International News

Cin · 03-28-2016, 01:36 PM

Cologne sex attacks 'not even crimes according to German rape laws'
'If you don’t in the end have any physical harm to show for it - you haven’t been ripped apart, you haven’t gotten bruises, you’re not getting a conviction'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a6954586.html

The reported sexual assault of as many as 1,000 women on New Year's Eve in Cologne may not even be considered a crime in Germany.

Currently, Germany's rape laws only include attacks where a victim can prove they physically resisted and verbally said "no".

“The German law accepts that a man generally has the right to touch a woman, to have sexual intercourse with a woman. It’s his right, unless the woman shows her resistance very, very strongly,” Chantal Louis, an editor at Emma, Germany’s oldest feminist magazine, told Buzzfeed.

“We have a situation where … even touching the breasts or vagina can’t be punished in the logic of that law, because if the perpetrator does it very quickly, you don’t have time to resist. It seems weird and crazy, but that’s German law.”

The law focuses on the overwhelming force of the perpetrator, reportedly requiring there to be a "threat of imminent danger to life and limb".

As such, for a court to rule a woman was raped, she must prove she physically resisted her attacker with bruises or other injuries on her body.

“You have to be able to show that violence has been committed against you,” Nancy Gage-Lindner, a member of the German Women Lawyer's Association, told Buzzfeed.

“If you don’t in the end have any physical harm to show for it - you haven’t been ripped apart, you haven’t gotten bruises, you’re not getting a conviction."

The government has approved an amendment which no longer requires physical refusal. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet signed off on the change, which will now go to the parliament for approval before being passed into law.

Refugees were widely blamed for the attacks, leading to a hardening of attitudes towards Ms Merkel's open door policy.

Greyson · 04-03-2016, 01:29 PM

This story is a series of investigative journalism done by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalist (ICIJ), a project of The Center for Public Integrity. I am going to follow this series. When I read stuff like this it makes me rethink much of what I think I know.

The documents include nearly 40 years of data from inside Mossack Fonseca, a little known but powerful law firm based in Panama with branches in Hong Kong, Miami, Zurich and 35 other cities worldwide. In the first of six articles posted today, ICIJ and its partners detail the the inner workings of the Mossack Fonseca firm, which is one of the world’s top creators of shell companies — corporate structures that can be used to hide ownership of assets.

Another article reveals a clandestine money network with ties to Putin that has shuffled at least $2 billion through banks and offshore companies linked to some of Putin’s closest allies. A third article details how the law firm of a FIFA ethics watchdog had created offshore accounts for three men indicted in the world soccer association’s corruption scandal. One of the men, a former FIFA vice president, has been charged by U.S. authorities with wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the alleged bribery conspiracy.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-wo...e69729112.html

https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016...-world-leaders

Jesse · 07-14-2016, 06:55 PM

At Least 75 Dead as Truck Plows Into Crowd in Southern France, Driver Killed

A truck plowed into pedestrians during Bastille Day celebrations in the popular French seaside city of Nice Thursday, leaving at least 75 people dead, officials said...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tr...l_nbn_20160714

MsTinkerbelly · 07-15-2016, 03:25 PM

There is an attempted military coup going on in Turkey right now!

This could be very bad, as they are one of our closest allies in the fight against Isis.

MsTinkerbelly · 07-16-2016, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

There is an attempted military coup going on in Turkey right now!

This could be very bad, as they are one of our closest allies in the fight against Isis.

We have a friend that lives in Turkey...she says that she thinks this "coup" was all a plot by the Government. She thinks the primary reasons are grabbing for more power, and wanting the Cleric that lives here in Pennslyvannia to be handed over so he can be killed.

She says she has no proof, but this is the prevailing feeling after watching what has played out over the last 10 years.

*Anya* · 08-08-2016, 08:49 PM

22-Year-Old Somali Woman Sentenced to Death for Being Lesbian

By Adi Chowdhury

In the latest of vitriolic homophobia’s manifestations as hindrances in our quest for progress, a young Somalian woman has been sentenced to death for being homosexual.

The young Sahra (whose name has been altered due to safety reasons) had been a crusader for women’s rights and hence was no stranger to controversy. But things took a turn for the fatal as she was exposed as a lesbian and subjected to the vehement fury from acquaintances.

Al-Shahabab is an Islamic terror group that has amassed notoriety for their vitriol and violence taken against the gay community of Somalia. If not the al-Shahahbab, then other armed gangs are feared to take action against Sahra for her sexuality.

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe. One day they were looking for a guy for me to marry, the next they were looking to take my life,” Sahra recounts. “It was horrible.”

From an article from The Independent:

Everything changed late last year when an acquaintance publicly revealed that Sahra was gay. She started to receive threatening calls, but going to the police was difficult, as they are often openly hostile towards the LGBT community. In the wake of a draconian new anti-homosexuality law passed two years ago, many gay people fled to neighbouring Kenya for refuge after the act triggered a wave of house burnings and violence. That law was later annulled on a technicality.

