Monthly Archives: March 2022

In a video posted on Twitter, Udhaya, a folk artist, is seen explaining the horrific violence, and the casteist and transphobic slurs she faced from her partners family.

A Dalit transgender woman in Tirunelveli was critically injured after being brutally beaten up by the family of her partner, who belong to a dominant caste. The incident took place on the night of Thursday, March 24. A video shared on Twitter by trans rights activist Grace Banu shows Udhaya, a folk artist and a trans woman, talking about the violence she faced from her partners family.

They beat me up, tortured me and used abusive words. They also tried to stab me with a knife, but I managed to get hold of it and throw it away, said an injured Udhaya. She went on to state that her partners mother verbally assaulted her with casteist and transphobic slurs.

It was two years ago that he (Balanand, her partner) tied a thaali (mangalsutra) around my neck, Udhaya is seen saying in the video. She said he left her at the temple in which they were married, but his parents arrived and took her to their house on the pretext of being happy about their relationship. They even called me their daughter-in-law and asked me if I was well. But then they started to beat me up and torture me. He (Balanand) kept telling them not to hit me. He told them he was the one who tied that thaali around my neck and asked them to forgive me, Udhaya said.

Udhaya detailed the violence meted out to her by Balanands family, including by his mother and brother. She lost consciousness and was taken outside and dropped by the road, she added.

Udhaya was first admitted to the Tirunelveli Government Hospital with the help of a few transgender persons who came to her aid. She was shifted to the Nagercoil Government Hospital on March 26 because of her poor health condition, said Grace Banu. Udhaya is unable to open one of her eyes now because of the violence. She should get justice. Until then, we will not get her discharged from the hospital, she said.

The police said a case has been registered against five people Udhayas partner Balanand, his parents and two other relatives under three sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, IPC sections 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour a person), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and 294(b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words) at the Palavoor police station. All five of the accused are currently absconding and a special team has been formed to nab them, Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police P Saravanan told TNM.

Grace pointed out that the police had not invoked the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act initially. It was only after she got the Tirunelveli Collectorate to intervene that the FIR was altered on Monday, March 28, four days after the incident, she said. The police have, however, still not invoked the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, which is meant to provide protection to and ensure the welfare of transgender persons, she said, adding that SP Saravanan has promised to nab the culprits in two days.

However, the SP told TNM that the delay in invoking the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was due to a lack of precedent, and that they were seeking legal opinion on the same. Once we get a clarification on this, we will definitely alter the FIR to invoke the Transgender Protection Act. As far as I know, this is the first time the Act is going to be invoked for a case like this. So it is necessary for us to get some clarification on this, SP Saravanan said.

Grace also questioned the media and activist groups. Nobody seems to be paying attention to this incident. Even Dalit groups are not willing to take it up. This is the kind of atrocity and violence that trans people have to face all the time and yet it goes completely unseen, she said. Dalit trans women are in fact the most oppressed section within the trans women community, Grace said, further pointing out that they, however, have been kept out of the Dalit movement for a long time.

When we talk about transphobia, people think it is limited to the idea of our identity as a transgender person. But in a patriarchal and casteist society, the kind of oppression that Dalit transgender people have to face is unprecedented. They are doubly oppressed. Over the past four days, I have been trying hard to bring what happened to Udhaya to the limelight. Even Dalit movements ignore this subsection of their community. Many of them know what happened, have understood the issue and offered support. But they are not ready to come to the forefront and help in our fight for Udhayas rights, said Grace.

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Dalit trans woman in TN brutally assaulted by partners family, no arrests yet - The News Minute

The futuristic megacity will have flying drone taxis, a Jurassic Parkstyle amusement park, and a giant artificial moon. The project though, aimed to repair the tarnished image of the kingdom, has earned criticism

An illustration of Neom, which will be built in Saudi Arabias Tabuk province. Image Courtesy: NEOM

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is back in the news with his ambitious project the NEOM city state.

Being built on the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia, the $500 billion city-state promises to be humanitys next chapter.

Earlier this week, the prince announced that NEOM would house TROJENA, an all-year-round ski village, a nearly two-mile man-made freshwater lake and the Vault a 'vertical village within the mountain with a fusion of technology, entertainment and hospitality facilities'.

Lets take a look at what is being promised in this $500 billion city-state and why Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pushing for its construction.

