PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The ring road in Peshawar is a rough ride: navigating certain stretches means dodging enormous potholes, steering clear of steep ditches and swerving to avoid the occasional brave soul who darts from one side of the road to the other.

Yet this has been, for the last decade, one of the main arteries on which convoys of trucks carrying supplies for U.S. and NATO forces have made their way into Afghanistan. Those ground lines of communication that run from Karachi's ports to two border crossings in Pakistan have been a fundamental part of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, as has the air line of communication.

When the U.S.-Pakistan alliance was tested once again in late November after a U.S. cross-border air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan reacted by shutting down the ground supply routes – a step they've taken before in protest to U.S. actions. The air lines of communication remain open.

But access to those crucial land routes has never been denied to the U.S. for this long, and the two accounts from the U.S. and the Pakistan military of the cross-border strike that prompted their closure are so starkly different that it's hard to see how they can be reconciled.

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Even though the Americans have reduced their dependence on Pakistan's roads over the last few years by using alternative routes running through Russia and Central Asia, the cost of moving goods via air and on that northern route is much greater – reportedly six times more a month – than using Pakistan's routes.

It now costs about $104 million per month to send supplies through the longer northern route, according to Pentagon figures shown to the Associated Press. That is $87 million more than when the cargo was shipped through Pakistan.

Pakistan's government is conducting its own internal review of the alliance with the U.S., and officials here say no decision will be made about the supply lines until that review is complete and recommendations have been discussed by the government. Already, however, there are forces at work within Pakistan's religious and political parties to prevent the government from reopening those lines and re-engaging on the same level with the U.S.

Issue of nationalism
At a recent rally in Rawalpindi for the Pakistan Defense Council, made up of dozens of religious and political parties, leaders mentioned the NATO supply lines with the same fervor as they did deeply nationalistic issues such as divided Kashmir and the country’s nuclear weapons. The crowd of thousands cheered as speaker after speaker threatened that there could be countrywide protests should the government decide to reopen the supply lines.

"The NATO supply lines should not be restored at any cost," said Mohammad Abdullah Gul, chairman of the National Youth Conference and a member of the Pakistan Defense Council.

"Even if the government restores (them), we are not going to accept it. The people of Pakistan, we are going to mobilize. From Khyber to Karachi, they will be mobilized and they will stop the NATO supply lines," he said.

Retired Col. Nazir Ahmed is the spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an organization which he describes as having a "purely Islamic platform."

He said that the NATO supply lines were "rightly" blocked, and should stay blocked "forever," unless the U.S. "comes to us on the basis of equality."

He was particularly outraged by the recent cross-border attack.

"After the aggression that the Americans committed on the Pakistan Army?  They slaughtered and killed so many Muslim soldiers," said Nazir. "Every country has the right to defend its borders and its ideology."

For this segment of the population – frustrated by what they see as a decade of subservience to American policy in a deeply unpopular war here – a decision to reopen the supply lines is tantamount to a decision to put U.S. interests ahead of Pakistan's.

That sentiment felt by a growing number of Pakistanis who think the relationship with the U.S. has not benefitted their own country will make it difficult for Pakistan's leaders to publicly re-engage with the U.S., and reopen the supply lines in the same manner and under the same conditions as before.

Both U.S. and Pakistani officials say they remain committed to their alliance. How the NATO supply routes will fit into that alliance, however, is yet to be seen.

 

“One more thing.”  It’s something the late Steve Jobs used to say as he was introducing Apple’s latest gadgets, always saving the big surprise for the end of his presentation.

As I end 42 years at NBC News, they’ve asked me to write “one more thing” about my incredible journey — a career that’s taken me to all 50 states, 30-some countries and all of Earth’s continents with the exception of Antarctica.  (Going there is on my bucket list of places to see.)

I’m often asked what’s the most memorable story of my career and, after thousands of stories, that’s difficult to answer.

It was certainly memorable when I got assigned to cover the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran in 1979, a crisis that dragged on for 444 days as 52 Americans were held by Iranian extremists.

