conducted of the RCMP handling of the sexual assault complaint, the hospital where she was admitted when she became suicidal, and of how the Halifax Regional School Board dealt with the case.
"We’ve all been affected by cyberbullying, whether it has happened to us or someone we know or we’ve just seen it online," said Chantel O’Brien, a member of Nova Scotia’s Youth Advisory Council. "These amendments will be a wake-up call to those who think they can hide behind a computer to avoid being held accountable. It’s reassuring to see the government taking action to ensure youth can feel safe in their own homes."
But without comprehensive programs that provide a climate where kids feel comfortable discussing bullying, the new law won’t change much, said Faye Mishna, cyberbullying researcher and dean of Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto.
"In some cases, it’s good to have the court option, but overall that’s not going to be the way we’re going to address it," Mishna told Global News. "I think it’s a lot of money, a lot of aggravation, and I think it sounds easier than it is to sue somebody…Who’s going to pay for the lawyers?"
She does believe the court option is appropriate for cases that have become extremely serious, but worries that by the time kids are ready to tell an adult about bullying, it’s already become too serious.
"One of the reasons kids don’t like to tell [on people who are bullying them] is they don’t want to make it a big deal," she said. "And this will make it a big deal."
In relation to the changes to the Education Act, Mishna wonders how exactly principals will be responsible for cyberbullying incidents beyond school hours and grounds, and how they will be compensated for the additional work.
She also worries about parents of cyberbullies being held liable if the aggressor is a minor and it ends in a lawsuit. While she realizes some parents may be negligent and facilitating cyberbullying, others might be parents who are "working three jobs and aren’t available for other reasons."
Mishna notes that parents can’t always be supervising their kids in the age of Internet and cellphones, and urges policy makers to change things "so that everybody’s involved."
"As an overall strategy to address cyberbullying, I don’t think this is the best way," she said. "As one component of an overall strategy that includes comprehensive, school-wide programs in the curriculum, discussions, workshops…then I think that’s great. But just this alone…it’s not going to be a wake-up call."
For our full coverage of the Rehtaeh Parsons case, click here
With files from The Canadian Press
http://globalnews.ca/news/766451/first-in-canada-law-allows-ns-cyberbullying-victims-to-sue/
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Police make arrests in Rehtaeh Parsons case
Two males were arrested Thursday in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, the 17-year-old Halifax girl who died following a suicide attempt in what her family says stemmed from months of online bullying after an alleged sexual assault. Continue reading ?
The RCMP say they have made two arrests in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, the 17-year-old Halifax girl who was taken off life-support following a suicide attempt in April. Facebook
HALIFAX – Two males were arrested Thursday in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, the 17-year-old Halifax girl who died following a suicide attempt in what her family says stemmed from months of online bullying after an alleged sexual assault.
The RCMP and Halifax police said Thursday they arrested two males at their homes in Halifax at around 8 a.m. and took them into custody where they were being questioned. The Mounties did not release further information on the males arrested, including what they were arrested for.
Rehtaeh was taken off life-support in April after she attempted suicide in her home. Her family says she was bullied for months after a digital photo of her allegedly being sexually assaulted in November 2011 was passed around her school.
READ MORE: First-in-Canada law allows N.S. cyberbullying victims to sue, seek protection
"We’re just hopeful that … there’s charges laid," Leah Parsons, Rehtaeh’s mother, said in an interview.
"I feel that the investigation wasn’t handled properly from the beginning and I’ve never seen the file, so I don’t really know why or how that happened. I’m just glad that it was reopened and I’m really happy that they have two people to question."
The RCMP said earlier this year that they looked into the allegations of sexual assault and an inappropriate photo but concluded there were no grounds to lay charges. They later reopened their investigation, saying they received new information.
READ MORE: Report calls for new law against sharing intimate photos without consent
Rehtaeh’s death sparked national outrage and prompted the Nova Scotia government to launch reviews of the RCMP’s original investigation into the case and the school board’s handling of the matter. The review of the RCMP’s original investigation is ongoing.
An independent review released in June concluded the Halifax Regional School Board could have done a better job, but it was hindered by the fact that Rehtaeh was often absent from class. The report also said the Parsons family faced challenges when they turned to Nova Scotia’s mental health system for help.
The arrests come a day after a new law took effect in the province that allows people to sue if they or their children are being cyberbullied. Victims can also seek a protection order that could place restrictions on or help identify the cyberbully.
Justice Minister Ross Landry introduced the legislation weeks after Rehtaeh’s death.
http://globalnews.ca/news/768745/police-make-arrests-in-rehtaeh-parsons-case/
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BULLYING- ABUSE- BULLYCIDE- KILLS- men stepping up against bullying and violence against kids and women- thx Canada
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Canyon to perform during fall broadcast
August 7, 2013 - 4:08pm By THE CHRONICLE HERALD
George Canyon (CP)
George Canyon is among the latest performers announced for the 2013 CCMA Awards broadcast on Sept. 8.
Also performing on the broadcast being taped at Rexall Place in Edmonton are High Valley, Kira Isabella, Darius Rucker, Emerson Drive, Dallas Smith and the Band Perry.
Canyon, a Pictou County native, released Classics II in 2012 and recently wrapped up the East Coast leg of his Classics II tour. This year, Canyon and his team have been nominated for nine CCMA Awards.
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TREKKIES WANT 2 MOVE WINTER OLYMPICS/PARALYMPICS 2 VANCOUVER- come on.... now...... don't make this GAY...... make it about the athletes..... and 200 nations...
47,000 people, George Takei sign petition to move Sochi Olympics to Vancouver
By Peter Meiszner Global News
VANCOUVER — An online petition to move the upcoming Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia to Vancouver is gathering steam.
47,000 people have signed the petition so far, a dramatic increase from 6,000 signatures on Monday.
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Russia is facing growing international pressure over the country’s "gay propaganda" laws.
The Russian Sport Minister has said the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans.
The petition, started by the organization Equality for All, is pitching Vancouver as the ideal place to move the Games.
It points out Vancouver successfully held the games in 2010 and the facilities are already in place.
