Islamabad, Pakistan — People on the streets of Pakistan shouting, banners waving and guns being fired— really nothing new as this country has been facing some very tough times over the last few years.  But those people on the streets late last night were not calling for the overthrow of the government or extremists chanting ‘death to America’ or even lawyers calling for judicial reform.  They were cricket fans celebrating Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 World Cup Championship.

Now I know that cricket is lost on most of us Americans, and believe me, I have tried many times to understand it.  It’s tough.  But seeing the jubilation on the streets and in the parks of Pakistan late Sunday night when their team was victorious, it did not matter if you knew the difference between a wicket and home plate or an ‘out’ verses an ‘over.’ It was crystal clear that this victory was a ray of hope the Pakistani people direly needed.

Not only have recent terror attacks thrown the country into a state of preoccupation and hyper-alertness, but it had hit their beloved cricket as well.  A few months ago, terrorists struck a convoy of the visiting Sri Lankan team just before a game in Lahore.  After that, international cricket organizations stopped any major games from being played on Pakistani soil.  So that attack prevented most Pakistanis from seeing their national team contest in international tournaments.

With nearly 2 million displaced people in the northwest, a serious battle raging in the Swat Valley between the army and militants and another just starting to open down in South Waziritstan, good news and a little bit of hope are just what the doctor ordered.  The TV news anchors even appear to be holding back ear-to-ear grins as they recount the game and show footage of drum-playing and bouncing cricket fans from every corner of Pakistan.  Thanks to huge outdoor TV screens set up at several camps, thousands of the internal refugees were able to see the game.

To be honest , while watching the dancing on the streets, in the back of my mind I was thinking that these scenes are exactly the soft targets the Taliban militants have been targeting on a regular basis over the last few months.  Luckily my paranoia was unfounded and the celebrations went off without a hitch.

My true hope is that the people of Pakistan get to savor this victory, giving them the opportunity to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s a long and tough tunnel to travel through, but there is an end.

By FNC Coordinating Producer John Fiegener

The ballroom inside the Sheraton hotel had not changed much since I last saw it two years ago. The temperature inside soars to a comfortable swelter as the overworked air conditioner tries to cool the several hundred bodies gathered in the room. The seventies design has been polished for the thousandth time and a new carpet is already well worn.

Today’s event: The launch of a new political party in Iraq called the Wassat or Center Path party to compete in next year’s national elections. It is the party of Muwaffaq Rubaie, a man who retains in title only a position of power as the National Security Advisor. His position was created under the CPA, Coalition Provisional Authority, back in 2004 for a period of five years. His time is coming up and the position is going away inside a government that already has a half dozen security departments and ministries, so he is doing what any Iraqi in a position to do so would do: Form a political party.

The room filled with sheikhs and other citizens of Iraq who wield varying degrees of power in their communities. It dawned on me for the first time to ask my colleague Badr what was the significance of the headdresses worn by the hundreds of sheikhs in the room.  The general rule, I was told, is that a black and white Kufiyeh (or head cover) usually signifies one is of southern Iraqi tribal origin, a red and white one is usually worn by northerners or westerners, a plain white one can be worn by Sunnis mainly from the north, and the size of the band or Agal as it is called in Iraq, can be thick and wide to reflect southern sheikh with greater influence, or thin and tight for those from northern and western tribes. But since the tribes often times spill across all regions of the country, this is not a sure bet to know where anyone is from… what he represents… and certainly not what he wants.

Politics here is just as tidy as the general rule of the Kufiyeh and Agal. The announcement of a new political party that would bring together all Iraqis on a “Center Path” was politely greeted by those gathered. There seemed to be more black and white Kufiyehs in the room, but a good deal of plain white ones as well, so maybe more interest from southern Iraqis and Sunnis?

No great details were provided by the speakers, just a promise to act on behalf of all Iraqis.

One sheikh from Nassaryah, wearing a black and white Kufiyeh with a thick Agal, said he was here to listen, after all he had received a personal invitation and to not come would be impolite and perhaps not terribly astute down the road. He seemed somewhat disappointed that speakers did not talk about providing water projects for his area, after all that is one of his main concerns.

Another Iraqi politician-businessman said he listened and would decide in time if the party had the money to joust in the upcoming elections.
In principle the idea of a center party was interesting.

One of the few women in attendance complained that she was afraid all politicians were liars and none would deliver anything good for women in Iraq. She recounted how she recently traveled to the south and could not check into a hotel because local authorities forbade unaccompanied women from checking into hotels.

