Sharif In Kabul Pledges Support For Peace Talks

Radio Free Europe, November 30, 2013

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is

 on his first visit to Kabul since taking office

this year.

Pakistan's prime minister says the recent release of a senior Taliban leader shows he is committed to helping bring peace to Afghanistan.

Nawaz Sharif said after meeting in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that an agreement had been reached on a mechanism to allow members of an Afghan peace council to continue talks with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was released from Pakistan detention last September. He did not provide details.

Sharif is on a one-day visit to Afghanistan, his first since he became prime minister.

Many Taliban leaders are based in Pakistan, and Kabul has sought Islamabad's help to get them to talk.

Relations between the two countries have been marked by tensions, with Afghanistan often accusing Pakistan of aiding Taliban leaders sheltering across the border.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters

Gay marriage supporters, opponents tohold rallies in Taipei

Want China Times, CNA 2013-11-29

A group of gay rights supporters hold a press conference at the gate of National
 Taiwan University to denounce the comments of philosphy professor Ko Chi-ming,
 who called homosexuals, people with cleft lips and disabled people "unnatural" on
a television program. (Photo/Yao Chihping)

Supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage and proposed changes to partnership rights are planning separate demonstrations in Taipei Saturday to voice their stances on the proposition.

A group opposed to gay marriage that refers to itself as the silent majority, and goes under the name The Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance, will organize a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office to oppose a draft amendment that could legalize same-sex marriage.

The alliance argues that allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children would encourage "sexual liberation," undermine traditional family values and confuse gender roles for children.

A like-minded group of students have called on 500 participants to wear yellow as a show of solidarity on the day.

Demonstrators on the other side of the debate, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, which launched the amendment proposal, expects 300 people to gather in front of the Legislative Yuan building to make their case.

Organizers plan to arrange participants in the shape of the Chinese characters for "equal marriage rights."

The Civil Code amendment proposal was launched last month with more than one million signatures of support. The amendment would legalize same-sex marriage and allow married gay couples to adopt children.

It reached the Legislative Yuan early October and was sent to the Legislature's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee for review Oct. 25.

For all the emotional discourse it has stirred up, the gay marriage proposal is not the only controversial amendment put forward by the civil partnership alliance.

Two other proposals seek to establish a civil partnership system and a system that would recognize multiple unrelated people as a family unit.

The former would allow two individuals of any gender to register as partners. Unlike marriage in Taiwan, a partnership would exempt both members from legal liability in the event of adultery and would allow one individual to end the partnership without needing the other's consent.

The multiple-person families system, meanwhile, would allow two or more people to legally register as family members. Both amendment proposals are still collecting signatures of support.

The proposed amendments have drawn strong criticism from Christian and other religious groups, but have gained the support of several big-name celebrities including singers A-mei and Jolin Tsai.

Related Article:

Gay marriage debate leads thousands to rally in Taipei

Israeli court fines woman for refusing to circumcise her son

Woman, who says she will not physically harm her son, must pay £86 a day until the operation is done, rabbinical court says

theguardian.com, Associated Press in Jerusalem, Thursday 28 November 2013

A Plastibell device, which can be used to circumcise very young boys.
Photograph: David Levene

An Israeli woman has been fined by a religious court for refusing to circumcise her infant son.

The rabbinical court ruled last week that circumcision was for the child's welfare and that the woman must pay 500 shekels (£86) a day until the child has had the procedure. The woman told the court she refuses to physically harm her son.

The case is the first time a religious court in Israel has punished a parent for refusing to circumcise a child. There is no law requiring circumcision in Israel, but the vast majority of Jews are circumcised, in line with Jewish law. Rabbinical courts have authority over certain family matters.

The justice ministry, which is representing the mother, said on Thursday it would be likely appeal the case to Israel's supreme court.

Related Articles:

30mn girls risk genital mutilation: UNICEF

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear and beloved Kryon: What should we know about "Brit-Mila" (Jewish circumcision)?

