CNNI - In the Field

Diana inquest: 'Hot murder'

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:14:00 +0000

If the public following the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and her lover expected a showdown in Court 73 from Mohamed Al Fayed , they certainly got one.

The billionaire father of Dodi Al Fayed, who died in a car crash with Diana, was testifying in the inquest into the couple's death. And within minutes, the teary-eyed Egyptian called the August 1997 crash "hot murder."

"I will not rest until I die. If I lose everything to find the truth," Al Fayed told the court.

Al Fayed repeated his allegations that the royal ramily was responsible for the crash, that Diana was pregnant and that the couple was about to announced their engagement. Allegations a string of other witnesses have denied.

When an inquest lawyer challenged Al Fayed as to why he didn't tell everybody as soon as he knew about Diana and Dodi"s alleged engagment, Al Fayed tersely replied, "it was one hour before they were murdered. Am I going to announce it after they were dead?"

He also added his allegation that Prince Philip -- the husband of the Queen -- couldn't bear to have a Muslim be stepfather to the future king of England.

Al Fayed then let out a torrent of claims and exhortations: That members of the Royal family were racist and that he deserved a fair hearing in court because he had brought so much business into the UK.

Some of his curt answers actually drew laughter from members of the public watching the testimony via video in an adjourning room.

"Diana suffered for 20 years from this Dracula family," Al Fayed said, to chuckles inside and outside the court.

Some of the exchanges would be funny, were it not so clear that Al Fayed is still grieving for his son -- and is clearly disturbed by suggestions his version of events are "hallucinations."

The inquest continues...

From CNN correspondent Alphonso Van Marsh in London

Coming to America

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:18:00 +0000

I would normally be writing from London or some European city on a quick road trip for CNN.

This month I am in New York temporally covering the markets and business news.

Though I was born on the East Coast of the USA, London has been my home for 18 years, so it always amazes me how different it is to cover news in America.

The evidence could not be starker than in general news. This week, 24 hours after a multiple shooting, CNN had the brother of the killer on air live talking about his dead sibling. In Europe you would be lucky to have a still photo of the shooter, let alone any video of a family member after the first 24 hours.

The same principle applies in business news, though thankfully its not usually about life and death.

My first week here, we were at the new Gucci store on 5^th Avenue, less than 24 hours before the opening of the luxury brand’s largest store in the world. It was not an exclusive, so the CEO Mark Lee has to take an hour out of his schedule for us and then for each of our competitors. It may be a European brand, but he is San Francisco-born and has an American feel for news. Sure, it was all PR and we were lead around to show how “marvelous” everything was, but he did not shy away from questions about a possible U.S. recession, about the weak dollar and about opening a behemoth when many Americans are spending less.

In Europe we may have been allowed in a store for the ‘pre-launch’ party or something. However, we may have been behind ropes or only allowed access to certain parts of the floor. In addition, we certainly would be forbidden from interrupting the last minute panic all stores suffer. In the case of Gucci, builders were shushed, ladders moved and Gucci-hired photographers from Hong Kong told to get lost so their lights did not bother us.

The difference was even starker the night before Gucci. We covered a “cougar” speed dating evening. “Cougars” are older women (over 35) interested in meeting younger men. In this case, some women I think were over 45 and some of the men were certainly under 25. The twist this night; the women had to be rich, with more than $4 million in the bank. Sure, it is a bit of fluff for a Valentine’s piece, but only a handful of the ladies refused to be interviewed. One, Gail, was happy to spill all for the camera; an honest assessment of why a wealthy older woman who is in fashion would subject herself to a very public evening.

Even if this kind of event would take place in London or Paris, I know we would have few people to interview.

Americans do all seem to be waiting around for their 15 minutes, whether for good news or bad. You can certainly question that. Nevertheless, when it comes to business news, the willingness of companies to co-operate, the willingness of analysts to travel through mid-town traffic for a 15-second sound bite, the willingness of the average person to comment about anything is refreshing. I don’t look forward to March when I get back to trying to get companies to return my phone calls.

-- From Jim Boulden, CNN Correspondent, in New York.

A gadget addict's playground

In The Field Online Producers — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:57:00 +0000

CNN's Adrian Finighan (left), Neil Bennet (center-left) and Alysen Miller (right) meet Robert Redford at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The stands are being dismantled. The delegates are drifting away to prepare for the journey home. Relationships have been strengthened and new ones begun. And so, after four frenetic days, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is over for another year.

I sincerely hope to be back. As trade fairs go this one is pretty special. Wherever you are and whatever you do, if you use mobile technology in any way, shape, or form what happened here in Barcelona this week will impact your life.

From the phone that you’ll upgrade to, to the software you’ll use. From the applications and content you’ll download to the network infrastructure innovations you’ll use without even knowing it. It all debuted right here at this show.

But while it’s all so very exciting, the journalist in me is frustrated. I could have filled hours of airtime with coverage of what went on here. Being the premier industry showcase, the big fish in mobile technology are all here and freely available to those of us here to cover it.

And while our reporting told you everything you need to know about the main issues of the day, the constraints of TV and the Web mean that I was only able to scratch the surface!

And I haven’t even mentioned the little guys. There are so many smaller companies with fascinating stories to tell and exciting products to push that I’d have needed a whole year of airtime to give you a true flavor of the show. Such is the life of a TV reporter!

So, what did I enjoy most? Well, meeting and interviewing Robert Redford, urbane and articulate as always, was a high point. And chatting with industry big-wigs and CEOs like Sunil Mittal of Bharti, Jim Balsillie of RIM, Samsung’s Geesung Choi. And with Dan Harple of GyPSii, a mobile social networking platform which, I’m willing to bet, will soon be as big a phenomenon as Facebook. Bigger, perhaps.