Former Star Trek star and LGBT activist George Takei has come out in support of moving the Olympics to Vancouver.
In a post on his blog, Takei writes "All of the facilities are still in good condition, so this would likely be the easiest of possible alternatives."
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Stephen Fry, pictured in June 2013.Stephen Fry wants Olympics pulled from Russia
"With enough support, maybe the IOC and the sponsors will realize that this is a disaster in the making, and the best course is to move immediately and decisively to relocate the Winter Games of 2014."
However, it’s unlikely the Olympics would ever be moved back to Vancouver at this point.. The Russian government has estimated $51 billion will be spent on the games and lucrative sponsorship deals have been in place for years.
Still, many LGBT people and their supporters plan to boycott the Games.
Several Vancouver gay bars have stopped serving Russian vodka in protest of the country’s anti-gay laws.
http://globalnews.ca/news/767168/47000-people-george-takei-sign-petition-to-move-sochi-olympics-to-vancouver/
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NOVA SCOTIA- NOUVELLE-ECOSSE
Restoring an ecosystem
NOVA SCOTIA - Keji Park
Chris McCarthy, ecologist for Parks Canada shows off a green crab. McCarthy calls the crabs the Swarzenegger of crabs due to their strength and pointed exterior. Brittany W. Verge Photo
Brittany W. Verge Published on August 8, 2013
It’s 9:30 a.m. and we’ve gathered at Coastal Queens Centre in Port Mouton. The group consists of Kejimkujik employees, Parks Canada ecologists, volunteers, and two journalists (including myself).
Topics : Port Joli , Rocky Road , Dublin
We load up on sunscreen and head inside for a debriefing. We’re going to a remote estuary in Keji Seaside Adjunct in Port Joli to plant eelgrass. Eelgrass has been declining rapidly due to an invasive species of green crabs. In order to combat the decline, crabs are being trapped daily and eelgrass is being replanted.
Everyone piles into cars and we head out for Port Joli. To get to the estuary we need to go down a very old, unmaintained road. Groups start walking and ecologist Chris McCarthy takes the first group down the road in an argo, an amphibious vehicle that can handle parts of the road nicknamed "The Rocky Road to Dublin."
When we arrive at the muddy landing, volunteers and other parks workers are already on site. The argo is turned around to pick up the others and the new-comers are taken out for a close up look of the green crab.
McCarthy takes us out in a three-man boat to a trap set fairly close to shore. He hauls up a trap that is teeming with green crabs, big and small. All we can hear is hundreds of claws making "tick tick tick" noises. It’s like something from an alien movie.
Next we’re ferried from the area to an island, a 10 minute row away. On the island we all gather to help get the eelgrass ready.
First we take metal washers and tie them with twist ties. Next we take the eelgrass and tie it to the twist tie and place it in a fish box full of water. The washer will rust in the seawater and give the eel grass more nutrients as they root themselves to the bottom of the lagoon.
<p>The argo is ready with everyone’s gear. Once the first group is dropped off, the next group is picked up.</p>
<p>A Kejimkujik park employee helps ferry people and eel grass to a nearby island.</p>
<p>A bundle of ten washers tied with eelgrass is dropped by Chris McCarthy into the lagoon.</p>
View the gallery
Once we have 160 washers tied with eelgrass, it is time to place them in the lagoon. They are dropped in bundles of ten in marked spots. Once placed, the eelgrass should root itself and snorkelers can monitor their progress.
Nearby St. Catherine’s beach is acting as a constant for the project. Ecologists monitor the green crab in St. Catherine’s where the climate and PH levels are similar. The group is trapping crabs there as well but not as aggressively as in the Port Joli estuary and the group is not replanting in St. Catherine’s.
"We aim for 15 crabs per trap per night," says McCarthy. "We know that St. Catherine’s still has no eel grass and there are still bigger number of crabs over there and we know we have a lesser number of crabs over here,"
The eelgrass will come into the area naturally but the project aims to jumpstart the natural process.
For more photos check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/queenscountyadvance
http://www.novanewsnow.com/section/2013-08-08/article-3342538/Restoring-an-ecosystem/1
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Travel cam boosting local events
Those visiting the Nova Scotia Webcams website over the next few weeks will be able to see online footage of special events and festivals taking place in South West Nova. The travel cam was most recently set up at a quilt show at St. Peter’s Church in West Pubnico.
Carla Allen Published on August 8, 2013
A travelling webcam is broadcasting live footage of several festivals and events in the region over the next few weeks.
Topics : Church in West Pubnico , QVISTO Inc. Live Web Imaging Solutions , Peter , Calgary , Edmonton
Gwen LeBlanc, a community economic development officer with Le Conseil de développement économique de la Nouvelle-Écosse, contacted Ralf Pickart, the creator of Nova Scotia Webcams recently to see about renting the camera for the Wedgeport tuna tournament.
She ended up securing it for several weeks and decided to contact other event organizers to see if they would be willing to share in the cost of the rental.
"This is an opportunity, let’s see what we can do," she said.
Most recently the webcam was set up for a quilt display at St. Peter’s Church in West Pubnico for the Pubnico Acadian festival.
It also filmed Belliveau Cove lobster suppers, the Joseph & Marie Dugas festival and the Festival acadien de Clare bazaar/parade.
Larry Peach, manager of Rendez-vous de la Baie and tourism director for the Municipalité de Clare, is delighted with the webcam’s impact.
"We had 3,332 total online visits, which was very good considering there was very little advance promotion," he said. The average viewing time was 7:12 minutes.
Peach noted that the geographic statistics showed that the webcam was well viewed in locations where many transplanted ‘Clarians’ are now living.
For example, Calgary, Edmonton, and many smaller western Canadian towns received higher per capita visits than much larger cities like Toronto or Montreal.
"This cam has great potential for target marketing and I’d like to partner with Nova Scotia Webcams in the future," said Peach.
He added that visits to the Festival acadien de Clare, Baie Sainte-Marie and Rendez-vous de la Baie websites (via the links on NS Webcams) also increased during the promo and that it was a "great way" to connect with ex-pats and past and potential visitors from all over the world.
