<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- generator="wordpress/2.3.3" -->
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Global News Blog &#187; Simon Denyer</title>
	<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/global</link>
	<description>Beyond the World news headlines</description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3</generator>
	<language>en</language>
			<item>
		<title>Is &#8216;Lost Boy&#8217; Lomong the right choice to carry U.S. flag?</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/china/2008/08/07/is-lost-boy-lomong-the-right-choice-to-carry-us-flag/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.reuters.com/china/2008/08/07/is-lost-boy-lomong-the-right-choice-to-carry-us-flag/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:26:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Simon Denyer</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/china/2008/08/07/is-lost-boy-lomong-the-right-choice-to-carry-us-flag/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When militiamen swept into their villages on horseback in the early 1990s, shooting, burning and raping as they went, tens of thousands of young Sudanese boys were forced to flee for their lives.
They walked for hundreds of miles, many dying on the way of starvation and illness. Others were eaten by lions. But many survived, ending [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/china/files/2008/08/lomong.jpg" title="Lomong celebrates"><img align="right" width="250" src="http://blogs.reuters.com/china/files/2008/08/lomong.jpg" alt="Lomong celebrates" height="166" class="imageframe" /></a>When militiamen swept into their villages on horseback in the early 1990s, shooting, burning and raping as they went, tens of thousands of young Sudanese boys were forced to flee for their lives.</p>
<p>They walked for hundreds of miles, many dying on the way of starvation and illness. Others were eaten by lions. But many survived, ending up in refugee camps in the near-desert plains of northern Kenya.</p>
<p>In 2001, nearly 4,000 of the "Lost Boys" were resettled in the United States. On Friday, one of them will have the honour of carrying the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Beijing.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Lomong_Lopez.asp">Lopez Lomong</a>, who left his home in the southern Sudan in 1991 as a six-year-old boy, is now a successful middle-distance runner. Chosen by his own team mates for the honour, he says Friday will be "<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK11599720080806">the most exciting day ever in my life</a>".</p>
<p>Lomong left home and lost contact with his parents at the height of Sudan's civil war between its mainly Arab north and its largely Christian south. It was a devastating conflict, which left around two million people dead.</p>
<p>That conflict is now over, but the Sudanese government continues to arm tribes to do their dirty work, human rights groups say, spreading death and misery in the western region of Darfur.</p>
<p>China, a major investor in Sudan's oil industry and supplier of arms, stands accused of not doing enough to press Khartoum to end the crisis in Darfur.</p>
<p>Beijing decided to revoke the visa of Olympic gold medallist Joey Cheek this week, who is now an activist for Darfur. But it seems it cannot silence discussion of its role in Sudan.</p>
<p>Lomong's story is an inspiring one and perhaps U.S. athletes will say that is why they chose him for the honour of carrying the flag. But it could also be interpreted as a political choice, a statement to the governments of Sudan and China.</p>
<p>What do you think? Was it the right choice? Is it a case of crossing the line between sport and politics? If so, does it matter?</p>
<p>PHOTO: Lopez Lomong celebrates winning the 1500 meters at the Reebok Grand Prix athletics meet in New York May 31, 2008. REUTERS/<em>Gary Hershorn</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.reuters.com/china/2008/08/07/is-lost-boy-lomong-the-right-choice-to-carry-us-flag/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Timing of Jaipur blasts will raise suspicion of Pakistani hand</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/2008/05/14/timing-of-jaipur-blasts-will-raise-suspicion-of-pakistani-hand/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/2008/05/14/timing-of-jaipur-blasts-will-raise-suspicion-of-pakistani-hand/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 06:12:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Simon Denyer</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/2008/05/14/timing-of-jaipur-blasts-will-raise-suspicion-of-pakistani-hand/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are militants, or even hawks within the Pakistani establishment, trying to undermine the peace process with India, now that President Pervez Musharraf has removed his uniform and civilians are squabbling for power?
The dust has scarcely settled on another horrific bomb attack in India, and the investigation has only just begun into the synchronised blasts in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Are militants, or even hawks within the Pakistani establishment, trying to undermine the peace process with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, now that President Pervez Musharraf has removed his uniform and civilians are squabbling for power?</p>
<p><o:p></o:p></span><a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/files/2008/05/in-jaipur-blast.jpg" title="A injured man receives treatment after a series of bomb blasts in Jaipur May 13, 2008. REUTERS/Vinay Joashi via You Witness News"><img src="http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/files/2008/05/in-jaipur-blast.jpg" alt="A injured man receives treatment after a series of bomb blasts in Jaipur May 13, 2008. REUTERS/Vinay Joashi via You Witness News" class="imageframe" align="left" height="214" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">The dust has scarcely settled on another horrific bomb attack in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and the investigation has only just begun into the <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-33558020080514" target="_blank">synchronised blasts in Jaipur that killed around 60 people</a> .<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">It is still far too early to be drawing any firm conclusions, but the timing of the blasts is already making <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=7e6f249c-3093-4ed1-9161-543fc36a4df3" target="_blank">some people wonder whether <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place> was involved</a>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">T</span>he explosions came a week before <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>'s foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee was due to visit <st1:city w:st="on">Islamabad</st1:city> to review the peace process, his first visit since a new, civilian government took over in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">It also came just a few days after <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-33521620080511" target="_blank">some of the worst violence this year in <st1:place w:st="on">Kashmir</st1:place></a> . <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> was unhappy that its soldiers came under heavy fire from Pakistani last Thursday along the Line of Control as <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-33491920080509" target="_blank">armed militants tried to sneak into <st1:place w:st="on">Kashmir</st1:place> </a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000">It was also ten years since <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> conducted five nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13, 1998.</span></p>
<p>Now that the army is no longer running Pakistan, is the <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">powerful military intelligence agency, the ISI, flexing its muscles again and warning its new civilian "bosses" to abandon the cause of <st1:place w:st="on">Kashmir</st1:place> at their peril?</span></p>
<p><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">South Asia</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"> has always been fertile ground for conspiracy theories, and I don't want to be drawn too far down the route of Machiavellian fantasies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">The relatively sophisticated and synchronised nature of Tuesday's attacks suggest the perpetrators could have received training abroad, perhaps in Bangladesh or Pakistan, security analysts tell me. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">But it was probably Indian nationals who carried out the attack, and there is no evidence of direct orders from abroad, they say. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Nor does it have to be an ISI plot.</span></p>
<p>Islamist militant groups in both <st1:country-region w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region> seem intent on fanning hatred between Muslims and Hindus in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, analysts and diplomats say, an effort which has largely been unsuccessful in recent years. They may be outside the control of the establishment in both countries, and there is evidence the militants have already turned on their former masters.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Nevertheless, the Indian establishment does see some worrying signals from across the border. <o:p></o:p></span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Pakistan</span></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">'s army chief Ashfaq Kayani was quoted this month as reaffirming the commitment of the army to the cause of <st1:place w:st="on">Kashmir</st1:place>.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">And <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-33158320080421" target="_blank">Sayed Salahuddin</a> , head of the biggest Kashmiri guerrilla group Hizbul Mujahideen, derided the Indo-Pak peace process last month and vowed to continue a holy war against <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> security analysts allege that militants are now queueing up to cross the Line of Control in <st1:place w:st="on">Kashmir</st1:place>, perhaps bent on disrupting elections there later this year.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p>I have lived on both sides of the border and would welcome thoughts from people in both countries.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p>Is the ISI up to dirty tricks? Or should <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> solve its own problems without always blaming a foreign hand?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.reuters.com/criticaleye/2008/05/14/timing-of-jaipur-blasts-will-raise-suspicion-of-pakistani-hand/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
