not loya jirga, loya jirga is a national consensus, it's grassroots level consensus. tempted to think afghanistan is a vibrant democracy in rude, good health, and of course, the reality is entirely different. your country is utterly divided, half of it is in control of the taliban and if one looks at one of the other fundamentals of afghanistan, you remain one of the most corrupt countries on earth and the afghan public is very well aware that ashraf ghani, for all of his promises to root out corruption, has overseen a administration just as, if not more, corrupt than the ones that went before. this isn't the vibrant democracy you're talking about. we are building democracy in the middle of a war, a war that has continued for a0 years. we are building democracy in the middle of the huge flow of aid that came to the country, but we still appreciate that aid that the international community provided. the present may have a lot of questions but i am sure my country's future is bright. we have always remained together, united, and we will remain together and united and we

meeting brings together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities in the past loya jirga has been used to approve a new constitution declare war choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms well the participants have voted to appoint the jirgas temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries and they've created fifty committees and will spend up to a week discussing issues including those talks with the taliban. one of the duties of the loya jirgah representatives is to define peace whether the taliban is ready for peace or not you lead people's demands and these questions regarding the people's expectation from you is to discuss. these issues wolf peace and stability brotherly. from kabul. a long day for the delegates at this loya jirga here in kabul more than three thousand people packed in to the white building you see over my shoulder. a huge responsibility of trying to figure out what peace means for afghanistan going forward watch the red lines what the priorities will be for the afghan government should they get to talk pace with the talib

, we switched our priority back to loya jirga.ks, and the world doesn't regard them as important, because as we have established, for a very long time, there has been no direct talking between afghan government officials and senior taliban representatives, so and senior taliban representatives, so it really matters, but it seems to me if one looks at the situation right now, both the diplomatic and military situations, it is the taliban that holds the cards. would you agree with that? well, in a sense, the taliban are not yet agreeing to meet face—to—face with the afghan government or to enter talks in negotiation with the afghan government. if you put it that way, yes, they are holding the cards. government. if you put it that way, yes, they are holding the cardslj suppose i'm thinking more that the taliban clearly understand something fundamental about the american position. the americans matter a great deal to this, not least because they have 14,000 troops on the ground still supporting your government but it is quite plain to

or a meeting of afghan leaders scholars and elders is known as the loya jirga is taking place in kabul today with the recent talks between the u.s. and the taliban are likely to top the agenda this meeting brings together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities now in the past loya jirgah sabine used to approve a new constitution declare a war choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms the participants of voted to appoint the judge as temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries they're now working to create fifty committees and will spend up to a week discussing issues including those talks with the taliban the recommendations will be announced by the head of the jirga but they are not legally binding now the president will return on the final day and decide whether he will accept what they have come up with charlotte dallas joins us now from kabul charlotte good morning hi there what are they talking about. good morning. well this morning there's been an opening ceremonies the president gunny spoke at that and now they just getting ba

talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda such meetings are known as the loya jirga that have been held for centuries it's a way of bringing together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities it's expected that they'll be up to three thousand representatives in the past loya jirgah has been used to approve a new constitution to declare war to choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms on the first day they'll be a vote to appoint the jug a temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries but you head of the jirga will then create fifty committees will spend the next two days discussing the issues that are likely to focus on peace talks with the taliban and they'll bring the decisions back to the head of the jirga who will announce them these decisions are not strictly legally binding but on officially they're almost always regard. let's go live now to kabul. to tell us more about the significance of this gathering a what it's going to discuss this time. was hugely significant the taint is the big white building you see behind me. mor

top the agenda it's known as the loya jirga and such meetings have been held for centuries now it is a way of bringing together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities there can be more than two and a half thousand people in attendance they've been used before to approve a new constitution to clear war choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms on the first day they'll be able to appoint the temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries the new head of the jirga will then create fifty committees they'll spend up to a week discussing the recommendations will come. from kabul. a long day for the delegates at this loya jirga here in kabul more than three thousand people packed in to the white building you see over my shoulder. a huge responsibility of trying to figure out what peace means for afghanistan going forward watch the red lines what the priorities will be for the afghan government should they get to talk pace with the taliban in the future with the three thousand people in the if there are two percent of them a woman and they co

talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda that's known as the loya jirga and such meetings been held for centuries it's a way of bringing together afghanistan's main the many ethnic religious tribal communities there could be more than two and a half thousand representatives they've been used to approve a new constitution to declare war choose of you king or to make sweeping social political reforms or the first day they'll be a vote to appoint the judges temporary leader as well as deputy secretaries the new head of the jirga will then create fifty committees will spend up to a week discussing the issues recommendations will be made but they're not legally binding let's go live to kabul. to tell us more about the significant shot of this gathering and what exactly it's going to discuss. the loya jirga is very significant in afghanistan like you say have been happening the same tree this one is all about pace that should the government get the opportunity to discuss pace with the tell us what would they discuss what would be agreed lines be what would their priorities base

talks the taliban are likely to top the agenda it's known as the loya jirga and such meetings have been held for centuries it is a way of bringing together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities there could be more than two and a half thousand people there they've been used to approve a new constitution declare war choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms on the first day they'll be able to appoint the judges temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries the new head of the jirga will then create fifty committees they'll spend up to a week discussing the issues recommendations will be made but they're not legally binding. joins us live from kabul so charlotte will be talking about today. was a very long day for the delegates they have just returned back to where we are at the hotel they started at four thirty this morning because of security issues to get in there they started with. the president spoke and then they lick to the chip person for the man's name is russell it was a day later in the eighty's in his late seventy's more than

talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda such meetings are known as the loya jirga and they've been held for centuries up to three thousand people are expected to attend talks which are shadowed for four days president bush afghanis attending the loya jirga last happened in twenty thirteen. for the talks between sudanese opposition groups and the military have been spawned until monday the two sides were jews to meet after announcing the formation of a joint council on saturday night it will leave the country until elections are held and there's been a blaze at a high rise condominium in the philippines these are the latest pictures of the pacific coast plaza in the capital manila the cause of the blazes unclear there's no word yet on any casualties those are the headlines coming up next on al-jazeera its return of a president's wife and. the president of medicare. the first time i met him in south africa. he was in exile deposed by military coup so it looked really think this is it is good cheer to take a photo because of all the hear me and chess where would you like to say.

kabul for us talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda such meetings are known as the loya jirga they've been held for centuries it's a way of bringing together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities is expected that are going to be up to three thousand representatives now in the past loya jirgah has been used to approve a new constitution declare war to the new king or make sweeping social or political reforms on the first day there is going to be a vote to appoint the judge as temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries the new head of the jirga will then create fifty committees they're going to spend the next two or three days discussing the issues that are likely to focus on peace talks with the taliban they're going to bring their decisions back to the head of the jirga will then announcement now these decisions are rarely legally binding but on officially they're almost always regarded as final about this is joining us live from kabul charlotte give us some indication of what's happening there at the moment. good morning will president donnie ha

i tried to give some sort of outline of the principals if you like of the loya jirga and some of the basic methods about how it's going to work but we're talking about delegates and these are enormous issues for the future of afghanistan in practice how does this all work. it changes a lot right now as we understand it is that more than three thousand people are inside this tent they will have the opening ceremony with president danny then they will decide on five questions last week they thought twenty five now they're thinking five and they will all relate to pay tax if they get the opportunity to negotiate for pace with the taliban what will their red lines be and what would a priority expand as the afghan people they need to represent people from from every district from from every province different tribes different religions there's more than thirty percent a woman which is it which is great to see a really diverse group of people and the tasked with coming up with answers to these questions like you said it is consultative so they will come up with recommendations that will ta

a long day for the delegates at this loya jirga here in kabul more than three thousand people packed in to the white building you see over my shoulder. a huge responsibility of trying to figure out what peace means for afghanistan going forward watch the red lines what the priorities will be for the afghan government should they get to talk pace with the taliban in the future with three thousand people in the thirty percent of them a woman in they come from all over afghanistan representing different tribes different religions different ages different ethnicities coming together to try to answer four questions they are what needs to be done to achieve long lasting peace in afghanistan what value should be safeguarded in talks with the taliban or kind of personalities should represent the government in these talks and lastly on foreign policy what type of actions towards foreign countries should be taken for those countries that do support the taliban now the taliban not happy about the loya jirga they put out a statements.

talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda it's known as the loya jirga and such meetings have been held for centuries it's a way of bringing together afghanistan's many ethnic religious and tribal communities they can be more than two and a half thousand representatives they've been used to be used to approve a new constitution to declare war choose a new king or to make sweeping social or political reforms on the first day they'll be of votes to appoint the jirgas temporary leader as well as deputies and secretaries the new head of the jirga will then create fifty committees will spend up to a week discussing the issues recommendations will then be made but they're not legally binding on a serious shot at palace reports now from kabul. loya jirga is underway here in kabul the white building behind me where the action is taking place more than three thousand people from all across afghanistan different tribes different religions variety of ages thirty percent of the people woman and they have all come together to try to five questions around pace should the government get the

thousands gathering kabul for the loya jirga as leaders discuss how to deal with the taliban. argentina's government freezes the price of essential goods to cushion the blow of inflation but critics say it's just a political ploy. but first japan's end rocket he has formally advocated during the ceremony in tokyo he found the public and said he prays for peace the ritual which involves handing over the chrysanthemum throne to his son took place at the imperial palace crown prince nair hito now becomes emperor this is the first abdication in more than two hundred years. prime minister shinzo ave thanks the outgoing imperial couple for their service through japan's toughest times but i started. as the people of japan have walked along with the emperor in this era during this time the emperor has wished for the happiness and tranquility of the people and has julie conducted official duties as a symbol of the people of japan so here we wish for the further prosperity for the imperial household and i would like to further extend my gratitude to you today so since my enthronement ha

government the group will have to negotiate with it once the peace talks proceed and on to the loya jirga decide it's . time for a short break here al jazeera when we come back crunch talks for boeing as its chief executive defends the company's safety record. and will examine mexico's role in the fight against illegal prescription drugs. and sport returns to the libyan city of benghazi and they will be here with that story after the break that's minutes. how is settlin dry across much of the middle east now that a bit of cloud just making its way towards afghanistan bright skies coming back in across iran into iraq a little bit of clout they say just for syria but it should be lousy settled and dry twenty five twenty six celsius there for beirut's fall to roost lou sort of calls into iraq but that is thirty degrees celsius chills of the to northern parts of iraq but by and large it does look a settled over the coming days and that is of course good news slushie settle to afghanistan the much catch the odd road show here and elsewhere across the region as you can see we are keeping that s

would they discuss what would the red lines be what would their priorities base that convenes this loya jirga to bring in people from all over the country different ages women maimed from different tribes different religions to get the foods and so that they can essentially feel the represent the will of the opinions of the people right now they having lunch this is the edge of the taint the white building that having lunch and the teams in front of it in about twenty minutes they will reconvene where they will split into those committees you were talking about we're expecting fifty committees and we're expecting them to discuss five questions around pace of the somewhere between three to seven days then they will provide recommendations to president ghani they will reconvene in the tames and he will decide whether he will accept those recommendations or not they have just appointed the chairman for the loya jirgah president donnie announced that it would be. saif and he was a mujahideen leader and the he's now in his late seventy's so he's in charge more than three thousand people over the n