At one point, correspondent Fred Francis, producer Walter Millis and I were ushered into the embassy for an exclusive interview with one of the hostages, William Gallegos. On the way in, Fred and I both harbored fears that we, too, would be added to the roster of hostages, but that didn’t happen.

---

Instead, Gallegos gave us a compelling account of what life was like for the hostages, an interview that was aired in prime time back in the USA.

It was certainly memorable when, in the middle of the Tiananmen Square revolt of 1989, Chinese authorities let us set up our cameras near the balcony overlooking the square, a spot where, 40 years earlier, Chairman Mao had proclaimed the birth of a new, communist China. Looking down on the thousands and thousands of young people camped out there, I asked my colleague, Keith Miller, “Have you ever seen anything like this?”

He allowed as how he hadn’t. A few weeks later, the government decided the demonstrators were a threat to the People’s Republic and ordered the tanks into the square to crush the revolt. We had worn out our welcome by that time and had to keep our cameras hidden in order to record the deadly crackdown.

It was certainly memorable when, in 1993, we launched an NBC Nightly News series called “almost 2001” to explain the impending revolution in information technology. My producers and I discovered that NBC actually had Internet capability that had gone totally unused up to that point.

“We’re going to ask viewers hooked up to the Internet to send us email,” I explained to one of the executives in New York.

“What’s email?” he asked.

“It’s a system that allows people to send and receive messages on the Internet,” I replied.

“What’s the Internet?”

The conversation seems silly now, but remember, this was 1993.

“We’re going to use the series to explain this Internet thing,” I said, “and we’re going to invite people to take it for a spin.”

Then we had to explain to anchor Stone Phillips how to tell people where to send their email.

“You want them to send it to ‘nightly’ at — that’s the little ‘a’ with a circle around it — nbc-dot-com. ‘Dot’ is Internet speak for a period.”

And with that, we launched the Peacock into the Internet age. Within moments of the airing of the first segment, our little email server was abuzz with responses from far and wide -- 8,000-plus by the time the series ended in Christmas week of 1993.  And we didn’t get any spam at all. It hadn’t been invented yet.

It was certainly memorable when I climbed aboard an evacuation helicopter manned by U.S. Marines as South Vietnam fell to the communists in 1975. Vietnam had been my first assignment for NBC News, and I had returned to help write the final chapter. At that point, it was the biggest story I had covered since joining the network.

‘It's 105 degrees in Saigon and rising’; correspondent recalls final days before end of the Vietnam War

I was brought back down to Earth rapidly when, a few weeks later, I was vacationing in San Diego and a toll taker at the Coronado Bridge quizzed me:

“Aren’t you George Lewis?” the toll taker asked.

“Yes I am,” I replied.

“Didn’t you use to work here in local TV in San Diego?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, my ego swelling.

“What happened?” the guy asked. “Did you get out of the business?”

“Uhhh ...,” I muttered, searching for a comeback, “I’ve been out of the country.”

Moral of the story and advice to budding TV journalists: Never get too full of yourself, no matter how short or how long your career lasts.

And one more thing. Since I can’t completely hang up my spurs, I’ll return in six months as a part-timer. Having a backstage pass to history is a lifelong addiction, I fear.

 

They are scenes reminiscent of Egypt's 18-day revolution that toppled the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Men and women, young and old, Muslim and Christian, rich and poor, secular and conservative … all back in the symbolic heart of Egypt’s revolution, Tahrir Square. They are also in cities all across the country.

But the unity seen during Egypt's revolution in 2011 has been replaced by widening differences over where the country stands one year later.

The difference revolves around the transition to democracy. Is it on the right path? Led by the right people? Genuine or simply cosmetic? Actions versus promises. Accomplishments versus rhetoric.

---

Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the uprising that ousted Mubarak.

Some gathered in the square to celebrate that revolution. They said the past year had been one of transformation. They cited a newly elected lower house of parliament, new individual freedoms and an explosion of political parties running the gamut.

Those gathered Wednesday celebrated the accomplishments of the revolution. Those accomplishments cannot simply be dismissed. The pace of reform may be slow, but change has been tangible.

