KABUL, Afghanistan, October 24 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency's Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has concluded her first visit to Afghanistan, where she saw both the successes and the difficulties of return and reintegration. She saw first hand the country's difficult humanitarian circumstances and called for more international support to meet critical needs during the coming winter.

Jolie's two-day trip comes ahead of an international conference on return and reintegration to be held in Kabul next month. Co-hosted by Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNHCR, the event will bring government ministries and donors together to see how the country's absorption capacity can best be strengthened to support further repatriation.

The award-winning American actress is familiar with UNHCR's Afghan operation, having twice visited Pakistan in recent years to see Afghan refugees there. But the visit on Wednesday and Thursday was her first to Afghanistan to see the reintegration challenges inside the country.

"The courage, resilience and quiet dignity of returnee families rebuilding their lives against the kind of adversity few of us can imagine shows the human spirit at its best," Jolie said after visiting a number of sites.

On Wednesday, Jolie travelled to Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan where almost 850,000, or 20 percent, of all returnees to Afghanistan have repatriated since 2002. Such numbers have placed huge pressures on the limited land availability in one of Afghanistan's most densely populated provinces.

The Goodwill Ambassador visited the Lower Sheikh Mesri settlement site, where some 1,400 returnee families have been living in makeshift shelters and tattered tents. The site's residents outlined the difficulties of finding employment and the limited access to basic social services such as health and education.

Jolie also witnessed the problems encountered by returnees following the summer closure of Jalozai refugee village in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. More than 750 families originating from the adjacent Afghan province of Kunar are living on barren land in northern Nangarhar. They have been unable to return to their homes due to insecurity, land disputes and lack of economic opportunities.

"In some ways we were better off in Pakistan. Life is very difficult here. But it means everything to me today to live among my people in my home country despite these problems," said an elderly returnee, Hashim Khan.

On Thursday, Jolie saw similar issues of landlessness and poverty among returnees and internally displaced people (IDP) living in poor housing conditions in Kabul. The Afghan capital's population has increased threefold since 2001 to an estimated 4.5 million. Refugees and IDPs account for approximately 30 percent of this increase. They compete for jobs with other city inhabitants and the many rural migrants who have come to Kabul in search of economic opportunities.

On her Kabul field trip, the actress visited a site of 18 returnee families who have been squatting in public buildings for several years, unable to return and settle in their province of origin because of poverty.

More than 5 million Afghans have returned home since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, over 4.2 million of them with UNHCR's assistance. But the growing incidence of homelessness is a clear sign that the return of the remaining 3 million registered Afghans still in exile in Pakistan and Iran will be a sharper challenge.

Whilst returnees have contributed significantly to the economy with capital and skills acquired abroad, the huge numbers have stretched the capacities of the Afghan authorities. "Afghanistan has been struggling to absorb these massive returns. It's understandable. It's one of the largest population movements in recent history," said Jolie, as she wrapped up her visit on Thursday.

Noting that the long-term commitment of the international community will be critical to the country's recovery and the prospects for future repatriation, the actress also stressed the need for an increase in humanitarian assistance to the population ahead of the coming winter.

The November conference in Kabul aims to build agreement on how return and reintegration can be sustained by increased bilateral, regional, and international cooperation. Traditionally, refugees are assisted by humanitarian aid budgets. But these have limited impact on sustainable reintegration. So an important objective will be to advance the incorporation of return and reintegration issues more systematically into the planning and budgeting of national development programmes in key areas and sectors.

By Mohammad Nader Farhad
in Kabul, Afghanistan

Source: UNHCR

In a not-terribly-shocking moment, Angelina Jolie accidentally admitted that she and Brad Pitt are adulterers to the New York Times. The two have always said that they fell for each other after Pitt split from then-wife Jennifer Aniston.

But in the NYT story, she said they found love on the set of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” in 2004, when Pitt was still hitched.

The confession came in the context of her children getting to see the movie later in life: “Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love.”

Jolie has since claimed that the slip-up was the result of jet-lag.

Her public persona, including sexy photos floating about on the internet, may cause her children pause later in life when they read both the good and the bad about their parents (their adultery as well…)

In the interview she also said: “I live in a bit of a bubble when it comes to people’s perceptions of me, which I’m sure is a very good thing, because I’m sure it’s not always very nice.

“There’s a lot we’re going to have to explain to them about how public their family is.”

Like all parents, the glamorous couple are not cool to their kids.

“What’s going to be funny is when they think Mum and Dad are a little bit cool,” she added. “Because right now, we’re not cool Mum and Dad.

“Even video games, you know, it’s: ‘Mum, you can’t play this. You won’t know how.’

“Oh, they all think I can’t do anything, that I’m just there to snuggle with. But the other day Madd said, ‘Can you do a cartwheel?’