Answer: All circumcision was based on commonsense health issues of the day, which manifested itself in religious-based teaching. That basically is what made people keep doing it. This eighth-day-from-birth ritual is no more religious today than trimming your fingernails (except that Brit-Mila is only done once, and it hurts a bit more).

It's time to start seeing these things for what they are. Common sense is not static. It's dynamic, and related to the culture of the time. Yesterday's common sense about health changed greatly with the discovery of germs. It changed again with practices of cleanliness due to the discovery of germs, and so on. Therefore, we would say that it really doesn't make a lot of difference in today's health practices. It's done almost totally for cultural historic and traditional purposes and holds no energy around it other than the obvious intent of the tradition.

This is also true for a great deal of the admonishments of the Old Testament regarding food and cleanliness, and even the rules of the neighborhood (such as taking your neighbor's life if he steals your goat, or selling your daughter in slavery if you really need the money... all found in scripture). The times are gone where these things matter anymore, yet they're still treated with reverence and even practiced religiously in some places. They're now only relics of tradition, and that's all. If you feel that you should honor a tradition, then do it. If not, then don't. It's not a spiritual or health issue any longer.

Be the boss of your own body and your own traditions. Follow what your spiritual intuition tells you is appropriate for your own spiritual path and health.

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Nov 22, 2013)

Matthew Books, Nov 23, 2013 (Includes a message Suzanne Ward received from John F Kennedy some years ago.)

Matthew Ward

With loving greetings from all souls at this station, this is Matthew.

First we shall speak about a matter that has touched hearts everywhere. Typhoon Haiyan is profoundly tragic for everyone who lost dear family and friends, homes and businesses—they don’t know that at soul level they agreed to be part of this major act of planetary cleansing. Because releasing accruing negativity was essential to keep Earth progressing toward balance, all the people whose physical lives ended and the millions who are struggling in the storm’s aftermath embraced the opportunity to evolve by participating as they did.

This kind of enthusiastic mass agreement doesn’t seem even possible in your concept of time, but in the eternal life of the soul and the timelessness of the continuum, opportunities to leap forward in soul growth are eagerly sought, and universe-wide they happen with some frequency. Please do not think that our explanation of a devastating situation is dispassionate or that we are unaffected by the grieving souls and their massive reconstruction ahead. We are among the myriad souls who showered light on the Philippines during and after the storm to assist all who made transition and to fortify the inner strength of survivors.  We feel their heartbreak and fright and confusion about how to start rebuilding their lives, their villages and farms and cities.

How we wish they could know that their loved ones were greeted by name and “Thank you!” as they entered Nirvana. Just as fervently we wish they could know that all who died and they themselves collectively agreed to give Earth that vital lift she needed to stay her course toward balance. If Gaia’s gratitude could be seen, your world would be ablaze with the radiance of its light.

Widespread compassion is adding light to the lives that in this moment are bleak and sorrowing, and the generosity of spirit in which assistance is being given is adding light, too. We see the overview of medical teams, suppliers of food and water, and clearing crews as they persevere in efforts to maneuver through areas where roads were washed out or are filled with destroyed buildings. We see the panic of hungry people looking for food, and we see those who take items that have nothing to do with survival but will be needed when a semblance of normalcy is restored. Light beings throughout this universe are streaming love-light energy to all of those souls.

Fifty years ago the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy shocked the world, but even today very few individuals know that his death had far more than a deeply emotional impact. Eventually the truth will emerge that one of the reasons he was killed was to prevent his abolishing the privately-owned Federal Reserve System and returning the national currency to its dollar status, a move that would have ended the Illuminati’s control of that country’s economy and severely weakened their ability to manipulate the global economy. Half a century later than Kennedy intended, the dismantling of that nefarious system is underway.

I have asked my mother to copy here the thought-provoking message she received from President Kennedy some years ago. [The following message, which was for a British author’s book about Princess Diana that includes messages from her and several others, was transmitted December 30, 2004. I don’t know if the book was published or if so, by what title.]

