Reporters on the Job

from the October 20, 2008 edition

• Peace Signs: Living in Afghanistan, it's sometimes easy to get caught up in the news of suicide blasts and military battles, says correspondent Anand Gopal. "The thought of a large, organized pro-peace movement had never crossed my mind. But on World Peace Day, in late September, Kabul was transformed into a city full of peace signs, doves, and other such symbols," he says.

"There were marches, speeches, rallies, and more. Rows of schoolboys and girls marched past my home, waving flags with peace symbols. What impressed me most about the whole day was the extent to which local Afghan groups engineered the whole thing," he says.

That prompted Anand to dig deeper, and the result was the story about Afghanistan's emerging antiwar movement.

– David Clark Scott

World editor

• Monday, Oct. 20:London – Mo Ibrahim Prize ($5 million) for African leadership to be announced.

• Tuesday, Oct. 21:Tokyo - Japanese parliament's lower house to vote on whether to extend Japan's free refueling operations in support of NATO operations in Afghanistan.

• Wednesday, Oct. 22:Prague, Czech Republic – The Czech coalition government to face a parliamentary no-confidence motion.

• Friday, Oct. 24:Vienna – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to hold an emergency meeting to discuss effect of the global financial crisis on the oil prices.

– Associated Press, Reuters

Cultural snapshot

Yes, it’s edible: Some 1,600 chefs from 53 countries are competing at the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. The saurian sculpture was made by the United Arab Emirates team. Jens Meyer/AP More cultural snapshots

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