Syrians stage mass anti-US rally

I thought this article was interesting, becaise growing up in America you think, "this is the best place to live" and "everyone wants to live here". Of course over the years I have learned how un true that is, however I still get a little bit of a shock when I see anti-US articles.

Thousands of people have held a peaceful demonstration in Damascus against an alleged US raid on a village that Syria says killed eight people.
Riot police armed with batons and shields surrounded the US embassy in Damascus, which closed due to what it said were increased security concerns.
The US state department and the White House have refused to confirm, deny or comment on the alleged attack.
The Syrian government has demanded an apology from Washington.
It also threatened to cut off co-operation on Iraqi border security if the US carried out any more raids on Syrian territory.
Unnamed US officials said the target of the attack was the leader of a network with links to al-Qaeda, smuggling foreign fighters into Iraq.
Damascus said it was doing all it could to stem any traffic of foreign fighters across the long and porous border.
Iraq said it would share the results of its own investigation into the raid near Abu Kamal, some eight kilometres (five miles) north of Iraq's border with Syria.
Victims' anger
Thousands of people took to the streets of Damascus, waving flags and carrying banners reading "No to American terrorism" and "America the sponsor of destruction and wars".
The protesters, including many civil servants and students, also waved pictures of the Syrian president, as they converged on the central Youssef al-Azmi square.

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BBC correspondent Paul Wood at the scene of the alleged US air assault
Security was tight ahead of the march, with riot police cordoning off the US embassy and an adjacent US residence building.
The embassy announced it would close on Thursday "due to past demonstrations which resulted in violence and significant damage to US facilities and other embassies".
It also said a US school would close temporarily and warned US citizens to avoid the area.

Fury sweeps Syria over raid
Profile: Abu Ghadiya
Five of those killed in the raid on Sunday were from the same family, and the BBC's Paul Wood spoke to the woman who lost her husband and four sons at the scene of the raid.
She was being treated in a Syrian hospital for injuries she said she received during the attack.
"I went outside to get my son and the Americans shot me," she said. "I was screaming in terror."
She said all the men were working on the house that was in the compound where the Americans landed, and denied any link between them and al-Qaeda.
Our correspondent says although there were Syrian officials present and those interviewed were most likely following the official line, their underlying anger seemed genuine.
'Totally unjustified'
But unnamed US officials have said it killed Iraqi Abu Ghadiya, a former lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader who was killed in 2006.
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The US blamed him for bringing thousands of fighters across the border.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem denied the US claims, calling them "totally unjustified".
He branded the attack a "war crime attempt" and said it had claimed the lives of civilians.
Iraq has also condemned the unconfirmed helicopter strikes.
"The Iraqi government rejects the US helicopter strike on Syrian territory, considering that Iraq's constitution does not allow its land to be a base for launching attacks on neighbouring countries," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Tuesday.
But he urged Damascus to prevent groups using Syrian territory for "training and sending terrorists for attacks on Iraq and its people".
If confirmed, Sunday's strike would be the first US attack in Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

over 36-month prison sentences passed on three journalists

Often we as Americans forget just how cozy we have things. We forget the ransoms that were paid to ensure our freedom. Although the freedom of speech may insinuate that it is free we must remember that a price must always be paid. October 29, 2008, Syria- Three journalists were sentenced to server 36-months in prison and charged with “publishing false information with the aim of harming the state, and being members of a secret organization designed to destabilize the state and inciting ethnic and racial tension”.
I find it interesting how easy it is for the “free world” to sit back and watch as world citizens have their voices snatched away. This is a prime example of how the luxuries we have in the U.S is paled by our blatant nonchalant attitude towards those who are fighting the same fight we fought more then 232 years ago. When it comes to freedom there is no middle ground you either are for it or not, if you do nothing then you are not for freedom. I challenge everyone who reads this to take a second to really count your comforts. Thank you for reading and have an insightful day.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29121

Hey everyone it's Sarah. I'm a lead blogger this week. I found this story on the BBC world website and I thought it was pretty interesting because blogging is definitely one of the major topics in journalism right now.

News blogger detained in Nigeria

A US-based Nigerian news blogger is being held without charge by Nigeria's secret service.

Jonathan Elendu was taken into custody on Saturday when he arrived in the capital, Abuja, on a family visit.

The State Security Service (SSS) has refused to allow his lawyers access to him and denied him a medical visit.

Elendureports.com is one of a number of diaspora-run "citizen reporting" websites about Nigeria and is known for publishing controversial stories.