Officially punishable with a three-year prison sentence, but in areas where the government does not hold sway, the killing of the few people suspected of being gay is a probability, with victims sometimes stoned to death.

Being gay in Somalia is “just not acceptable”, says Leyla Hussein, the London-based Somali founder of women’s rights group Daughters of Eve. “There are a lot of gay Somali women, but they will never come out. They don’t even come out to their own families.”

Sahra was flown to Mogadishu, with the assistance of Jason Jeremias, an activist and theatre producer who had struck up a friendship with Sahra during workshops in Uganda.

https://thebangladeshihumanist.wordp...being-lesbian/

*Anya* · 08-09-2016, 12:23 PM

Official Suggests Uganda Will Force LGBT People Into State-Run ‘Ex-Gay’ Program

By John Wright
August 9, 2016

Days after police violently raided a gay Pride event in Uganda, the nation’s ethics minister on Monday announced a new government-sanctioned “ex-gay” therapy program.

“A program to rehabilitate members of the LGBT Community, with the ultimate aim of giving them a chance to lead normal lives again, has been developed,” Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo said in a statement posted by the Uganda Media Center.

Lokodo, a former Catholic priest, didn’t provide specifics of the program, but in the meantime he vowed to continue to crack down on LGBT gatherings.
Police in Uganda, one of 36 African countries where gay sex is illegal, arrested more than a dozen people, including prominent LGBT activists, during the Mr. and Miss Pride Uganda 2016 at Venom Club in Kabalaggala last week.

The following day, organizers canceled a Pride paradescheduled for Saturday after Lokodo reportedly threatened to put together a police-led mob to assault participants.

On Monday, Lokodo told reporters that the government “will continue to suppress” the public activities of homosexuals, the Associated Press reports. He also alleged that Pride activities are being organized “with the influence of some foreign forces.”

“A program to rehabilitate members of the LGBT Community, with the ultimate aim of giving them a chance to lead normal lives again, has been developed,” Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo said in a statement posted by the Uganda Media Center.

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/08/uganda-gay/

04-03-2016, 01:29 PM	#2
Greyson Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Transmasculine/Non-Binary Preferred Pronoun?: Hy (Pronounced He) Relationship Status: Married Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 6,589 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 21,132 Thanked 8,146 Times in 2,005 Posts Rep Power: 21474859	Hide the Money of the Very Rich and Powerful This story is a series of investigative journalism done by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalist (ICIJ), a project of The Center for Public Integrity. I am going to follow this series. When I read stuff like this it makes me rethink much of what I think I know. The documents include nearly 40 years of data from inside Mossack Fonseca, a little known but powerful law firm based in Panama with branches in Hong Kong, Miami, Zurich and 35 other cities worldwide. In the first of six articles posted today, ICIJ and its partners detail the the inner workings of the Mossack Fonseca firm, which is one of the world’s top creators of shell companies — corporate structures that can be used to hide ownership of assets. Another article reveals a clandestine money network with ties to Putin that has shuffled at least $2 billion through banks and offshore companies linked to some of Putin’s closest allies. A third article details how the law firm of a FIFA ethics watchdog had created offshore accounts for three men indicted in the world soccer association’s corruption scandal. One of the men, a former FIFA vice president, has been charged by U.S. authorities with wire fraud and money laundering for his role in the alleged bribery conspiracy. http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-wo...e69729112.html https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016...-world-leaders __________________ Sometimes you don't realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness. - Susan Gale

07-14-2016, 06:55 PM	#3
Jesse Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Transguy Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: single Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Central West Coast of Florida Posts: 5,204 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 34,866 Thanked 17,780 Times in 3,940 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	At Least 75 Dead as Truck Plows Into Crowd in Southern France, Driver Killed A truck plowed into pedestrians during Bastille Day celebrations in the popular French seaside city of Nice Thursday, leaving at least 75 people dead, officials said... http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tr...l_nbn_20160714 __________________ “You’re so hard on yourself. Take a moment. Sit back. Marvel at your life: at the grief that softened you, at the heartache that widened you, at the suffering that strengthened you. Despite everything, you still grow. Be proud of this.”