“And I said, ‘Yeah, I can.’ And he was like, ‘Wow, Mum.’ And I thought: ‘Oh, yeah. I can do some things. You wait. You’ll find out. I’m capable.’”

And she confirmed that they’re planning to add to the tiny group of people who think they’re uncool

“I mean, I know we seem crazy, just bringing them in one after the other, but we do plan. We make sure one is absorbed completely into the family before we add another.

“There are moments when we look at everyone around the dinner table, and it’s just crazy, but our family is the greatest thing we’ve done in our lives.”

The ever-growing family may mean Jolie will step away from Hollywood to raise them, at least for a year. The older kids have been homeschooled (why is it when Hollywood types do that it’s bon vivant and cute but if the average person does it, it’s insular and weird?)

“(T)hey’ve had Mummy and Daddy every day for every meal, and they’ve been very close to us.”

When she decided on a role, she debates whether the youngest ones who aren’t in school can be on the set.

“As long as I can still be with my family, it’s fun,” she said. “But I only want to do that, and I’m not looking for anything else.”

Source: CelebUtopia

Angelina Jolie speaks during a symposium on international law and justice at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City on Friday.

The 33-year-old actress recently had an interview with ABC News where she spoke about her recent film, Changeling, saying, “It was just the greatest experience I’ve had working on a film. And it’s probably one of the hardest films I’ve ever done, with all the balance I needed to find and all the emotion there was. I fell in love with the way he (Clint Eastwood) makes films, and his crew and his pace. He’s so decisive and he’s such a director. It was great!”

Source: Just Jared

Changeling star Angelina Jolie is all smiles during a USA Today photo shoot with director Clint Eastwood, his wife Dina and their daughter Morgan, 11.

“Hey, Dina and Morgan would sure like to get a look at those twins later,” Clint said to Angie during the photo shoot. “Me too… though I didn’t want to say so.”

Angie also recently gave a great interview to The New York Times. Highlights are as follows:

On falling in love on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith: “Not a lot of people get to see a movie where their parents fell in love.” (Yes, Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston).

On not being ready for her six children to see racy internet pictures of herself: “[Maddox will] look up my name and see some kind of sexy pictures, or read a story about himself that isn’t true. There’s a lot we’re going to have to explain to them about how public their family is.”

On her kids looking at mom and dad as nerds: “What’s going to be funny is when they think Mom and Dad are a little bit cool, because right now, we’re not cool Mom and Dad. Even video games, you know, it’s: ‘Mom, you can’t play this. You don’t know how… They all think I can’t do anything, that I’m just there to snuggle with. But the other day, Madd said, ‘Can you do a cartwheel?’ and I said, ‘Yeah I can.’ And he was like, ‘Wow, Mom.’ And I thought ‘Oh, yeah. I can do some things. You wait. You’ll find out. I’m capable.”

Read the full interview at NYTimes.com.

You can also check out the full photo gallery of Angie and Clint Eastwood at USAToday.com.

Changeling opens in limited release next Friday, Oct. 24.

Source: Just Jared

Angelina Jolie apepars on the Today show where she was interviewed by Matt Lauer at NBC Studios in New York City on Thursday.

In the interview, Angelina talked about her latest movie Changeling, saying that “It’s an amazing story, because it’s a true story.”

When asked if there would ever be a place their family would settle down in, Angelina talked about how her children like moving from one place to another.

Angelina also confirmed she is planning to adopt again! Asked how soon, she said, “It depends…you can’t even start the process until any new children are six-months-old. It’s a smart thing…to understand when to bring another child in.” (Twins Knox and Vivienne are 3-months-old.)

Source: Just Jared

W Magazine has published a bunch of the photos of Angelina Jolie and the kids, as photographed by longtime partner Brad Pitt. You can view them at WMagazine.com. (You have to click through the eight slides in the Flash slideshow.) Here are some choice excerpts from the cover article:

– Every family has its unique rites of passage, those generational milestones that mark a child’s growth and remind parents of their own similar experiences, years earlier. In the Jolie-Pitt household, one such event is the day a kid begins collecting daggers. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s seven-year-old son, Maddox, like many boys his age, has lately developed a fondness for guns and knives, and Jolie proudly notes that the predilection runs in the family. “My mom took me to buy my first daggers when I was 11 or 12,” she recalls. “And I’ve already bought Maddox some things. We take him to a special shop.” She emphasizes that the knife blades are dulled so they’re not dangerous, and that the purchases are accompanied by discussions about violence. But, she says, “we also talk about samurais and about the idea of defending someone as good. We talk about everything.”

– If Jolie has a favorite possession, she says, it’s the overstuffed Tumi case that holds the family’s travel documents: Vietnamese, Namibian, Ethiopian, French and American passports, plus her own UN credentials.

– The Jolie-Pitt bedroom, of course, remains off-limits to journalists. And sometimes even to kids, Jolie declares. “The kids do knock before entering,” she says. “We’ve at least got that part down. Because Mommy and Daddy need some space.”