According to Nigerian law anyone arrested must be charged in court within 48 hours, but correspondents say the rule is frequently broken.

The SSS told Mr Elendu's lawyer that Mr Elendu had not been "arrested", but "invited" for talks at their headquarters.

An SSS spokesman said he was being investigated for "acts of sedition", but refused to give details.

Spokesman Kene Chukwu also told the BBC that Mr Elendu's detention had followed legal rules.

"I am telling you all the legal rules were followed, and you have to accept it," Mr Chukwu said.

Mr Elendu's lawyer says he has not spoken to his client since his arrest.

"They have not pressed any charges and have not allowed anyone to see him," said Ugo Muoma.

He said he was filing papers in court to force the SSS to charge or release Mr Elendu.

Elendureports.com operates from Lansing in Michigan and publishes often controversial stories about Nigerian politicians, accusing some of them of corruption and other crimes.

Their stories are often based on anonymous sources.

President's son

Another US-based Nigerian news website, Saharareporters.com, quotes anonymous sources as saying Mr Elendu may have been arrested because of photographs it published a few months ago showing President Umaru Yar'Adua's son.

The Saharareporters.com pictures, which caused a stir in the local media at the time, showed 13-year-old Musa Yar'Adua waving wads of money around and holding a policeman's gun.

But Saharareporters.com says Mr Elendu is not a member of their staff and has nothing to do with the photographs.

International media rights groups Reporters Without Borders has called for Mr Elendu's release.

"There haven't been many really controversial stories about the president on Elendureports.com in the last few months," said Mr Muoma.

During the election campaign in 2007, Elendureports.com claimed that Mr Yar'Adua had died during a medical trip to Germany.

Two foreign journalists have been detained and deported by the SSS for reporting in the politically sensitive oil-rich Niger Delta region over the last few months.

In September, six local reporters and media executives were detained and questioned after a television channel reported, after receiving a hoax e-mail, that the president planned to resign.

Journalists killed in Croatia

Shocking news came from Croatia today - one of the most prominent journalists in South-Eastern Europe Ivo Pukanic and his collegue were killed in the bomb blast in front of their weekly newspaper Nacional. This is the first killing of journalist since Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The country is candidate for European Union, and is considered the most developed non-EU-member country in the region.

BBC / Croatia blast 'kills media pair'

A car bomb in the Croatian capital Zagreb has killed two journalists, including the owner of a leading weekly newspaper, reports say.

Ivo Pukanic, co-owner of the Nacional weekly, was killed with another employee in the blast outside the newspaper's premises, state TV said.

The explosion occurred in the centre of the capital at about 1820 (1620 GMT), the reports said.

Zagreb has been gripped by a wave of violence this year.

"This is a shock, a disaster .... The police and all of us have to do everything to stop this violence," government spokesman Zlatko Mehun told Reuters news agency.

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader sacked his interior and justice ministers, as well as the head of the national police, earlier this month in response to the spiralling crime rates across the country.

His move came amid fears that rising violence could threaten Croatia's success during EU accession talks next year, correspondents say.

Croatia hopes to complete negotiations for entry in 2009 and to become the 28th EU member in 2011.

A crucial European Commission progress report is due to be released next month.

Afghan aid workers undeterred

I really enjoyed reading Three Cups of Tea and I keep running into these articles that correlate so well with the book. As you know the book ended with Greg planning to build a school in Afghan, we also read in the earlier chapters how the more militant muslims payed close attention to Greg to make sure he wasnt forcing Christianity on the children or people in general. This article gives the raw truth of what happens when Afghans suspect that you are teaching Christianity.