this is the day where the action truly begins at the loya jirga more than three thousand people in the big white building you see behind me have broken into groups broken into fifty committees to try to discuss and define what should look like in afghanistan they will be in these groups to basing that question for anywhere between three and seven days they will do that by trying to answer four questions those questions what needs to be done to achieve long lasting pace what value should be safeguarded if the government does get to talk with the taliban what value should be safeguarded in those talks what type of personality should represent the afghan government in those talks and lastly foreign policy what should the government's foreign policy be towards countries that do support the taliban now in that in that tent there are more than three thousand people they are meant to represent different ages different ethnicities different religions they mean to come from every district across afghanistan and truly represent the afghan population and trying to answer these questions the. some

government the group will have to negotiate with it once the peace talks proceed and on to the loya jirga decides. a course of us president says a permanent agreement on his country's relations with serbia will not be pop. without the involvement of the u.s. . made the comments of the balkan summit organized by germany and france he went on to say that the european union was too weak to stand between the two nations kosovo declared independence from serbia in two thousand and eight after years of conflict but belgrade has never recognized kosovo sovereignty. and the number of measles cases in the united states has reached a record seven hundred four that's the greatest number of cases in twenty five years three percent of them have developed pneumonia more than one thousand students and staff to use us universities remain core and to try to contain a fast breaking outbreak of measles it is largely being blamed on parents refusing to vaccinate their children. china has banned all variants of the drug fentanyl the u.s. president welcomed a move to stem the flow of lethal opioids responsible

that they find it disrespectful to the log histories of the way the long history of the loya jirga and that it does in fact that i spaced talks they're not the only ones who are not happy with the loya jirgah taking place it was boycotted by the sea delay he is the second highest ranking afghan official he wasn't here today because he said i just don't think it will be productive and i don't feel like i was consulted in the lead up former prison hama cause i also was in attendance he boycotted her president got a passing judgment during his opening statement saying that he is aware that some leaders in or here but he will leave it up to the population to decide what they think about their absence. to come your knowledge is here including really examine mexico's role in the fight against illegal prescription drugs plus. a reporting from tokyo with japanese are preparing for the first imperial education in more than two her. years. how is he settled and dry across much of the middle east now that a bit of cloud just making his way towards afghanistan bright skies coming back in across ir

opened a meeting of tribal elders and community leaders and couple that he called the four day loya jirga to forge suppose. for peace talks with the taliban several prominent figures including the former president hamid karzai have refused to attack. the commander of the u.s. military prison at guantanamo bay in cuba has been fired a statement said the military had lost confidence in rear admiral john brings ability to lead the controversial prison at guantanamo was set up to detain suspected terrorists captured overseas after the nine eleven terror attacks in the u.s. . and in canada flooding is forced thousands of people to evacuate homes along the auto a river soldiers have been helping homeowners up flood barriers in the capital rising water levels have also closed at least one key bridge in the city ottawa and montreal declared a state of emergency last week. so the come on d.w. byron munich were looking to extend their lead at the top of the table we'll find out if they could get past the stubborn nuremberg or just hoping to survive in the top division. but first is teaming up with

were ousted in two thousand and one is all they call it zog was speaking out of a grand council or loya jirga starting on monday in kabul president ghonim called the meeting to push for direct peace talks with the radical islamists. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she will do whatever it takes to keep scotland in the european union she told her scottish national party spring conference that britain's parliamentary system is broken and that scotland needs to make its own choices over its future. ukraine's president elect a lot of mirrors a lens he has promised to grant ukrainian citizenship to russians who quote suffer under the kremlin's rule the pledge was a response to a decree by russian president vladimir putin making it easier for ukrainians and breakaway regions to obtain russian passports kiev has been fighting moscow backed rebels in eastern ukraine since two thousand and fourteen. all sudanese protesters are helling a breakthrough in talks with north terry leaders they've agreed to form a joint council to pave the way for civilian rule so downs longtime leader omar al