Ralf Pickart, CEO for QVISTO Inc. Live Web Imaging Solutions, said their travel cam was initially used for the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby and the Bluenose II launch last year.
It leaves Yarmouth County to broadcast the Wharf Rat Rally (Aug. 28-Sept.1).
You can view the Bon Temps travel cam through this link.
http://www.thevanguard.ca/News/2013-08-08/article-3342472/Travel-cam-boosting-local-events/1
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Some Acadian-Cajun Kitchen music folks
Party music, Cajun roots at Lunenburg folk fest
August 7, 2013 - 5:10pm By STEPHEN COOKE Arts Reporter
Savoy Family band brings fais do-do to Folk Harbour Festival
The Savoy Family Cajun Band — sons Wilson, an accordionist and Joel, a celebrated fiddler, father Marc and mother Ann Allen Savoy, singer and guitarist — bring their Cajun sound all the way from Louisiana to play this week at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. They’ll also play the Festival Acadien de Clare in Meteghan on Sunday.
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The music of the Savoy Family Cajun Band is steeped in history, part of a rich cultural heritage that’s seen its share of triumphs and tribulations, but mostly it’s about having a foot-stomping party and letting all your cares melt away like a snowball in the middle of a Lousiana bayou.
"This writer at the L.A. Times said, ‘These guys ain’t no stuffy preservationists!’ And I went, ‘Yeah!’" exclaims singer and guitarist Ann Allen Savoy, who has written volumes about Cajun culture in the United States’ former French colony but doesn’t require book learnin’ to enjoy her family’s driving two-steps and melancholy waltzes.
"Our music is rooted in that, but it’s all about having a ball. We’re definitely not a museum band. We’re just having a good time playing music."
The Savoy Family brings the fais do-do to the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival this week, as part of a larger Acadian and Cajun celebration taking place at the 28th edition of the annual South Shore musical buffet.
They’re also making a trip to the Acadian shore, performing along the Evangeline Trail for the Festival Acadien de Clare, at the Richelieu Club in Metaghan River on Sunday at 6 p.m. (visit festivalacadiendeclare.ca for more details).
It’s quite a lot of activity for the group’s first trip to Acadia, although Ann has been to Acadian events in New Brunswick as both a solo performer and as a member of the Magnolia Sisters.
Considering that the band’s latest CD—Live at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival—starts with The Evangeline Playboy Special, the visit seems long overdue for her husband Marc, and their sons Joel, a celebrated fiddler, and accordionist Wilson, who learned Cajun melodies at home before he could even speak.
"Exactly! That’s a really good point," says Ann. "I mean, Marc’s family’s names are even written in that church (at Grand Pre). He’s traced his ancestry back to, I believe, Pierre Savoie, so we definitely have serious roots up there.
"He will be very intrigued to see what it’s like up there; he’ll probably get some genetic rumblings, he and our children, it’ll be amazing for them."
Ann Allen Savoy’s connection to Louisiana began in her college years in Virginia, when she was studying French, learning the language and listening to vintage 78 r.p.m. Cajun recordings to learn more about the dialect and origins of the music.
"I was a big francophile, and Marc came to play near me with one of his bands back in the mid-’70s," she recalls. "I heard him speak French; that was it for me.
"When I met the actual Cajun people, it was all over for me (living in Virginia). These were French-speaking people, living in America, so I moved to Louisiana, and we raised four children here who all speak French, and it’s been an amazing life."
Now based in Eunice, La., halfway between Baton Rouge and the Texas state line, Savoy began to document the culture in photographs while also documenting songs and lyrics from the oral tradition. After 10 years, she published Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People Vol. 1, with the second and third volumes in the works.
She’ll discuss her journeys and her research with Jeff Davis at Lunenburg Folk Harbour on Friday morning at Central United Church from 10 a.m. to noon, sharing what she’s learned about the transformation of transplanted Acadian culture into modern Cajun life.
"Assembling it was so much fun," she says of her experience, which often required travelling far off the main highways into small communities around the state.
"I remember before I moved here, I had this fantasy of these charming little wooden houses, with enormous oak trees with moss dripping off of them. So I got here and saw a bunch of little prefab houses and trailers, on treeless properties, in this blasting heat.
"It was a really hardcore experience in many ways, but that mystery and charm was here, but it wasn’t evident. I had to go looking for it, but I wound up in one of those beautiful old wooden Acadian houses out in the middle of nowhere, under a live oak tree with moss. It was Marc’s grandparents’ old house, just going to ruin, so we rescued it."
As far as their musical mission goes, she feels that the Savoy Family Cajun Band is proof that the culture doesn’t need to be rescued; it’s thriving very well on its own, and they help it thrive by taking it around the world.
This spring, they played WOMAD world music festivals in Australia and New Zealand, and there’s a trip to England scheduled for the fall. She hopes along the way they give listeners an idea of the diversity of the music that was born out of tragedy over 250 years ago but found a fresh determination in a new home thousands of miles away.
"You have the dance hall music that would be more modern, as in from the 1930s onward, and then you’ve got the early, early songs from the 1800s, some coming down from Canada, and the twin fiddle music," she explains.
"We try to mingle all of these elements together and give a little sampler of all the different things that happened.
"There’s also that early country and western influence, the early string band music, so there really is a little bit of everything mixed in. And we write a lot of songs that have the same feeling as the Cajun music. We don’t try to change it, we want it to sound like good, traditional music but with new words that take a fresher approach, about our personal lives, for example, and Marc writes amazing, humorous songs."
The Savoy Family Cajun Band takes part in the Folk Steps Conference this morning, with Friday performances on the wharf at 1:30 p.m., at St. John’s Anglican Church at 3 p.m. and on the evening main stage.
On Saturday, the band has a morning wake-up for festival-goers at St. John’s Parish Hall at 11 a.m., and plays inside the church at 3 p.m., while also taking part in the Sunday morning gospel concert in the main stage tent at 10 a.m.
For more on the group, visit savoyfamilycajunband.com.