08-08-2016, 08:49 PM	#6
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,442 Times in 7,285 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	22-Year-Old Somali Woman Sentenced to Death for Being Lesbian By Adi Chowdhury In the latest of vitriolic homophobia’s manifestations as hindrances in our quest for progress, a young Somalian woman has been sentenced to death for being homosexual. The young Sahra (whose name has been altered due to safety reasons) had been a crusader for women’s rights and hence was no stranger to controversy. But things took a turn for the fatal as she was exposed as a lesbian and subjected to the vehement fury from acquaintances. Al-Shahabab is an Islamic terror group that has amassed notoriety for their vitriol and violence taken against the gay community of Somalia. If not the al-Shahahbab, then other armed gangs are feared to take action against Sahra for her sexuality. “I felt like I couldn’t breathe. One day they were looking for a guy for me to marry, the next they were looking to take my life,” Sahra recounts. “It was horrible.” From an article from The Independent: Everything changed late last year when an acquaintance publicly revealed that Sahra was gay. She started to receive threatening calls, but going to the police was difficult, as they are often openly hostile towards the LGBT community. In the wake of a draconian new anti-homosexuality law passed two years ago, many gay people fled to neighbouring Kenya for refuge after the act triggered a wave of house burnings and violence. That law was later annulled on a technicality. Officially punishable with a three-year prison sentence, but in areas where the government does not hold sway, the killing of the few people suspected of being gay is a probability, with victims sometimes stoned to death. Being gay in Somalia is “just not acceptable”, says Leyla Hussein, the London-based Somali founder of women’s rights group Daughters of Eve. “There are a lot of gay Somali women, but they will never come out. They don’t even come out to their own families.” Sahra was flown to Mogadishu, with the assistance of Jason Jeremias, an activist and theatre producer who had struck up a friendship with Sahra during workshops in Uganda. https://thebangladeshihumanist.wordp...being-lesbian/ __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

08-09-2016, 12:23 PM	#7
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,442 Times in 7,285 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	Official Suggests Uganda Will Force LGBT People Into State-Run ‘Ex-Gay’ Program By John Wright August 9, 2016 Days after police violently raided a gay Pride event in Uganda, the nation’s ethics minister on Monday announced a new government-sanctioned “ex-gay” therapy program. “A program to rehabilitate members of the LGBT Community, with the ultimate aim of giving them a chance to lead normal lives again, has been developed,” Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo said in a statement posted by the Uganda Media Center. Lokodo, a former Catholic priest, didn’t provide specifics of the program, but in the meantime he vowed to continue to crack down on LGBT gatherings. Police in Uganda, one of 36 African countries where gay sex is illegal, arrested more than a dozen people, including prominent LGBT activists, during the Mr. and Miss Pride Uganda 2016 at Venom Club in Kabalaggala last week. The following day, organizers canceled a Pride paradescheduled for Saturday after Lokodo reportedly threatened to put together a police-led mob to assault participants. On Monday, Lokodo told reporters that the government “will continue to suppress” the public activities of homosexuals, the Associated Press reports. He also alleged that Pride activities are being organized “with the influence of some foreign forces.” “A program to rehabilitate members of the LGBT Community, with the ultimate aim of giving them a chance to lead normal lives again, has been developed,” Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo said in a statement posted by the Uganda Media Center. http://www.towleroad.com/2016/08/uganda-gay/ __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

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03-28-2016, 01:36 PM	#1
Cin Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Butch Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: Truly Madly Deeply Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: In My Head Posts: 2,815 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 6,333 Thanked 10,401 Times in 2,477 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Cologne sex attacks 'not even crimes according to German rape laws' 'If you don’t in the end have any physical harm to show for it - you haven’t been ripped apart, you haven’t gotten bruises, you’re not getting a conviction' http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a6954586.html The reported sexual assault of as many as 1,000 women on New Year's Eve in Cologne may not even be considered a crime in Germany. Currently, Germany's rape laws only include attacks where a victim can prove they physically resisted and verbally said "no". “The German law accepts that a man generally has the right to touch a woman, to have sexual intercourse with a woman. It’s his right, unless the woman shows her resistance very, very strongly,” Chantal Louis, an editor at Emma, Germany’s oldest feminist magazine, told Buzzfeed. “We have a situation where … even touching the breasts or vagina can’t be punished in the logic of that law, because if the perpetrator does it very quickly, you don’t have time to resist. It seems weird and crazy, but that’s German law.” The law focuses on the overwhelming force of the perpetrator, reportedly requiring there to be a "threat of imminent danger to life and limb". As such, for a court to rule a woman was raped, she must prove she physically resisted her attacker with bruises or other injuries on her body. “You have to be able to show that violence has been committed against you,” Nancy Gage-Lindner, a member of the German Women Lawyer's Association, told Buzzfeed. “If you don’t in the end have any physical harm to show for it - you haven’t been ripped apart, you haven’t gotten bruises, you’re not getting a conviction." The government has approved an amendment which no longer requires physical refusal. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet signed off on the change, which will now go to the parliament for approval before being passed into law. Refugees were widely blamed for the attacks, leading to a hardening of attitudes towards Ms Merkel's open door policy.

07-15-2016, 03:25 PM	#4
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,895 Times in 5,017 Posts Rep Power: 0	There is an attempted military coup going on in Turkey right now! This could be very bad, as they are one of our closest allies in the fight against Isis.