Eleanor Weber-Ballard, 25, works for the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (Dacaar) and has been in Afghanistan for three months.
She said: "I think it's easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security because although you're aware of incidents that happen - there's not a huge sense of danger in the Afghan capital.
But Kabul is a fascinating place to work and the Afghan people are friendly and appreciative - that's the draw.
What happened to Gayle Williams brings home the dangers of working here
Eleanor Weber-Ballard
Aid workers under threat
Everybody knows that security restrictions are in place for a good reason but that doesn't stop you getting frustrated.
What happened to Gayle Williams on Monday brings home the dangers of working here and that has a huge impact on how you view the situation.
You start asking questions - 'Where exactly am I going? Is this journey really necessary?'
Some of the places aid workers often go to - restaurants, for example - are packed with other foreigners and you start thinking that these places might be a target.
The security restrictions frustrate people in different ways. I find it difficult that you have to be driven around in a vehicle - and you can't interact with the local population as much as you'd like to.
I came to Afghanistan wanting to experience the country at first hand, particularly with the elections coming next year.
It's tough here sometimes, but I think the rewards outweigh the risks and I'm determined to stay."
ANDY MILLER
Andy Miller, 34, who works for the Aga Khan Foundation, arrived in Afghanistan 18 months ago.
He said: "Daily life is very different in Kabul from Western countries. Most foreigners live in a compound. Everything here takes a bit longer and requires a bit more patience.
In the last six months, the deteriorating security in the provinces close to Kabul has become noticeable.
I perhaps do things differently now because of that. Before the summer, I would have been about a bit more - or walked around the city. But we have quite tight restrictions on movements anyway.
This latest killing has shown how dangerous it can be working here
Andy Miller
Sometimes I get frustrated but you have to have stamina for a place like this - you can't be easily upset or disturbed.
In Kabul the security seems to come and go - sometimes I feel perfectly safe but this, of course, is when you're most at risk by letting down your guard. But in recent months, I've wondered what the real undercurrent of the security situation really is here.
There are lots of incidents that happen that never make the press. This latest killing, however, I think has shown how dangerous it can be working here.
I think it's the sort of the incident that if you're wavering about coming to Kabul in the first place it might possibly change your mind.
But personally I always think that these are the sorts of the risks that you take when you believe in a place.
I've been gripped by Afghanistan's culture and the history for a long time and want to use my skills to help this country."

India, Pakistan open historic Kashmir trade route

I thought this was a perfect post- discussion article of Three Cups of Tea today. Its explaining the exchange of goods between the Pakistani and Indian people. Due to the help of Three Cups of Tea we have a deeper understanding of their conflict which makes this article all the more interesting.


The longtime rivals exchanged goods across the divided territory for the first time in 60 years.

By Mian Ridge Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 22, 2008 edition
New Delhi - Trucks piled high with containers of apples, nuts, and honey became symbols of the slow-moving peace process between India and Pakistan when an old trade route across Kashmir reopened Tuesday after 60 years.
The reopening of the route, which runs across the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the Himalayan region, is one of several "confidence-building measures" agreed on as part of a peace pact made by the two nuclear-armed neighbors in 2004.
But passing as it does through hotly disputed Kashmir, the reopening of this route is especially potent. Kashmir, which both countries rule in part but claim in full, constitutes the core of the disagreement between India and Pakistan that has sparked three wars since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.
The timing of the road's reopening heightens its significance, after months of growing antagonism between India and Pakistan.
Earlier this year, India accused Pakistan of allowing militants to sneak across the border. Terrorist bomb attacks in India, and on the Indian Embassy in Kabul – which India explicitly blamed on Pakistan – have further shaken the peace process.
Indian-administered Kashmir, meanwhile, has in recent months seen the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since a violent separatist insurgency broke out in 1989 and killed tens of thousands of people. Since 2004, and the advent of peace talks, the region had experienced relative calm.
But a government plan to transfer a plot of land in Muslim-majority Kashmir to a Hindu group, later rescinded, unleashed new calls for independence – and violent protests – in the summer.
"This is a very substantive move, very much to be welcomed," says Maj. Gen. Ashok Mehta, a retired military officer and now security analyst in New Delhi. "In fact I would describe it as almost a breakthrough. It's especially welcome on India's side after three months of tension in the Kashmir Valley and in Jammu.
From an economic point of view, too, the reopening of the trade route – one of the few big, all-weather roads in a region that is heavily snowed upon in the winter – is momentous. It is believed that without restrictions, cross-border trade could reach $6 billion a year.
Currently, only 21 approved items can be moved along the trade route, one day a week. "But it could expand to other areas, like tourism," says General Mehta.
Indian Kashmir's Governor Narendra Nath Vohra described Tuesday as "a historic day which will surely help the economy of both parts of Kashmir," adding that he hoped "it will herald peace in the region."
Across the border, Pakistani Kashmir’s prime minister, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, said he was confident “that this beginning will lead us to proper and regular trade and commerce,” but warned it was unlikely to lead to a quick resolution of the dispute.
Another historic step in Kashmir three years ago – the opening of a bus service between the two sides – has since petered out.
In the short term, India in particular hopes that the road’s new life will bring calm to its portion of Kashmir. Over the weekend, it announced that staggered state elections – always a security concern here – would kick off in November.
Indeed, though the demand of many Kashmiri Muslims for independence from India remains unanswered, some have been placated, somewhat, by Tuesday's move. Earlier this year, Hindu groups protesting the government's decision to renege on the land transfer blocked the main highway from the Kashmir Valley to north India. Back then, Kashmiri salesmen demanded they be allowed to sell their produce to Pakistan-administered Kashmir. On Tuesday, that demand was met.
Television footage showed hundreds of people gathered at both sides of the heavily militarized border to cheer on the departing trucks. On the Indian side of the border, the vehicles were decorated with banners reading: "Long live trade across the two sides."
On the Pakistani side, schoolchildren chanted, "Long live Pakistan" and "Kashmir will become a part of Pakistan" – a reminder that Tuesday's move was only a tiny step forward in a long-running and complex dispute.
For truck drivers, fruit salesmen, and apple farmers, however, the reopening of the road was a simple cause for rejoicing. "I was 12 years old when I last saw baskets of fruits being packed to be sent to Rawalpindi [a town in Pakistan]," Haji Abdul Ahad Bhat, an apple farmer from the Indian side, told the Associated Press.

