By Kevin Kumala

G-8 Leaders Agree to $50 Billion in Aid for Africa

British Prime Minister Tony Blair

World leaders, who said they refused to be intimidated by the London terrorist bombings, concluded a three-day economic summit in Scotland by offering an "alternative to hatred" in the form of a $50 billion aid package for Africa. They also pledged an additional $9 billion over three years to support the Palestinians.

"We speak today in the shadow of terrorism, but it will not obscure what we came here to achieve," British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who hosted the G-8 summit, told reporters at a closing news conference. "It is in the nature of politics that we do not achieve absolutely everything we hope to achieve, but nonetheless I believe we have made very substantial progress indeed .. If we implement this, we will make poverty history,"

Blair left the summit briefly on July 7 to fly to London after a wave of terrorist bombings that killed at least 50 people and left 700 wounded. However, he returned the same day determined to win support for his proposed $50 billion aid package to Africa to help end poverty and stem the AIDS crisis (world leaders now give $25 billion annually). Blair succeeded, thanks to a last-minute pledge from Japan. Though pressed hard, President George W. Bush refused to make any additional pledges beyond those already made to double U.S. aid by 2010. Currently, the United States gives 0.16 percent of its national income, the smallest percentage of any of the G-8 countries, according to the Associated Press. The G-8 world leaders meeting in the Gleneagles golf resort in Scotland were Blair, Bush and the leaders of France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and Russia. They were later joined leaders from China and India.

The deal also included a plan to cancel the debt of 18 of the world's poorest nations, as well as a pledge of universal access to AIDS treatment while African leaders promised to move toward more lawful democracies, AP reported.

"All of this does not change the world tomorrow -- it is a beginning, not an end," said Blair. "And none of it today will match the same ghastly impact as the cruelty of terror. But it has a pride and a hope and humanity at its heart that can lift the shadow of terrorism and light the way to a better future."

Not everyone was pleased. "The G-8's aid increase could save the lives of five million children by 2010 -- but 50 million children's lives will still be lost because the G-8 didn't go as far as they should have done," Jo Leadbeater, head of policy for British-based Oxfam International told AP.

"The people have roared but the G8 has whispered," Kumi Naidoo, chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty, told BBC News, referring to the billion-plus people who participated in the 10 Live 8 concerts in 10 countries designed to pressure the world leaders into acting swiftly with massive aid. Elton John, George Michael, and Michael Stipe were among the scores of artists who participated in the historic event. But Bob Geldof, who organized the global Live 8 concerts, said, "Never before have so many people forced a change of policy onto a global agenda. If anyone had said eight weeks ago will we get a doubling of aid, will we get a deal on debt, people would have said Ôno'." U2 rock star Bono, who helped Geldof organize the Live 8 concerts, called the deal "extremely meaningful" and said "a mountain has been climbed." An international AIDS activist, he also praised the agreement on universal access to AIDS treatments. "Six hundred thousand Africans, mostly children, will remember this G8 submit at Gleneagles [Scotland] because they will be around to remember this summit, and they wouldn't have otherwise," Bono told BBC News. According to Debt AIDS Trade Africa (www.data.org/whyafrica/), 70 percent of people living in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $2 a day, with 200 million going hungry each day. This year, at least a million Africans, mostly young children, will die of malaria and two million will die of AIDS.

Spain & Canada Back Gay Marriage

Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero

Gay couples around the world celebrated in the final days of June as both Spain and Canada joined the Netherlands and Belgium as the only countries in the world to recognize same-sex marriage.

On the afternoon of June 30, the Spanish government legalized gay marriage despite strong protests and a Catholic Church-organized march of thousands against the laws the previous weekend. Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero promised broad reforms for the country when he took office last year. "Today Spain is a more decent country, because a decent society is one that does not humiliate its members," said Zapatero. Despite the fact that the Senate blocked the bill earlier in the week, gay and lesbian couples campaigned outside Spain's parliamentary buildings fully expecting it to pass. The final decision gives full marriage access and adoption rights to same-sex couples and is seen as a step toward equality for lesbian and gay people.