delegates from all over afghanistan converged on kabul for the first loya jirga in six years. the assembly will spend four days discussing whether to negotiate with the taliban or not. we will call on the taliban to enter into peace talks with the afghan government as we have done before and this is a common view among afghans who are weary of war delegates will try to reach a common approach to peace talks with the taliban if and when they take place. the issues that are not up for negotiation are human rights freedom of expression civil rights the political system and the national constitution those are our red lines. both the u.s. and russia have tried to do with the taliban to the negotiating table so far without success the u.s. special representative appeared on afghan t.v. to outline the conditions for a peace deal. a long term ceasefire will be necessary for a deal to be reached as well as a commitment to long term peace. and. so far the taliban has refused to enter into talks with the afghan government. japan is preparing to mark the end of an error on tuesday with th

was speaking in head of a grand council or loya jirga starting on monday in kabul president musharraf's ghani told the meeting to push for direct peace talks with the radical islamists. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she will do whatever it takes to keep the nation in the european union she told her scottish national party's spring conference that britain's parliamentary system is broken and the scotland to make its own choice over its future. ukraine's president elect is a lenski has promised to grant ukrainian citizenship to russians who quote suffer under the kremlin's rule the pledge was in response for you by russian president vladimir putin making it easier for ukrainians in breakaway regions to obtain russian passports yet has been fighting moscow backed rebels in eastern ukraine since two thousand and fourteen. let's go now to turkey where there are ever fewer independent voices in the media there the european union and others have been criticizing president erda want to recent years over restrictions on press freedom and the jailing of government critics but fro

security is very tight more than three thousand people inside what they're calling the loya jirga tapes they will be split into committees and now they will discuss what peace means should the afghan government get to talk with the taliban the questions that these people tell us with our answer is if they get to discuss peace with the taliban why. the principles that they want to safeguard what kind of personality should be represented from the government what would it take to get peace and also in foreign policy what action should be taken against countries that do support the taliban and the people making these recommendations to president gandhi and from all across afghanistan they have very day jews from different tribes from different religions there were thirty women at the story or two ago which is the highest ever and it is the highest number of people attending the weird yoga and the history of afghanistan and this tradition goes back centuries and there is some controversy over rounds are already going to be represented from taliban held areas it is not used to measure t

you see in human i just see it in israel and the loya jirga grand assembly of afghan leaders and scholars and elders is on the way in kabul more than three thousand prominent and influential afghans are gathering for four days of talks over discussing the war in afghanistan and the recent peace talks between the u.s. and the taliban. for the first time in more than two hundred years a japanese emperor is abdicating eighty five year old hito has been on the throne for more than thirty years now but on tuesday will make way for his eldest son crown prince hito as a serious way hey reports from tokyo he's been a largely popular emperor who helped to steer japan through difficult times. it's been eight years since the earthquake and tsunami which changed the lives of so many people here. as home was destroyed that day and while he finds it difficult to put it behind him there's one moment he clings to. convince the emperor and empress came in you walked over to where i was. must have been difficult for you i will never forget his words. the eighty three year old says meeting the imperial coup

thousands gathering kabul for the loya jirga as leaders discuss how to deal with the taliban. argentina's government freezes the price of essential goods to cushion the blow of inflation but critics say it's just a political ploy. but first japan's emperor akihito has formally abdicated during the ceremony in tokyo he thanked the public and said he prays for peace the ritual which involves handing over the chrysanthemum throne to his son took place at the imperial palace crown prince nair hito now becomes emperor this is the first abdication in more than two hundred years prime minister shinzo ave thanks the outgoing imperial couple for their service through japan's toughest times but i started. as the people of japan have walked along with the emperor in this era during this time the emperor has wished for the happiness.