CNN Broadcasts from UAE

IT'S BLAKE O'NEAL, I'M THE LEAD BLOGGER FOR THIS WEEK. I FOUND THIS ARTICLE WHILE LOOKING THROUGH RECENT NEWS HEADLINES FOR MY COMPANY TIME WARNER INC. FOR DR. PITT'S COM430 CLASS. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING CONSIDERING WE WERE JUST GOING OVER THE MIDDLE EAST AND DISCUSSING THE UAE IN CLASS.

CNN Announces Live Daily Broadcasts from United Arab Emirates
October 12, 2008

CNN International plans to start broadcasting live daily programming from its new broadcast center in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in a landmark move that signals the global network's significantly expanded commitment to the Middle East. The as-yet-titled CNN International program marks CNN's first regularly scheduled program from the region.

The development is part of ongoing plans for CNN's new broadcast and production center set to open in the Abu Dhabi Media Zone in early 2009. In addition to the daily, local prime-time newscast, the new production center will provide the infrastructure for expanded newsgathering activities throughout the region. The center enhances CNN's existing presence in the region which currently comprises news operations in Amman, Jordan; Baghdad, Iraq; Beirut, Lebanon; Cairo; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Jerusalem and is part of the company's ongoing newsgathering expansion which over this year has seen more than 50 additional staff and more newsgathering operations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

CNN's Abu Dhabi operation complements the network's ongoing presence in Dubai as well as existing international broadcast facilities in London, Hong Kong and Mexico City and U.S. production centers in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles.

"Our UAE expansion is one of our boldest editorial undertakings of recent years and one that builds on our existing newsgathering heritage in the region,"said Tony Maddox, managing director for CNN International. "For a global news organization, the Middle East was the logical choice for an investment of this scale. Our new operation in Abu Dhabi will enable us to continue to meet and exceed the demands of our audiences at a time when many of our competitors are having to retrench.”

The expansion cements CNN's desire for a broad presence in the United Arab Emirates at a time when the Middle East is making headlines in the political, business and cultural arenas.

"With a successful long standing operation in Dubai, the natural next step is to have a base in the capital city,"Maddox said. "We have long covered the Middle East region comprehensively on our air, and now we will have the on-the-ground infrastructure to serve, support and facilitate that coverage to the next level through these complementary operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This groundbreaking initiative allows us to put news from the Middle East right at the heart of our output in a proper reflection of the role the region is playing on the world stage and is a significant plank in our ongoing newsgathering expansion.” -more-

In addition to the launch of live daily news programming, CNN will also move the production of its popular Middle East-focused feature programs Inside the Middle East and Marketplace Middle East to the new center.

The new CNN hub will be a custom-built news center overseen by the newly created role of managing editor CNN Abu Dhabi. The operation will house approximately 30 staff including a new CNN International anchor and programming, production and newsgathering staff who will play a key role in increasing CNN's coverage of the Persian Gulf region and the wider Middle East for all of CNN Worldwide's networks.

The new production center in Abu Dhabi marks another significant step in CNN's content ownership strategy launched at the end of last year. This has seen the network invest heavily in new news operations around the world as part of its commitment to producing premium news content for its audiences across CNN's many platforms and services.

In November 2007, CNN announced the hiring of an additional 50 staff including 12 new correspondent positions. CNN also announced plans to open new editorial operations in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Santiago, Chile.