Nine years after the war in Afghanistan began, the government and its coalition allies are preparing for the day it will end. Part of that preparation is ensuring that Afghanistan's medical community will be able to care for the population. U.S. Air Force personnel are working at the Kandahar Regional Military Hospital to help medical workers be ready. Improving the level of care also will help the Afghan military improve its reputation, and help it stabilize the region.
A wounded Afghan National Army soldier is carried through the emergency room.
He has severe head injuries, with shrapnel wounds to his face, his eyes covered in white bandages.
Just 12 months ago, all the seriously wounded went to a nearby NATO hospital for treatment by doctors from the international coalition.
Today he will be treated in the Kandahar Regional Military Hospital, the Afghan Army's main hospital in southern Afghanistan.
The United States Air Force has a team of mentors here to support local doctors and nurses. The goal is to increase their skills so they no longer need international help.
The program has been in place since the hospital opened in January 2008.
The U.S. staff provides advice on everything from bedside manners to surgery techniques. The team consists of doctors, anesthetists, nurses and administrative personnel, all vital to keeping a hospital running.
Captain Michael Hampton is a doctor who specializes in trauma care. He says the mentoring program is a tough challenge, with many problems to overcome, but he is impressed with how far the Afghans have come in so little time.
"We have been partnering well, I think, to create a medical system that can continue on in the future, and allow us the chance to separate a little bit and allow the Afghans to run it more for themselves," he said.
Dr. Abdul Khabeir has worked at the Kandahar military hospital for three years, honing his skills with the Americans.
He says he wants to be a good doctor. And he wants there to be stability in his country so that people stop killing each other, and stop the turmoil, and he can improve his skills as an orthopedic surgeon.
The military hospital is an air-conditioned red brick building. The 50-bed facility provides free medical care to civilians as well. There are plans to expand the hospital so it can care for more patients.
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Escher is the senior medical advisor to hospital.
He hopes the lessons learned here will spread through the fledgling medical system of this impoverished, war-torn country.
"The things they learn here will be transferred to civilian health care so it's all about building health-care capacity within Afghanistan, so they can manage more severe patients, more critical patients without anybody else's help. That is the goal," he said.
If that goal is reached, it will help U.S. and coalition forces eventually leave the country, knowing it can stand on its own.
The president and CEO of the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa says that important stories about Africa continue to feature less prominently in mainstream American media outlets.
The Africa Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that strives to educate Americans about the richness and diversity of Africa, as well as the economic opportunities that the continent offers.
Bernadette Paolo said, despite the fact that the month of August featured many Africa-related events in Washington, those events did not make the mainstream American media.
She said there is a need to demand positive coverage of Africa by providing the media with information that contrasts with the usual negative stories.
“When you ask students throughout the United States, the first four images that come to mind when they hear the word “Africa” is war, disease, starving children and animals. And, I think that the reporting in the media is primarily negative,” she said.
Paolo said, although there are challenges facing African countries, Americans need to know the contributions the continent is making and the potential it holds.
“When you think about it, many of the mineral resources in the entire world are from the continent of Africa, never mind the fact that the African diaspora in the United States is the highest educated among all immigrant populations. These are facts that never come to the fore through the media,” Paolo said.
She said changes in U.S. foreign policy toward Africa over the years suggest that Africa is getting the attention it warrants from the U.S. government.
But, Paolo said much more needs to be done to improve the negative coverage of the continent in the mainstream U.S. media.
“I think that, with journalists, you have to feed them with information and make them aware of these changes, of the economic development, of a country such as Botswana and others that are making great strides economically, of the number of democracies that are on the continent now, as opposed to 20 years ago,” Paolo said.
Paolo said the responsibility of disseminating positive information about Africa is not solely that of the media, but also the duty of all Africanists through the use of modern technology.
“I think it’s a combined effort of getting more information out there using social media, people who are Africanists, people from the African diaspora, putting things in newspapers, writing letters to the editors. So, the responsibility isn’t solely journalists. It’s all of ours,” she said.
Paolo said she lamented the fact that millions of Americans did not get the chance to meet and see the young people from Africa who attended President Obama’s Forum with African Youth Leaders.
“We had heads of state. We had foreign ministers. In Africa, in August, we had the AGOA Forum. We had these youth leaders that President Obama had here, 115 extraordinary young people with contributions already in their lives that were just mind-boggling. All these things are missed opportunities to have a different picture of African leaders. And so, I think, we seldom have reporting on positive developments such as these,” Paolo said.
Journalist associations in Southeast Asia have condemned the recent killings of several reporters in Indonesia. Media analysts, however, say low journalism standards may be partly to blame for the deaths.
The death of television reporter Ridwan Salamun, who was killed while trying to film a clash between two villages in southeast Maluku, is only the latest incident of violence against reporters in Indonesia.
Since early July at least six journalists have complained of threats or intimidation, and on August 2 the body of freelance reporter Ardiansyah Matra'is was found in a river in Papua.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists has called for a thorough investigation into his death, which police in Papua have declared a suicide.
Human rights activist and media monitor Andreas Harsono says the incidents reveal deep problems with the way journalism is perceived in a country where the media expanded rapidly after the fall of former autocrat Suharto in 1998.
"With the boom of these media companies - TVs, radios, newspapers - and the boom of journalists, journalists are not as well trained as they are supposed to be," Harsono said. "The schools of journalism for instance are mostly concentrated in Java and they are still controlled by the government. There is also the practice of self-censorship, which is still rampant, and several areas are off limits, especially to international journalists, Papua for instance."
Harsono says a lack of professionalism means some journalists put themselves in danger because they are not trained to cover riots or conflicts.
Competition is also a problem. Fifteen companies control around 95 percent of the news media in Indonesia. Media analysts say that creates market pressure that forces many editors to compromise on content and keep journalists' salaries low.
The average monthly wage for a reporter in Jakarta is around $200, only slightly more than the city's minimum. Harsono says poor salaries make journalists vulnerable to bribery, which leads to biased or inaccurate reporting.
Those on the outer islands have a tougher time.
"The further the island from Java, usually they are considered to be riskier in their job and either they are very corrupt - easily can be bought - or they are extremely idealistic, to some extent even campaigning journalists," Harsono said.
Harsono says the poor quality of reporting makes some people suspicious of journalists. But it is not just poor training and knowledge of journalism ethics that concerns him. There is also a lack of legal protection.
Largely because of a large number of defamation cases brought against reporters last year, human rights watchdog Freedom House lists Indonesia's media as only partly free in its annual media freedom survey.