Click to read the cover article at WMagazine.com. The back-story behind Brad’s photos is also here.

Source: Just Jared

Angelina Jolie opens up to the German edition of Vanity Fair about everything from politics to her newborn twins. Here are some choice quotes via Us Weekly:

On why she could be voting for Barack Obama: “Obama is fighting for international justice, he wants to intervene militarily in genocides abroad, and he wants to close down Guantanamo Bay. They are things which could move me to vote for him, not his roots. Of course, an American president like Barack Obama would be great for my family but would not be a reason to vote for someone.” (On Monday, Brad carried a notebook with a Obama sticker on it.)

On why she’s proud of the USA: “I am very proud of being American, and all my children have got American passports. For me, our family is just what America is - a melting pot, a mixture of many different races and nations. My children should be proud of their Asian and African roots, but that in no way means [is] a lack of respect for the fact that they and their parents are Americans.”

On her twins Knox and Vivienne (3-months-old on Sunday): “It’s a damned arduous business, and we are often simply whacked out because it is twice as hard with two babies as with one. But it also makes for double the fun. After we flew back from Europe, we were all suffering a bit from jetlag. We were all in bed early, but at half past four, they were awake and making a real racket… Brad took care of them. He said to me, ‘Go back to sleep, you’re back to work in the morning,’ and moved into the kids’ room with them. He is an astounding father, full of devotion… [Knox and Vivienne] have quite similar, stable rhythms. Every three hours they get hungry, then I have to satisfy them. But that’s OK, the two of them are totally sweet. When you see them, you think they were made for each other. They laugh together, they sniff each other, touch each other. It is beautiful.”

On struggling to find alone time with Brad: “Sometimes, at the end of the day, we try to retire to the bathroom to be undisturbed,” she says. “But then [the kids] hear the water running and want to come in and, yet again, we are all together. But that doesn’t disturb us because they are great kids.”

On how fame has changed motherhood for her: “I would like to have more freedom, especially to have the chance to be more spontaneous with my kids. Would I like to be able to walk through the streets with my kids? Of course. Would I like to be able to wander around Manhattan and buy them an ice cream like other mothers? Of course. But it is not possible. On the other hand, every morning I wake up with the people who are the most dear to me in the whole world. That’s why I don’t feel isolated from that, which is important to me. It helps, of course, that Brad knows all about it, but he’s experienced it even more than me. We often talk about it and try to make the best of things. But I am very grateful for our life and everything that we have.”

Source: Just Jared

Angelina Jolie reveals in the new issue of People:

On Brad changing her mind about giving birth to her own children: “I think one of the life changing things that he did, one of many, is that I was absolutely never going to get pregnant. I never felt that it was the right thing to do… I suppose I just looked at him and loved him and just felt open to (getting pregnant). I suddenly wanted to. It’s one of those things you can’t explain.”

On Brad seeing adopted children Maddox and Zahara: “I knew that he would never see them as different, and that gave me a certain peace.”

On having three children with Brad: “I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. It taught me a lot about life, just the process of it, and now we have three other beautiful children that wouldn’t otherwise be here.”

On baring her body for the intimate W pics taken by Brad just weeks after the twins’ birth: “I’m with a man who’s evolved enough to look at my body and see it as more beautiful, because of the journey it has taken and what it has created. He genuinely sees it that way. So I genuinely feel even sexier.”

On Brad being perfect for her: “[I have] a lot of respect [for Brad. He helps me] to be better and fight hard for the things that I love. I do think that I’m in a good partnership now. I think it just needed to be the right man.”

Source: Just Jared

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have topped the Hollywood power league, according to the Guinness World Records. The power couple was judged from a combination of Internet searches, press stories and earnings.

Though Brad & Angie may be the most powerful, Britney Spears is still the most searched person on the Internet.

In weekend box office office news, Brad’s latest screwball spy comedy, Burn After Reading, opened at No. 1 with an estimated $19.4 million.

The Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen directed the movie, which also stars George Clooney John Malkovich.

Source: Just Jared

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are continuing to help kids around the world, helping those who have been affected by tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation just donated $2 million to the Global Health Committee to plant a help center in Ethiopia, which will be named after their daughter Zahara (she was adopted from Ethiopia).

The center will be modeled after Maddox Chivan Children’s Center in Cambodia (named after their oldest son), where children receive medical, education and social services.

“Our goal is to transfer the success we have had in Cambodia to Ethiopia where people are needlessly dying of tuberculosis, a curable disease, and HIV/AIDS, a treatable disease,” Jolie said in a statement to People.

Added Pitt, “It is our hope when Zahara is older she will take responsibility of the clinic and continue its mission. The fact that poor people continue to die in our world today of TB, a curable disease, because of lack of access to drugs and care is unacceptable.”

Source: Just Jared