All about NEOM

The new city-state is named from a combination of the Greek word for new and the Arabic term for future.

The plan for the city is to cover 10,000 square miles of Saudi Arabia's Tabuk province, near its borders with Jordan and Egypt.

A glance at the website reveals that the futuristic megacity is touted to be 33 times the size of New York City.

Initial plans for the city include flying drone taxis, a Jurassic Parkstyle amusement park, and a giant artificial moon that lights up nightly.

Reports state that the futuristic city-state is being built using artificial intelligence and clean energy sources. The planners of the city have said that they would provide bullet trains and hyperloop for transportation, but residents would be encouraged to use bicycles.

The BBC has reported that NEOM city is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to wean the country off oil the industry that made it rich.

The developers of the city also added that it would exist entirely outside the confines of the current Saudi judicial system, governed by an autonomous legal system that will be drafted up by investors.

Within NEOM, there would be Oxagon, a city floating on water spanning 7km (4.3 miles) - making it the largest floating structure in the world.

NEOM would also be home to TROJENA a mountain tourism destination, which will offer year-round outdoor skiing, a wellness resort and an interactive nature reserve, among other experiences.

According to a press release, Trojena expects to attract 700,000 visitors and 7,000 permanent residents by 2030. It was also claimed that the project would create 10,000 jobs and add 3bn riyals ($800m) to the Saudi economy.

Reason to build NEOM

Other than the obvious reason of tourism and generating money for the economy, experts note that there are other underlying reasons for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans megacity.

Many believe that the opulent city is an attempt by the prince to repair the country's tarnished image. The Middle-Eastern nation has drawn ire over its military operations in Yemen, and also the alleged personal involvement in the killing of Washington Post journalist and Saudi government critics Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

The kingdom's reputation has further been tarnished owing to the crackdown on dissent in 2020.

Criticism for NEOM

One of the biggest criticisms that the Saudi prince is paying for his dream project is that the Huwaiti tribe, who resides on the land where the project is expected to come up, is being displaced.

The Guardian reports that at least 20,000 members of the tribe now face eviction due to the project, with no information about where they will live in the future.

In April 2020, tribal activist Abdul-Rahim al-Huwaiti was shot dead shortly after making videos protesting against his eviction, prompting outrage from human rights activists.

Alya Al-Huwaiti, a London-based Saudi human rights activist and dissident, and a member of the tribe, was quoted as telling Middle East Eye: "The message it sends to members of the tribe, especially, and to all the citizens of Saudi Arabia, is that the tyrant MBS is willing to commit international crimes such as forced displacement and destroy their homes and spend billions of their money for his delusional project. Its a message of anger and unprecedented oppression."

Critics also accuse Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of greenwashing - making grand promises about the environment to distract from reality.

But Fahad Nazer, the government spokesman, denies allegations of greenwashing and insists that Saudi Arabia is heading towards a green future.

With inputs from agencies

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Future or fantasy? All you need to know about Saudi ..w NEOM megacity, touted to be 33 times larger than NYC - Firstpost

IN the summer of 2013, I climbed Mt Elbrus, the highest mountain in Russia and in all of Europe.

The logistics of getting to the Caucasus region where it is located -- even just obtaining a visa -- was quite complicated, requiring me and my companions (we were an all-Filipino mountaineering team) to travel to Moscow, fly to a city called Mineralnye Vody, then drive over three hours to a village called Terskol before finally commencing the ascent to one of the Seven Summits of the World.

The expedition itself was very memorable: After several days of acclimatisation, our first summit bid was foiled by a snowstorm. Fortunately, a window of clear weather opened up the following day, allowing four of us including Filipino Everest climber Carina Dayondon who went on to reach all of the Seven Summits to reach the 5,642m peak.

After the climb, I spent some time in Moscow and made sure to visit its historical sites, not least of which were the Kremlin and Red Square.

Equally memorable as the climb, however, were the people we met along the way, from Anastasia, the travel agent who arranged our logistics, to Yevgeney, our Ukrainian lead guide who despite being largely emotionless throughout the climb hugged us at the summit and gave us a bottle of vodka to celebrate with afterwards.

Speaking of vodka, memorable too was the village doctor who treated one of our teammates head injury using it as a disinfectant before suturing his wound, then offering the bottle to us to drink!

