“A suicide car bomber struck a US military outpost north of Baghdad yesterday, killing nine soldiers and wounding 20, in the deadliest attack on American forces in 16 months,” reports The Australian.
“The bomber exploded his vehicle against a patrol base in the restive province of Diyala. The deaths raised to 85 the number of US service members who have died in Iraq in April, making it the deadliest month for American troops since December, when 112 died.
“The attack was the bloodiest against American soldiers since December 1, 2005, when 10 US marines were killed and 11 wounded by a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Fallujah.
“Twelve soldiers died when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Diyala on January 20. The military said it might have been shot down but the investigation is still ongoing.
“With the US casualty toll mounting, Democratic leaders in Washington agreed yesterday on legislation that requires the first American combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by October, with the goal of a complete pullout six months later.
“President George W. Bush has vowed to veto any such measure…”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.