And of course there were the phones, the new "iPhone killers." My Palm Treo 650 is looking a little tired and if Apple doesn’t release a 3G version of its iPhone anytime soon I’ll be choosing Samsung’s gorgeous new "Soul." Or one of Nokia’s new GPS-equipped beauties. And if I can hang on just a little longer I could take possession of the sublime new Garmin GPS phone which will ship later this year.

I loved the mobile software company that was marketing an application that offered real-time translations of both SMS and voice calls, just like the babel fish in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

But, for me at least, the most exciting innovation on show was the Femtocell, the small white box that may sound the death knell for fixed line telephony. Remember where you read about it first.

Time for me to head back to London. So, until February 2009 and next year’s Mobile World Congress, it’s adios Barcelona!

Watch my report on the Femtocell here.

-- From CNN Anchor Adrian Finighan in Barcelona

The Baghdad Press Corps

In The Field Online Producers — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:38:00 +0000

After four years, I’m standing in a room with the finest press corps in the world. After four years – they’re throwing ME a party.

We’ve been through hell and back ... and back again.

From Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi, Tikrit and to the depths of Baghdad – we’ve literally, spilled the same blood, in the same dirt. Corny? Maybe ... But it’s true.

We’ve lost friends, loved ones, and colleagues. I choose not to count those who have died, gone missing – or simply disappeared. And that’s not counting those who have made ultimate sacrifice, and are often forgotten: those in the Iraqi press, choosing to try to make a difference in their own country. The numbers of lost are just too hard to imagine.

Many of my colleagues have not disappeared here in Iraq – they’ve gone “home” and we’ve never heard from them again. Truth is – what is “home” after four years in Iraq? I wonder how any of us can return home.

I’m humbled by a line I saw in a mini-series about World War II: “I wonder how I’ll explain all this when I get back home.” I do wonder how any of us will explain this place.

Our families – they don’t know ... and we would not expect them to – how could we? We don’t want them to have the burden of worrying about us. Because if they do, we can’t do our jobs with that on our shoulders along with everything else that we’re faced with.

And the simple, humbling truth is: we believe in this ... If anyone didn’t they would not be in this room.

We have had “close calls,” we have made mistakes – we stay up at night, wanting the world to care ... But they will never care enough in our minds. So we choose not to sleep.

We miss our families, our loved ones ... But there’s something about this story – we cannot shake it. It sticks to you like duct tape – something that is a running joke ... Injured? Stick some duct tape on it. Break that piece of equipment? Stick some duct tape on it. We do love our duct tape ...

Our tourniquets, bandages, flak jackets, gum, cigarettes, scotch, water, Gatorade, “wily-X eye protection glasses,” boots, radios, “go-bags”, lucky charms and helmets. Don’t leave the bureau without them. Especially the lucky charms – everyone’s got em’ and they work ... Until they don’t ... Welcome to the embed world. Welcome to Iraq.

We make jokes (bad ones), band together, and look after each other. We’d lay in front of oncoming traffic for any number of our staff members – everyone is equal here in Baghdad. We cut corners, we give the military cigars – and yes, we lie to each other, party together and forgive each other - because in the end – we’re bonded by something we can’t describe.

We love our security – for without them ... You’d see nothing from this country. The sound of silence would be overwhelming from a war that could not be covered without the names of many a former Special Forces soldiers; the names of which – you’ll never hear. Talk about a silent sacrifice.

I choose not to name names, not to list those that are forever my friends: rather this simple thought for those who know who they are.

These are the finest people I’ve ever had the honor of meeting, and they know full well; I breath this story like it’s oxygen ... And I will be back again.

- From Cal Perry, CNN Baghdad Bureau Chief.

Guangzhou to Changsha

In The Field Online Producers — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:13:00 +0000

We are in Guangzhou, China, trying to get a glimpse about why exactly this yearly migration back home for the spring festival is so important. Being new to China, I really didn’t know what to expect about the restrictions on reporting, but after our nosing about at the factory workers dormitories, incurring the rage of the owner of the factory, we had the opportunity to exercise a textbook trick. When trouble looms, change the tape in the camera; they will ask to hand to them what you filmed which you will do kindly and they will get a nice blank tape. Everybody’s happy.

The next day, our producer decides it will be great to travel with the migrant workers on a leg of their return home. Rushing down the train station platform trying to keep our correspondent framed and being shoved by people desperately trying to get a seat for the long journey, I realize it’ll be tough. Not even five minutes of being in the train, there’s a heated argument on the other end of the car. Not enough seats, but I can’t afford to give up my camera’s position. A coat over it and a woolly hat make it look like a sleeping person.

Very soon, we attract the attention of our fellow passengers. Pictures being taken, sweets offered … the conductor fetches some hot water for our tea. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all. But the novelty and excitement wears off pretty soon: sleeping seated on a hard bench, with equipment all about you, waking now and again to get this or that shot … 10 hours pass – it’s morning and the train is stationary for more than four hours.

Pacing up and down the aisle, it seems like a good idea to haul our gear through the window (all doors are locked, nobody is allowed in or out) and hire a car to move to the next station. But we stick by, and 17 hours later, with intermittent sleep, sparse food and no more tea, we get to Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. At least I’ve heard loads of compliments about this province’s food. Here we’ll stop to send our report back to base, and rest on a nice comfortable bed. As we go, we see how many of our fellow travellers are bottled on the next train’s door … again, fighting to get a seat for the next leg of their trip.

-- From CNN cameraman Miguel Castro

China crisis: Fear of the crowd

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000

The roar beats like storm gusts against my hotel window. It is the sound of human voices. If they are using words, they have lost any separate identity. It is simply the sound of a crowd, the elemental unit of Chinese history.