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YARMOUTH- WHARF RAT RALLY 4 OUR BELOVED BIKERS- this year- first showing of new Harleys
Digby Wharf Rat Rally
Wharf Rat Rally Bikes parked on street in Digby
A Rally Is Born
It all started in 2004 when the Wharf Rat Rally Motorcycle Association began hosting a motorcycle rally in Digby, Nova Scotia. They planned several different events to be held over the Labour Day weekend all in line with bikers. There were concerts, demonstrations, vendors, bike tours, burn-outs and even a biker driving off the Digby wharf.
This all proved very successful with 750 motorcycles coming to town and about 4,500 visitors. They knew they had started something good and plans were started for the next year's events.
By their third year there were approximately 40,000 bikers and 10,000 bikes in attendance at the Wharf Rat Rally. In 2008 they had 50,000 bikers and 25,000 bikes filling the streets for this four day event. It just keeps getting bigger every year and the Digby Wharf Rat Rally is now known as the Largest Motorcycle Rally in Atlantic Canada.
Click here for the lowest rates at Avis.com
Reasons For Fast Growth
So why has this rally grown so fast?
Well according to the bikers it is because of several things.
One of the Nice Bikes at the Wharf Rat Rally
First being the location. Digby is in a good location and very easy to get to. It is only two hours from the "CAT Ferry" which lands in Yarmouth, NS daily from Bar Harbour and Portland, Maine. The ferry "Princess of Acadia" docks at Digby every day from Saint John, NB, plus it is only two hours away from the Provincial capital of Halifax.
Once here, Digby is centrally located for several day trips that take the riders through some really beautiful countryside with great views everywhere. No matter which way they go they are greeted with great scenery and lots of places to stop and explore.
SBI!
Paint Job on bike in Wharf Rat Rally They also like the fact that everything is so well organized at the Wharf Rat Rally. They really give credit to the organizers and volunteers that work so hard to pull this all together. With so much packed into four days it is very important that there are no big delays, or not everything is going to get done. Something this big can only be done through the cooperation of everyone in town, not only on the weekend, but in the weeks before and after.
This brings me to the main reason that has been given for the growth of the Wharf Rat Rally, the people of Digby. Digby welcomes these bikers to their town, they role out the red carpet for them. Every pole on the way into town holds signs welcoming the bikers to Digby. They close the main street during the weekend to bikes only. Every business is focused on the weekend guest to their town. No wonder they all come back; and they bring their friends with them.
http://www.annapolis-valley-vacation.com/wharf-rat-rally.html
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AFGHANISTAN- from Nova Scotia- Canada- 2 Russia -2 Afghanistan
AFGHANSITAN NEWS UPDATES-
14 MUSLIM AFGHAN CHILDREN- 10 MUSLIM AFGHAN WOMEN- BUTCHERED MAIMED- NEWAGENAZI MUSLIM BUTCHERS WHO SPIT ON ALLAH AND MOHAMMED....2 DESTROY ALL THAT IS MUSLIM IN THIS WORLD
10 women killed in explosion in Afghan graveyard
August 08, 2013 - Updated 1348 PKT
From Web Edition
JALALABAD: An explosion killed at least 10 women in a graveyard in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, as the country celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramazan.
"An explosion happened in a graveyard," Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, police spokesman for Nangarhar province, told AFP. "Ten women were killed in the blast, two other women and a child were also wounded." (AFP)
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Capture Kabul, cripple Kashmir: Pakistan’s new two-faced war
Shishir Gupta, Hindustan Times New Delhi, August 08, 2013
First Published: 00:15 IST(8/8/2013) | Last Updated: 08:16 IST(8/8/2013)
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It was around 4.30 am on July 1 when a Pakistani suicide bomber crossed the Line of Control and blew himself up about 25 meters from an Indian Army picket at Saujiyan in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Other than the bomber, there were no casualties.
A week later, in the same area, a Pakistani improvised explosive device – a roadside bomb – proved more lethal and killed an Indian Army porter.
India believes these attacks, and other such activity along the de facto border and inside Jammu and Kashmir, are part of a deliberate Pakistani game plan to push in as many militants as possible across the LoC. The goal of all this: escalate violence in the run-up to and possibly disrupt the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections next year.
related story
Ambushed by Opposition, Antony to make fresh statement on LoC killings
On the other side of Pakistan, though this may not seem obvious to people in India, is a related attempt by Rawalpindi to use the same terrorists to drive India out of Afghanistan.
US intelligence had confirmed to India that Lashkar e Taiba cadre were being moved into the provinces of Kunar and Nuristan in expectation of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan next year. The recent suicide bomb attack on the Indian consulate in Jalalabad which killed a dozen people was part and parcel of this larger strategy.
"Pakistan is using Lashkar to target Indian interests in Kabul," said a senior Indian official. "The Jalalabad attack was orchestrated by Lashkar."
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2013/8/08_08_pg17a.jpg
Pakistan is similarly transferring militant cadre recruited from its Khyber Paktunkhwa province to boost militant ranks in the Kashmir Valley.
The broad Indian assessment is that the LoC and Kashmir in general have seen relatively low levels of Pakistani action because Rawalpindi was forced to divert as many as 150,000 troops to the Pakistan-Afghan border.
With the US troop withdrawal approaching and Pakistan sensing that it may soon have a friendly regime ensconced in Kabul, the Pakistani army and Lashkar are once more concentrating on destabilizing Kashmir.
Lashkar chief Hafiz Sayeed declared this in a recent India Today interview saying, "Full-scale armed jihad will begin soon in Kashmir after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan."
Kashmir is starting to simmer again. Attempts by Lashkar’s border action teams, groups that are backed by the Pakistani Army, to ambush Indian Army patrols have gone up this year. The decapitation of two soldiers in Krishnaghati area of Poonch sector on January 8, 2013, and the recent killing of five Indian soldiers in the same sector on Tuesday morning are just two of the more bloody examples.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2013/8/08_08_pg17b.jpg
"The escalation is evident from the fact that till July 2012 only 13 infiltrators had been killed but during the same period this year more than 23 infiltrators have been killed on the LoC," said a source.