Harsono worries that limited access to the outer islands and a lack of training and protection will continue to put journalists' lives at risk.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he does not regret his decision to take Britain to war in Iraq, but did not foresee the nightmare that had unfolded there. The revelations come in Mr. Blair's newly published memoirs.
In the 718-page book, entitled A Journey: My Political Life, the former British prime minister says he wanted the book to be different from the traditional political memoir.
"I set out to write a book that would give the reader an insight into the human, as well as the political dimensions of life as a prime minister," said Blair.
Tony Blair took three years to write the book that charts his decade in power. <!--IMAGE-->
"So it is a frank account of my life in politics which illuminates what it is like to be a leader, both for the U.K. and also of course on the international stage," he explained. "It charts the difficult decisions, the highs and the lows."
The highs include the landslide victory that brought him to power in 1997, and presiding over the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland. Mr. Blair also wrote of the outrage that led him to send troops to Kosovo, and the regret that British lives had been lost in Iraq. But he did not apologize for taking the country to war. Major General Tim Cross was Britain's top representative to Iraq during the 2003 invasion.
"I think he is pretty heartfelt in his comments that he does not regret what he went through," said Cross. "He clearly has been affected by it, I do not think there is any doubt about that, but I think ultimately he believes what he did was right."
Mr. Blair is donating all the proceeds of the book, including the reported multi-million-dollar advance, to a British charity that supports wounded soldiers. Cross believes the former prime minister is conflicted about the Iraq War.
"I think he is genuinely struggling with the outcome of Iraq, but genuinely, ultimately believes it was the right thing to do, but recognizes an awful lot of people have been hurt in the process and this is part of a way of repaying some of that," he added.
Anti-war campaigners picketed one of the London stores selling the book and plan to demonstrate next week when Mr. Blair holds a book signing. His memoirs are expected to be a worldwide bestseller, but the former prime minister's decade in power remains controversial in Britain.
When the George C. Marshall High School cross country team assembles each day for practice in Falls Church, Virginia, Maha Hassan is not among the runners.
Instead, the 16-year-old athlete walks around the school track on her own to try to keep her conditioning up.
Hassan is not running this summer because she is observing the Ramadan fast, which means she abstains from all food and drink during the daylight hours. <!--IMAGE-->
Added challenge
The timing of the Muslim fast changes each year. It occurs during the ninth lunar month of the year and begins with the sighting of the new moon. This year the holiday began on August 11, during one of the warmest months of the year.
“I would like to run but I have to remember that I am fasting. I have to remember that I would be too tired and wouldn’t be able to try my hardest,” says Hassan. “After Ramadan is over, I can run on my own until winter track in November.”
Hassan has fasted since the age of 13 and decided to observe Ramadan instead of participating in cross country. Her decision to fast came after spending the summer with her cousins in Sudan.
“When I was talking to my family, I felt like it should be more important to me and that I should be more involved in my religion.”
Hard choices
Young Muslim athletes often try to participate in both fasting and their chosen sport. However, hot summer days have prompted many teen athletes at Marshall High School to reconsider. <!--IMAGE-->
Marshall football player Rakin Hamad, 17, is one of them. He fasted last year, enduring grueling practices in the heat without water.
“It was pretty hard. There were some points where it was just too hot. There were times I had to go to the trainer and just lie down.”
After learning that his coach planned to hold two practices a day, Rakin reluctantly decided not to fast this year.
He will start applying to colleges soon, and believes playing on the varsity team could bolster his chances of getting into the university of his choice.
“I just decided I couldn’t fast this year especially since it’s the middle of August when the heat is unbelievable and with two practices, it was just too much.” <!--IMAGE-->
Soccer player Carma Khatib has found a middle ground that works for her. She fasted for the first time last year, trying it for one day. Khatib felt the experience helped her empathize with the less fortunate, who do not have food to eat.
This year, she’s figuring it out as she goes along.
“I’ve fasted a couple of days. During soccer, I either don’t fast or I fast but I drink water so I stay hydrated.”
Personal decisions
These different approaches to observing Ramadan are not unusual, according to Joshua Salaam, youth director at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, a mosque and community center in Sterling, Virginia.
“Some Muslim youth are not at the same religious level of others. Some youth don’t pray at all, some don’t fast.”
Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, director of the Minaret of Freedom Institute and a professor at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, agrees.
“From my personal experience, Muslims are pretty good about fasting,” he says. “It is more common to see Muslims neglect their prayers rather than the fast because the five daily prayers cause more of an interruption during the day.”
Double devotion
Samee Khan is trying to maintain his dedication to both religion and football. <!--IMAGE-->
An observant Muslim, the 14-year-old prays five times a day and fasts every year.
He also plays on the freshman football team at Herndon High School in Virginia. As a child, Samee’s father used to take him to Redskins training camp to watch the professional football players practice.
“I’ve always wanted to play football,” he says. “It was my first love.”
The three-hour daily practices take place in the early afternoon, during the hottest part of the day, making Samee’s fast particularly challenging.
“It’s horrible. Sometimes you have trouble breathing. You have this terrible taste in your mouth,” he says. “The coaches don’t really cut us any slack.”
Having two fellow Muslims on the team helps, as does support and encouragement from his non-Muslim teammates, who admire Samee’s discipline.
It isn’t easy, but Samee wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I have a love for football and a love for my religion. So I’ve got to do both.”
The front-runner in Guinea's presidential runoff says some local officials are unfairly campaigning for his rival ahead of this month's vote.
Cellou Diallo won more than 40 percent of ballots in Guinea's first round of presidential voting. So he is considered the front-runner in this month's runoff, especially as he has expanded his political coalition to include former rivals.
But in campaigning for the September 19 election, Diallo says some local government officials are unfairly favoring his opponent, Alpha Conde, who won just over one-quarter of the first-round votes.
Diallo told reporters in Conakry that his party objects to some local officials and governors openly demonstrating their preference for the other candidate. He says that is not fair because all Guineans expect the administration to be neutral. No one in the transitional government is allowed to be a candidate in this election. So Diallo says their obligation to remain neutral must be respected.
Guinea's Ministry of Territorial Administration and Political Affairs this week issued a circular reminding local officials that they must remain impartial in this contest.
The ministry's role in this vote is a source of political controversy in Conakry because interim prime minister Jean-Marie Dore wants it to play a bigger role to help the electoral commission overcome first-round problems that included too few polling stations in remote areas.
The military decree establishing the rules for this election empowered the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Political Affairs to give "technical assistance" to the electoral commission.
Prime Minister Dore wants acting military ruler General Sekouba Konate to issue another decree specifying the extent of that assistance. Opponents say there is no need for another decree and accuse the prime minister of trying to change the rules in the middle of the game.