To the world that I left over forty years past, I say that my spirit of love for my country and Earth never departed.  My leaving was not by an accident any more than was Princess Diana’s death.  Our souls had agreed to serve in this way.  We knew at some level that our lives would be short on Earth by good intention, and we see that much has been accomplished in our names—more than if we had remained there.

Our lives were not lived in perfection, nor were they intended to be.  Our human frailties are like many others who also did much to assist in raising the human spirit and promoting the value of each life. 

I use again my words that still are publicly remembered: Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country.  But now I amend those: Ask not what your world can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your world. LOVE is the answer, the ONLY answer to rising above the misery still befalling so much of humanity.

The spirit in which Diana and I both endeavored to serve in our respective positions is stronger than ever within us.  More than ever before in the history of Earth there is opportunity to spread love throughout the world with feelings and actions.  More than ever before there is imperative need for this!  The moment of great transition is at hand.  Contribute to this for the sake of all life on Earth and your soul’s divine nurturing.

We are never separate one from another.  We are One with the Universe.

Thank you, Mother, and now we shall address some issues that readers have questioned.

If comet Ison explodes, will any large fragments be pulled by Earth’s gravity into a position that can endanger us?  No. Spacecraft roaming the skies are on the lookout for comets like Ison and other large celestial bodies that could pose danger to Earth, and when one might, they use their technology to detour its route. In the case of smaller objects, they maneuver them to an area where no heavy damage can result or they smash them to smithereens, whichever is safer for you and the planet.

No, a time has not been set for official acknowledgement of other civilizations’ presence, the landing of ships and introduction of family members living among you. God is in charge of timing because only at that height of awareness can it be known when Earth humankind is ready to welcome “aliens.” Your film industry has done a good job of portraying people from other civilizations as monstrosities that want to annihilate you or handsome, sly beings who want to enslave you—images of grotesque creatures and stories of ruthless intent are seared in many, many minds.

Some readers feel that nothing of noteworthy substance can happen until your space family is working alongside you, and that is not so. Because it is your world, it is up to you to decide what societal, political and economic reforms you want and endeavor to accomplish them; and in numerous messages we have delineated the many ways that you have been making strides toward those significant goals. What your family from other civilizations will do is tackle environmental issues that are beyond your capabilities—their technologies can dematerialize nuclear waste and depleted uranium, purify polluted rivers and seas, and restore deserts to arable condition. Also, their free energy systems are far advanced of your own, which by and large still are under Illuminati suppression.

Others are asking if channeled reports are true that benevolent ETs became discouraged and abandoned you and the only ones near Earth now will come as conquerors. That is a blatant lie set forth by base entities who know that only benevolent members of our universal family are in your solar system and they have been assisting you all along.

We cited one situation above; however, other civilizations have been helping Earth and her successive generations of residents throughout her history. Mother, please copy part of the book that describes their many kinds of assistance.

[The following is portions of the chapter “Help from Other Civilizations” in Earth’s Golden Age–Life beyond 2012.]

 Assistance from extraterrestrials started long before their infusion of the light that saved Earth’s life more than seven decades ago.

Throughout Earth’s history our universal family has served her in one supportive role or another. Members of some highly advanced civilizations had a hand in designing and establishing the flora and fauna, and human life on the planet derived from several civilizations’ seeding programs.  Among today’s populace are descendants of those ancient residents, some of whom were gods and goddesses.  …

The Akashic records, which contain every soul’s lifeprint of each physical lifetime wherever in this universe each was experienced, are maintained and safeguarded by some of Ashtar’s forces.

For long ages some of Hatonn’s Pleiadian crews have been on rotation maintenance tours to insure the safety of the light grid around Nirvana that prohibits entry by rogue entities.  …

After your air travel started, the crews deflected the trajectory of debris or dematerialized it if it posed potential danger to planes in flight.  They also have rescued persons thought lost in ships at sea or planes that disappeared; the rescued parties physically entered a different energy plane, which is why they weren’t seen or heard from again.