What was impressive to me was that everyone in the old ballroom listened, occasionally nodded, constantly waived papers or anything else that would move the stale, hot air around, and left without anger or argument. The process of listening to what politicians have to offer has started in Iraq, and while no one doubts much jockeying is to come and many backroom deals are to be made, at least today’s event showed there is interest in the process.

The British government is going through one of the biggest upheavals in centuries. Members of Parliament are quitting, retiring, facing defeat in the next election, even possibly going to the klink.  And who is responsible  for this revolution in the mother of parliaments, the seat of democracy?   A young American woman!

Actually, 38 year-old Heather Brooke has British parents and dual citizenship.  But she was born in the states and went to school and worked in Washington and South Carolina before coming to the UK where she is now a freelance journalist.    In Britian in 2004, she got the idea to use a brand new Freedom of Information to find out what the British pols were writing off on their expense accounts.

After five years of struggle and court cases the news is finally out.  And its not pretty.    MP’s are writing off all sorts of household items supposedly necessary to do their jobs as representatives.   Including, er, upkeep of tennis courts and pools, a $4000 house for ducks, and of course (this is England after all), the cleaning of a moat surrounding a property.

Throw in even more serious fudging like charging for mortgage payments that were already paid up and fixing up places with expense money and  then selling them and you’ve got a scandal that’s captured the attention and anger of the British public for weeks now.   Already hit with big recession worries and suspicions about politicians and this just did it.

The only hitch for Heather is … she didn’t break the story.     The expenses which she was fighting to get revealed should have been made available this summer.   Instead, the Daily Telegraph newspaper got its hands on a hard drive with all the information on it and for a price made it public early. And got the glory.

Consolation for Heather though that she’s been  recognized for efforts.   She herself did a great documentary on British TV a month before the news broke and it revealed the whole corrupt mess.   Now she’s being interviewed and written about in all the British media.  She was good enough to chat with us and that’s included here.   As well as the story we did for Special Report on a typically wet and gloomy day ion London.

So check her out, log on to her great blog at www.ytrk.org, and sing her praise.  I promise you there are a lot of polticians here in England who are saying a lot of other stuff about her … mostly unprintable!

Watch the interview:

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Check out the full package:

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School closings are no longer recommended for controlling the spread of the H1N1 “swine flu” virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta issued new recommendations today, which focus instead on personal responsibility and keeping infected individuals at home for at least seven days. CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, MD said the changes were the result of some key findings:

• H1N1 is not as severe as originally thought and is presenting itself more like seasonal flu.
• Schools reporting H1N1 infections are in communities where the disease has already shown up in the general public.
• School closings are “incredibly burdensome and difficult,” according to Dr. Besser, who said the CDC has heard stories of working parents dropping their children off at public libraries because they lack adequate home care.

The median age of persons infected with H1N1 is 16. Why so young?

One theory is that youthful populations, such as spring breakers in Mexico, were the first to be exposed to the disease. Another possibility is that older people have developed more resistance to the H1N1 strain through annual exposure to seasonal flu or flu vaccines.

Dr. Besser said it’s unclear whether either theory is true, but the CDC is actively investigating.

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Common sense may be more effective than school closings.

Updating reporters on the H1N1 “Swine Flu” virus, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, summed it up with this comment:

While we’re not out of the woods, we are seeing a lot of encouraging signs.

Dr. Besser said the genetic properties of H1N1 viruses are remaining consistent and anti-viral drugs, such as Relenza and Tamiflu, continue to provide effective treatment for the disease.

Cases in Mexico appear to be leveling off. And here in the US, the disease appears to be no more severe than seasonal flu. Still, people are hospitalized and people die from seasonal flu, said Dr. Besser, who urged Americans to continue basic preventive measures:

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Cover coughs with your sleeve, not your hand.
• Stay home when you’re sick.
• Keep your children home when they’re sick.

Dr. Besser said the CDC is considering revising its guidelines for school closings, which do not appear to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease. Researchers have found that when H1N1 is detected in schools, the virus is already well established in the surrounding community.

So what would revised guidelines look like? Public health officials are taking a close look at schools in Seattle, which emphasize personal responsibility.

Parents check their children in the morning for signs of illness. If a child is feeling sick, the parents are urged to keep that child home for seven days, even if he or she starts to feel better.

Teachers emphasize hand washing and other preventive measures and are instructed to send home any students who appear to be ill.

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