Gay Porn Strangely Popular In Pakistan, Nigeria: Report

Islamic students of Islami Jamiat Tulba Islamic students of Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan’s largest Islamic party, demonstrate as they denounce a gay rights event hosted last month by the United States embassy, in Lahore on July 4, 2011. Demonstrators called the meeting ‘an assault on Pakistan’s Islamic culture’ while similar demonstrations were held in the capital Islamabad. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

Gay Porn Strangely Popular In Pakistan, Nigeria: Report
The Huffington Post | By Dominique Mosbergen,
Posted: 06/14/2013

Nigeria and Pakistan are two of the planet’s most anti-gay countries, so why are residents of both nations searching for so much gay porn?

As eagle-eyed Alex Park pointed out in a recent Mother Jones post, Pakistan is, according to Google Trends, “by volume the world leader for Google searches of the terms ‘shemale sex,’ ‘teen anal sex,’ and ‘man f-cking man.’”

Both Pakistan and Nigeria rank in the top five for Google searches of the term “gay sex pics” and “anal sex pics.” Kenya, another vehemently anti-gay nation, ranked first for both searches.

Sigue leyendo

The US In Central Asia: Still An Important Balancer?

NDN2

The US In Central Asia: Still An Important Balancer?

By Azad Garibov, JTW-USAK, May 28, 2013

For more than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan has been the point of reference for U.S. policy toward Central Asia. American military bases in the region and the region’s role in facilitating the supply chain for U.S. and NATO troops were the chief concerns of U.S. policy throughout period. On the eve of the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan, Central Asian countries seem worried that the withdrawal will downgrade their importance for Washington. It is argued both in and outside the region that U.S. engagement in Central Asia will be weakened, leaving regional countries exposed to extremist threats from south as well as the influence of powerful neighbors such as Russia and China. Despite their efforts to maximize their economic and military gains from the withdrawal process, Central Asian countries would still prefer to benefit from ongoing U.S. commitment to the region.

Sigue leyendo

Asian Nations Are Not Popular Worldwide: BBC Poll

comic map of east asia

LF Cartoons, by Luke Farookhi, 07/04/2013

Asian Nations Are Not Popular Worldwide: BBC Poll

By Zachary Keck, The Diplomat, May 29, 2013

Asia is not very popular around the world and the popularity of many countries in the region is trending downward, according to an annual poll by the BBC.

The 2013 edition of the BBC World Service’s Country Ratings Poll ranks the popularity of 16 countries and the EU based on whether over 26,000 respondents in 25 countries viewed their influence around the world as “mostly positive” or “mostly negative.”

After ranking as the most popular country in the world in 2012, Japan fell to fourth place this year as positive views of it declined by 7 percent while negative views were up by 6 percent. Overall, however, 51 percent of respondents said they viewed Tokyo’s influence as positive whereas just 27 percent viewed it negatively. This still made it the top ranking Asian country and the only one to be included in the top half of the poll.

Sigue leyendo

China ofrece a India un “apretón de manos a través del Himalaya”

China ofrece a India un "apretón de manos a través del Himalaya" El pirmer ministro chino, Li Keqiang, estrecha la mano de su homólogo indio, Manmohan Singh

China ofrece a India un “apretón de manos a través del Himalaya”

lainformacion.com, 20/05/13

NUEVA DELHI (Reuters) – India y China estudiarán nuevos modos de reducir la tensión en su frontera, sobre la que mantienen desacuerdos, después de un enfrentamiento militar en la región del Himalaya, dijo el lunes el primer ministro chino, Li Keqiang, en su primer viaje oficial al extranjero.

El número dos del liderazgo chino ofreció a Nueva Delhi un “apretón de manos a través del Himalaya” y dijo que los países más poblados del mundo podrían convertirse en un nuevo motor para la economía mundial si evitan las fricciones en una frontera muy militarizada.

Sigue leyendo

Pakistan Elections: More Continuity Than Change

pakistan-elections-story-topSupporters during an election campaign rally on May 06, 2013 in Multan, Pakistan. Read more in: “In Pakistan, more election violence”, by Nasir Habib, CNN

Pakistan Elections: More Continuity Than Change

Scott Or, RAND Corporation, May 8, 2013

This weekend’s elections in Pakistan are more likely to yield continuity than change, an outcome that could offer some opportunities for enhanced engagement between Washington and Islamabad, a pair of RAND experts told reporters on April 6.

During a conference call from Washington, Seth Jones, associate director of RAND’s International Security and Defense Policy Center, and Jonah Blank, a senior political scientist, said a relatively free and fair election would be a welcome sign of political stability for a key U.S. partner in South Asia.

Sigue leyendo