Extraterrestrial assistance with unprecedented swiftness and intensity started over 70 years ago, when Earth cried out for help to keep her weakened planetary body alive. By God’s authorization, civilizations responded with a massive infusion of light to prevent the planet spinning out of orbit and certain death. Of course the in-pouring of light was available to all of Earth’s residents too, and those who responded started generating their own light with greater forcefulness.  …

In addition to beaming light to the planet, which will continue until it is well within fourth density, various civilizations are using their technologies in a number of ways in accordance with Earth’s desires. For instance, when the Illuminati cause a geophysical event, the crews lay down an electromagnetic grid that distributes earthquake or volcanic activity and lessens destruction and death toll without reducing the amount of negativity released by those events. In the case of Illuminati-created weather, the crews decrease the wind velocity of violent storms and steer them away from heavily populated areas along coastlines. [Note: That information was transmitted prior to the removal of weather-manipulating scientists by space family members living among you. Mother Nature is back in control of storms, earthquakes and wildfires, her means of releasing negativity.]

Remember the viruses called SARS, avian flu, swine flu and H1N1 that abruptly appeared on the scene simultaneously with media hoopla that each disease, in turn, was “feared to become a pandemic”? No pandemic happened because members of our universal family neutralized those laboratory-designed viruses, thus dooming the dark ones’ double intent for developing them—genuine pandemics with great loss of life and global chaos and fear.

Crews in your skies, who are there by the thousands and thousands, are using their technologies to reduce as much as possible the radiation from Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors, and they rendered less harmful to marine life the oil that kept gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. They are ameliorating the toxic effects of weaponry and other pollutants, and a civilization appearing as cloud formations is leading the way in cleansing Earth’s atmosphere.

As important as all those kinds of assistance are, perhaps the most significant help since “9/11” has been preventing the Illuminati from using nuclear warheads to mount similarly devastating terrorist attacks.  A dozen or so attempts have been thwarted by rendering the warheads impotent, sometimes in combination with missile malfunctions.  This is not a violation of Creator’s law of free will—it is honoring Earth’s free will choice that there will be no more terrorism like “9/11.”

Some of the strongest, most experienced light beings in this universe are right there among you, working behind the scenes to guide the essential changes so that as many of Earth’s residents who choose to accompany her into the higher planes can do so. This is how universally beloved and significant Earth is and how beloved and important YOU are!  …

These volunteers from spiritually evolved civilizations took on human bodies so they could live and work among you undetected.  Although they recognize each other from the distinctive auras that reflect their souls’ evolutionary station, only a few of you are sufficiently energy-sensitive to see them as different from anyone else.

The purpose of their presence derives from their superior intelligence that gives them entry into fields where they can beneficially influence actions and activities during this crucial time of Earth’s transition process.

What these benevolent visitors are doing is not a rarity in the universe—souls continue evolving through service to lesser developed civilizations.   As you continue to grow spiritually and intellectually, eventually you will be willing and able to help enlighten and uplift lesser evolved souls.

Thank you, Mother.  Now let us speak again about negativity for a moment. Some time ago we told you that the negativity that had become deeply entrenched due to millennia of humankind’s brutality to each other and the animals had been released. So, where is negativity coming from now?  As ever before, from the citizens of Earth.

In previous messages we have said that everything in existence is energy.  We have spoken about the power of thoughts, feelings, and written and spoken words, and we have stressed how crucial it is to focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Also we have explained why forgiveness and gratitude are so important. Evidence of these universal truths is in the ancient practice of ho’oponopono, which ties them all together into an “elixir of divine grace,” you might say.

The accomplishment of Dr. Hew Len, formerly a psychologist at a hospital for the criminally insane in Hawaii, is a stunning example of ho’oponopono’s efficacy. Instead of seeing patients during the couple of years he was there, he stayed in his office, sometimes looking at their files, and repeating over and over and over “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.  I love you. Thank you.” By his accepting responsibility for the patients’ status—in essence, acknowledging the inseparable connection of all souls and that whatever one does affects all others—they started improving and continued until they were healed and released.

