Reporters on the Job

• Bomb Threat Fades: The last time staff writer Tom A. Peter embedded with the US Army in Iraq, the roadside bomb threat was a constant one.

"I spent the majority of 2006 embedded," says Tom. "At the time, the convoys in the unit where I was working got hit with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) two or three times a month. I was never in a vehicle that got directly hit, but I've seen quite a few humvees and armored vehicles torn up."

But in six weeks with the US military this summer, Tom hasn't encountered a single IED (see story). "In 2006, whenever you got into a humvee you were pretty much just waiting for something to blow up," says Tom. "After a few weeks of no IEDs this time, it actually became possible to have a relatively stress-free ride in a military vehicle."

– David Clark Scott

World editor

This Week's Look Ahead

• Monday, Sept. 8: Moscow/Tbilisi, Georgia: – French President Nicolas Sarkozy and EU foreign policy chief visit to try to resolve Georgia-Russia standoff.
The Hague: – Hearing on Georgia's request for the UN's highest court to intervene in its dispute with Russia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9: Evian, France – French President meets with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko or President Yushenko)at EU-Ukraine summit.
Vienna – OPEC meets. May take steps to keep oil prices above $100 a barrel.

• Wednesday, Sept. 10: The Hague – Judges deliver a verdict in the case of two Bosnian families seeking to hold the Dutch government responsible for failing to protect their relatives during the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica.

• Friday, Sept. 12: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – A ruling is expected on whether or not to dismiss fraud and corruption charges against African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma.

– Associated Press