As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine, I think of those people we met and the communities we visited. For the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has been painful enough for tour operators all over the world; the sudden isolation of their country would surely weigh heavily on Anastasias company, which has already sent emails offering deep discounts for future trips.

I think of Yevgeney, too, who is from Ukraine but probably still lives and works in Russia one of many people who have deep ties in both countries. The likely loss of income, and the even likelier loss of life in his community perhaps even within his family point to an unspeakable suffering shared by millions of his compatriots today.

Unfortunately, because we tend to conflate people with their governments, anybody or anything associated with Russia is now being affected by negative attitudes all over the world. Bars are shunning vodka, notwithstanding the fact that very little vodka actually comes from Russia. Some people are boycotting Russian restaurants and some restaurants are refusing to serve people from Russia.

Beyond the invasion of Ukraine, we also see this conflation in the many other conflicts past and present. For instance, at the height of the Philippines maritime tensions with China in 2016, some politicians called for a boycott of Chinese products, while other commentators wrongly questioned the loyalties of Chinese Filipinos, conflating them not just with the Chinese government but also with the citizens of China. Conversely, some Chinese netizens called for a boycott of bananas and mangoes from the Philippines, and phrases like starve the Filipinos to death circulated on Weibo.

Such actions and pronouncements are not helpful because they contribute to concretising toxic, divisive and often racist notions of nationalism. Moreover, they can lead people to think that they are the ones being targeted by other nations when wars are waged by their leaders (who, it is important to add, will only benefit from citizens who think theyre under attack and that their leaders are defending them).

Of course, this is not to stay that people cannot be complicit with their governments; even in Russia today, beyond the unholy endorsement from Russian Orthodox bishop Patriarch Kirill, there seems to be popular support for Putins war, notwithstanding courageous voices who oppose it like the jailed Alexei Navalny, Maria Ressas Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Dmitry Muratov, and editor Marina Ovsyannikova, who boldly denounced the war on state television.

But even popular support is often a result of state disinformation and propaganda, and the primary responsibility still lies with the people who actually decide to take their countries down a path of destruction, oppression and war.

We need to direct our outrage towards the perpetrators of violence and injustice not at entire peoples who are often victims themselves of their own leaders and governments. The Philippine Inquirer/Asia News Network

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People are not their governments - The Star Online

Kate Turska is a Ukrainian New Zealander who is soon to depart New Zealand to collect her parents who have travelled more than 2000km to reach the border and escape the conflict. Video / Alex Burton

Before the war began, the pictures and videos of home came frequently.

Her new kitchen, in particular, was the source of immense pride for Kate Turska's 68-year-old mum, as technology conquered the 16,000 kilometres separating Turska's Auckland apartment and her childhood home, where her parents still lived, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk.

Years of renovations had been stalled after pro-Russian insurgents seized and then occupied the city for 84 days in 2014, her parents' business collateral damage as residents fled bombs, shells and the loss of basic services such as power, water and internet.

"They lost their business, and they were living in a half-built house for a long time. And they finally started [again] in the last couple of years. My mum finally got her kitchen this year.

"She hadn't had a kitchen for the longest time and she was so excited, showing me videos ... she finally got to have it and she only used it for a month or two ... now it's just been left to be destroyed."

Turska's parents, Olha and Andrii, are among almost four million refugees who've left Ukraine since the country of 44m was invaded by Russia on February 24. Another 6.5m are displaced within Ukrainian borders.

After a precarious three-day journey across 2000km of their country the couple are now in the Hungarian capital Budapest, waiting to be met and brought to New Zealand by Turska under the Government's 2022 Special Ukraine Visa scheme for immediate family of Ukrainians with New Zealand citizenship or residency.

Aged 62 and 68, they'll start a new life in a country where they speak little of the language, have no friends and are completely reliant on Turska and her husband.

Her mother accepts their Sloviansk home probably won't be there in the unlikely event they ever return, Turska says.

"They don't even get to enjoy what was so much hard work to make this place a home.

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"As soon as the Russians come, if there's a whiff places are empty they'll rob and destroy ... that's what we've heard's happening in other territories, and that's what happened in 2014, my parents witnessed it."

Her father, who did all the work himself - right down to handmaking the kitchen chopping board - is more hopeful, albeit for reasons known only to himself.

"I don't know if he means it or he's just saying it to put a brave face on, but he says, 'The house will be there, we'll go back, you'll see'."

