Not forgetting Congo....

U.N. agency says 13,000 fleeing violence in northeastern Congo have crossed into the neighboring country in 48 hours.

closer to home...

Anti-government protestors forced airports in Thailand to close.

Attacks in Mumbai, India

Click here to read the lastest update on the attacks.



Updates from a blackberry in Mumbai.

France...

I have to admit, I was dreading this trip. As much as I like to fly around the world, spending one week in France is not enough for me. Plus, it`s the middle of the semester. I just have too much to do!!!! And I was really looking forward to spending some time with Lauren, and what better way to do that than to do what we do bestÉÉ some good ol`shopping in France, checking out some hot French `monsieurÉÉ ;P

But, the week is coming to an end. As I`m sitting in Oli`s apartment, looking out the window, I thought to myself, Am I missing out on thisÉ Whatever happened to my alone timeÉ some ME timeÉ I know once the plane touch down in Detroit, I`ll start it all over again, catching up on news, start planning IC news stories, getting the information for my UT Ten News story, homework!! Assignments and quizes to do... sigh...

Here`s a recap of my French Thanksgiving Week.

Sunday
Arrive in Paris at 8 a.m. Met up with my couchsurfing host, Arno, and his friends, Daniel from Melbourne, another Arno, a French and a Korean who does not speak Korean [he`s fluent in French]. I told them the only thing I missed out on from my last trip was going to the Louvre Museum. So, we braved the snow first, then the rain and headed to the Louv. My flight to Nice was at 8 p.m.

My host, Florian came to the airport. He has a small but cozy and really clean apartment.

Monday
I woke up at 7 a.m. and left with Florian, he had to leave for work at 8 a.m. and had to show me where the tram stop is. We had a typical French breakfast! with freshly baked baguettes with nutella and croissant.

I walked along the Promenade Des Anglais and the view was amazing. Everything was perfect until this creepy Italian dude came up to me and tried to talk. It was annoying. Anyways, after I lost him, I found some malls and you know I can`t resist it!

I had dinner with Florian at an authentic Nice restaurant and had some typical local dish and a bottle of white wine.

Tuesday
I said goodbye to Florian in the morning as he left for work, and I slept in, till 4 p.m.! It was greeatttt! I packed and headed out to a hostel near the trains station. I found a hostel for 21 euros a night. There were two French girls from Nimes, and a South Korean girl. It was a small but clean room.

I went out to Checkpoint bar and had three pints of beer and watched football! For some reason, being in Europe always makes me homesick...

Wednesday
I took the train to VilleFranche, a town about 15 minutes away... look out for the gorgeous pictures!!! It was a beautiful day too. I wished I could be there forever... and ever...

Then, I took the train to Monaco. Do you know it`s the smallest country after Vatican CityÉÉÉ I was just amazed at the yatchs... one day... one of those will be mine.....

I felt rich just walking around the Monte Carlo Casino. Stores like Prada, Dior, Louis Vutton, Celine, Burberry, at every corner, cars like Lamborghini, Lotus, Ferrari, Porche parked by the streets like they were JUST cars!!! Elegantly dressed, plastic-like middle-aged European women with their oh-so-precious dogs on leashes...

Thursday
I met up with Oli by the Fountain at Place Massena. Memories from D.C. came flowing back. It was like back in the day. We talked and talked and talked.... and talked... , wishing Jeremiah and Lauren are with us... and he cooked... of course! LOL.... at 4 p.m. we had good pasta and a bottle of wine...

For dinner, we had the amazing Foie Gras, which I had wanted to try forever! Well, since I knew it existed, the texture... it just melts away in your mouth....and the taste... words alone can`t describe them.. you just have to try it!! [just don`t order it at Citrus restaurant in Ipoh]

Then, we had fat duck breast... so good.... with another bottle of wine...

Later that night, we went to Wayne`s bar and met up with Eduardo, Oli`s Brazilian friend. We had a good time. It was ladies` night so with 3 euros, I get unlimited Champagne!!!!

We went to another bar and the three of us ordered the cheapest Vodka [I can still taste it at the back of my throat - ewww] and downed it with O.J.

Friday
It`s kinda windy and cloudy outside... do I want to brave the weather and do something with myselfÉ Or do I want to laze around, listen to some good tunes, and read Homage to Catalonia...ÉÉ

ps. É is actually a question mark. Damn Quebecan keyboards!!

8th show!!!!

Paris, here I come... again!

So, I'll be taking off to France today. But before that, I have a million things I have to attend to. 

Civil rights in the heartland

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled ... we are, and always will be, the United States of America," President-elect Barack Obama said during his Nov. 4 acceptance speech.

On the same night, voters in California, Florida and Arizona passed bans on same-sex marriages.

The effects of the constitutional ban trickled across the country as thousands protested in about 300 organized rallies on Saturday, initiated by Seattle blogger and Cleveland native, Amy Balliet.

In many cities across America, protesters gathered to denounce the passage of California's Proposition 8, vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and call for change..... click here to read more.

Cross burnings, black figures hung from nooses, and schoolchildren chanting “Assassinate Obama”

Just when the world is starting to look up to America with fresh pairs of eyes, some Americans just had to prove that "Change" has not completely dawn on all Americans as we see acts of racism skyrocketed since Nov. 4.

