DR CONGO

Bangkok Post

“Living with fear”

Starting today’s press review with the escalating crisis in Democratic Republic of the Congo. In an article entitled “Living with fear” correspondent Todd Pitman paints a terrifying portrait of what life is like in east Congo…

The article contains some arresting statistics taken from a new report of the same name, based on data carried out by an international human rights group in conjunction with two US universities.

People living there have a 50 percent chance of being enslaved or threatened by an armed group, one in three odds of being tortured or wounded and a 12 percent chance of being subjected to multiple sexual assaults.

Much of the blame for the region’s dismal human rights record is directed at government armed forces.

Times of India New Delhi Edition (India)

“Indian soldiers in Congo crossfire”

Staying with the situation in the Congo, The Times of India reports that the country’s soldiers have been caught ‘bang in the middle’ of the conflict between rebel and government forces in war-torn Congo.

 India has the largest no of troops in MONUC – the UN peace-keeping mission in the central African nation.

SYRIA

L’Orient Le Jour (Lebanon)

« Washington worries while Damascus grows impatient »

Moving on to Syria now and the row sparked by the US raid on Sunday which Syria says killed eight people.

Lebanese newspaper L’Orient Le Jour says Damascus is growing impatient as it waits for an official explanation from the American government. Inside there’s an image of Iraqis protesting outside the US embassy in Damascus, capturing the angry Anti-American mood in the country at the moment.

Gulf News (UAE)

“Damascus turns ire on American school” 

Meanwhile the UAEnewspaperGulf News focuses on the AmericanSchool in Damascus. The Syrian government has ordered that it and a cultural centre should close in the wake of the attack.

The article says that deteriorating relations between Syria and The US has led to Syrian students studying at foreign schools receiving a tough time from the country’s ministry of education.

Children studying at the AmericanSchool have been told they must transfer to an Arabic-speaking school, regardless of whether they can speak the language.

Jerusalem Post  (Israel)

“A Syrian haven for killers, then and now”

Israeli newspaper “The Jerusalem Post” says the US was right to launch an air raid on Al-Qaeda forces in response to Syria’s long standing policy of sheltering killers.

The article alleges that it stems from the end of the Second World War, when thousands of Nazi war criminals were granted shelter in Arab countries, particularly Egypt and Syria.

It goes on to say that Damascus welcomed Nazis partly out of ideological sympathy for the Hitler regime and partly because the fugitives were useful allies in its war to prevent the creation of Israel in 1948.

The article concludes that American policymakers are at the crossroads where politics, justice and national security collide.

OBAMA INFOMERCIAL

Philadelphia Inquirer (US)

“Jonathan Storm: For Obama, an elective infomercial”

On a lighter note, Barack Obama last night stole the airwaves – literally – with a 30 minute infomercial designed to seal the deal on his bid for the White House.

The TV blitz – estimated to cost around five million USD – was aired during prime time. Philadelphia Inquirer TV critic Jonathan Storm was watching.

He says it “had all the trappings of an infomercial without the shrill hucterism” although some of the soothing background music might have put viewers on edge.

Storm concludes that it certainly didn’t harm Obama’s chances and quite likely succeeded in scooping up a few more undecided voters…