this is the day where the action truly begins at the loya jirga more than three thousand people in the big white building you see behind me have broken into groups broken into fifty committees to try to discuss and define what page should look like in afghanistan they will be in these groups debating that question anywhere between three and seven days they will do that by trying to answer a simple question and those four questions are what needs to be done to achieve long lasting pain what value should be safeguarded if the government does get to talk with the taliban what value should be safeguarded in those talks what type of personality should represent the afghan government in those talks and lastly foreign policy what should the afghan government foreign policy be towards countries that do support the taliban in that in that time there are more than three thousand people they are meant to represent different ages different ethnicities different religions they mean to come from a very district across afghanistan and truly represent the afghan population and trying to answer these q

kabul for us talks with the taliban are likely to top the agenda such meetings are known as the loya jirga they've been held for centuries up to three thousand people are expected to attend talks which are settled for four days. there's been a blaze at a high rise condominium in the philippines these are the latest pictures of the pacific coast plaza in the capital manila the cause of the blaze is unclear those are the headlines the news continues here on al-jazeera after a return of a president. thank. you and we. thank. you and we. thank. you and we. thank. you. negotiations have at last and who were on our way to acetic meeting in person. it's nice to be say. the president and the coup leader had to it as for me to push over the ascetic hits of states to discuss the real. work of. a. faculty want to speak from this meeting with actually. you don't know. dogs know what ok. there's a seal is quite important right now you know so it's not just another meeting it is my hope so you go you know. it is cuckoo myself last night you should hear. this song. called to just. switch. over. in the no

prominent afghans discuss peace for their country it's day two of a national assembly called a loya jirga which will steer the government in its negotiations with the taliban says more from kabul. full painted concrete walls holding up the hopes of a nation they call this the loya jirgah taint it's with three thousand afghans a gathering in a ridge national assembly to define what peace looks like in a country that hasn't seen it for a generation we have to back for it because you know we have spent forty one years of war in this country we have lost the family our sons our husbands our sisters our brothers all together and know now this is the this is the chance for us sufi acidic he is hopeful she was elected head of the committee she says it's a sign that gender equality is improving the government says thirty percent of the delegates are women but this is still a country where women and men have separate entrances as of women at the aftermath that this is our responsibility just to talk about peace and to believe in that the government has started the diversity of this crowd the young

this is the day where the action truly begins at the loya jirga more than three thousand people in the big white building you see behind me have broken into groups broken into fifty committees to try to discuss and define what pay should look like in afghanistan they will be in these groups debating that question for anywhere between three and seven days they will do that by trying to answer all questions those four questions what needs to be done to achieve long lasting pain what value should be safeguarded if the government does get to talk with the taliban what value should be safeguarded in those talks what type of personality should represent the afghan government in those talks and lastly foreign policy what should the afghan government's foreign policy debates awards countries that do support the taliban now in that in that tent there are more than three thousand people they are meant to represent different ages different ethnicities different religions they mean to come from every district across afghanistan and truly represent the afghan population in trying to. these question

the loya jirga decides.at least thirty one people have been killed in flooding and landslides in the twenty nine of those who died were in the bang kulu province on the island of sumatra dozens more are reported missing twelve thousand people have been evacuated as the rain continues hampering search and rescue efforts monsoon season in indonesia typically runs from october to april just last month floods in a province killed more than one hundred people. victims of some serious crimes in the u.k. are being asked to surrender their mobile phones to police otherwise a prosecution might not be possible this follows the collapse of a number of sexual assault cases when crucial digital evidence later emerged but critics say it could discourage victims from coming forward barker has more now from london the most private possessions handing them over to police possibly for several weeks or months isn't something everyone will be happy with but that's exactly what some victims of crimes including rape are now being

peace summit by road for security reasons so ashraf ghani had to fly the seven kilometers to the loya jirgain kabul with a convoy of russian in my seventeen's waiting for him with more than three thousand afghan leaders and. they're here to decide what the risks been if it's and parties are should the government get to negotiate with the taliban. but taliban boy we do your consultative peace jirga because you three thousand two hundred you've represented nation and will determine the limited framework for the talks with the tele bomb not more high ranking official sitting here. as gandhi spoke chief executive it looked on but from a giant poster afghanistan second highest ranking official did not a team and saying he didn't think it would be productive former prison hamad karzai and the head of the high peace council also boycotted the event critics say gani is using the jirga to campaign in her presidential elections scheduled for september but there's a wide concern that president is using this for. a tool for his presidential campaign and his speech today. there were subtle messages some