"There have been no less than 10 border actions undertaken by Pakistan Army backed terrorists on the Jammu LoC ," said a senior official. He warned that the infiltration figures are expected to rise this month.
That is along the border. The situation inside the Valley has become equally violent. There have been two definitive suicide attacks by Lashkar cadres this year inside Jammu and Kashmir – the first in three years.
A fidayeen attack on Central Reserve Police Force camp at Bemina in Srinagar on March 14 and an attack on Indian Army jawans at Hyderpora bypass a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s June 25 visit to Kashmir.
Indian intelligence conducted a security review in Kabul days before the Jalalabad attack. The then home secretary RK Singh flew down to Srinagar on June 20 to brief army and police about a threat against a police station on the eve of Singh’s June 25 visit.
"The Poonch action shows that Pakistan Army is opposed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif normalizing ties with India and is also connected to the appointment of General Parvez Kiyani’s successor in November," said a senior official.
The Pakistani gameplan is quite clear: infiltrate militants eastward and westward, across the Durand and Radcliffe lines. Rawalpindi’s men in khaki want to turn the clock back to the 1980s when Afghanistan was a Pakistani colony and Kashmir was in flames.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Capture-Kabul-cripple-Kashmir-Pakistan-s-new-two-faced-war/Article1-1104864.aspx
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Politics ‘a dirty word’ for Canadians, finds new study of engagement between elections
By Misty Harris, Postmedia News July 8, 2013 10:38 AM
Protesters participate in the National March for Life on Parliament Hill in this 2006 file photo. Although the case of Ivana Levkovic deals specifically with the law around concealing a child’s body, at least one expert says there’s room for the country’s top court to give a judicial opinion on when human life begins.
Photograph by: David McKinley/Postmedia News/Files , Postmedia News
If the rules of polite conversation forbid talking politics, it’s no wonder Canadians are known for their manners.
Sixty per cent of Canadians say they haven’t discussed a political or societal issue face-to-face or over the phone even once in the past 12 months, according to a striking new study by Samara. And it’s not that those conversations have simply moved online, either.
Just 17 per cent of Canadians say they have shared political content via social media in the last year; 15 per cent blogged about a political issue; 30 per cent used email or instant messaging to talk politics; and 25 per cent participated in an online discussion group for such purposes.
"Politics is viewed as a dirty word – something that isn’t appropriate or that should be celebrated," said Alison Loat, Samara’s executive director. "But it’s through politics that we decide how we’re going to live together, how we shape laws, how we allocate billions of dollars of tax money. . . . It’s the process by which we build our country every day."
Samara, a charitable organization, commissioned the research last year in order to tilt the conversation about low voter turnout toward the underlying issue of poor political engagement between elections.
Nearly 2,300 adults nationwide, with an oversample of young Canadians (18 to 34), participated in the online survey. In it, people were asked whether they had recently been involved in 20 activities Samara considered vital to measuring political engagement.
In just three of those 20 pursuits did more than half of Canadians participate during the past year: joining a group (not necessarily a political one), volunteering, and signing a petition (58, 55 and 51 per cent, respectively). The least popular activities involved "formal" engagement: volunteering in an election, donating to a party or candidate, or joining a political party in the last five years (each drew a positive response of 10 per cent).
On average, Canadians pursued just one-quarter of the possible 20 activities. Only about 20 per cent of Canadians were considered partisans or "party people" (those who’ve been formally involved with a party or campaign).
Samara concludes that "if a healthy democracy requires active participation, then Canada is on pretty shaky ground."
"There isn’t a culture of ongoing discussion and debate around the political issues that shape our country," said Loat, hastening to add that apathy – so often fingered as the culprit for low voter turnout – isn’t the problem.
"There’s lots of evidence that people care about the issues around them. What they don’t do is connect that to politics."
To wit, 49 per cent of Canadians said they had boycotted a product in the last year, and 51 per cent signed a petition, but just 31 per cent contacted an elected official about an issue of concern.
Young people, whom Loat dubs the "canaries in the coal mine," were a good news-bad news story: Although they participated in most activities at the same rate or higher than those 35 and older, their formal engagement was lower by 11 to 34 per cent, depending on the activity.
Loat said people too often connect political involvement with pushing an agenda when, in fact, Samara’s polling suggests "party people" do much of democracy’s heavy lifting: volunteering with community groups, connecting with policymakers, talking to friends and family about issues that matter, and so on.
Starting Monday, Canadians will be asked to recognize such role models at everydaypoliticalcitizen.tumblr.com, an initiative designed to change the way people think about political participation.
"We celebrate volunteering and giving to charities . . . but we don’t equally emphasize how important it is to be an active participant in our democracy," said Loat. "If (engagement) numbers were higher between elections, we’d see a higher voter turnout as well."
mharris@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/popcultini
http://www.canada.com/Politics+dirty+word+Canadians+finds+study+engagement+between+elections/8627950/story.html
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AFGHANISTAN
WHY DOES UNITED NATIONS PROTECT THESE NEWAGENAZI ISLAM MONSTERS.... WHO RAVAGE AND DESTROY AND MURDER INNOCENT MUSLIMS.... ??? why???
"there should not be two Eids in the country; everyone should celebrate this moment 2gether-Afghan citizen AJamil Agha"
Asia Pacific
Asian Muslims celebrate Eid as 52 die in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Muslims across Asia celebrated the Eid al-Fitr festival Thursday with lavish feasts and religious services, even as bomb attacks killed at least 52 people in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/asian-muslims-celebrate/769866.html
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Significance of the female jirga
By Syed Mohammad Ali
Published: August 8, 2013
It is intriguing to notice how a group of women have come together in Swat, of all places, to form a female jirga to improve access to justice. Swat is the same place where the Taliban shot and wounded Malala Yousufzai and where the government had to launch an all-out military offensive to restore its writ back in 2009.
Dissatisfaction with the mainstream justice system is rife across the country, not just in Swat, and its redress remains pending despite the newfound judicial activism in the country. Justice is often denied to the marginalised, as they often face an uphill task of getting the police to accurately register the travesties against them, and to then engage in litigation, which is both expensive and long delayed. Thus, our masses concede to informal arbitration mechanisms to deal with a range of minor, as well as more serious conflicts.