This remarkable proof of the power of thoughts and feelings can be enlightening and inspiring to everyone. Sharing that story along with feeling grateful for our universal family’s diligence, assistance and unconditional love will speed the day when life in your world is peaceful and harmonious.

Our beloved family, we are with you every moment of your journey toward your rightful place as citizens of this universe.

LOVE and PEACE…

Suzanne Ward

www.matthewbooks.com

Email: suzy@matthewbooks.com

Related Articles:

Archangel Michael: John Kennedy Will Return as an Intergalactic Peacekeeper - Golden Age of Gaia, Steve Beckow (An Hour with an Angel with Archangel Michael, November 21, 2013)

The Light Collective and Mother Gaia: In the Wake of Typhoon Haiyan

The Star Beings Destroy a Meteor on Collision Course with Earth - Steve Beckow, Golden Age of Gaia?

AIDS Was a Man-Made Pandemic

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death) - (Text version)

I'm no saint or icon, says Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Google – AFP, 28 November 2013

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) is greeted by Lowe Institute

chairman Frank Lowe (L) in Sydney on November 28, 2013 (AFP, Greg Wood)

Sydney — Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday insisted she was no saint and no icon, saying she disliked the titles and had always seen herself as an honest politician.

The celebrated activist and democracy champion endured years of house arrest at the hands of Myanmar's military regime and has been feted since her release, but she insisted she was just an ordinary person.

"I always thought that I was a politician, I look upon myself as a politician, not as an icon," she told an audience in Sydney during her first visit to Australia.

"I always object to the word icon, because it's very static, it stands there, sits there, hangs on the wall, and I happen to work very, very hard."

The Nobel Peace Prize winner said she disliked being called a saint even more than an icon.

"Let me assure you I am no saint of any kind; this I find very troubling, because politicians are politicians, but I do believe there is such a thing as an honest politician and I aspire to that," she said.

The Oxford-trained daughter of the country's independence hero was released from house arrest in 2010 and said her dream for the country under the reformist government of President Thein Sein was "unity".

During her trip to Australia, Suu Kyi will also visit Melbourne and Canberra, meeting Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

Thai PM Easily Survives No-Confidence Vote Amid Street Protests

Jakarta Globe – AFP, November 28, 2013

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives for a parliamentary
 confidence vote at Thai parliament in Bangkok, on Nov. 28, 2013. (Bloomberg
Photo/Dario Pignatelli)

Thailand’s embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday easily survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote against her, the house speaker said, as raucous protests continued on Bangkok’s streets.

“Prime Minister Yingluck won the vote of confidence,” said Somsak Kiatsuranont, with 297 lawmakers voting in her favor and 134 against.

The vote, which pivoted on a slew of allegations of corruption, comes amid ongoing mass street protests in Bangkok by opposition protesters seeking to topple Yingluck’s elected government.

Demonstrators have paralyzed government ministries in Bangkok to challenge Yingluck and the self-exiled Thaksin, in the biggest street protests since mass rallies in 2010 that turned deadly.

Protesters accuse Yingluck and her government of acting as a stooge to her brother Thaksin, the billionaire tycoon-turned-politician who is adored by many of the country’s rural and urban working class. But he is reviled by many in the elite and the middle classes.

The opposition Democrat Party brought the no-confidence motion alleging Yingluck and her government had overseen widespread corruption, including in a controversial rice subsidy scheme which is seen to have benefitted the rural heartlands of her Puea Thai party.

On Wednesday, protesters entered a major government complex in the northern outskirts of the capital and also forced staff to leave the Justice Department’s besieged Department of Special Investigations.

Outside Bangkok, protesters gathered at about 25 provincial halls mainly in the opposition’s southern heartlands — including on the tourist island of Phuket.