Hadja Mame Camara is the electoral commission's vice president. She says the commission, the transitional government, and the candidates are all trying to improve the process.
Camara says the electoral commission is dispatching thirteen inspection teams, each of which includes representatives from the electoral commission, the Ministry of Territorial Administration, and both of the candidates. Those teams will examine existing polling stations and consider establishing new polling stations where needed.
Camara says the inspection teams will help bring polling stations closer to voters. She says the electoral commission now has 462,000 new, electronically-secure voter cards to replace the temporary papers that were used in the first round of voting.
This is an election meant to return Guinea to constitutional order after nearly two years of military rule. General Konate is warning soldiers to stay out of the process and respect the country's democratic transition.
The Yellow Sea is again the setting for naval war games. China has started a four-day artillery exercise in waters off Qingdao. The United States and South Korea are to hold joint drills in the same waters in a few days.
China's Defense Ministry, according to the Xinhua news agency, describes the naval drill, which began Wednesday, as routine training.
The maneuvers come just ahead of a second round of war games in the same waters by the United States and South Korea. That exercise begins Sunday in the Yellow Sea, between northern China and the Korean peninsula.
Baek Seungjoo is the director of the Center for Security and Strategy at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul. He says Beijing's announcement of its drill likely means it is a response to the U.S.-South Korean exercises.
Baek interprets the training as a way for Beijing to flex its muscles. But, he says, in itself the exercise should not be seen as provocative. Baek also emphasizes it is not a demonstration of closer military ties with Pyongyang.
However, Chinese news reports say discussions about that military relationship are under way.
Xinhua says China's military leaders, while visiting North Korea on Wednesday, pledged to increase military exchanges with Pyongyang.
China has repeatedly objected to U.S. exercises in the Yellow Sea, even though most of it lies in international waters. Beijing says the sea is part of its security perimeter.
The maritime boundary between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea also is disputed.
Military leaders from Washington and Seoul say that a series of exercises over the past few months is meant to demonstrate to North Korea that the U.S. remains committed to defending South Korea.
Tensions have increased on the Korean peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean naval ship in the Yellow Sea in March. An international investigation concluded the Cheonan was hit by a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denies responsibility.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told an American veterans' group Tuesday it is not time to celebrate victory in Iraq, even though the U.S. combat mission is formally ending. Gates spoke Tuesday to the annual meeting of the American Legion in the midwestern U.S. city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Secretary Gates called Wednesday's formal handover in Baghdad the moment both countries have been working for and hoping for, a moment he said was "made possible by the dramatic security gains of the last three-and-a-half years."
He said attacks are at their lowest levels since the beginning of the war in 2003, in spite of the recent series of incidents. He also noted that U.S. forces have not had to call in an air strike anywhere in Iraq for more than six months, and he said the remnants of al-Qaida's Iraqi organization have been cut off from its commanders abroad.
Still, he warned, all is not well in Iraq. He noted the ongoing political stalemate and lingering sectarian tensions, and he said al-Qaida in Iraq is "beaten, but not gone."
"This is not a time for premature victory parades or self-congratulation, even as we reflect with pride on what our troops and their Iraqi partners have accomplished. We still have a job to do and responsibilities there," said the defense secretary.
Gates said the U.S. military will continue to work with the Iraqi Army and police forces, to train the Iraqi Navy and Air Force, and to help with operations against terrorist groups. He noted that so far 4,427 U.S. troops have been killed in the war, and more than 34,000 have been injured, some of them very seriously.
The secretary also said the Iraq War diverted American attention and resources from Afghanistan, where he said U.S. troops defeated the Taliban in 2001 and 2002, only to see the group reestablish itself and escalate its insurgency. That is a problem the United States is able to address only now, with a decreased troop commitment in Iraq.
The last of the additional forces President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan are just arriving, and the next 12 months will be critical in the effort to demonstrate the same type of counterinsurgency approach can work there that worked in Iraq. The troop increase, designed to fight the insurgents and enable engagement with local people in key areas, brings the American total close to 100,000, with nearly 50,000 more from other allied countries. Secretary Gates noted that is more than three times as many as when he took office not quite four years ago.
Still, he he said a "tough, hard campaign" lies ahead in Afghanistan, "with its share of setbacks and heartbreak." "Success there is not inevitable. But with the right strategy and the willingness to see it through, it is possible. And it is worth the fight," he said.
Gates called victory in Afghanistan "essential to the safety of the United States." He said it would deliver "a strategic defeat to al-Qaida," roll back Taliban gains, and build Afghanistan's ability to defend itself and prevent the re-establishment of terrorist safe havens like the one the Taliban provided to al-Qaida to plan and launch the September 11th attacks on the United States in 2001.
Hurricane Earl is churning toward the eastern United States, after battering islands in the Caribbean.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the powerful Category Four hurricane has moved north of Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.
On Tuesday morning, Earl had winds of up 215 kilometers per hour. Forecasters say it could threaten the mid-Atlantic region and points north with dangerous winds, storm surge flooding, and heavy downpours.
Earl is projected to brush the eastern U.S. Thursday – anywhere from the Carolinas to New England. The region includes Washington, Philadelphia and New York.
Earlier this week, the storm dumped heavy rains on the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, St. Martin and others in the Caribbean. Earl caused flooding in low-lying areas and some territories reported power outages. The weather also caused cruise ships to be diverted and flights to be canceled.
Elsewhere, U.S. forecasters say Tropical Storm Fiona is moving quickly westward toward the Leeward Islands. Tuesday morning, Fiona had winds of 39 kilometers per hour and was forecast to pass near the Leeward Islands early Wednesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to Washington, D.C. for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama.
These are the first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in nearly two years. The talks will focus on efforts to create a future Palestinian state, the goal of the "two-state solution" backed by the United States.
But a major sticking point could derail the talks, which begin Thursday. The Palestinians want Israel to extend a moratorium on settlement construction on land the Palestinians want for a future state.
Israel says continuing the moratorium would upset Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank who have threatened to bring down Israel's ruling coalition if the construction freeze is not lifted.
Mr. Abbas has warned that talks will be curtailed if Israel does not extend a moratorium on settlement construction set to expire September 26. Mr. Netanyahu says only his Likud party can develop a lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Palestinians hope to establish their state in the West Bank, controlled by Mr. Abbas's Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, currently under control by Hamas, which is opposed to peace efforts.
In a speech Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad outlined his two-year plan to create a Palestinian state. But he said the moment has come for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explain his vision of a future Palestinian state, and he expressed doubts it will be a solution Palestinians could ever accept.
Mr. Obama has said he would like to see a peace agreement achieved within a year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Indonesia and Malaysia have stepped up efforts to protect Asia's great ape, the orangutan. Saving the endangered "man of the forest" may also help fight global warming.