A house is "a material thing" and never trumps survival, but it still hurt to see the home she'd grown up in abandoned to its fate as her parents fled with barely more than the clothes on their backs, Turska says.

"They left everything behind. Whatever they took, they could fit in their suitcase."

It was a challenging escape.

With trains overflowing, infrequent and travelling via fighting hotspots Kharkiv and Kyiv, and buses sometimes coming under enemy fire, her parents at first weren't sure how they'd escape Sloviansk - initially not under attack, unlike neighbouring cities, Turska says.

They could hear "remote bombings", which became more frequent in the week before they left.

"There was also the constant air raid sirens, so they knew rockets were coming, but they were being stopped [by Ukrainian defences]."

Constant sirens - replaced by fear of the unknown during any lulls - made consistent sleep near impossible, and access to food and medicine became scarce as shops closed.

Her parents were also at particular risk from invading forces, as her father helped the Ukrainian Army in 2014 and was on a "Russian list" putting him at risk of being jailed, tortured or shot, and her mother now refuses to speak her first language, Russian, Turska says.

"We know how the Russians occupy towns ... and what they expect. If there's any resistance, those people disappear."

Despite everything, her parents refused her pleas to leave until assured they could come to New Zealand.

"They said, 'If we die here, we die here' but we're not going to be ... refugees in the middle of nowhere, or hiding in a [Western Ukraine] centre.

"At least this is home, we've survived 2014, hopefully we'll survive this'."

The breakthrough came when Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced the Special Ukraine Visa scheme for immediate family of Ukrainians with New Zealand citizenship or residency, and when a neighbour - having already fled - asked Turska's parents to bring his car west.

Her father began gathering fuel "bit by bit" before the couple queued three hours to fill the car's tank and left Sloviansk four days after Faafoi's announcement.

Queues, sometimes hours long, slowed their journey to safety, along with the challenge of finding safe routes around war zones and complying with varying curfews, Turska says.

"The first day they only made it 300km or 400km."

Unable to find a motel before curfew one night, they slept in their car.

By the time they reached the Hungarian border, news had arrived of bombing in Sloviansk, where an aunt and uncle remain.

Wider family live in Mariupol, fate unknown, the 38-year-old says.

The port city 250km south of Sloviansk has been encircled by attacking Russian forces for weeks, with the city's mayor estimating 5000 residents have been killed and 90 per cent of buildings damaged, with 40 per cent destroyed.

There's also no power, food or water, with desperate residents melting snow to drink.

Seventeen hundred kilometres west, Turska's parents are stunned by how "quiet" Budapest - population 1.7m - is, and how tired they are.

Before reaching safety, they were always trying to be brave, telling her, 'Everything's fine', Turska said before flying out of Auckland yesterday.

"[Now they say] 'We just keep sleeping'. They just can't get enough."

With careful budgeting, sales director Turska can afford to pay her parents way to, and then in, New Zealand.

Under the Special Ukraine Visa adult recipients can work, but any unable must rely on their sponsor for financial support, she says.

"When we talk about the [Government's] 4000 supposed visa allocations, it doesn't mean 4000 people will come. From what I know, and we speak to the community all the time, not a lot of people are applying for this visa."

About 1600 Ukrainians live in New Zealand.

Turska, who helped the Mahi for Ukraine group lobby Government for the Special Ukraine Visa is "tremendously grateful" for the initial response, but wants the scheme expanded so other Ukrainians in New Zealand - such as those on work visas - can bring in family.

A Mahi for Ukraine Givealittle page has been set up to help those currently eligible for the visa pay for flights and living costs, with the group also asking Air New Zealand to help families get to safety in New Zealand.

Turska also has a Givealittle page to send money directly to those in need, responding to requests from Ukraine-based friends and family.

"I started sending my own savings, and then started a Givealittle, and I've helped a number of hospitals, blood clinics, local defence units and animal shelters."

Turska's also been working with World Vision New Zealand, Mahi for Ukraine and others to encourage the Government to increase humanitarian support for Ukraine - currently $6m in humanitarian aid and $5m in non-lethal military assistance.

The Government needed to reflect the generosity Kiwis were already showing, World Vision New Zealand chief executive Grant Bayldon wrote this month.