While the demos have so far been largely peaceful, there are fears they could degenerate into another bout of street violence in a country that has seen several episodes of political unrest since Thaksin was toppled in a 2006 coup.

Agence France-Presse

Pakistan's first female Everest conqueror sets new goals

Google – AFP, Gohar Abbas (AFP), 26 November 2013

Photo received from Pakistan Youth Outreach (PYO) and taken on May 19, 2013

 shows Pakistani climber Samina Baig holding her national flag on the peak of Mount

Everest, Nepal (Pakistan Youth Outreach/AFP/File)

Islamabad — The first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest is to embark on an expedition to summit seven major peaks around the world, to advocate female empowerment and action on climate change.

Samina Baig in June became the first Pakistani woman to reach the 8,848 metre (29,029 foot) summit of the world's tallest mountain, after a gruelling expedition in rough weather.

Now she and her brother Mirza Ali Baig will set off on Saturday to tackle Mount Vinson, the highest in Antarctica, Argentina's Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Americas and others in Russia, Indonesia and Nepal.

The Adventure Diplomacy Group (ADG) consisting of the embassies of Argentina, Indonesia, Nepal, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America is supporting the duo in their voyage.

Picture taken on June 4, 2013 shows

 Pakistani climber Samina Baig during an

 interview with AFP in Islamabad (AFP/File,

Aamir Qureshi)

Hailing from Hunza valley in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, Samina, 21, said mountaineering was not only a sport for her, but a means to inspire women.

Many women in Pakistan suffer severe discrimination, domestic violence and they are often victims of so-called "honour" killings -- when someone is murdered for allegedly bringing dishonour upon her family.

"I want to tell women in developing countries that they are as powerful as their male counterparts and they can play an equal role in their respective societies," Samina told AFP.

Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world's most impressive mountains and glaciers and is renowned for its particularly challenging climbs, including K2, the world's second highest peak.

But the climbing industry was badly affected by the massacre of 10 foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistan's second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June.

Mirza, an experienced mountain guide, expedition leader and trainer in the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges, said he wanted to push a more positive message.

"Our aim is also to promote peace and love for nature and its inhabitants. We've had enough of bombs, we should give peace a chance now," he said.

Equal rights

Samina said she took inspiration from her own small community in the rugged terrain of the Karakorum mountain range in Pakistan's extreme north.

"A girl child has as equal rights as their male counterparts and our community does everything to educate female children," Samina said.

Nestled among some of the highest mountains of the world, Hunza is inhabited by moderate Shia Ismaili Muslims, followers of the Aga Khan.

The area has the highest literacy rate in the country with female literacy rate standing at a one hundred percent.

"When I came to the city for the first time, I saw a completely different world, where people are less educated, poverty is widespread and (the) female is a non-existent species compared to their male counterparts" Samina said.

"But in my community, women are as important as males and they are playing an equal role in the society."

With a network of schools and hospitals established by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Ismailis of Hunza have evolved into one of the developed communities in Pakistan where education as the young Samina says "is a religious obligation".

Pakistan's teenage activist Malala Yousafzai is awarded with the
Sakharov Prize  for Freedom of Thought by European Parliament
chief Martin Schulz in Strasbourg, eastern France, on November 20,
2013 (AFP, Patrick) 

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The brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself

Aisha North, Feb 8, 2013

The manuscript of survival – part 265 - (Constant Companions channeled through Aisha North)

Aisha North

As you have noticed, there are many stirrings in the undercurrent now, and some of the light is already starting to penetrate the fog that has enveloped mankind for such a long time. At the moment, this will seem to be mere pinpricks of light in a huge ocean of darkness, but do not let that fool you. As we have talked about so many times, this layer of darkness that still seems to cover most of your planet is only an illusion, a thin film of confusion covering up the new reality. And now, this reality will start to become more and more visible. Not only to you, but also to others out there, people who look upon themselves as no more than an ordinary citizen, but who will soon start to realize that they too have the power to change not only their own life, but also the lives of so many others.