Under a canopy of green in Malaysia's Sabah state, tourists watch as orangutans are fed.
Tourist attraction <!--IMAGE-->
The Sepilok rehabilitation center allows tourists to observe the orangutans – "the man of the forest" – from a viewing platform in the jungle.
"It is wonderful to see a wild animal so near. It is a big emotion," said Loula Patmora, who is from Italy. "It is very, very incredible to watch them. It's a big project, the rehabilitation center, because it is a very important thing to preserve this wild animal."
Center spokeswoman Jennifer Pitt says tourism spreads the word about efforts to protect these apes.
"The main message is just generally creating awareness for the plight of the orangutan," Pitt said. "They are incredibly endangered species and it's an issue which we all need to look at."
Veterinarian Jason Parker says most of the 200 young apes here were abandoned and rescued from palm oil plantations.
"The usual scenario is that a young orangutan – one to two years old – is separated from its mother for whatever reason – in floods, where the mother had been shot or sometimes the baby is literally found wandering around on its own," said Parker.
Forest conservation
The center helps the apes learn to live in the forest. When they are older, they are relocated to more isolated reserves, where they monitored to ensure they adjust to their new surroundings.
Orangutans are native to Borneo, which is divided among Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and on Indonesia's Sumatra island. The apes can weigh over 100 kilograms, and they live in the jungles, climbing from tree to tree to find food.
Conservationists estimate about 62,000 orangutans live in the wild. But the numbers have been falling for more than a century. First because of hunting by indigenous tribes and European colonialists, and now because jungles are being cut down for timber and to grow palm oil – used in foods, cosmetics and some fuels. <!--IMAGE-->
Amy de Boer, an Australian volunteer at the center, says deforestation in Sabah is a chief concern in saving the orangutans.
"Basically the palm oil and also logging, the illegal logging of the rain forest is a major thing," said de Boer. "We were looking at a map of Sabah and just the areas of protected rain forest and it's really small. All the animals in that forest at the moment are competing for space and fruit and food, so it's a really big issue."
Conservationists say for years, laws to limit forest clearing were weak and poorly enforced.
But new efforts are being made to protect the jungle, and the orangutans, who may benefit from the effort to limit global warming.
Cutting jungles releases greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. Climate experts say those gases add to global warming, so leaving forests intact reduces emissions.
Among other efforts to reduce emissions, Indonesia has imposed a two-year moratorium on new projects to turn forests and peat lands into plantations. In Malaysia, the orangutan center staff says recent laws to protect the forests are being enforced and appear to be helping. And there is a new United Nations plan to pay countries to preserve their forests, which can help communities build their economies without cutting trees.
Protecting the endangered <!--IMAGE-->
But Damayanti Buchori, a conservation director with The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia, says concerns remain. She says Indonesia's moratorium on plantations, which begins in January, is a stop-gap measure.
"We are still concerned that between now and the end of the year – there can still be loss of habitat at quite an alarming rate because people are trying to finish with whatever time they have left," Buchori said. "And also what happens after two years after the moratorium is finished?"
The effort to save the orangutan has become central to debates about economic development and climate change.
Here at the Sepilok rehabilitation center, those working to save young apes say Indonesian and Malaysian officials are taking action to reduce global carbon emissions, and to save one Asia's most endangered species, the orangutan.
Three Pakistan Cricket players under investigation for fixing a game have been summoned to London to meet senior Pakistani officials. And now as Pakistan reels over the scandal swirling around its beloved team, attention is turning to India's role in illegal betting.
The implicated players have been practicing in southwest England amid a fury of controversy over the betting scandal. But the team's manager, Yawar Saeed, says captain Salman Butt and star bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will take a break Wednesday to be questioned by cricket officials and Pakistan's ambassador to Britain.
The chair of Pakistan's Cricket board, Ijaz Butt, earlier told the Website cricinfo.com that no action would be taken against the seven players without proof of wrongdoing.
The British newspaper News of the World says it paid a cricket agent nearly $230,000 to know when the bowlers would make illegal throws during a game against England. On a video tape of that undercover sting, the agent said he worked for an "Indian party" that pays him for information. Scotland Yard investigators are looking into the identity of that person.
India's role in illegal betting came further into focus Tuesday as two Australian Cricket stars said an Indian illegal bookmaker targeted them during last year's tour of England. Cricketer Brad Haddin told a news conference in Sydney the man approached him at his hotel.
"I got a knock on my door from someone asking if I wanted to come across to their room to have a drink and have something to eat, which I thought was a bit odd," Haddin said. "So I shut the door and got back onto Skype with my wife and sort of said 'that was odd, I'll call you back'"
Fellow cricketer Shane Watson told reporters he had a similar experience and immediately informed team managers.
"And I actually didn't think too much more of it until I found out a bit more information that he was actually one of the illegal bookmakers that was trying to sort of get involved," said Watson.
Observers say the credibility of Indian and Pakistani cricket was tarnished in a major match-fixing scandal that New Delhi police uncovered in 2000. Andrew Miller, the UK editor of ESPN's cricinfo.com Web site, said that case was badly handled and essentially signaled that illicit gambling is tolerated.
"The teams involved more or less got away with it," said Miller. "There were three captains of international sides [who] were banned for life, and one bowler. But generally speaking, large portions of the people who were implicated largely got away with it."
Miller said Pakistani players are particularly susceptible to corruption because of the pressures of poverty and family.
"When you consider that they have a finite period in which to really maximize on their athletic potential, from 18 to 33, that's 15 years out of 70-80," said Miller. "Also, the nature of Pakistan society, families are very close knit. If you've got one guy that's a superstar, that money that he earns is going to be spread across his family in a way that you wouldn't possibly get in a Western society," he added.
At the center of the latest scandal is 18-year-old Mohammad Asif, one of the sport's biggest stars. For him, cricket was a way out of poverty. He could be banned for life if found guilty of intentionally throwing a "no-ball" in exchange for money. British police have questioned Asif, fellow bowler Mohammad Amir, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and team captain Salman Butt.
The International Cricket Council has promised "prompt and decisive action" if the allegations prove to be true. One lawyer in eastern Pakistan is already taking action. He filed a petition to the Lahore High Court, accusing the Cricket players of treason.
South Korea welcomes additional sanctions the United States will impose on North Korea. They are part of the international effort to restrain the North's illegal nuclear weapons development and other illicit activities.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry says the new sanctions are a positive move, demonstrating the consequences for Pyongyang's bad behavior.