Like the police officers who sprawl in the lobby of this hotel opposite Guangzhou train station, I am tired. I know from standing among the people, for days and nights on end now, that they are also, individually, tired. Some are spent. They stagger, some supported by others, some in tears, as they proceed from barricade to crowded barricade in their journey towards the possibility of a train ride home.

But the crowd itself is perpetually refreshed.

As each new few thousand are released from one barricade, to run with their bags for a good position at the next barricade, the energy and the sound is as urgent as it was a week ago.

It is no wonder the Beijing authorities fear the crowd above everything. It was the masses that brought the communists to power. The government now is barely recognizable in its policies from those Maoist revolutionaries. But they understand the power of mass emotion.

So, they have produced a troop surge. 306,000 Chinese troops have been deployed, here, in southern China. That is nearly twice the total U.S. deployment in Iraq. The soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army are fighting what Beijing is rather sweetly calling “the war on wintry weather.”

The people crammed and crushed against barricades are perfectly ordinary people. After four years in China, I identify with them not quite as a native, but enough to understand as perfectly reasonable their desire to get back to be with their families for the Chinese New Year holiday.

The police and the soldiers seem genuinely interested in helping them, to ease their suffering. Again and again, I have seen these agents of state security racing beneath the feet of a thundering crowd to re-right a toppled pile of suitcases, to ease pregnant women and children and the frail and the simply over-emotional to a place of greater safety.

On Friday, a woman called Li Hongxia fell before the rushing crowd. By the time, she was lifted clear, she had been trampled by people powerless to avoid her. She died the next day in hospital. Li worked in a watch factory in Guandong. She was trying to get home to Hubei province.

But by the count I received a few hours ago, 483,000 people have made it onto trains. By the surf-like roar from the street outside, many many more are still anxious to try.

-- From CNN Correspondent Hugh Riminton in Guangzhou

China crisis: The human cost

In The Field Online Producers — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:31:00 +0000

You could only admire her bravery. A stream of pumped-up Chinese police reinforcements was slicing at speed through a tactical opening in the security barricades at Guangzhou train station.

The woman, 40ish, slightly built and alone, flung herself into the breach. For a moment it seemed she'd be minced meat. A police officer wrenched her aside and pulled the barricades back together.

"I want to go," she wailed. "I want to go."

But she was back with so many others, on the wrong side of security, with tens of thousands of people between her and the great prize of a seat on a train heading anywhere.

China's current emergency can be seen on one level as an epic collision.

On one side: nature, wild and indifferent. On the other: a very human drive to visit family during one slender window each year.

It is a deeply intimate story.

China's economic rise - and my cheap T-shirts and kids' toys - depend on ordinary Chinese who leave their homes to work often seven days a week in factories in the south. The trip home for Lunar New Year fulfils ancient obligations to family. It is also the only chance most of them have to see family members - including spouses and children - all year.

The vast tides of people waiting at Guangzhou might be sources of fascination, curiosity - even incomprehension. They can never be figures of fun.

Thirty years ago, the travel writer Jan Morris made a trip from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. She spoke of not seeing people so much as "statistics on the move." A neat line.

But the tens of millions currently disrupted by China's weather are no mere statistics. Theirs are all too human faces, desperate to keep faith with their families after for the long months of separation.

Their powers of endurance will be remembered long after their occasional flashes of exasperation or anger.

-- From CNN Correspondent Hugh Riminton in Guangzhou

President Karzai's personal war

In The Field Online Producers — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Switzerland is a stranger to conflict, having opted out of World War II in a state of neutrality, but some visitors bring their own battle with them.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was in the remote Swiss town of Davos this week as part of his ongoing mission to rally international help to drive the Taliban from his homeland.

Though reminiscent of the snow-capped peaks that loom over Kabul, the ski slopes are a far cry from the scarred Afghan landscape – a peaceful picture postcard scene that would set anyone’s mind at ease.

But Karzai remains on his guard.

CNN visited the Afghan leader in his rented Swiss mountain villa overlooking Davos for an interview that drove home the constant state of peril in which he has spent every day since he took office after the 2001 fall of the Taliban.

Before entering the villa, the CNN crew was marched 100 meters along a deserted snow-covered road by a team of security guards. Bags were unpacked, video cameras were scrutinized and each of us given a thorough body check.

The equipment is a particular concern for Afghans, who in the days prior to the Taliban’s defeat, lost iconic Northern Alliance commander Ahmed Shah Masood when a suicide bomber posing as a journalist detonated a bomb in a TV camera.

Only after we have all been checked -- under scrutiny from almost a dozen Afghan security guards, Swiss police and special agents -- are we admitted to the building, where Karzai is waiting.

The level of vigilance surrounding the president is one of the best reminders that his country is still in a state of conflict – one that has come perilously close to ending the life of its leader on several occasions.

Karzai himself is, as always, cucumber cool, but clearly pensive.

There is a clear contrast the following day when the CNN crew sets up to film Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

Although this takes place within the security surrounding the World Economic Forum in Davos, the event is a markedly relaxed affair.

Fukuda himself is all smiles, joking with the crew when the cameras stop rolling. Asked if he was still enjoying being Japanese prime minister, he grins sheepishly, and replies: “I’m suffering.”

Clearly not as much as Karzai.

By CNN.com Digital Producer Barry Neild in Davos, Switzerland

Can online networkers 'poke' in real life?

In The Field Online Producers — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:42:00 +0000

People who don’t do MySpace, Facebook or similar sites usually moan that they prefer real life social networking, deeming avid fans losers who chat to their pretend friends in secluded dingy bedrooms.