Almost $1.5m has been given by the public to the joint World Vision-NZ Herald Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

The Special Ukraine Visa should be expanded to Ukrainians with New Zealand work visas and broadened to include more family members, more financial and practical help given to get family here and settled, and the refugee resettlement quota increased, Bayldon wrote.

Turska's confident more will be done.

"Once the Government engaged, they've been very responsive ... we're really trying our best to help Ukrainians who live here, and their families back in Ukraine."

She understands the temptation to look away from the horror.

"Nobody can handle so much destruction and human suffering ... but Ukraine is in the middle of Europe and these type of imperialistic agendas Russia has, they threaten the whole world's democracy.

"And in New Zealand ... Ukrainians are part of New Zealand society. We're your colleagues, your sisters and brothers, and we're affected."

Ukrainians have suffered centuries of oppression from Russia and "always wanted to be free", Turska says.

"They don't want to be like Soviet, they want to align with western values ... they don't want to watch all this corruption happening and Russia dragging us back into the 20th century."

Ukraine marks its 1991 independence from the Soviet Union every August 24, and tears during celebrations are common.

"People cry. I cry every year, because it means so much to Ukraine and Ukrainian people ... to have our own culture, our own language, and to be independent."

World Vision-NZ Herald Ukraine Crisis Appeal: worldvision.org.nz

Kate Turska's Givealittle: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-a-ukrainian-kiwi-to-standwithukraine-1

Advice from Mahi for Ukraine: https://en.ukraine.nz/

Mahi for Ukraine Givealittle: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/relocation-costs-for-ukrainians-fleeing-the-war

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Russia-Ukraine war: Refugee couple leave behind newly-renovated home and are NZ-bound - New Zealand Herald

Good evening, lets start with todays top stories:

Though a Papal apology for atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples by the Catholic Church may not come until the Pope visits Canada, delegates to the Vatican today said Pope Francis received them openly.

In the morning, Pope Francis met with a Mtis delegation, and in the afternoon with an Inuit delegation, each for about an hour. On Thursday, First Nations delegates are scheduled to hold their own private meeting with the Pope, who is to hold a general audience with all three Indigenous groups on Friday.

Mtis National Council president Cassidy Caron said the Pope did not speak a lot during the Mtis meeting; he was apparently absorbed by the stories of the delegates and the residential-school survivors.

I hope that he takes the time between now and then [Friday] to translate those words from his head into his heart, said Ms. Caron, speaking with reporters after crossing St. Peters Square following the meeting.

Inuit leader Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), said he asked the Pope to intervene personally in the case of an Oblate priest, Johannes Rivoire, who was accused of sexually assaulting children in Nunavut.

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Putin doesnt appear ready for compromise in upcoming peace talks with Ukraine

A day before peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were set to resume in Turkey after more than two weeks, hopes for progress were already being lowered. A U.S. official said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear willing to compromise on his demands, while representatives of Ukraine warned not to expect any kind of breakthrough.

The total exodus of refugees from Ukraine now stands at 3.87 million, according to the latest tally announced Monday from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, with a deceleration noted in recent days. The mayor of Mariupol, meanwhile, says 160,000 civilians remain trapped in his city without heat or power, calling it a humanitarian crisis that can only be alleviated if the civilians are allowed to leave.

Local resident and shoemaker Gennady, who didn't give his full name, carries belongings from his destroyed house in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 28, 2022.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters

In Russia, the countrys leading independent newspaper suspended operations Monday after pressure from Russian authorities, a move that comes less than six months after its editor won the Nobel Peace Prize for his papers courageous reporting under difficult circumstances.

Opinion: Will Smiths slap of Chris Rock shows toxic masculinity is still alive under Hollywoods glossy sheen

Chris Rock may or may not still be feeling the sting of Will Smiths open-hand smack at the Oscars last night, but Hollywood certainly appears to be. As Johanna Schneller writes, Rocks joke about Jada Pinkett Smith was tasteless, but when Smith chose violence over words in defending his wife, he turned himself into the embodiment of toxic masculinity.

This afternoon, Smiths assault was condemned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which also said it was launching a review of the incident.

Canadian gymnasts call on Ottawa to launch probe into what they say is sports toxic culture

A group of more than 70 current and former elite Canadian gymnasts are calling on the federal government to investigate abusive practices and a toxic culture inside their sport.

The athletes say concerns over sexual, physical and emotional abuse have not been properly addressed by the sports governing body for several years. They want Ottawa to hold an independent investigation, with the findings and any subsequent recommendations made public.