The new sanctions, imposed Monday, target several North Korean companies and government agencies, and four individuals. They are accused of being involved in illicit activities, including acquiring nuclear weapons technology.
U.S. officials stress the new sanctions are not meant to cause hardship for the impoverished North Korean people. Rather they target the flow of luxury items - including automobiles, liquor and gourmet foods - to the country's elite.
Yang Mu-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, calls the new American measures politically symbolic. But, he says, without China's support, they will not be very effective.
Yang says North Korea will likely criticize the sanctions but will not retaliate. Instead it will put more effort on working with Beijing to re-start the six-party talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.
The United States unveiled the expanded sanctions hours after North Korean state media confirmed that leader Kim Jong Il had just visited China for the second time in four months.
A North Korean radio newscast gave the details of the visit and Mr. Kim's discussions with China's President Hu Jintao.
"The top leaders of the two [Communist] parties and the two countries informed each other of the situations in their countries and had a frank exchange of views," the broadcast stated.
The broadcast listed officials accompanying Mr. Kim. But his third son, Kim Jong Un, was not mentioned, in spite of speculation he went along to be introduced to Chinese leaders as Mr. Kim's successor.
The newscast, however, alluded to the issue. It quoted Mr. Kim telling President Hu that he is on "an important historical mission to hand over to the rising generation the baton of the tradition of Korea-China friendship."
Mr. Kim visited China even though tensions on the Korean peninsula remain high because of the sinking of a South Korean navy ship in March. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo for the incident, which Pyongyang denies.
South Korean media report the country's navy will conduct new drills in the Yellow Sea with U.S. forces starting Sunday. Both countries say a series of war games over the past few months are meant to send a message of deterrence to North Korea.
There are recent signs, however, that Seoul and Washington are willing to engage Pyongyang in renewed dialogue.
South Korea Tuesday offered emergency aid to the North after recent flooding there. Seoul also has indicated it will not demand an apology for the sinking of its ship before talks about ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs can resume.
Chinese state television is confirming a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. This is the first official comment on the trip since Mr. Kim arrived in China last week.
A report on Chinese television broke the official silence on whether Kim Jong Il was in China. The confirmation of Mr. Kim's trip also means he has likely left China, since in the past, Beijing has not acknowledged his visits until he has returned home.
The CCTV report quoted Mr. Kim as saying he remains committed to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
The TV announcer quotes Mr. Kim as saying North Korea hopes to maintain close communication and coordination with China to promote an early resumption of Six Party talks on persuading Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons.
The talks include the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. Pyongyang walked out of the talks more than a year ago, and shortly afterward carried out a nuclear test.
Mr. Kim is reported to have arrived Thursday in China. He visited several northeastern Chinese cities, including Jilin, Changchun and Harbin. The 68-year-old Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke last year. He rarely travels, but this was his second trip to China this year.
The highlight of the North Korean leader's trip was a meeting Friday with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University, said he thinks this meeting was one of Mr. Kim's top demands.
"He (Kim) will not meet anyone below (lower-ranking than) him, if he has not met Hu Jintao," Shi said.
The Chinese report did not mention Mr. Kim's son, Kim Jong Un, who is reported to have accompanied his father.
Many North Korea experts believe the son will be appointed to a key party position at a ruling Workers' Party meeting early next month. They say Mr. Kim may be seeking China's support for his son, before the meeting.
Analysts say Burma's recent military reorganization and political moves are aimed at ensuring the country's armed forces retain power after November 7 elections. Analysts say Burma's military is fashioning its power base along similar lines to Indonesia under former President Suharto in the 1960s.
Burma's latest military reorganization, involving more than 70 senior officers, is the second major move of members of the ruling military government this year.
On April 27, several senior officials including the prime minister, General Thein Sein, retired from the military and were expected to join the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.
Defense analyst Carl Thayer, from the University of New South Wales, says the moves are part of a wider strategy by Burma's armed forces to consolidate power before the November 7 election.
"The second major military reshuffle has been taken up," he said. "They are going to join the Union Solidarity and Development Party and contest the elections, and that USDP has been merged with the Union Solidarity and Development Association of 27 million odd civil servants. So that a juggernaut has been created, and with the election restrictions also announced this month it will steam roll in and win the elections."
After the vote, a newly elected 440-member House of Representatives will have 110 military representatives along with 330 elected civilians. In the 224-seat House of Nationalities, 168 will be elected and 56 held by the armed forces.
More than 40 parties are participating in the election. But the leading opposition party, the National League for Democracy led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is boycotting the election to protest regulations that bar her and other key followers from participating.
Thayer believes military government leader General Than Shwe is likely to be appointed president after the elections.
Thayer also says Burma's military appears to be modeling Indonesia's 'New Order' under former president Suharto in the 1960s.
President Suharto ensured the military had a central role in the government and control of political and societal organizations. The new order also oversaw effective repression of opponents.
Analysts say Indonesia's 'new order' was eventually undermined by nepotism, corruption and collusion that led to a loss of support for Suharto.
A spokeswoman for the rights-group Alternative ASEAN Network, Debbie Stothardt, says human-rights groups and many countries in the international community have dismissed the election as a sham. Stothardt says the vote is aimed at giving the military domestic legitimacy.
"It is important to realize that the regime is not just seeking international legitimacy, it is increasingly obvious that this election is being organized for the regime to gain some domestic legitimacy," she said. "In their own minds they want to show that their military leaders have been elected to lead government."
Burma's military has long said it needs to dominate the political landscape due to separatist movements in the country. But several governments, including the United States, have imposed sanctions on Burma due to human-rights abuses and political repression.
Recently, the United States lent its support to a probe into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity by Burma's military in recent decades.
Concerns continue to grow that India will not be completely ready to host the Commonwealth Games in October.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inspected venues in New Delhi Sunday and urged organizers to overcome delays that threaten to spoil the event.
Many sports facilities have yet to be completed 35 days before the Games begin, while new roads, overpasses and metro lines are also behind schedule amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
A statement from Mr. Singh's office urged authorities "to redouble their efforts" to quickly complete whatever works remain as people expect "a spectacular and flawless opening to the Commonwealth Games."
One of his stops was Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where renovation work is still underway to prepare for the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics events.
Some 70 nations, mainly from the former British empire, are expected to take part in the 19th edition of the Games which run October 3-14. Athletes will compete in 260 events in 17 sports disciplines.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
Russian authorities say 19 people have been killed in a shootout between Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's bodyguards and suspected insurgents.
At least five civilians were reported among the dead in the southeastern village of Tsentori, along with 12 attackers and two security officers. The village, located near the border with Dagestan, is the ancestral Kadyrov home.