While the rest of us are “poking” or posting on “funwalls”, they are out pressing the flesh, chewing ears, slipping business cards into wallets and no doubt harping on about people who waste their time on the Internet.

The two worlds collided this week at the meeting of big business cheeses and global leaders that is the World Economic Forum. A seminar titled: “Add a Friend: Accept or Decline” lured online community leaders out into the schmoozing open.

So the question is: Can online social networkers do it in real life?

The answer is yes. With gusto.

There was a raucuous hubbub of conversation at the seminar as key figures from business and blogosphere came face-to-face.

As far as I know there was no poking, but plenty of gentle ribbing from networking rivals -- a rather flushed Reid Hoffman, chairman of LinkedIn, absorbed a heckling as he outlined ideas for improving Internet interaction.

Plenty of actual LOL followed blogging legend Robert Scoble’s account of getting booted off Facebook for violating the site’s rules and abusing the trust of his 5,000 “friends”.

Much of the discussion focused on how social sites are miscast as work distractions and how they can in fact drive the workplace, with anecdotes of businesses tapping innovative skills beyond company boundaries through the Internet.

Given the professions of those attending the seminar, it was no surprise that some were blogging the event as it happened, cutting edge cell phones and computers glowing from every table.

But at the end of the evening, these digital pioneers abandoned their electronics and indulged in a bit old school networking – swapping business cards.

From CNN.com Digital Producer Barry Neild in Davos

The new darlings of Davos

In The Field Online Producers — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:57:00 +0000

Almost as heavy as the snowfall that greeted participants at this Swiss Alpine resort, was the cloud of anxiety hovering over the start of this year's World Economic Forum.

Stock markets around the globe were badly shaken by the potential spread of a credit crisis from the U.S. This was not lost on Middle Eastern markets which started selling-off Sunday, their first day of trading, and carried through Tuesday.

The dramatic, and what some saw as a panicked, reaction by the Federal Reserve, to cut interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point sent mixed signals. What is the Fed seeing that others might not? Certainly the signal is that the bottom certainly has not been found on Wall Street, and for that matter some of the European banks as well.

That, however, does not mean the rest of the world should freeze in its tracks and that growth should come to a halt. The Middle East in fact is coming off some of the fastest growth in three decades. The excess liquidity of $400 billion each year from oil prices in the $80 per barrel range has changed the dynamics of the region and what these players are doing with their capital.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that $800 billion will be put into infrastructure in the region. Tall buildings, new financial centers, energy cities, new university hubs -- they are all being built. But the region can only absorb so much capital.

This is where the new darlings of Davos come in: The sovereign wealth funds. In case you missed it, the funds were the subject of front page articles on both Business Week and the Economist over the weekend. The danger from my vantage point here is that there is a lot of discussion about moving fast, taking advantage of buying opportunities (like Citigroup & Merrill Lynch), but also about competing with each other. There is a hint that some of the players are getting ahead of themselves.

Giant Stimulus Plan

There is potential here in Davos to bring like-minded players together for the greater good of the global economy. While the White House debates the merits of the $150 billion stimulus package, there is $1.5 trillion available in the Gulf. That is a serious stimulus package. As respected economist and old Davos hand Fred Bergsten rightly said, this liquidity could lead to a re-coupling of east and west. The investment money from the Gulf, China and Singapore will help avert a recession in the U.S. if, and a big "if" here, the funds are welcomed.

Some anxiety about this was expressed this morning by Mervyn King, now of Standard Chartered Bank, but formerly head of the Bank of England. He said that the funds should agree to a code of conduct for transparency or risk being labelled "irresponsible." That certainly does not set the tone for a collegial Davos-like discussion on closing the gap between those in need of capital and those who hold it right now.

Another Davos veteran, Arif Naqvi, Chief Executive of Abraaj Capital sees this in two stark colors: Black and white. The region is sitting on two commodities in great demand right now: Oil and cash.

Those commodities put the 200 or so players from the Middle East in an enviable position within the halls of the conference center; now if we can only work on the politics so the money can get to work in the right way.

-- From CNNI Marketplace Middle East Presenter John Defterios

Perfect timing at Davos

In The Field Online Producers — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:12:00 +0000

World Economic Forum blogger Loic Lemeur on the big topics that will drive Internet chat at the Davos 2008 meeting.

Security high at Sundance for suits

In The Field Online Producers — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:51:00 +0000

There’s a relaxed feel on the train to Davos, as normally staid business travelers eschew polished shoes for hiking boots on their way to the World Economic Forum.

With a dress-down policy, free-thinking agenda and pretty ski resort backdrop, the annual meeting could be viewed as something of a Sundance festival for suits, drawing comparisons to the leftfield Utah film festival.

Yet behind the scenes at Davos, there’s a far-from-relaxed security operation that has seen hundreds of police deployed to ensure that only those invited to Davos get in.

A simple stroll through this snowy town involves several checks as friendly but firm officers in uniform scrutinize ID badges, looking to weed out undesirables. Checks at the entrance to the main buildings increase by the hour.

The steely security is by no means over the top, with world leaders, leading business figures and a smattering of celebrities converging on the town’s hotels and conference halls.

Terror risks aside, there is however little likelihood of the kind of messy and sometimes violent protests that have dogged other global finance meetings, thanks to Davos’ remote location.

Two (expensive) train rides from the nearest major city or a long and slippery drive through snow-covered roads keep the town at arm’s length from many.

Those resourceful enough to reach here then face another problem – where to stay. Expensive at the best of times, accommodation is at a premium during the five-day forum, with hotels sold out months in advance.

For residents who remain in town for the forum, the huge police presence must seem a little ironic. Crime rates are low in Switzerland and even lower in tiny resort towns like Davos, where displays of extreme wealth are everywhere.