Gymnasts who spoke to The Globe and Mail said they dont have confidence that problems reported inside Gymnastics Canada are investigated properly, fairly, and that athletes have the ability to speak up without fear of retribution.

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Lockheed Martin wins Canadian F-35 contract: The Canadian government has selected Lockheed Martin Corp., the American manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jet, as its preferred bidder in a $19-billion search for a new warplane.

Could April bring daycare relief in Ontario? In confirming his agreement to sign on to Justin Trudeaus nationwide program to reduce the average cost of child care to $10 a day, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said parents will begin to see the benefits of the deal starting next month.

Judge suggests Trump broke the law: Donald Trump engaged in a coup in search of a legal theory, U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote in a ruling that will allow a House of Representatives committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to see e-mails to one of the former presidents lawyers.

MARKET WATCH

Wall Street closed higher today, as a sharp climb in shares of Tesla overshadowed weakness in energy and bank stocks, while Russia and Ukraine were poised to hold their first face-to-face peace talks in more than two weeks. A drop in the energy and materials sectors pushed Canadas main stock index slightly lower.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 94.65 points or 0.27 per cent to 34,955.89, the S&P 500 index climbed 32.46 points or 0.71 per cent to 4,575.52 and the Nasdaq composite added 185.60 points or 1.31 per cent to end at 14,354.90.

The S&P/TSX composite index slid 28.11 points or 0.13 per cent to 21,977.83. The loonie was trading at 79.41 U.S. cents.

Got a news tip that youd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.

TALKING POINTS

Women and girls have the right to education and equality in Afghanistan and around the world

Sheema Khan: Denying education to women and girls is abhorrent. Forcing them to choose between their faith and their education, their participation in sports or their profession is oppression, plain and simple. In all of these instances, authorities have aimed to erase the agency of women and girls. And yet, they refuse to back down.

Canada can do great things, but the sensible centre mustnt be distracted by the fringes

Daniel Veniez and Rick Peterson: Our current political culture is a result of wedge politics, amped up on social media steroids, feeding off of division and conflict. This ultimately erodes confidence and respect for the institutions at the very heart of our democracy. It fosters small-minded thinking, timid policy and short-term tactics instead of a broad vision for our country.

LIVING BETTER

A spring classical concert round-up: The world premiere of Philip Glasss Symphony No. 13 and more

On Wednesday, Canadas National Arts Centre Orchestra arrives at Torontos Roy Thomson Hall for the world premiere of Philip Glasss Symphony No. 13, his ode to freedom of the press. Part of the thematic program Truth in our Times, the piece by the great American composer was commissioned by the NAC Orchestra as a tribute to the late Canadian-born journalist Peter Jennings.

TODAYS LONG READ

Drone footage of the coastal area of Pantai Mutiara, North Jakarta, cordoned off with dikes, with the view of Regatta condominiums.Joshua Irwandi/The Globe and Mail

How to move a capital city: An exclusive look at Indonesias plan to replace sinking, polluted Jakarta

An array of environmental problems in Indonesias current capital, Jakarta, prompted the government in 2019 to announce a plan to move the centre of government more than 1,000 kilometres away, at a cost of nearly $US35-billion. The transition to Nusantara, a newly designed forest city located in East Kalimantan, will begin as early as 2024 and construction is expected to continue up to 2045, finishing to coincide with the countrys 100th anniversary of independence.

While the expense is great, so are the consequences of staying put. Jakarta is sinking and vulnerable to floods, which have occurred nearly every year for the past two decades. Significant floods happened in 2002, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2020, with the most recent causing an estimated loss of US$70-million. The government says 144 people have been killed in the past 20 years of floods.

But the process of building a new capital touted as a beacon of environmental responsibility is fraught with complications, from the displacement of rural populations to the damming of a nearby river and the environmentally sensitive efforts to clear industrial forest land for the city and surrounding region.

Read the visual feature by Joshua Irwandi.

Evening Update is compiled and written weekdays by an editor in The Globes live news department. If youd like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.

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Evening Update: Seeking reconciliation and healing, Indigenous delegates get an audience with the Pope - The Globe and Mail

Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a law student in Kabul reports on a surprise Taliban announcement that Afghan schools above the sixth grade would continue to be closed to girls, just as they were scheduled to reopen for them. He also comments on a disconcerting surge in anti-Persian nationalism among Taliban leaders that is having a variety of negative social consequences. For privacy and security reasons, we are withholding our correspondents name. The text has only been lightly edited to respect the authors voice.

