Reporters on the Job

Where There's Smoke: When reporter Joshua Mitnick arrived in the West Bank village of Al Walajeh (see story), he wasn't sure where the demonstration would be. "We asked some people, and they pointed to the smoke rising in the hills," he says.

The Palestinian and Israeli protestors had set fire to tires along the route where Israel plans to erect a security barrier. But when that failed to provoke a response from Israeli soldiers watching from a distance, the group moved to another spot.

They removed an Israeli roadblock. But that didn't draw tear gas or rubber bullets either. "For civil disobedience to work, apparently you need a confrontation that makes good photos or video," notes Josh. "It was rather anticlimactic without it."


– David Clark Scott
World editor

This week's look ahead

Monday, Sept. 24:
New York –
UN General Assembly opens with leaders from 81 nations and a focus on climate change.

Wednesday, Sept. 26:
London – Transparency International releases Corruption Perceptions Index 2007, a ranking of 160 countries by their perceived levels of domestic corruption.

Sunday, Sept. 30:
Khartoum, Sudan – Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu and other Elders visit to find a solution to the Darfur conflict.
Kiev, Ukraine
– Parliamentary elections.
Quito, Ecuador – Election of 130-member constituent assembly to write a new constitution.

Cultural snapshot
Dancers wear Breton folk costumes as part of a Champs Élysées parade Sunday, ending a three-day festival in Paris celebrating Brittany.
Reme de la Mauviniere/AP

Let us hear from you. Mail to: One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115 via e-mail: World editor

Get Monitor stories by e-mail:
(Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)
(Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)
EDITOR'S PICK Five cities that will rise in the New Economy
From Seattle to Huntsville, Ala., five cities are poised to prosper in the New Economy because of exports, innovation, clean technology, and healthcare.

In Pictures:
Get ready for gridlock
POLITICS Patchwork Nation
The American voter beyond red and blue

Daily podcast

Monitor Reports

Discussions with Monitor reporters from around the world


Today

Peter Grier

The Monitor's Peter Grier talks with reporter Ron Scherer about how Black Friday will effect the economy this year.




Making a difference
Making a Difference

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change. See how individuals are making a difference, finding solutions, overcoming adversity, and giving back globally.

Batdorj Gongor convinces residents to set up savings groups as a way of teaching them the power they gain by banding together in neighborhoods.

Lee Lawrence

People making a difference: Batdorj Gongor

In Mongolia, he shows former nomads how working together benefits everyone.