This has one happy consequence on the train to Davos, where my traveling companion – a professional photographer covering the forum – absentmindedly left a rucksack containing more than $20,000 worth of equipment.

In many places, the bag would have vanished in seconds, its contents sold on.

Here, its battered exterior is probably viewed with disdain from well-heeled passengers, and it arrives safely unmolested at the station’s lost property department.

-- From CNN.com Digital Producer Barry Neild in Davos

Storm gathers over Davos

In The Field Online Producers — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:41:00 +0000

It's Tuesday, it's snowing, I'm already cold ... it can only be Davos.

Technically the World Economic Forum doesn't begin until Wednesday, but in the mind of its thousands of participants and millions of observers, the debate has already begun.

Whereas the "R" word was merely "on everyone's lips" last week, here it will be the lingua franca; a common currency uniting politician and economist, film star and human rights campaigner. And if there was ever a time to sandwich "economic" back between the bread and butter of "world" and "forum," it'd be now.

What should have been a gradual start to proceedings for CNN evolved quickly into a decision to immediately ramp up coverage following a rout of epic proportions on global equity markets. The gathering storm: gathered. Time to sideline cliches and focus on the task in hand. Richard Quest and Todd Benjamin are already putting the world to rights; paving the way for the likes of Bill Gates, Bono and Queen Rania ... All of whom we'll talk to in the coming days.

The snow is coming down heavier and heavier right now and the circus is moving into town, train by train, car by car, bus by bus. Not two by two, but 4x4 and with snow chains. Helicopters have been put off by the snow, but the security is already a thick blanket enveloping Davos. Soldiers drill in the snow while workers drill inside the conference building, still adding the finishing touches to the corridors of power. An Alpine town of barbed wire and beauty. You get the sense that participants will be knee deep in two things this week.

Some say this Swiss ski resort is a last resort, a chance to brainstorm and solve what lies in wait for our world. Others consider the Forum a sort of mental chewing gum, refreshing and stimulating but ultimately always discarded. Talking off camera with WEF's founder Klaus Schwab he was quick to point out that last year's debate highlighted the rising damp of the US subprime market, showing that Davos is "on the money."

Afterwards I wondered why, with so many of the financial elite gathered, it took them more than six months to act? Some of those who discussed the issue last year have now lost their jobs to subprime; their skiing will be done elsewhere at this time of year.

So as the resort gradually fills with both participants, snow and expectation in equal measures, I may opt for a brief chance to sleep. My one window of skiing opportunity closed by the virtual white out. Still, already I am feeling the first clutch of fatigue, and I sense that as the peace of Davos is disturbed by economic disquiet, an extra dose of rest is exactly what the doctor ordered. Perhaps the global economy could do with the same. Ben Bernanke, can you hear me?

-- From CNNI Senior Planning Editor James Partington

On the Gaza border

In The Field Online Producers — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:37:00 +0000

We're sitting on a hill over looking Gaza, waiting to do live shots. It's strangely peaceful here. The sky is clear. The sun is bright. You can see past the security fence, past the green fields, into the homes of Beit Hanoun and the towers of Gaza City beyond them. Just a sliver of the Mediterranean is visible.

It's quiet. Except for the monotonous buzz of an Israeli drone overhead. Most times, we can't see it. But now and then, you can catch it's white triangular body against the blue sky, waiting and watching. It never seems to change speed.

Our producer calls to tell us of an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. It missed it's target and hit a family travelling in a car. 3 people were killed. I wonder if the drone above us had anything to do with it.

Occasionally, we hear a different noise. A distant boom and then a plume of smoke climbs the sky. Another rocket attack. That makes 26 today. I'm sure there are more.

Our cameraman calls us. He's out getting gas and sandwiches for lunch. The rocket landed less than 200 meters from the station, he says. But don't worry, he says, no injuries and lunch is on the way.

Earlier, an Israeli army unit dropped by. They told us not to linger here too long. There are snipers, says one soldier. He is wearing a battered flak jacket and points to Gaza.

Thanks, we say, we'll be careful. He shrugs his shoulders. Up to you, he says, and they drive off.

Now, we can hear the call to prayer. It drifts over the border from the village of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. We notice another column of smoke rising on the Israeli side. Qassam rocket, maybe? A little later a much louder boom, that shakes the ground. But still far away. Israeli missile strike in Gaza perhaps?

Our cameraman drives up, grinning and unscathed, clutching a bag of sandwiches and diet sodas. So, we sit down for a picnic on the border, basking in the sunshine and listening to the distant sounds of war.

-- From CNN correspondent Atika Shubert on the Israel – Gaza border.

100 cows for my camera

In The Field Online Producers — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:14:00 +0000

It is the most modern country in East Africa, but as the current crisis has shown, however modern, Kenya can sometimes still harken back to a more traditional way of life.

Here are two recent examples:

During the first week of the election crisis there was some looting in Mombasa. In one case, wood was stolen from a lumberyard. Rather than get the police involved- the owners of the lumberyard merely gave the looters six days to return the goods or they would put a spell on the looters. It worked, within two days all the lumber was returned. No spells ended up being necessary. The police said they wished that solving each crime could be so simple.

On Friday, as I was going through security at the Mombasa airport, the woman at the x-ray machine was in awe at the size of my Professional Video camera. She said it must cost a lot, I said it was probably not a much as she thought. She thought for a second, and jokingly said “100 cows… I’ll give you a hundred cows for the camera.”

I do admit to thinking about it- thinking to myself ‘where would I put 100 cows?’ How would I explain a trade of 100 cows for 1 camera to CNN management? Could I trade 100 cows for a newer HD camera? In the end it seemed like it would definitely be too much hassle- but it is good to know that my camera I have used for many years could garner 100 cows should it become necessary.

