VOLUME No: 79 Issue No: 3

Washington, D.C. October 21, 2005

Shortage of Tents and Sickness Inhibits Relief Efforts in Kashmir

As relief efforts for the Kashmir earthquake continue, aid workers are inhibited by the setting in of cold weather, with temperatures plummeting to 41 degrees in the foothills of the Himalayas. India has been faced with an acute shortage of tents, leaving earthquake survivors in the villages of Kashmir to spend their seventh night outdoors. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, flattened more than 32,000 and killed thousands, with the death toll still climbing. Making the conditions worse is the extensive spread of infections between victims, as there are few health care facilities available and little medical treatment available.

Rove Testifies Again

Karl Rove, President Bush's senior advisor and deputy chief of staff, testified before the grand jury for a fourth time this week in the case investigating the leak of an undercover C.I.A. officer's identity. Rove was called to testify by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald concerning the handling of a potentially crucial email that passed through the White House two years ago. The White House is concerned at this fourth summoning, as prosecutor Fitzgerald is expected to bring indictments forward to the grand jury soon, which expires at the end of October.

A leading Syrian Minister Dies in Apparent Suicide

Syria's Interior Minister, Ghazi Kanaan, was found dead in his Damascus office this week. Kanaan was also the Syrian government's key man in Lebanon for two decades. The official Syrian news agency SANA has reported that the death has been labeled as a suicide, though the death of this leading figure coincides with the U.N. announcement of its suspicions that Syria and the ruling Syrian family, the Assads, played a part in the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon.

Preliminary Results Showing Iraqis Support Constitution

Tallies of the Saturday Iraq vote are showing that Iraqis support theconstitution. Early electoral returns suggest that Iraq's proposedconstitution is headed for approval, with officials in two key swing provinces saying a majority of voters appeared to have endorsed the document. Initially officials were concerned that there would not be enough Sunni turnout, which would hinder the democratization processeven further, but that does not appear to be the case. Sunni voter turnout appeared to be stronger than in January and and fairly supportive of the constitutional referendum, giving hope for further advancement in the near future.