Point of View

‘Restrepo’ Director and a Photographer Killed in Libya

2011-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

By C. J. CHIVERS

Published: April 20, 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya — Tim Hetherington, the conflict photographer who was a director and producer of the Afghan war documentary “Restrepo,” was killed in the besieged city of Misurata on Wednesday, and three photographers working beside him were wounded, one fatally, when they came under fire at the city’s front lines.

Eddy Risch/European Pressphoto Agency

Chris Hondros of the Getty Images photo agency died within a few hours of devastating brain trauma. A third photographer, Guy Martin, suffered a severe pelvic wound, according to Andre Liohn, a colleague who was at the triage center where the photographers were rushed by rebels after they were struck.

Mr. Hondros suffered an extensive loss of brain tissue and was revived twice. He spent several hours in a coma and died after 10 p.m., Mr. Liohn said.

Mr. Martin, a British citizen, underwent vascular surgery on Wednesday night, according to the same account. As the night progressed, Mr. Liohn said that Mr. Martin’s bleeding had been stopped and that his prospects had improved.

The fourth photographer, Michael Christopher Brown, suffered shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder, but his life was not in danger. He was resting Wednesday night.

Misurata, Libya’s third-largest city, has been cut off by land from the rest of the country by military forces loyal to Col.Muammar el-Qaddafi. It has been the scene of intensive, close-quarters fighting for weeks. Hundreds of Libyans have been confirmed killed.

Two other journalists were killed last month in the Libyan conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists:Mohammed al-Nabbous, the founder of the online Libya Alhurra TV, who was shot as he was streaming audio reports of the fighting in Benghazi, the rebel capital; andAli Hassan al-Jaber, an cameraman with Al Jazeera who was shot when his crew was ambushed near Benghazi.

The photographers killed and wounded Wednesday had reached the city by sea from Benghazi. The early reports said they had been working together near the front lines when they were struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Mr. Liohn said they were covering the rebels on Tripoli Street, one of the city’s main battlegrounds. It was not immediately clear how Mr. Martin and Mr. Brown might be evacuated.

The Ionian Spirit, a vessel chartered by the International Organization for Migration, was in port in Misurata to evacuate migrant workers, having just completed a third relief trip from Benghazi.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based organization whose staff members know the photographers, contacted the vessel and found that it was prepared to evacuate the two wounded photographers back to Benghazi. But Mr. Martin was not deemed fit for travel, especially on a voyage that could last 20 or more hours.

Arrangements were being made late at night to move Mr. Hetherington’s remains to the vessel for the journey to Benghazi, to be carried by air back home.

The prospects for moving Mr. Hondros’s remains were not certain, as he died later in the night. Human Rights Watch said it had asked the Ionian Spirit’s commander to accept Mr. Hondros’s remains, too.

The death of Mr. Hetherington reverberated in many circles, including among the journalists, aid workers, soldiers and victims of war he had befriended in a distinguished career. A British citizen who lived in New York, he had covered conflicts with sensitivity in Liberia, Afghanistan, Darfur and, in recent weeks, Libya.

“This is a devastating loss to many of us personally,” said Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch. “But it is also a devastating loss to the human rights community. His work has raised the visibility of many of the world’s forgotten conflicts. May the legacy of his exceptional photographs serve to inspire future generations.”

His family released a brief statement: “Tim was in Libya to continue his ongoing multimedia project to highlight humanitarian issues during time of war and conflict. He will be forever missed.”

As the vigil ended for Mr. Hondros, his friends expressed pain, grief and respect for him and his body of work, built over a career of two decades. Tyler Hicks, a photographer for The New York Times who worked alongside Mr. Hondros in several wars, paid a tribute in an e-mail.

“Chris made sacrifices in his own life to bring the hardships of war into the public eye, and that dedication created award-winning photographs that shaped the way people viewed the world,” he wrote. “He was a close friend for nearly 20 years. The tragedy of his death had brought so many memories to the surface, and I’m grateful to be among the many people who were lucky enough to know him. He will be missed.”

Mr. Martin had sent his work to Panos Pictures, a photo agency in London, said Josh Lustig, an editor there, but no clients had been formally lined up.

“We’re all praying that he pulls through,” Mr. Lustig said

The Libyan conflict has proved deeply perilous for journalists, both local and foreign. Besides the four who have been killed, the Committee to Protect Journalists has counted 49 detentions. Among them are Clare Morgana Gillis, an American freelancer forTheAtlantic.com and USA Today; James Wright Foley, an American writer for GlobalPost; Manuel Varela de Seijas Brabo, a Spanish photographer; and Anton Lazarus Hammerl, a South African photographer. At least six local journalists are missing amid speculation they are in the custody of security forces.