And they will do so in a peaceful way, for we do not speak of a violent upsurging, far from it. For have you not witnessed already how the power and might of an armed scoundrel is not match for the power of the light? We refer of course to the story of the brave girl who had to face armed assassins because she stood up for her right to educate herself (From Aisha: I think they refer to the story of Malala Yousafzai). If you look closely at her story, you will see how the light penetrating her has been seeping into thousands, if not millions of others already. So she is indeed a shining example on how one of these pinpricks of light can blow away a huge area of fog and darkness, and how the forces of ill intent are no match for the light, for those bullets being aimed at her did not kill the light, it only made it that much stronger.

So let that be a lesson to you all on how nothing and no one can stop the light, no matter how hard they try. For the force of anger and hatred is not match for the love and compassion that is starting to grow on your planet now. And even if these forces of the old are trying their hardest to instill the old fear into you all, they will not succeed, no matter how many weapons they fire off, or how many people they beat to a pulp. For they cannot beat you now dear ones, you are the ones who have won this battle for the souls.

For in your soul, the light is growing stronger and stronger, and with it, the power you carry. And through your example, just like the girl who took the bullets in order to let the light shine out to the whole world, the change will come, step by step, person to person. For you are also brave, and even if you will never have to face the same hardships as this girl, you too will have to conquer the world with your actions. For you are indeed the bravest of the brave, and you have walked through fire to get where you are today. And doing that, you have liberated not only yourself, but thousands upon thousands of your fellow men and women. For you have hacked a trail trough that dense jungle of fear and darkness, and following in your footsteps are the rest of humanity. With a few exceptions of course, and they will clamor and cry as loud as they can in order to make you all believe that they still outnumber you. But they do not, and that is what you will all see as the days keep getting lighter and lighter, and those pinpricks of lights grow ever brighter and ever bigger.

So fear not, as fear has been diminished to such a state it is but a shadow of itself. That shadow is still touching the hearts of many around you, but that shadow is also thinning out, and it will be replaced by light in even the sturdiest of hearts. For light has no boundaries, only the fear has that now, so light is spreading out faster and faster, and the courage it inspires in you all is growing with it. So stand tall and proud, and know that you too has been a part of that journey from the darkest abyss and to this, the threshold of everlasting light. And know too that your actions will never go unnoticed, as you have all been instrumental in this about turn of the human race. So look around, and we think you will find these shining examples starting to emerge in every corner of your world, even in the places where you least expect them to. For, as we said, the light has no boundaries, certainly not one set by any human, and no line on the map or no wall, no matter how high it is, can keep it out. So again we say rejoice, for the morning has broken, and the day is about to start. And this day is one that will last forever.

Rohani's 'Yes We Can' Moment

Radio Free Europe, November 26, 2013

Iranian President Hassan Rohani's charm offensive continues at home with a musical clip that seems to have been inspired by U.S. President Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" music video.

The beautifully made black-and-white clip,  which includes segments of the Iranian president's August 3 inauguration speech mixed with music, singing, and sign language, has been released to mark the first 100 days of his presidency.

Obama's 2008 "Yes We Can" clip was created with the participation of some 30 Hollywood actors and singers.

Rohani's video was posted on his website and shared on Twitter by the unverified account of the Iranian president, which is said to be maintained by his media team.

WATCH: Rohani's 100 Days

The clip, which features a well-known singer and actor, Amir Hossein Modaress, was produced by Iranian documentary-maker Hossein Dehbashi, who also worked on Rohani's election campaign videos. Dehbashi has been quoted by Iranian media as saying that the video was created "spontaneously."

In the clip, unprecedented for an Iranian president, people of all ages play musical instruments and sing to Rohani's words in Persian, but also in the languages of Iran's minorities, including Kurdish and Arabic.

The clip also includes sound bites from prominent figures in Iran's modern history including Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and the founder of the Islamic Republic Ruhollah Khomeini.