However, while jirgas and panchayats are considered important traditional systems of restorative justice, which are supposed to be relatively egalitarian and representative, they are primarily concerned with the preservation of the tribal and kinship systems, and their implicit hierarchies. Jirgas, for instance, primarily comprise males, who have influence in society, whose decisions tend to reinforce biases against the poor and vulnerable. In particular, jirgas commonly discriminate against women, who are often traded away to absolve men’s crimes.
It was within this broader context that Khwaindo Tolana (Sister’s Group) was formed, aiming to counter the usual misogynistic decisions, which are often handed down by jirgas. It is a 25-member all-female jirga, emerging out of a women’s empowerment programme in the area. Khwaindo Tolana began focusing on minor disputes amongst women within the surrounding communities when a particularly gruesome case of domestic violence, in which a 16-year-old girl died of acid burns inflicted by her husband, was brought to its attention. The victim’s poverty-stricken parents got no justice despite the formulation of the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill. Instead, the local male jirga advised them to marry their son to one of the offender’s sisters by way of recompense. The dead girl’s mother refused this offer and approached the Khwaindo Tolana in Saidu Sharif. The female jirga organised protests demanding legal action against the perpetrator, they helped the aggrieved family get a lawyer and their pressure compelled the police to file a case, but the perpetrator has now gone on the run.
There are those who argue that a parallel jirga system makes dispensation of justice more chaotic. However, the fact remains that the Pakistani state and its core institutions, including the judiciary, are not yet effectively able to reach out to the masses. In fact, the state itself has often used tribal jirgas to negotiate peace settlements. While the need for an effective formal justice system remains vital, for now, jirgas could certainly do with a revision of their existing approach towards women. Khwaindo Tolana initially tried to join the main Swat Qaumi Aman Jirga, but was rebuked. Male members of the Swat Qaumi Aman Jirga are reported to remain dismissive of the women’s subsequent efforts and think an all-female jirga’s influence will remain limited as it has no real leverage to have its decisions enforced.
Khwaindo Tolana, however, aims to work in coordination with the government, especially when more serious issues arise, as it did in the case of the acid attack issue. This is a wise move. Instead of using jirgas to resolve challenges to the writ of the state only (as it has been doing in the tribal areas), the government should also pay attention to facilitating more innovative efforts of the female jirga initiative, which could be replicated in other areas, where the conventionally patriarchal jirgas still hold sway.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2013.
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A traditional practice: Afghan refugees celebrate in parts of the city
By Our Correspondent
Published: August 8, 2013
PESHAWAR:
Maintaining the tradition of celebrating Eid a day earlier than the rest of the country, Afghan refugees living in Peshawar celebrated Eidul Fitr on Thursday although the local Ruet-e-Hilal committee had not met for moon sighting.
The Afghans made their decision following Saudi Arabia’s announcement on Wednesday night they will be celebrating Eid the next day. Prayers were offered in many parts of the city, including Karkhanu, Board Bazaar, Tajabad and Warsak Road, among others. The largest congregation was seen in Kacha Ghari camp, where thousands of worshipers came for Eid prayers.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/588339/a-traditional-practice-afghan-refugees-celebrate-in-parts-of-the-city/
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News - Afghanistan
Obama Reaffirms Commitment to Afghanistan, Commends US Forces
Thursday, 08 August 2013 20:07 Last Updated on Thursday, 08 August 2013 20:41 Written by TOLOnews.com
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News - Afghanistan
Taliban Does Not Want to Seize Power in Afghanistan: Mullah Omar
Tuesday, 06 August 2013 20:10 Last Updated on Thursday, 08 August 2013 16:19 Written by Ahmad Ramin
In a message disseminated across the web on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr on Tuesday, Mullah Omar, the reclusive Taliban leader, asserted that the militant group does not seek to sieze power in Afghanistan once foreign forces leave in 2014.
In his message, Mullah Omar said that the Taliban wanted to bet part of an inclusive Islamic government.
The Taliban leader, who has been in hiding since fleeing Afghanistan in 2001, showed signs of commitment to the peace process. Nevertheless, he maintaned the Taliban's legitimacy in representing the "Isalmic Emirate of Afghanistan" in negotiatians, a claim that enraged the Kabul government when the group's Doha office was opened back in June causing peace talks to derail before starting.
The Taliban commander also spoke about the upcoming elections with harsh criticism, calling them a waiste of time. "As to the deceiving drama under the name of elections 2014, our pious people will not tire themselves out, nor will they participate in it," he said.
However, political experts, while verifying the message as genuinely coming from Omar, deemed it nothing more than a propaganda stunt by the Taliban, saying that the group is looking to build a more positive image in hopes of garnering greater public support. The experts stressed that such propaganda woudld not be very effective as long as the Taliban's insurgent operations continued to result in civilian casualties.
In the message, Mullah Omar rejected the claims of Taliban involvement in burning down schools in Afghanistan. The insurgent leader made it clear that the Taliban does not aim to cause harm to Afghan civilians.
Syed Fazel Sancharaki, spokesman to the Nation Coalition Party (NCP), spoke out against the message, attempting to discredit it as a propoganda ploy. He emphasized that the Taliban cannot be trusted in its statements because the group has continuously failed to take any steps to curtail civilian casualties from the conflict.
"In his messages Mullah Omar asks his group members to ensure the safety of civilians, but last year an attack was carried out inside a mosque in Faryab province that left dozens dead and several others wounded," Mr. Sancharaki pointed out.
According to a report released by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the number of civilians killed in the conflict in 2013 was a marked increase from past years. Of the overall 38% increase in civilian casualties from 2012 to 2013, the report estimates 74% of the deaths have been caused by insurgent fighters.
In his message, Mullah Omar maintained the Taliban's stance against the presence of the US military in Afghanistan, perhaps alluding to ongoing discussions between the Kabul government and Washington regarding US-troop presence after 2014. The Taliban leader asserted that his group would never allow foreign elements to damage the country's relations with its neighbors or cause harm to its people in any way.