-- From CNN Chief Photographer Todd Baxter, in Mombasa, Kenya.

Let it Snow.... in Baghdad

In The Field Online Producers — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:55:00 +0000

There’s little which can surprise the people of Baghdad these days but when a light scattering of snow fell this morning, even our burliest security men looked a little taken aback.

Some of our local staff thinks some snow may have fallen in 1969 but some reports are saying that it’s been closer to one hundred years since the city has seen its last snowfall.

To most of us, we possibly wouldn’t even consider what fell to be actual snow, more of a sleety rain but the locals remain entranced. One of our staff was stopped by at a local checkpoint this morning on the way to work. Fearing an interrogation from the Iraqi Security Force he rolled down his window. The only question that was posed to him was ‘Hey! Do you think we’re in Russia?’ before he was waved on his way.

However, on walking through the Green Zone this morning, it seems not everybody was enjoying the unusual weather. Peruvian soldiers looked less than amused as they stood on guard in the freezing temperatures.

Nevertheless, upon entering the Baghdad newsroom this morning, it was good that the topic of conversation revolved around something much better than the latest attacks or security scares. Staff showed each other their pictures of the falling snow on their mobiles and argued over when the last time such a sight was seen in this violent city.

--From CNN Producer Carol Jordan, CNN Baghdad

Stories of sheer terror

In The Field Online Producers — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:34:00 +0000

We were anxious to get out of Nairobi and see what was going in the western part of the country, towards the Rift Valley. We drove about 240km northwest of the capital, to a rural hub called Molo, and there it all unfolded.

Thousands of people squatting on the grass without food, shelter or medicine. They had escaped with their lives and stories of sheer terror. Tribal clashes had led to machete murders, burning, raping and looting.

As if these stories weren't enough, when the survivors did reach safety, there was very little of anything they needed. On the day we arrived, there was no food distribution and some of the victims of machete attacks had been in their blood-stained clothes for three days.

Worse yet, we saw very little evidence that mass quantities of organized aid were on their way to Molo.

What is so frustrating as a journalist is the cruel paradox of modern life. The whole time I was in Molo I had full BlackBerry service. I was e-mailing photos from the aid camp to CNN Center in Atlanta in seconds, and yet the people I was interviewing had to accept that the "modern world" could not feed them.

Watch my report on Kenya's refugee crisis

-- From CNN Correspondent Paula Newton in Kenya

Forget analysts: What do the stars say?

In The Field Online Producers — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:22:00 +0000

I thought we could all use a bit of "cosmic" relief at the end of a tiring week, so here goes:

Baghdad producer Mohammed Al-Tawfeeq just sent me these pictures of Ali Al-Bakri, one of Iraq's most popular astrologers.

41-year old Al-Bakri has been an astrologer for 10 years.

On the set of Your Fortune (all photos Mohammed Tawfeeq)

Ali Al-Bakri is the host of a call-in show on state-run Iraqiya Television called Your Fortune. In a country traumatised by decades of dictatorship and war, a surprising number of viewers ask only about their love lives.

"Does she love me?"; "Will he marry me?"

Ah, good old human nature.

Al-Bakri says viewers also ask about their health or if it is safe for them to travel on a specific date. Let's hope he gets those predictions right.

But, Al-Bakri doesn't just make love life prophesies, he also looks into the stars to predict the future for all of humanity. He told CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq that Hillary Clinton will be the next U.S. president and that her time in office will be made very difficult by sky-rocketing oil prices.

Also, Al-Bakri whispers that several Iraqi politicians use his services as well. They don't call into the live show: The politicians, he says, call his private cellphone.

-- Posted by CNN Anchor Hala Gorani

They weren't home for Christmas

In The Field Online Producers — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:24:00 +0000

Interesting thing about spending Christmas on a U.S. military base in Iraq ... it is a lot easier to look for Santa when you are in a desert away from city lights ... this year, staring toward full moon-lit skies. Slightly disappointing, however, to discover the flashing objects overhead aren't reindeer and sleigh, but Black Hawk helicopters ferrying troops across the country.

This isn't my first Christmas in a war zone. However, it was one of the more pleasant holidays, as these things go, in Iraq. Spending a lot of time reporting live from the U.S. Army Camp Striker Dining Facilities - at least we were well fed.

I try to remember that these soldiers are somebody's mothers, fathers, sons, daughters - or the wacky cousin everybody loves to talk about. And this Christmas, most families of U.S. troops in Iraq can only talk about these men and women - instead of physically hugging them or exchanging gifts around the tree.

CNN cameraman extraordinaire, Ken Tillis, captured one powerful image that really symbolizes the get-on-with-it spirit of these American service members trying to cope so far from home.

This is Sergeant First Class Kerensa Hardy. The Army public affairs officer was responsible for dealing with a CNN crew for live Christmas coverage, seemingly non-stop for 48 hours. Earlier in the week, her boss stepped on buried bomb - survived - but lost a leg and was recovering in hospital. So it was up to her to see that we were happy - and that no soldier acted the fool (or worse) on live tv. We later learned this is Hardy's first holiday deployment in a war zone ... and that she's missing her four-year old daughter back at home.

Image courtesy Ken Tillis

Between live reports, Ken photographed Hardy reading a newspaper while waiting for a Christmas call from her baby girl. You'll see her phone is placed on a door fixture just outside the Dining Facility. The dining hall structure (it seats 1,800 troops) doesn't allow for cell phone coverage inside.

To remain so composed, professional - and patient - given all that must be going on in her life this time of year, sort of took us aback.

