Mediaboss Marketing

"We are living in a society where political despotism, social and economic injustice, unbalanced culture and education and cultural and identity authoritarianism prevail."

"I only fear instability and insecurity. I fear that the insecurity may lead the political powers to strike some kind of bargain that trades away women's rights. It would be a tragedy for women to lose their legal status and rights in this political game."

"The courts should be one of the important sources for women to rely on in this country. Unfortunately, the courts are very corrupt and are permeated by a strongly misogynist attitude, which seeks to use gaps in the law to punish women."

"International statistics indicate that we will have around 400,000 to 500,000 unemployed people after the withdrawal of the international forces and a fall in foreign aid."

Contrary to the cries of McKeon and the president's other critics, restraint in Syria and Ukraine and diplomacy in Iran are signs of good judgment, not weakness. A foreign policy of all-military-all-the-time would be immensely costly and extremely counterproductive. We can and should do better.

William Hartung

Director, Arms and Security Project, Center for International Policy

After reading and rereading the speech, "Why the Middle East Matters," I was struck by how similar it was to the "agitprop" used by George W. Bush in the lead-up to the Iraq war.

James Zogby

President, Arab American Institute; author, 'Arab Voices'

Read the original post:
Afghanistan: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan For most of the war in Afghanistan, soldiers have been asked to build up the coalition presence, moving tons of equipment to smaller outposts while constructing new infrastructure.

But with the war winding down, Fort Bragg soldiers are now leading efforts to reverse that earlier work.

More than 100 soldiers with the 82nd Sustainment Brigade form the core of the U.S. Central Command Material Recovery Element, a conglomerate of units that is made up of about 3,500 soldiers. Their mission is to help process the equipment that has built up in Afghanistan while also helping to shrink or close military bases.

82nd Sustainment soldiers are spread across about 30 bases in Afghanistan, officials said, but their efforts are mostly focused at three retrosort yards one each at Bagram Airfield in the east, Kandahar Airfield in the south and Camp Pratt in the north.

The largest retrosort yard is in Kandahar, near the 82nd Sustainment and CMRE headquarters.

There, soldiers, defense civilians and contractors sort through a steady stream of equipment.

From dusty telephones to boots and shovels, each item is sorted before computer programs help officials decide whether the equipment should be destroyed, transferred to the Afghan government or sent back to military posts in the United States.

Col. Mark Collins, commander of the 82nd Sustainment Brigade, said it was a massive effort and a team effort with partners from other defense agencies and Reserve and National Guard units from across the country.

"We've been given a lot of really good equipment," he said of the more than a decade of war. "We have not wanted for supplies."

He described the process by which much of that equipment is being recycled either to be reused in theater, turned over to the Afghans or actually recycled at scrap yards around Afghanistan.

Excerpt from:
Fort Bragg soldiers leading base breakdown efforts in Afghanistan

Afghanistan started using its first ever satellite on Saturday in a bid to boost its national broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructure as well as its international connectivity.

Afghanistan's telecommunications sector and a growing digital media industry are among the Afghan government's biggest achievements since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

The new satellite, AFGHANSAT 1, will support a wide range of services including broadcasting, mobile telephony and IP connectivity, officials said.

"We can say it is a historical move, because for the first time Afghanistan is renting a satellite," Amirzai Sangin, minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication said in Kabul as Afghanistan started to use the satellite.

The Afghan government has signed a multi-year deal with European satellite operator Eutelsat to deploy the in-orbit satellite, which the company said would provide full national coverage and extensive reach across Central Asia and the Middle East.

"We are renting this satellite for $4 million per year, and based on our calculations, we can earn $15 million annually from it," Sangin added.

The boom in Afghan media in the past 12 years is one of the most visible bright spots to foster a stable democracy, even as the NATO troops are preparing to withdraw from Afghanistan.

The country remains wracked by war with Taliban insurgents and mired in corruption and poverty.

Under the Taliban regime, Afghans had to go to neighbouring Pakistan to make international phone calls, but today almost 90 percent of population have access to mobile services countrywide.

While many remote mountainous regions still lack connectivity, the internet is booming in the big cities.

Originally posted here:
Afghanistan signs satellite deal to boost booming media

The families of many of the 158Canadian troopskilled in Afghanistan carried photos of their lostsons, daughters, brothers and sisters toParliament Hill forthe National Day ofHonour on Friday, joiningthe thousands who gathered torecognize the soldiers sacrifice.

The names of your loved ones are engraved on our hearts,on the hearts of all Canadians who cherish the freedom, justice and human dignity, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who used the occasion toannounce that the dates 2001-2014 will be chiseled into the stone of the National War Memorial. These are the things they died protecting. Canadians are safer and Canada is stronger because of their sacrifice.

A minute of silence was broken when Chinook and Griffin helicopters, and Hercules, Airbus and Globemaster transport planes, flew over Parliament Hill shortly before Harper offered thanks to the thousands of veterans of the longest war in Canadian history.

The day of remembrance began early Friday when peoplewandered among static displays on the Hill, where soldiers in their ordinary camouflage uniforms displayed the tools of their trade. They included a hulking Leopard tank and a Bison armoured ambulance, a Coyote reconnaissance vehicle, and a long-barrelled M-777 Howitzer that can throw a 155-mm projectile 30 kilometres.

And there were sniper rifles and machine-guns, grenade launchers and carbines, the workaday weapons for ordinary soldiers.

Master Cpl. James Hatfield gave tours of the confined space of the Lav III armoured vehicle. As the crew commander during his 2009 tour in Afghanistan, he sat beside the gunner and called the shots for his team.

I found I got a better perspective on things, Hatfield said. You come back feeling more mature.

Visitors to Parliament Hill also had the opportunity to take turns boarding a Chinook helicopter like the ones that flew in Afghanistan.

When Louis Ernest Dubois, 64, stepped into the helicopter Friday he immediately felt pride. His son, 39-year-old Maj. Alexandre Dubois, flew a Chinook during his tour in Afghanistan five years ago.

See more here:
Afghanistan sacrifices remembered on National Day of Honour

Afghanistan #39;s president visits landslide site
The survivors of a deadly landslide in Afghanistan have confronted their president over the government #39;s response to the disaster. Hamid Karzai visited the r...

By: Al Jazeera English

See the rest here:
Afghanistan's president visits landslide site - Video