It was a dark day indeed. On Wednesday, girls in Kabul were to start school again and try to adapt to the new life under the Taliban. Many, including my own sister, went to school after seven months of being away from their fundamental right to education. A sense of joy was visible on the faces of these innocent girls, to go out again and meet their friends and teachers. But that very morning, thousands of girls were turned back and not permitted to enter their schools. Many who had gotten in were forced out of their classes after the Taliban announced at the very last minute that their schools will stay closed to girls until further notice.

My sister said: after the teachers came in to tell us to leave and informed us of the situation, girls slowly left their classes in heartbreak, and soon enough the halls were filled with wailing. Girls and their teachers wept together in grief as if someone had died.

The girls schools are kept shut, even though all the the requirements laid down by the Taliban, including the special hijab dress, female teachers, and subjects aligned with their perception of Islamic values have all been met. But still girls are refused education.

And this is not all that is going on in Afghanistan now. There is also a surge in tribal nationalism, embraced by the Taliban government. In 1998 a book entitled the Second Saqqawists told a young generation of Pathans how Persian/Farsi speakers in Afghanistan were becoming dominant and that Pathans culture and their Pashto language would be forgotten, unless they prevented that. The author also reintroduced a concept called Persianization, using it to divide the Pathans in Afghanistan between actual Pathans and those who are Persianized, speak Farsi and have been influenced by Tajiks. The author argued that although Afghan leaders had been mostly Pathan, governance was mostly performed by Pathan Persian speakers, and that their influence in art, music and socio-cultural factors was a threat to true Pathan identity.

And that is how the Afghan nationalists were born. Although the nationalists had been around for years, this book pinpointed a supposedly threat from other ethnic groups to Pathan identity, which in turn provoked young boys and narrow-minded individuals and tribal leaders to fight for that. The movement of nationalism/fascism in Afghanistan believes in tribal power, and that governance should belong to a certain group.

The phrase history is repeating itself is widely known and rarely seen in practice, but here we are seeing it verbatim from history books. Taliban are known for being Islamic fundamentalists and extremists, though that is not all. Taliban are also very deeply rooted in nationalism and fascism, believing in exclusivity of leadership and government to certain tribes. Thus, every decision that is taken in this government is filtered to whether it is aligned with their tribal interests.

Since Kabul fell in August up to the present time, there have been mild aggressions against Persian language, commonly coming from the bottom of the Talibans ranks. It is noteworthy to point out that Farsi has been in effect the governments language from the time of the old empires and kingdoms that ruled in this land through to the Anglo-Afghan wars and beyond. As a British general wrote in a letter to British officials in India, in response to a question about what language the British should prefer in running Afghanistan, he wrote Persian, as it is French of the east.

The Taliban have come out in pursuit of changing that. Now after barely more than half a year of their reign, mild aggressions have turned into polices coming directly from their leaders, such as omitting Persian text from universities names, changing the names of villages and streets from Persian and erasing Persian from government websites. In their last attempt to fight a cultural battle with oppression and guns, the Taliban has declared that celebration of Nowruz/Naw-ruz (New day) is henceforward Haram. Nowruz is the first day of the new year in the Persian calendar. This holiday has been celebrated in Afghanistan since the birth of its people. Nowruz is embedded in Persian and Zoroastrian mythology and is considered an international day, celebrated from Moscow to Kabul and Los Angeles. The day marks the rebirth of nature, and is celebrated by Christians, Muslims and Jews as well as Zoroastrian communities in every corner of the world. The Taliban have decided that because Nowruzs origin is embedded with Mithraism and Zoroastrianism, it is not permitted by Islam, though many Islamic scholars have made it clear that Nowruz is not in contrary to Islam. The obvious reason for the Taliban stance is resentment against other cultures, especially Persian culture. As beautifully put by the Greek poet, they are trying to bury us, not knowing we are seeds. And that is how our story will turn out, we will grow back stronger, in a garden where diversity is appreciated, music and art are encouraged and where, for Gods sake, girls are welcomed in schools.

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Afghanistan dispatch: 'thousands of girls were turned back and not permitted to enter their schools' - JURIST