We weren't privy to the mother-daughter conversation (we were workin'...and privacy is at a premium on a military base) but I'm betting there's a four year-old somewhere in America, who is very proud of her military mom.

Watch my reports on Christmas Day in Iraq and Santa stopping in Iraq

From CNN Correspondent Alphonso Van Marsh at U.S. Army Camp Striker, Baghdad

The Don't Divorce Me Club

In The Field Online Producers — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 15:09:00 +0000

In the corner of a small Japanese restaurant, a dozen dark-suited businessmen gathered at a large table. Smoke hovered over the dinner and beer disappeared as quickly as it was poured. At first glance, it looked like a typical Friday night post-work scene played out all over Tokyo’s taverns. But then your eye stops on a poster-sized sign propped up next to one of the middle-aged men. It reads:

Three Golden Rules of Love:

* Thank you (say it without hesitation)

* I am sorry (say it without fear)

* I love you (say it without embarrassment)

All the men at the table stood up. Equally spaced out and still wearing their stiff black suits, they chanted in unison: "I can’t win! I won’t win! I don’t want to win!" The chant was followed by a deep bow, a straightening of the backs, big smiles and a burst of applause. The meeting of the "National Chauvinistic Husbands Association" was under way.

If you're confused at this point, don't fret. The group is called the National Chauvinistic Husbands Association because it's a club for bossy husbands who need help (a little lost in translation effect here.)

So the title is appropriate for this group of men. In an abrupt about face from traditional Japanese relationships, the men are learning how to give their wives more respect.

More poster signs surrounded the men at this meeting:

Three Golden Rules of Renewing Family:

* Let's Listen

* Let's Write

* Let's Talk

Three Golden Rules for Extramarital Affairs:

* I don't do it

* I am not doing it

* I am not even thinking about it

And there's even a system of ranking your husbandry in the club:

Rank 1: Love your wife after three years of marriage

Rank 2: Help with the household work

Rank 3: No extramarital affairs or at least she doesn't know about it

Rank 4: Ladies first

Rank 5: Hold hands with your wife in public

Rank 6: Listen to what your wife has to say carefully and seriously

Rank 7: Solve issues between your wife and your mother

Rank 8: Say thank you without hesitation

Rank 9: Say I'm sorry without fear

Rank 10: Say I love you without embarrassment

The meeting was jovial and there was laughter at times. But the undercurrent was serious and taken to heart by the 4,700 members of this club in Japan. They're all acutely aware of a new law in Japan this year that entitles a wife filing for divorce to claim half her husband’s company pension.

That change led to a spike in divorces in the country, as some Japanese women, tired of their long-absent salarymen, decided they’re better off on their own. These men say they don't want to be alone so they'll change for their wives.

As the men talked in their support-group-setting, you quickly became aware of how rare it is to see men, especially businessmen, so emotionally intimate. One man confessed his typical Japanese workday (spanning 16 hours at times) was making his wife angry.

The group leader warned he’s on the highway to divorce and he needs to put his wife before work. Another man said he's too Japanese and can't seem to put his wife first. The group leader warned he's too old-fashioned. Another man, married 22 years, shared the fear that he'll be alone in old age because his wife complains about his snoring. Heads around the table nodded up and down in sympathy.

I couldn't help but ask: "As an American, it seems so easy to hold hands or say 'I love you.' What’s so hard about your rules or rankings?"

The group leader looked at me and said what's hard about the seemingly simple rules is following them fully and changing your behavior. He said it's easy saying it or doing it, but changing who you are and really believing it is quite another. He also pointed out to me that the divorce rate in America is over 50 percent. In Japan, the rate is still below 10 percent. Maybe, he suggested, some of the ways the Japanese approach love and marriage isn't so strange after all.

After the meeting, we followed a young man named Yohei Takayama home. He'd just been promoted to "Rank 4." He admitted that "Rank 5," holding hands with his wife in public, was not going to be natural or easy. He and his wife have been married for two years. His wife said he’s been a member of the club for a year and a half and it has changed their relationship dramatically.

Namely, she said, he helps more around the house, listens to her more, and understands she also has a career that exhausts her. What they’re growing into, she said, is a partnership. They went grocery shopping, and I noticed he carried the bags and helped her decide what to buy. As they left the store to go home, he took her hand in his. It didn't look like the most natural thing in the world for him, but he was trying. His wife smiled as they walked home.

You can watch my report here.

-- From CNN Correspondent Kyung Lah in Tokyo

Kid Rock does NOT rock Baghdad

In The Field Online Producers — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:22:00 +0000

It was supposed to be the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen's 'thank you' to troops serving in Baghdad over the holidays. Fly in musician Kid Rock, comedian Robin Williams, beauty queen Miss USA and some others for a concert at Camp Liberty - one of the U.S. Army bases in Iraq’s combat zone.

When my producer, cameraman and I arrived at the military base field house more attune to a high school gymnasium than a concert hall, we could hardly believe the line of hundreds of soldiers snaking outside the building, along the concrete t-wall barriers intended to deflect incoming mortars. But that is the lure of the United Service Organization, better known as the USO. For generations, the charity organization has been bringing celebs from Bob Hope to Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong to conflict areas to entertain the troops.

"Kid Rock rocks!" and "It is great that [the celebrities] support us, that they'd come out to see us during the holidays!" - that’s pretty much the theme we heard from soldiers, some who had been waiting four or five hours in the winter cold for the night concert to begin.

But it wasn't meant to be.

Along with the winter chill came terribly strong winds – and eventually an announcement from the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman himself: the concert was off. Admiral Mullen, who had come to Camp Liberty before the bad weather set in, said the Blackhawk helicopters set to bring the entertainers from another gig in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, could not fly safely to Camp Liberty. At first, some of the troops cheered – thinking the Admiral on stage in front of them was joking. But then they realized the concert meant to bring Christmas cheer, was not going to take place. The disappointment was palpable.