Kadyrov was in the village at the time and his spokesman says the president took charge of the operation. His press office denied media reports that civilians were killed, but said some villagers had been wounded.
Television footage showed security officers dragging bodies of the dead attackers, and an array of automatic weapons collected from the scene.
Sunday's attack was the second against the Kremlin-appointed Kadyrov in the past eight weeks.
In early July, a suicide bomber in Grozny blew himself up outside a theater where Kadyrov was awaiting the start of a concert. The president was not hurt.
In other North Caucasus violence, police in Kabardino-Balkaria killed four suspected rebels late Saturday traveling in two cars in the Khasavyurt district.
Earlier Saturday, authorities said Russian forces killed nine suspected militants in operations in Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan.
Violence is reported almost daily in Russia's largely-Muslim North Caucasus republics, particularly in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
Libyan leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi is on a three-day visit to the Italian capital to mark the second anniversary of a pact between the two countries that normalized relations and closed the painful chapter of Italian colonization.
Colonel Gaddafi has pitched a giant traditional Bedouin tent for his three-day visit to the Italian capital. The tent has been placed in the garden of the residence of the Libyan Ambassador to Italy, Abdulhafed Gaddur.
The Libyan leader's visit to Italy will mark the second anniversary of the signing of a $6 billion accord under which Rome agreed to pay reparations for its colonial rule of Libya between 1911 and 1943.
For the occasion, an equestrian show will be held, for which Libya has sent 30 Berber horses and riders. Traveling with Colonel Gadhafi are also 40 "Amazonian" bodyguards, a unique contingent made up of just women. A gala dinner for 800 guests is also planned for after the show.
But protests are planned in Rome, outside the Libyan embassy and elsewhere. There are many who oppose the Italian government's relationship with the Libyan leader.
The deal signed between Colonel Gadhafi and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in August 2008 included an Italian commitment to build a 2,000-kilometer freeway along the Libyan coast. There is also a controversial agreement between the Libyan and Italian navies to stop African immigrants reaching Italy.
This initiative has been sharply criticized by human-rights groups, who say that after being forced back to Libya boat people are sent to squalid detention centers. But the Italian government has always maintained the immigration agreement is of utmost importance.
Speaking last year, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said Italy "has the moral duty, before the right, to fight the traffic of human beings in every way in every form and with every measure."
The Italian government insists the immigration deal is a success, pointing to the significant drop in arrivals of immigrants on Italian shores.
Colonel Gadhafi and his entourage are also scheduled to meet with Italian business leaders in Rome. A separate agreement signed between Italy and Libya provides for Italian defense contracts in Libya and oil and gas concessions for Italian energy companies such as ENI and Enel.
Speaking at a conference in Italy last Thursday, ENI chief executive Paolo Scaroni confirmed his oil company's plan to invest $28 billion in Libya during the next 10 years.
Engineers in Chile say they will attempt to drill a second tunnel in a bid to free 33 trapped miners sooner than the 120 days originally forecast.
The mining experts said Saturday the second rescue tunnel could be completed in two months under ideal conditions. The miners have been trapped since August 5.
Chilean officials say five of the miners, who were thought to be suffering from depression, have recovered.
Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the miners improved after receiving good food and news from their families.
On Friday, Manalich described the five men as isolated and not eating well. Manalich said a psychiatrist would attempt to treat the men over an intercom system lowered into the mine.
Excavation work to free the men is expected to begin soon.
The workers were trapped when part of the gold and copper mine collapsed on August 5. Rescuers first made contact with them on August 21.
Officials organizing the rescue effort say some of the miners will have to lose weight to fit through the rescue shaft.
Small-diameter holes have been drilled to communicate with the men and to deliver food and other supplies.
Chile has asked the U.S. space agency NASA and Chile's submarine fleet for advice on survival in extreme, confined conditions.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
U.S. President Barack Obama will visit New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a powerful storm that flooded much of the city and devastated the region.
Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005. The storm and the flooding it caused killed more than 1,800 people and forced more than a million residents from their homes.
The states of Louisiana and Mississippi bore the brunt of Katrina's fury. Eighty percent of the city of New Orleans was covered by floodwater after its protective levees were breached.
As the crisis unfolded, some residents of New Orleans were stranded on the rooftops of flooded homes for days. Thousands of residents sought shelter at the city's indoor sports arena, the Superdome, but ended up going for days with little food or water.
While much of the region has been rebuilt, parts of New Orleans remain scarred by the storm. Many who fled their homes in 2005 have not returned.
The federal response to the disaster was widely criticized as slow and mismanaged, with critics blaming then-President George W. Bush and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the United States suffered more economic losses from Hurricane Katrina than from any other storm in history. The agency says damages and costs from the storm totaled some $125 billion.
Almost a week after national elections, Australia's two major parties remain locked in a tight battle to form a new government. The vote resulted in the country's first hung parliament since 1940.
Australia's political deadlock shows no sign of being resolved quickly. Neither the governing Labor party nor the Liberal-National opposition secured a majority in parliament in last Saturday's election.
Both need the support of a Green lawmaker and four independents. Three independents have issued demands, which include a cost analysis of the campaign promises of the main parties. Labor has agreed to have its policies scrutinized, while the conservative leader, Tony Abbott has been less forthcoming. He argues that bureaucrats could not fully understand the details of his spending plans.
Abbott, however, has grudgingly agreed to have his campaign platform audited. His reluctance fueled speculation that the conservatives want another election to try to win a decisive mandate.
"Mr. Abbott needs to be very clear about this and I think he should make it clear that he is not and does not want to have another election but is committed to a three-year term of government whether it's his government or a Gillard government," said Senator Bob Brown, the Green party leader.
Political analysts say that if neither Labor nor the opposition secures an alliance with minority lawmakers, Australia will be forced to hold another election.
The various groups have begun talks, which are expected to continue into next week, and possibly beyond.
The Australian Electoral Commission says with more than 80 percent of the vote counted, Labor is likely to hold 72 seats in the lower chamber, while the opposition is on track to win 73 seats. To form a majority government, a party needs 76 seats.
Australia's last hung parliament was in 1940, although there have been minority governments in the states more recently.
The Chinese government maintains silence about reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is in China. News organizations, including Chinese media, report heavy security and high-level motorcades in a northeastern Chinese city where Mr. Kim is believed to be visiting.
Television news Friday showed a 30-car motorcade, believed to be Kim Jong Il's, zooming through the northeastern city of Jilin, and signs of increased security there.
The Foreign Ministry has not confirmed reports that the North Korean leader has been visiting China.
News reports say Mr. Kim brought his son and heir apparent Kim Jong Un.