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Karzai Appeals to Taliban for Ceasefire, Changes Tone Negotiations
Thursday, 08 August 2013 19:56 Last Updated on Thursday, 08 August 2013 20:41 Written by TOLOnews.com
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Sweden to boost aid to Afghanistan by more than 40 per cent from 2015-2019
By The Associated Press August 8, 2013 12:03 PM
STOCKHOLM - The Swedish government says it will increase its aid to Afghanistan by more than 40 per cent from 2015-2019.
Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said Thursday that the government plans to raise its aid to Afghanistan to around 850 million Swedish kronor ($130 million) a year in the five-year period, from the current 600 million kronor a year.
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Opinion: A rotten way to end a war http://on.ft.com/18dBvlP
Financial Times
Out of sight, out of mind – a rotten way to end a war - FT.com
Whatever happened to the war? You know the one. The west has been fighting it for a decade. The costs run to a trillion dollars plus. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been wounded or...
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Hekmatyar accuse foreigners and minorities for dividing Afghanistan
By Ghanizada - Wed Aug 07, 10:47 pm
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hekmatyarGulbuddin, leader of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Islami) accused foreign troops for plotting the division of Afghanistan with the support of the minority groups, in a bid to pave the way for continued war in the country.
Hematyar in a statement released on the occassion of Eid-ul-fitr said that foreigners are scrambling to disorganize the central government by creating the federal system in the country and devilry by differentiating the minority and majority groups.
He said the foreigners have given more share to minorities in security institutions, and has created a separate province for the minorities besides where the governor is also appointed according to their will.
According to Hekmatyar, Bamiyan and Daikundi provinces have the status of independent states similar to Balkh province. Hekmatyar in his letter also accused the presidential palace for being under the pressure of Irn Dollars and programs of the United States of America.
He said Daikundi was created an independent province due to Iran and U.S. pressures, and all the authorities including civil and military institutions were given to Hazaras and Shias.
He also pointed towards the territorial issues between the Kuchis (Nomads) and Hazaras in central Maidan Wardak province, and said that certain groups backed by United States were encouraged to conquer the lands of Pashtuns, and do not allow the Kuchis to go to their lands.
Hekmatyar in his letter also warned the Hazara minority that the oppressed people of Afghanistan one day fight against their rights which have been seized from them and at that time there will be no place for the Hazaras to hide.
He said that a number of the Hazaras will escape to Iran but they will not be welcomed and will face barbaric cruel behaviors of the Iran people and government.
In parts of his letter, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar compared the current situation of the country with the soviet occupation and warned that the minority groups in favour of the foreing troops will face such a punishment that will remain a lesson for their coming generations.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is leading an anti-government militant group in Afghanistan and has been blacklisted by US Department of State. His militants are mostly operating in eastern and north-eastern provinces of the country.
He is believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistani tribal region
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Despite West’s Efforts, Afghan Youths Cling to Traditional Ways
Christoph Bangert for The New York Times
A rock show partly sponsored by the American Embassy in Kabul provided a rare chance for young Afghan men and women to socialize together. More Photos »
By AZAM AHMED and HABIB ZAHORI
Published: July 31, 2013 200 Comments
KABUL, Afghanistan — Walk through the streets of Kabul and evidence of the West’s decade-long war literally clings to the Afghan youth: the American labels emblazoned on their shirts and jeans, the stylish sunglasses they wear, the cellphones they clutch to update their lives on Twitter and Facebook.
Embracing the West, Except Its Ideals
To those who like to think that the foreign presence here has left more than spent shells and hollowed-out buildings, what the young people of Kabul wear and value can itself offer a sense of comfort. These trappings of the West, the hope goes, belong to a generation ready to embrace women’s rights, democracy and other ideals that America and its allies have spent billions of dollars trying to instill.
But interviews with dozens of Afghan youth paint a picture of a new generation bound to their society’s conservative ways, especially when it comes to women’s rights, one of the West’s single most important efforts here. Attempts to alter women’s roles in society remain controversial among the younger generation, perhaps the starkest example of the West’s limited influence as coalition forces prepare to withdraw next year.
"If someone thinks that youngsters have changed, they should think twice," said Amina Mustaqim Jawid, the director of the Afghan Women’s Coalition Against Corruption. "These young men grew up in a war environment. They don’t know about their own rights; how can we expect them to know about their sisters’ rights, their mothers’ rights or their wives’ rights? If they wear jeans and have Western haircuts, that doesn’t mean they are progressive."
Even in Kabul, one of the most liberal cities in Afghanistan, many young men and women express beliefs that fly in the face of the messages coming from American Embassy outreach efforts. Censorship, particularly when it comes to religious offenses, summons little ire. Many consider democracy a tool of the West. And the vast majority of Afghans still rely on tribal justice, viewing the courts as little more than venues of extortion.
On a recent afternoon, young women gathered on the third floor of a wedding hall, enduring the stifling heat in black niqabs to protest a recently proposed law aimed at protecting the rights of Afghan women. The men remained outside, forming a barricade along the busy street to prevent strangers from entering the hall.
One poster read, "I am a Self-Aware Woman, I Will Not Be Deceived by the Empty Slogans of the West."
"This law is not only against Islamic values; it is also against all other ethical values," one protester, Saida Hafiz, said to a crowd of about 200 young women and children assembled in the room. "If we remain silent today, soon our society will be morally corrupted like that of the West."
Such impressions can be heard throughout the city: in the shared street taxis that cart Kabulis across town, in the bustling cafes of the city’s sparkling Shar-e Naw neighborhood, even on the campuses of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
Group taxi rides, which serve as Kabul’s de facto bus system, offer an unfiltered view of the local perspective. On board, men of all ages speak openly about everything from politics to traffic — often in the presence of women.
On a recent evening, a crowd idled downtown along Enhesarat Street, waiting for cars and minivans amid a cacophony of horns and engines. A few men piled into a dusty minivan headed for Taimani 2, an area in West Kabul. As the minivan lurched along the pockmarked roads, they chatted about a recent shoe-throwing fight between two female parliamentarians.
