Hey there, everyone...

First of all, Hala continues to be off for most of the week. She'll be back, before you head back to your weekend. Isha is manning the later edition of I-Desk, while Hala is on holiday this week.

Now, for the news - It was a busy and deadly weekend in Iraq and Afghanistan. Starting in Iraq, where the country is mourning the deadliest attacks in two years. Well over 100 people were killed in Baghdad, hundreds more wounded. In Afghanistan, helicopter-related deaths ruled the weekend, as more than a dozen NATO servicemembers, most of them American, were killed. So, what's the solution in either country? For Iraq, the U.S. still plans on pulling out, despite the surge in violence after their forces left small towns in June. In Afghanistan, the opposite plan appears to be in play, with U.S. Pres. Barack Obama considering an increase in boots on the ground. Are these the right courses of action?

Now, for the accused war criminal. Radovan Karadzic refused to appear in court Monday - essentially, boycotting his own war crimes trial at the Hague. Karadzic claims he hasn't had enough time to prepare for his trial. Should the judge force him into court? Or, should he grant more time?

Those are the biggest stories we're following right now at the I-Desk... Of course, if that changes, we'll have the latest for you.

See you then!
J the P

Hello again, everyone...

First and foremost, we have an encore appearance by BackStory's Michael Holmes today, as he fills in for Hala. And, for those of you wondering, the very-well-rested Ms. Gorani returns on Monday.

Now, down to business:

Today, we're following Typhoon Morakot, which is slamming into Taiwan, as I'm writing this update. We have a journalist on the island, who is monitoring the situation. And, he'll join us live at the I-Desk. Of course, we'll also have the latest forecast, and a look at what's next for the strengthening storm.

Also, we're taking you Pakistan, where there are reports that Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is dead. Pakistani officials say he was killed by a U.S. drone attack; while, the United States military has not confirmed the death. We're getting the latest from Islamabad, as well as The Pentagon.

Over in Iran, just 2 days into Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term, a scathing report is released by Amnesty International. The human rights group claims that Iran has executed 115 people, just between the June 12th election and Wednesday's inauguration... compare that to 196 people executed between January 1st of this year and the election. An unbelievable jump! But, how does Amnesty know for sure? We're asking an official from the group, who is joining us live at the I-Desk.

Next door in Iraq, our Arwa Damon is tracking two stories. Both extremely sad. One of them is sure to make you cringe. It's a report, you just can't miss.

And, finally, a light-hearted end to the show... What do Pope Benedict and famous rapper, Snoop Doggy Dogg, have in common? We'll show you.

See you tonight... at the I-Desk.
J the P

Hello again, everyone...

Please forgive the delay on our updates from the I-Desk. It's been quite a busy few days, while Hala continues her holiday. And, since that's the case, Isha Sesay is on double-duty as the presenter for BOTH editions of the International Desk.

As you've probably already heard, former U.S. President Bill Clinton is back on the world stage, with a seemingly historic visit to North Korea. The mission of his trip is to bring two American journalists, who have been in North Korean custody for months, back home. But, of course, the nuclear issue could always come up. Already, Mr. Clinton has met with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il.

As usual, we are covering this story from every angle... First off, our World Affairs Correspondent, Jill Dougherty, is monitoring the latest from Washington. She will bring us up-to-date. Then, our Chief International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, will join us to put this visit into perspective. Christiane is one of the few western journalists, who has reported from inside North Korea. And, we'll delve into her expertise. And, over at the White House, our correspondents are closely watching the Obama Administration's reaction. Did they send a message with Bill Clinton, for Pyongyang? Find out... at the IDesk.

Other news we're watching... A disagreement between top leaders of the U.S. military, regarding the future of troops in Iraq. Our Pentagon team is working that story. Also, a suspected terror plot foiled in Australia, kids recruited to become suicide bombers in Pakistan, and an ambitious diplomatic mission in South America by Colombia's president.

We'll explore all of those stories, plus the latest breaking news... tonight at the I-Desk.

See you then!
J the P

It could one day become "abu Ghraib 2.0:" the release of additional photoso showing detainees allegedly abused in U.S. facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the American president is adivisng White House lawyers to block the release of more photos. Civil liberties advocates are objecting to the move. They say President Obama ran on a platform of transparency and these pictures should be part of the public record.

The White House and defense officials say the release of the photos – original planned for a few weeks from today – would endanger American troops abroad and serve no purpose.

What do you think?

It's a significant end to operations in Iraq for one of the war's most controversial private security providers. Blackwater (renamed "Xe" earlier this year) is handing over responsibility for its part of a highly-lucrative security contract to another company, Triple Canopy, though Xe won't be entirely leaving Iraq just yet.

The exodus from Iraq follows a deadly shooting in a Baghdad traffic circle in September 2007. More than a dozen Iraqis were killed, and five former Blackwater contractors were charged in the United States with manslaughter. All five have pled not guilty, a sixth has pled guilty and is cooperating with investigators.

An outraged Iraqi government demanded that the company be kicked out after the shooting, but U.S. officials were able to convince them that that couldn't happen right away, arguing Washington relied heavily on the company to keep its diplomats alive, and it would take time to find a replacement to absorb the added work. But even this handover is not quite the end of all of Xe's operations in the country. Xe will continue to service an avionics task order that provides security and aviation support for diplomats. The small army of planes and helicopters it leases to the State Department offers aerial support if ground teams come under fire. But even that work is expected to evaporate once a replacement is chosen. There are only two other companies eligible to bid for that work, Triple Canopy and DynCorp and their bids were due to the government this week.

Back in the U.S., the loss of the Iraq portion of the State Department contract has had a huge impact on the North-Carolina based company. Several top executives have left, there has been a significant downsizing in the number of employees overall. The company's President Gary Jackson has stepped down and owner Erik Prince has stepped away from day to day operations. In public statements, the company has said that it always knew this part of its business would come to an end someday. Under its new name, the company will continue to provide training for military and law enforcement clients.

Many of the individual Blackwater/Xe contractors working in Iraq may not have to pack up and head home though. Triple Canopy is expected to hire many them on in order to fulfill the large number of trained bodies the contract requires.

Suzanne Simon's new book Master of War: Blackwater USA's Erik Prince and the Business of War (HarperCollins, June 2009) is available now on Amazon.

Hello everyone,

We'll be airing U.S. President Barack Obama's speech at camp LeJeune in North Carolina at the top of I-Desk today, in which he'll be detailing his administration's plans to pull back the number of American troops in Iraq.

President Obama is expected to announce that the United States will withdraw the bulk of its 142,000 troops contingent by the summer of 2010.

The plan is expected to call for a maximum of 50,000 U.S. troops to remain in Iraq until the following year, in an advisory and training role.

What do you think of the president's plans? Is it time for the United States to hand over security to Iraqi forces or could this jeopardize the nation's fragile security gains?

Post your comment below. We may read some of your thoughts live at the International Desk.