Admiral Mullen, somewhat moved by being the bearer of bad news to hundreds of young soldiers, apologized and allowed service members to take pictures with him. Then the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff handed out much coveted challenge coins – considered in many military circles as an award for bravery, hard work or service.

I understand the sentimental value of these coins - I was there when U.S. military commanding officers gave coins to troops who took part in the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003. Some troops will spend 20 or 30 years in the military and never receive a coin. And here’s the military’s top brass handing out his coin - for standing in a line for USO concert? It almost seems over the top. But don’t tell that to a 20-something soldier spending his first Christmas away from home, in a war zone.

-- From Alphonso Van Marsh in Baghdad

What's in a Lee?

In The Field Online Producers — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:34:00 +0000

It was inevitable that in a country in which the surnames Lee, Kim and Park constitute two-thirds of the population that that a Lee became a president.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t dread the day.

The issue for a broadcaster is in the pronunciation.

The Lees of Korea have the same Chinese character as the Lees of China.

But while the Lees of China actually pronounce this Chinese character, Lee, Koreans pronounce this Chinese character, Yi.

So in Korean, while spelled, Lee Myung Bak, the president-elect is called Yi Myung Bak in Korean.

Now why the Lees simply didn’t spell their last names, Yi, is the question of the day.

Perhaps it was deference to their Chinese neighbors, who started the Chinese characters, after all.

Or they just didn’t bother.

So for generations, the Korean Lees allowed non-Koreans to spell their last names Lee, and call them Mr. Lee.

Some Lees tried to break free and actually spell their name Yi or Eee, but they were the exception, not the rule.

But now one of them has gone and become president.

So what now, does Lee Myung Bak go the route of most other Lees in the country and lead a double life? Or does he come out and declare himself a Yi?

We’ll see.

From CNN Correspondent Sohn Jie-ae

Are Norwegians energy conscious?

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:26:00 +0000

Oslo's festive streets are filled with Christmas shoppers, but also with some visitors who make a point of scheduling their trips during the Nobel Peace Prize events.

Architect Karin Hansen, now a resident of Malaga, Spain, has visited her hometown for the past several years to witness the concert, torchlight procession, and performances by local children.

"I think sometimes they give the prize hoping it will lead to peace," she said. In the case of this year’s winners, she said the attention on global warming could help raise awareness of conservation, especially in the developed world.

Are Norwegians energy conscious?

Not as much as they should be, we could all do more," said Hansen.

The city of Oslo encourages residents to save energy by using public transportation.

Part of the incentive to leave the car at home is a hefty hit to the pocketbook for driving downtown. Toll booths across the city charge 20 Norwegian Kroner, or about $4, just to drive in the city. Parking fees are likewise pricey, and limited.

Suhak Kawwani works at a newsstand across the street from The Grand Hotel, where some of the Nobel events are taking place. While the kiosk always sells newspapers from across Europe, he says he has noticed a bit of extra traffic with all the dignitaries in town.

A native of Afghanistan, Kawwani is pleased that Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won this year’s prize.

"Just like there is peace for the soul, nature also needs peace," said Kawwani. "And we need to do more than just rely on technology to deal with it."

He said many Norwegians knew of Gore when he was vice president, but in recent years also because of his crusade to raise awareness about global warming.

Industrial design student Armand Bentzen, working the night shift at an Oslo 7-11, isn't so wowed by all the hoopla in the center of the city. And he acknowledges that developed countries like Norway, that guzzle the most power, need to take the lead in going on an energy diet.

"We are starting now to be thinking more about it, so far we are not very good at it. We waste a lot of power here," he said.

While he says it's more of an economic issue than one of being green, Bentzen doesn't own a car. He says public transportation is pretty good across the country.

He said affordable electricity in both Europe and the United States sometimes keeps people from thinking about how much they use.

"It's a difficult thing for people to change their way of living. It's a global problem, everyone needs to do their part," said Bentzen.

-- From CNN Producer Marsha Walton

Christmas spirit in Oslo

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:22:00 +0000

Oslo is a city that really knows how to decorate and do it up for Christmas. The city twinkles with lights (all of them white) and there are Christmas Carolers everywhere.

A trio of Santas gathered outside our hotel (The Grand) last night, and apparently fueled by aquavit or something, sang Jingle Bells over and over again well into the wee hours.

I am shoehorned in a small room on the backside of the hotel (beyond the wi-fi umbrella!)

My colleagues who scored spacious suites in the front were a little more “bah humbug” about the long performance. Sometimes being in the cheap seats has its advantages.

-- From CNN Anchor/Producer Miles O'Brien

Champions of peace

In The Field Online Producers — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:19:00 +0000

The Norwegian Nobel committee is a low key, taciturn, downright secretive group. They are appointed by the Norwegian Storting (parliament). Many of them are former members of the Storting -– and all of them are politically engaged in one way or another.

They meet just a few times a year –- sorting through the mounds of nominations mailed to the Norwegian Nobel Institute on Henrik Ibsen’s Gate here in Oslo.

They have a pretty simple mission -– in as much as their mission statement is the 200-word last will and testament of 19th century Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.

Nobel committed most of his fortune to fund the prizes. Each year the interest from the endowment is divided evenly and awarded to the winners in each category. This year the each award was 1.5 million dollars.

The prizes go to "those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine literature, economics as well as "one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

For reasons that remain a mystery, Nobel wrote in his will the "champions of peace" should be selected by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting.

-- From CNN Anchor/Producer Miles O'Brien