"Who let these women into Parliament?" said an old man with red hair and blue eyes, his knees pressed against his chest. "Women were meant to stay at home."
A young man seated beside him, holding books on his lap and dressed in a blue T-shirt and gray pants, nodded in agreement.
On another trip, from the neighborhood of Kolola Pushta back downtown, a similar scene unfolded. A young student from the Afghan-Korea Vocational Institute, dressed in a blazer and slacks, brought up a recent Western public art project, where young men and women doled out pink balloons to passers-by.
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"Did you see what those girls were wearing?" he asked another passenger, citing the women’s short sleeves and fitted pants. "If my sister dressed like that, I would kill her."
Protests proliferated in the days after the bill concerning women’s rights was introduced. Though lawmakers almost immediately blocked it, given the outcry from religious leaders, supporters promised to reintroduce the legislation, setting off a wave of debate. The measure would essentially cement rights that have ostensibly been in place through presidential decree for several years — including protections against child marriage, polygamy and violence against women.
About 200 male students flooded the gates of Kabul University, the nation’s most prestigious public university, calling for an end to the bill and the presidential decree.
Gathered with a small group of friends after the protest, which he did not attend, Mohammad Taib, 19, said the draft was in conflict with Islam.
"Those who are pushing for the approval of the law, they are doing it to make Westerners happy," Mr. Taib said. "Those with independent ideas are strictly against it."
His friend Mohammad Haroun, added: "I believe in women’s rights, but in strict accordance with Islam."
In reality, a lot of what is thought to be Shariah law in Afghanistan is actually tribal tradition. Some of the most severe cultural practices, like the selling of young girls to pay off debt, are elements of Pashtun code that would be unacceptable in most other Islamic countries.
"That’s a huge problem," said Din Mohammad Gran, the dean of Kabul University’s Shariah law school, who does not support the women’s rights bill. "Some people have a misinterpretation of Islam that they learned from the wrong sources."
While conservative voices are easy enough to find in and around the capital, Kabul is not without its progressive pockets. Groups like Afghanistan 1400, a collection of young Afghan leaders committed to social and political change, are often cited as the vanguard of civic activism.
Corporate workplaces have also become surprising petri dishes for quiet activism. At Tolonews, one of the country’s largest television news organizations, men find themselves working for women as economic realities scuttle normal social dynamics.
This, in part, reflects what some observers say is the chasm between the public and private behavior of many Afghans, who are not as conservative as they seem.
"Our traditions and conventions are telling us one thing, and the realities on the ground are telling us something else," said Saad Mohseni, the founder of Tolonews. "People are actually acting in a very different way from how they are talking."
Some young Afghan women have taken the issue head-on, opting to speak out publicly for their rights. While they know their struggle lies along the outer edge of the accepted social protests for women, activists like Noor Jahan Akbar have adopted the long view.
"After 30 years of war, what do you expect?" asked Ms. Akbar, a young blogger who helped organize a recent demonstration supporting the bill. "A mind-set built over 100 years takes longer than 10 years to change."
Ms. Akbar and about 100 other women and a handful of men began their protest one morning near the entrance to the Afghan Parliament, shouting slogans from a megaphone and carting banners.
As the day wore on, whispers circulated that the Shariah law students were coming to violently upend the protest. Police officers massed along the periphery, their battering rods and plastic shields raised.
Suddenly, hundreds of men emerged from behind the police, shouting chants and carrying banners. The crowd easily eclipsed Ms. Akbar’s protesters, snarling traffic along the road.
But these demonstrators were not focused on women’s rights. They were riled up in support of a Kabul University dean accused of mistreating minority students.
Even as the women spoke out, these masses marched past, largely oblivious to their words.
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Taliban chief Mullah Mohd. Omer dismiss Afghan presidential elections
By Ghanizada - Tue Aug 06, 12:30 pm
Mullah Mohammad OmarThe Supreme Leader of the Taliban militants group in Afghanistan, Mullah Mohammad Omar on Tuesday dismissed the upcoming presidential election in Afghanistan, and called it "a waste of time."
Mullah Mohammad Omar in a statement released on the occassion of Eid-ul-Fitre said, "As to the deceiving drama under the name of elections 2014, our pious people will not tire themselves out, nor will they participate in it."
He said, "Our pious and Mujahid people know that selection, de facto, takes place in Washington. These nominal rulers are not elected through the ballots of the people. Rather they are selected as per the discretion of Washington! Participation in such elections is only a waste of time, nothing more."
In regards to the Afghan peace process and Taliban political office in Qatar, Mullah Mohammad Omar said, "The developments following the opening of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate proved that Islamic Emirate is independent, strong and unwavering in its decisions."
Mullah Mohammad Omar said, "It was also proved that the Islamic Emirate has shown and is showing honesty and commitment to resolve problems of its oppressed people in the light of Islamic principles and national interests. But the invaders and their allies are creating obstacles in the way of resolving problems by making various pretexts."
He insisted, "We have already said that the Islamic Emirate does not think of monopolizing power. Rather we believe in reaching understanding with the Afghans regarding an Afghan-inclusive government based on Islamic principles."
"Of course, the Islamic Emirate considers it its religious and national obligation to liberate the country from the occupation. When the occupation ends, reaching an understanding with the Afghans will not be a hard task because, by adhering to and having common principles and culture, the Afghans understand each other better." he said.
The statement by Taliban group leader comes amid reports regards Afghan officials and Taliban group representatives meeting which has already taken place informally in an attempt to agree on conditions for formal talks.
Senior members of the Taliban group and Afghan high peace council have reportedly met last month in in Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates.
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India pledges $100 million in fresh aid to Afghanistan
By Ghanizada - Mon Aug 05, 9:21 pm
India pledges fresh aid to AfghanistanThe government of India has pledged $199 million in fresh aid to Afghanistan, which will be spent within the next four years to fund several small projects across the country.
Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Amar Sinha signed the agreement and said that the government of India remains committed towards the reconstruction of Afhganistan
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