Reporters on the Job

from the March 24, 2008 edition

• Campaign Costume: On Friday night, when the last rallies for the Taiwanese presidential campaigns were held, reporter Simon Montlake had his journalistic integrity challenged. He had a prior dinner engagement with his wife's extended Taiwanese family. But after the feast, one of his in-laws said she wanted to go to the KMT [Kuomintang Party] rally.

"At the rally, which faced an outdoor stage where speeches and songs revved up the crowd, my journalist's neutrality was tested as my uncle-in-law handed me a baseball cap and flag to wave," says Simon. "I tried to explain that I was an observer and shouldn't take sides, but my uncle insisted. Fortunately, I didn't stay for long, so nobody spotted my KMT moment."

– David Clark Scott

World editor

• Monday, March 24:Bhutan – First national election.

• Wednesday, March 26:Canberra, Australia – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd leaves on a foreign tour, visiting Washington, Brussels, London, and Beijing.London – French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits.Recife, Brazil – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez meets Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva..

• Saturday, March 29:Sydney, Australia – 2008 Earth Hour. Residents worldwide switch off their lights at 8 p.m. local time for one hour. Started by World Wide Fund for Nature in Australia in 2007. Harare, Zimbabwe – Presidential and legislative elections.

– Associated Press

Cultural snapshot

In Olympia, Greece, actors dressed as priestesses practiced the torch lighting ceremony Sunday before it begins its official journey Monday to Beijing for the summer Olympics. PHil Ipparis/AP More cultural snapshots

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