Nicholas Thomas, Asian studies professor at Hong Kong's City University, says he thinks Chinese leaders would want to get a sense of Mr. Kim's successor. "China is only willing to support North Korea so long as North Korean actions do not present a destabilizing effect for China on its periphery. And I think that is part of the getting-to-know-you approach with this transition," Thomas said.
Mr. Kim left Pyongyang while former President Jimmy Carter was there on a private trip to seek the release of an imprisoned American.
Even though President Carter's trip was unofficial, Thomas says the timing of Mr. Kim's trip could have been intentional, to give North Korean policymakers time to define their position regarding the United States.
Thomas thinks Mr. Kim is seeking China's help because of U.S. sanctions imposed against North Korea following accusations that it was behind the sinking of a South Korean ship earlier this year. "And beyond that, how China could help North Korea come to a direct negotiation with Washington, which is ultimately their Holy Grail. That is what they really want, a direct negotiation with Washington, a direct peace treaty," Thomas stated.
The United States and North Korea were on opposing sides during the three-year Korean War, which ended in 1953 without a formal peace treaty.
China is North Korea's largest supporter, both financially and diplomatically. Chinese media have reported that Mr. Kim is believed to be in China, but as in the past, no government official has publicly confirmed his presence.
President Carter flew to back to the United States Friday, accompanied by Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been jailed since January for entering North Korea illegally.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has won freedom for a U.S. citizen imprisoned in North Korea since January.
Mr. Carter's office says the ex-president was leaving Pyongyang Friday with Aijalon Mahli Gomes.
Gomes is expected to be back to his home and family in Boston, Massachusetts, by the end of the day.
Mr. Carter arrived in Pyongyang on a private mission Wednesday to try to secure Gomes' release from a North Korean prison, where he was serving an eight-year sentence for illegally entering the country from China in January.
Police in Iraq say insurgents have killed six members of a Sunni militia allied with U.S. forces against al-Qaida.
The Sahwa (Awakening) fighters were killed in a village in Diyala province Thursday, a day after a string of apparently coordinated attacks killed at least 55 people across Iraq.
A series of car bombings and other attacks Wednesday mostly targeted Iraqi security forces in one of the worst days of violence in months.
A recent surge of attacks has raised concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to fight insurgents as U.S. troops withdraw from the country.
The United States officially ends its combat mission in Iraq on August 31.
Some 50,000 troops are to remain in the country to train and advise Iraqi forces until the end of 2011, when all U.S. forces are to leave.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
In what has become common practice when it comes to North Korea, the Chinese government refuses to comment on reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is on his way to China, in what would be his second visit this year.
As in the past, the Foreign Ministry had no immediate response to reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting China. And officials at the North Korean embassy said they had no information.
During Mr. Kim's trip to China in May, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu dodged questions about the visit, which was only formally announced after it was over.
She stopped short of confirming his presence, but said high-level visits are determined by consultation between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Jiang says that every country makes what she describes as "appropriate arrangements according to the actual situation" of each visit.
China is North Korea's biggest supporter and source of aid. Some North Korea scholars think Mr. Kim may seek Beijing's approval of plans for his son to eventually succeed him. But there is speculation that Mr. Kim wants more help for his impoverished nation.
Official North Korean media say Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message of sympathy to North Korea because of recent flood losses. A separate report says China will provide aid to help North Korea recover from the floods.
Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University, says he thinks the Chinese government is ready to provide some assistance to North Korea.
At the same time, Shi says Beijing will not satisfy all of Pyongyang's requests. Specifically, he says China will refuse what he described as North Korea's "excessive demands" for things such as military assistance.
There also are reports that Mr. Kim is bringing his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, with him to meet Chinese officials. Shi says if these reports are true, it would show that Mr. Kim is "determined to let his successor succeed."
Shi says the Chinese government does not have a say in who is going to inherit power in North Korea, and so will not publicize its views on the matter.
Reports that Mr. Kim is in China coincide with former President Jimmy Carter's visit to North Korea to seek the release of an American imprisoned there.
Shi says the coincidence of these events could mean there is a chance that stalled talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs could resume. China has been the host of the discussions, which also include the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
Survivors of a plane crash in northeast China are giving harrowing accounts of their escape from the burning wreckage.
The survivors, interviewed from hospital beds Wednesday, described a series of powerful jolts as their airliner overshot a runway on landing and broke apart.
Two survivors told state media how they crawled through the smoke-filled fuselage until they found holes where they could jump to safety.
A total of 42 people died and 54 survived when the Henan Airlines plane crashed in a fog on Tuesday evening at Yichun City in Heilongjiang province, about an hour after taking off from Harbin city.
The pilot is alive, but too seriously injured to talk to authorities, and the cause of the crash remains unknown.
However Chinese media say that another airline canceled night flights at the airport after determining they were too dangerous. The lightly used facility was completed last year.
Xinhua news reported that investigators have recovered the plane's "black box" flight data recorders.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang visited some of the injured in hospitals on Wednesday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
Chilean officials organizing the rescue of 33 miners trapped 700 meters underground have asked the U.S space agency for help.
Rescue workers say they are concerned about maintaining the physical and mental health of the miners, who will likely have to wait for months before they can be rescued.
NASA has experience testing and training astronauts for extended periods of isolation. NASA officials say the agency is prepared to offer whatever support it can.
Rescuers in Chile are using two narrow drill holes to communicate with the miners and provide them with food and other supplies.
The miners became trapped nearly three weeks ago after a shaft collapsed in a gold and copper mine near the northern city of Copiapo. They have told officials they are fine.
Rescuers first made contact with the miners on Sunday.
Engineers are preparing to drill a 62 centimeter-wide rescue tunnel, but they say the work could take four months because of the depth and instability of the mine.
Officials say the miners appear to have organized themselves well and have rallied behind the group's leader, shift supervisor Luis Urzua.
The miners have been passing messages to loved ones, and have requested some items, including toothbrushes.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
Voters are going to the polls in five U.S. states to determine candidates for the general election in November.
In the southwestern state of Arizona, veteran U.S. Senator John McCain is expected to easily defeat former U.S. Representative J.D. Hayworth in a Republican Party primary. Recent public opinion polls indicate that McCain, his party's 2008 presidential candidate, holds a double-digit lead over his challenger.
McCain has spent $20 million on the campaign, compared to about $3 million for Hayworth.
In the southeastern state of Florida, voters will choose a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in another closely watched race. U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek is facing billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene, who spent millions of his own money on the race.
The winner will face Republican candidate Marco Rubio and current Governor Charlie Crist, who is running as an independent.
In the far northwestern state of Alaska, former Governor Sarah Palin is endorsing candidate Joe Miller as he tries to defeat Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.