The main takeaway of the clip seems to be unity:

Let space and opportunity be given to all Iranians who are devoted to this land. Let those who are competent serve the nation. Let their hearts be cleansed from hatred. Let reconciliation replace anger and friendship replace enmity.

Rohani said his government wants happiness to return to the Iranian people's lives and calls on God to guide him.

Dehbashi lived in the United States for several years. He was arrested in 2010, allegedly for forging a United Nations letter that accompanied his immigration application. Upon returning to Tehran, Dehbashi claimed he had been held in solitary confinement by the FBI.

-- Golnaz Esfandiari

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Indonesia, Australia take steps to calm spy row

Google – AFP, Olivia Rondonuwu (AFP), 26 November 2013

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abott (C) and Indonesia's President Susilo

 Bambang Yudhoyono (R) are followed by Margie Abbott (L) and Ani Yudhoyono (2L)

 during a visit to the presidential palace in Jakarta on September 30, 2013 (AFP/File,

Adek Berry)

Jakarta — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Tuesday Australia's leader had made "important" commitments aimed at ending a row over spying but warned much more work was needed before ties returned to normal.

But even as tensions calmed with Canberra, they threatened to escalate elsewhere, with Yudhoyono saying his government would summon the South Korean and Singaporean envoys over new espionage claims.

Allegations that Australian spies tried to listen to the phones of Yudhoyono, his wife and his ministers in 2009 surfaced last week and sparked a diplomatic crisis.

Jakarta reacted furiously, ending cooperation on military exercises and in the key area of people-smuggling and recalling its ambassador from Australia.

Indonesia was further infuriated by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's failure to apologise or offer what it saw as a clear explanation.

But on Tuesday Yudhoyono struck a conciliatory tone after receiving a letter from Abbott aimed at calming the row with a key ally and trading partner.

The letter contained a "commitment from the Australian PM that Australia will not do anything in the future that will disadvantage or disturb Indonesia", the president said.

"That is a very important point," Yudhoyono added.

He said Abbott supported his proposal to come up with a "protocols" and a code of ethics to govern relations between the neighbours that were "clear, fair and abided to".

Yudhoyono described a long process, that would involve assigning the foreign minister or a special envoy to work with the Australians.

After the details were hammered out, a formal ceremony would have to take place to bring the new agreements into place, attended by both Abbott and Yudhoyono, said the president.

Only after the two countries have "regained trust" in this fashion could normal relations and cooperation be restored, said the president.

However Yudhoyono reacted angrily to new reports that South Korea and Singapore helped with US-Australian surveillance in the region.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday that both countries played key roles in a "Five Eyes" intelligence network grouping the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

It quoted a top-secret US National Security Agency map that it said was published by Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

The president said that even though Indonesia was not specifically named in the reports, he was nevertheless angry as the whole of Asia was mentioned.

"I have instructed our foreign minister to ask for an explanation from the ambassadors of those countries," he said.

A presidential spokesman confirmed Yudhoyono meant the envoys would be summoned.

Malaysia's foreign ministry earlier Tuesday summoned the ambassador from neighbouring Singapore over the same report.

The report said that as a major hub for regional telecommunications traffic, Singapore was an important link in the surveillance network.

The allegations that Australian spies targeted Indonesian officials has also sparked anger among the Indonesian public, and on Tuesday a crowd of demonstrators in military-style uniforms protested outside the Australian embassy.

The protesters, from a paramilitary group, burned photos of Abbott and demanded the Australian ambassador leave the country.

The alleged spying was first revealed by Australian media last week, which based its reports on leaked documents from US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden.

They showed that Australia's electronic intelligence agency tracked Yudhoyono's activity on his mobile phone for 15 days in August 2009 under the previous Canberra government.

At least one phone call was reportedly intercepted.

Members of Pemuda Pancasila burn a picture of Australia’s Prime

 Minister Tony Abbott during a protest against claims that Australian

 spies targeted the phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang 

Yudhoyono, outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta on Nov. 26,

2013. AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

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