On June 28 in Canada, the House of Commons in Ottawa voted 158 to 133 in favor of a measure allowing same-sex couples to marry. Ottawa, Ontario, is the capital of Canada, therefore symbolizing a national step towards acceptance, but since same-sex marriage is already considered legal in most of Canada's provinces and territories, the vote is considered anticlimactic for many. "While I know the vote is a big deal, in so many places people can get married already," says Lonny-Jay Renard, a public relations director for several LGBT organizations in Edmonton, Alberta, one of only two provinces and one territory where laws banning same-sex marriage are still in place. "I won't be out in the streets dancing, but I'm definitely appreciative of the vote." Rules banning same-sex marriage were found unconstitutional in the other provinces and territories because they violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Even with passage of the measure, the issue of same-sex marriage is still contentious among the Canadian population. Canada's ruling government coalition is led by the Liberal Party, which approved the measure despite strong opposition from members of the Conservative Party. Several religious leaders have come out against the measure, even though there is a clause that says pastors would not be forced to perform marriage rights for same-sex couples.

The vote shows a huge contrast between Canada and the United States, where only the state of Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage, which is not recognized in any other state. President George W. Bush is seeking a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Jerusalem Pride Goes On In Spite of Attempted Ban and Stabbings

On June 30, more than 10,000 people marched in the Jerusalem Gay Pride event, which saw two women and one man stabbed by religious protestors, as well as bottles filled with urine and bags of feces being thrown at parade participants. The attacks came at the culmination of several weeks of rising tension and heat.

Earlier in the month, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, along with his council, sought to ban the gay and lesbian event from occurring, citing fear of offending religious residents of the city. In a letter to Jerusalem Pride organizers, Director General of City Hall Eitan Meir wrote, "It is not right to allow the march or other planned activities to take place in the streets of Jerusalem, fearing that it will create an uproar, offend a wide sector of city residents, and out of fear of public disturbances." Pride organizers Jerusalem Open House (JOH) immediately launched an appeal and four days before the event, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that the mayor's opposition to the lesbian and gay event was discriminatory and that the council had no right to ban the event. "The city council is not permitted to discriminate against any sector of the public due to the disagreement of any of its officials to the views or sexual tendencies of a particular sector," Jerusalem District Court Deputy President, Judge Mussia Arad, wrote in her judgment.

Thirteen of the roughly 700 religious protestors demonstrating at the parade were arrested. The Israeli government criticized the opponents in a message read aloud at the parade by Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz. "Jerusalem Pride is part of the struggle for human rights and freedom for all sectors of society," Pines-Paz said. "The heads of the Jerusalem municipality should self-reflect on their contribution to the incitement leading up to today's violence." Several organizers saw the day's attack as revealing the true extent of the anti-gay sentiment in the city. The day after the event, JOH Executive Director Hagai El-Ad cited Mayor Lupolianski as a direct cause for the attack. "This heinous attack is a direct result of Mayor Lupolianski's ongoing campaign of incitement. Yesterday's Pride events focused on a message of love and tolerance -- and these values cannot be obstructed by violence."

Chinese Gay Web site Runs Again

A Chinese Web site, www.gaychinese.net, geared toward providing the lesbian and gay communities within China vital information on sexual health and prevention as well as on Chinese pride events, has re-opened after the government shut it down earlier this year. The Web site was blocked in April with government claims that it was too explicit. Damien Lu says the Web site was merely an online news resource to the many lesbian and gay people in China and an AIDS activist said that removing the vital content of the Chinese language Web site would hit the gay community hard.

Homophobia Runs Rampant in Fiji

Gay men and sex workers in the holiday destination of Fiji have seen a rise in homophobia since the high-profile arrests of local Dhirendra Nadan and gay tourist Thomas Maxwell McCoskar in April. McCoskar of Australia and Nadan were prosecuted and sentenced to two years in prison for having sex. They are contesting the prosecution, claiming it goes against anti-discrimination laws. International civil rights groups have rallied foreign governments to intervene and force Fiji to update its laws on sexuality.

Police Officers Prohibited from Wearing Uniforms in London Pride Parade

In the UK, the Hampshire and Dyfed-Powys police forces were the only two forces that refused to allow their officers marching in the capital's demonstration on July 2 to don their uniforms. The Gay Police Association (GPA) claims that the public display of support for gay officers helps them engage more directly with lesbian and gay people. "What we would say is that this is an extremely worthwhile thing for officers to be doing on their day off, to put their uniform on and take part in something which raises community confidence," said GPA's Ian Sanderson. Gay officers have been marching in uniform since 2003.