And in the northeastern state of Vermont, five Democrats are vying for the chance to become the party's nominee for governor. The winner of that race will face off against Republican Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie in November.
In the south-central state of Oklahoma, two U.S. House Republican nominations will be decided in a runoff from an earlier primary.
The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the U.S. Senate are up for election in November. The general election is considered to be a referendum on U.S. President Barack Obama's first two years in office.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
Venezuela has stopped publishing official crime rates, but murders, kidnappings, assaults, and robberies have skyrocketed during the past decade.
Funerals of murder victims are a daily sight in Venezuela, where hospitals treat an unending stream of assault victims. Far from containing the violence, police increasingly find themselves targeted by criminals. Every day, mourners crowd Caracas' morgue, including this sister of a slain officer.
"What security can there be if armed officers are killed? Where does that leave the rest of us?" she asked.
The relative, who declined to be identified, notes that rarely are criminals apprehended, much less convicted.
"Tens of thousands of crimes, and where is the justice?" said the relative.
A non-governmental monitoring group, the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, reports the country suffered more than 16,000 homicides last year, more than triple the total in 1998 when President Hugo Chavez was first elected. The group says 2009 saw more violent deaths in Venezuela than in war-torn Iraq and civil war-weary Colombia combined.
Violence is heaviest in poor areas. But even in middle and upper class Venezuelan neighborhoods, many homes resemble small fortresses, encircled by stone or brick walls topped by razor or electric wire. In Caracas' fashionable Chacao neighborhood, Roberto Blanco, 27, says he rarely leaves his home at night.
"There are many robberies in a nearby plaza, where it is dark at night," he said. "And up by the bakery, there are car thefts."
Critics of the government, like retiree Clarise Dominguez, 80, are quick to blame President Hugo Chavez.
"People get killed over pocket change," said Dominguez. "And where is the president? Why doesn't he take charge and eliminate the criminals?"
Even Chavez backers, like Caracas chef Edgar Sifuentes, list controlling crime as the president's biggest failing.
"The lack of security - the president needs to use a stronger hand to combat it," said Sifuentes.
President Chavez says Venezuela's capitalist past is to blame for the high crime rates
"In the 1980s and 90s, the young had little access to education or work. Prisons began to overflow with young people, many of whom became involved in drugs and drug trafficking. Unfortunately, those habits continue," said Mr. Chavez.
Mr. Chavez says socialism will reduce inequalities - what he sees as the root cause of crime.
But Caracas-based political analyst Luis Vicente Leon says the president's words are wearing thin.
"Chavez will either be blamed for his policies or for failing to control the situation," said Leon.
Opposition leaders say Mr. Chavez has no interest in combating violence, noting that a terrified populace is less likely to take to the streets to protest his administration.
Amid all the finger-pointing, some, like Caracas resident Leslie Contreras, fear a breakdown of Venezuelan society.
"Wherever you go, there is misery. The people have changed, caring only about themselves and not the country as a whole," said Contreras. "And I think we Venezuelans are to blame for the situation - our errors and lack of caring."
Demonstrations against rampant crime have grown in Caracas. Criminals are paying no heed.
Unlike a few years ago, when surging rice prices provoked near panic in some Asian markets, the region is largely not bothered by the sharp rise in prices for wheat and corn.
Wheat prices jump more than 50 percent
Earlier this month, days after Russia banned wheat exports because of a drought, agriculture representatives from the U.S. state of Nebraska visited Hong Kong and Taiwan to promote their products. In Taiwan, they signed about $500 million worth of wheat, corn and soybean contracts for the next two years.
Wheat farmer Dan Hughes was among them. He hopes the United States, the world's top exporter of wheat, will take up the slack in global supply.
"It's fortunate for us in the U.S. that it's dry in the former Soviet Union. The unfortunate thing is that some farmers in the world have to lose their crop in order for us to make a decent return in our investment," Hughes explains, "We've just finished up our harvest about a month ago, we had an average crop in our farm and with the increase in price that has occurred since the drought in Russia we should have a profitable year this year."
With poor crops in Russia and Eastern Europe, international wheat prices have jumped more than 50 percent since June. While prices are still well below records set in 2008, the increase has consumers and governments in many countries worried.
Asia reacted calmly to jump in wheat prices
But in the United States, the government says wheat production will increase 2 percent this year, and it could be the best year ever for wheat growers in terms of harvest per hectare.
Two years ago, when rice prices more than doubled, there was near panic in Asian markets, as governments and consumers raced to lock in affordable supplies of the region's staple food.
In comparison, Asia has reacted calmly to the jump in wheat prices.
That is largely because the two largest nations - India and China - are also the world's top wheat producers, and they say they have plenty. Nearly all wheat harvested in China and India is sold domestically.
India, the world's second largest producer of wheat, is keeping its reserves for its own use, and has only sold some to neighboring countries like Bangladesh.
China is the largest wheat producer, and the National Development and Reform Commission says that higher world prices will not tighten domestic supply. The commission says wheat prices in China are already higher than international prices so it is unlikely to sell its stock overseas.
That does not mean Asian governments are unconcerned about rising grain prices.
Food prices in China rose 6.8 percent in July, compared with a 5.7 percent rise in June. Chinese authorities carefully monitor food inflation because sudden leaps could lead to unrest among the country's vast rural population.
Australia tough competition for US
Some of the largest food producers in the region, such as the Australian-owned Goodman Fielder, whose baking ingredients business is based in China, say they have already locked in wheat supplies for several months. That shields them from the current price surge.
"At the moment there's no need for us to participate in the market," said Peter Margin, Goodman Fielder's chief executive. "We're very comfortable in the terms of our current position. We think given the current supplies and a strong Australian crop, we would probably see some downward [price] movement there."
Although much of Asia is sheltered from rising grain prices now, that could change, as growing populations and wealth are expected to raise grain consumption.
World corn prices have also increased this year. China has imported large amounts of U.S. corn in recent months, for the first time in four years. A drought at home and increasing demand for corn to feed livestock saw Chinese imports more than double in July from June.
US farmers see market expansion
As incomes rise and tastes change, Hughes and other U.S. farmers see a growing market in Asia, especially in China.
"There's a growing demand for protein products, meat, and in order to generate meat you got to have grains to feed those animals to get them processed. So we view that part of the world as a huge potential market for U.S. grains and for U.S. beef and pork," Hughes said. "There's just a lot of people there, their income levels are rising and they're going to be wanting to eat more meat in their diet."
This month, the U.S. has seen record weekly exports in wheat, corn and soybeans.
But U.S. farmers face tough competition from Australia, however, because its exporters can get grain to Asia faster.