One international journalist and two media support workers are also unaccounted for. Mr. Hetherington, 41, was between assignments at Vanity Fair when he was killed. He had traveled to Libya on his own to work on a multimedia project while he and his editors in New York tried to figure out what his next series of photos for the magazine would be.

Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair’s editor, said the sudden death had left the staff stunned. “Another two or three days and he’d probably have had the assignment,” Mr. Carter said. “We’re just devastated here. But he lived for this.”

“It’s what gave him life,” he said, “and it’s what took it away from him.”

Mr. Hetherington last contacted his editors on Tuesday, by e-mail. “Am currently in misrata — would have made interesting article with SJ,” he wrote. SJ referred to his friend and fellow Vanity Fair contributor Sebastian Junger. The two had chronicled the Afghan war for the magazine, and were partners on “Restrepo,” which followed a company of American soldiers from May 2007 to July 2008 in the Korangal Valley, a particularly dangerous part of northeastern Afghanistan.

Mr. Hetherington had posted rarely on Twitter this year, but on Tuesday, he sent this from his iPhone: “In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.”

Jeremy W. Peters contributed reporting from New York.

Rebecca Black - Friday- Worst Song Ever? You Decide.

2011-04-17T02:58:00.000-07:00

From www.bbc.com

By Dan Whitworth
Newsbeat technology reporter

A song by a 13-year-old American teenager has gone viral on the internet after being widely described as the worst one ever recorded.

Rebecca Black's pop song called Friday has been viewed on YouTube more than 29 million times.

It has trended on Twitter and been the subject of huge online comment and discussion.

That's mainly because it's been derided by millions of people for what they say are its awful lyrics.

Ones like "yesterday was Thursday Thursday, today it is Friday Friday", "gotta get down to the bus stop, gotta get my bus, i see my friends" and "we we we so excited, we so excited".

People have been quick to criticise the song for more than just its words.

The teenager's heavily auto tuned singing and video have also been labelled as terrible.

Future stars

The song was produced by Los Angeles-based Ark Music Factory which describes itself as an independent record label.

On its website it says its main objective is to discover future number one artists and produce the next outstanding star.

Rebecca's profile page on the site describes her as "a fun loving, 13-year-old".

"She loves to sing, dance and act, and she is always looking to try something new," it says.

"She landed the lead role in her school musical, Oklahoma!"

There are many parents willing to pay whatever it takes to make their children become the next Justin Bieber.

The now internationally-recognised number one star was discovered on YouTube and later signed by Usher.

In this case though, despite the criticism, Rebecca Black may have the last laugh.

Tweeting on 15 March she said: "My song Friday is now available on iTunes !!! Thank you all for your support. xoxo <3 :)".

It's now entered the iTunes chart and by Monday lunchtime (21 March) had reached the number 25 spot.

Mumbai father turns to Facebook to find kidnapped child...

2011-04-16T04:16:00.001-07:00

From www.NDTV.com

Mumbai: A father in Mumbai who hasn't seen his son in nearly nine days is trying to find the five-year-old online.

On Facebook, Anand Shah has uploaded photos of his son, Karnit, along with his phone number - he hopes a stranger somewhere will respond with information that could help him locate Karnit.

"Whoever has him, I pray they are taking care of him. With folded hands, I appeal to them, please don't hurt my son" says Anand, his voice unsteady.

On Wednesday last week, Karnit was playing downstairs near the apartment building where the Shahs have lived for nearly a year in the suburb of Kandivii. Anand, a stockbroker, is married to Alpa, a housewife. Their older child, a daughter, is in Class 4.

The Shahs say they have no personal or professional rivalries that may have prompted the kidnapping of their young son.

The police says that children they have questioned in the neighbourhood have spoken of a "Sunny Uncle", possibly in his 20s, who has been seen lately offering chocolates and sweets to them. A police sketch has been prepared on the basis of their descriptions.

The police has set up five teams to try and locate Karnit. There has been no ransom call for him. On Facebook, thousands of people have forwarded Karnit's photos, but so far, no clue has emerged.

The Shahs are offering two lakhs as a reward for any information that could help them locate Karnit.

They have this description of Karnit. "He is fair, 3.5 feet tall, and was last seen wearing an orange t-shirt and blue denim shorts. He can speak Gujarati and Hindi and knows his address and his father's cell number. If you spot him - please call 9867023992 or 9821818626."

The E.N.D

2011-04-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

So, is this my first post? The answer to that is an overwhelming NO!

This blog has been up for the past 6 years and has gone through many changes. The last overhaul resulting in the wiping out of all content that accumulated since its existence.

Why, you ask!

I like change. As simple as that.

After wiping all the content, the blog remained blank for over 6 months. I had nothing to say. And I don't talk if I have nothing to say. But today, I found my voice again. And you can expect to hear from me more regularly.

I don't have any plans for this blog, and frankly don't know how its going to turn out.

But, this time, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Ciao,
Avik