Obama win prompts wave of hate crimes from Times Online

The road ahead, not an easy one...

Barack Obama's election may have been met with celebrations around the world, but for some Americans his honeymoon is over before he has even taken office. Click on the link to read more.

7th show!!!

Road trip to the Obama Rally!!!

The best way to celebrate Obama's victory, is overseas.

Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“A wildly diverse crowd of about 60 people were raptly watching and listening to a newly minted American president. You could have heard a pin drop. Smiles prevailed all around, and when Obama finished, the African businessman standing in front of me turned around, his cheeks traced with tears. He’d heard my colleague and me speaking and gathered my nationality. He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I love you, I love America. Congratulations.’ Now (recognized as) an American, I received congratulatory messages, handshakes and a few hugs — including most unexpectedly one from a Muslim woman in hair-covering.
“A German man told me, ‘It’s like we have all won.’ ”
That pretty much says it. The world is now looking to the United States with hope.

A shirt in front of the White House states...

Rosa Parks sat in 1955.

Martin Luther King walked in 1963.

Barack Obama ran in 2008

Not what Obama can do for us but what we can learn from him

The idea of having a young president as the leader of the so-called free world is truly revolutionary, even in countries where freedom and democracy remain dirty words.

Obama has been welcomed across Asia particularly by younger, educated people who identify with him and see in him the sort of leader they would like to see in their own countries, a leader who speaks their language, articulates their dreams and symbolises what young people believe they can achieve.

Obama's Acceptance speech

You don't even know...

Many Americans cannot even fathom what effect Obama's victory has on the world.

6th show!!!

This is one of the best feature pieces I can remember

This article by Wil Haygood about a butler, who worked for eight presidential administrations, got invited to state dinners, celebrated his birthday with President Ford, now sees the first black President ever, reflects on the time when blacks are only allowed in kitchens.

what a shame!

As you may already know, I was at the Obama Rally on Tuesday night. A sense of pride took over me, even if I'm not an American, even though I didn't directly contribute to this historical moment, I'm incredibly proud of people, every single one of you who voted for him, every single one of you who may be afraid of change, embraced this, allow this to take place in our lifetime, a change that would lead the country to a better place.

Everyone is watching this election. When I was in Europe over the summer, 8 out of 10 people I've met, be it the taxi drivers, that random dude at the bus stop, the lady next to me in the train, everyone wants to talk American politics. They were so excited and were pouring out every single bit of information they have, proud to be knowledgeable on the subject. People from Malaysia were bombarding me with questions.

A lot of Americans cannot even fathom the effect this will have on the whole world. The butterfly effect this will have on a global scale cannot be denied. Yes, he is no Messiah, he is no God, he is no prophet, he will need all the help he can get to realize his ideals. But, this is a stepping stone, an extremely significant one indeed.

I came across an article and to be honest, I've wondered this since I was a little girl. Can a non-Malay, non-Muslim be the Prime Minister of Malaysia?

If not, why? Are the Chinese and Indians considered immigrants still? Are we not all "Malaysians?" After all these time, after all the contributions non-Malays have to this country, after all the bull shit that says "we are Malaysians, we live in harmony, unlike any other countries in the world, three different races under one roof, we are like no other nation in the world," blah blah blah...

Here's the article.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters late Wednesday that it was possible Malaysia could have a non-Malay leader, saying "it is up to the people to decide."

Coverage of Obama Rally

Reporting from Chicago! Click to Read!!!!

I can say I witnessed a historic event!

We drove to Chicago from 3 p.m. on Tuesday and got there are at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. in Chicago. 

We met up with April, a couchsurfer and headed to Grant Park. The crowd were massive and there was a huge line.

We waited and interviewed some people.

People were climbing trees just to get a good view of the screen where CNN is live and to get an idea of the number of people there. It's got to be way more than a million.

A woman in front of me has a portable TV. OBAMA WON!! she screams.

Everyone was hugging each other. 

We interviewed a black woman and she told me a white person hugged her for the first time in her life, they didn't think she was going to harm them or anything like that.

She said it was a good feeling. 

Right before Obama gave his acceptance speech, Signed, Sealed Delivered were playing. People were dancing, singing, and yelling.

It was an awesome moment.

As he gave his speech, people were teary-eyed, some grinned, some just listened intently.

After that, people headed out. It felt like New Years Eve at the Time Square in New York City. 

Drivers were honking and people yelled "YEAHHH OBAMA"

It was 1:30 a.m. in Chicago. We drove home to Toledo.

We were back at the IC office at 6:15 a.m. and started working on the story.

Look out for our kick-ass story, pictures and videos!!!!

The most historic election of our lifetime

Tune in on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I will be reporting from Chicago!!!!

If Obama Were Born in Malaysia

In its two centuries of nationhood, America's greatest success lies in its enormous acceptance and accommodation, rejecting no elements that would propel this country to even greater heights.
America is set to create yet another greatness come November 4. (By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)

5th show!!

Political juice

Malaysia Official Cleared of Charge in Murder Case

- The Wall Street Journal reports

Breaking News!!!

TWO STUDENTS STABBED ON CAMPUS - IC reports from the scene