Those here commemorating the revolution argued change has been cosmetic. One regime has simply been replaced by another.

"We have changed the driver in the car, but you have not changed the car or its direction," one protester told me. "Only when the direction of the car changes will the revolution be considered successful," he added.

Related: Obama wants to boost Egypt aid quickly

Those commemorating the revolution said the anniversary should serve as a reminder of what Egyptians can accomplish when they are united. The past year has not lived up to its potential. They cited thousands of civilians in military trials as evidence that the ruling military council -- all appointed by Mubarak coincidentally -- has resorted to the same draconian measures as its predecessor. They said that in the past year, not a single senior officer of the internal security forces or minister has been convicted in the killings of around 800 protesters. So for them, Wednesday was about renewing demonstrations against the ruling military council.

The military council said it's holding the ship steady on the course to democracy. And while it has changed the timetable to elections a few times, it has done so only when events on the ground rapidly deteriorated and protests flared up. On one hand that showed it had been responsive to public sentiments and street protests; but on the other hand, it continued to act unilaterally when it came to fundamental issues concerning the process of reform. It retained exclusive power over the security services and the judiciary. It has refused to delegate powers and authority to the military-appointed prime minister or the newly elected lower house of parliament. At the same time, the military has issued a declaration of constitutional principles that many interpret as an attempt to retain powers after a new government is directly elected.

Related: Huge crowd in Cairo

And of course… there are the new democratic realities that have emerged in post-revolution Egypt. New political parties, but not necessarily new political voices. The loudest so far has been that of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafist movement. Between the two of them, they overwhelmingly won the majority of seats in parliament. Will their mandate from the people be seen as a direct order to challenge the military? Some argue the Islamists are content with the democratic process undertaken by the military because it has paved their way to power. They fear the two have cut backroom deals. The military will move the democratic process at a pace and under conditions favorable to Islamist parties at the expense of the lesser and weaker secular and liberal forces. In exchange, the Islamists will not mobilize their massive street support against the military or hold them accountable for past misdoings going forward.

So whether Egyptians celebrate, commemorate or reinvigorate their January 25 Revolution, one thing is for certain, it has been a remarkable year in the history of this country.

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• 3 years after US accident, boat washes up in Spain
• American hostage in Somalia rescued by Navy SEALs
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Updated at 7:15 p.m. ET: Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, also rescued an American and a Dane held hostage in Somalia, U.S. officials said, but the same service members were not involved in both missions, U.S. officials said. Wednesday.

Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET: The Navy SEALs that rescued the American and Danish hostages in Somalia on Tuesday were not the same individuals who killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials told NBC News, contradicting an earlier news service report.

Published at 1:15 a.m. ET: In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.

American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.

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According to the U.S. officials, two teams of Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound where the two hostages were being held. 

As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.

The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.

The two had been working for the Danish Refugee Council on a demining project in northern Somalia. The humanitarian group has been providing relief to some 450,000 refugees in the Somalia-Kenya border region.

News reports at the time said the two were kidnapped Oct. 25 along with a Somali colleague when their three-car convoy was stopped on the way to an airport. A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said they had been kidnapped for ransom by pirates stymied by Western nations' efforts to stop the seizure of ships off the coast. The fate of the Somali colleague was unclear.    

STORY: Second American, a writer, held in Somalia; rescue next?

The first indication of the rescue operation came Tuesday night in Washington from President Barack Obama himself. 

As the president entered the House chambers to give his State of the Union Speech, he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta standing in the crowd and said, "Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight."

The president made no mention of the hostage rescue, but finished his speech with a reference to the killing of Osama bin Laden last May in a similar operation to the one conducted by Navy SEALs Tuesday night. 

Updated at 5:57 a.m. ET: In a statement sent to NBC News and other media, Obama says that he authorized the operation to rescue Buchanan.

"Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home," he says. "As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts."

Obama, who spoke to Buchanan's father Tuesday night, says she was "selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being."

He says he told her father that "all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family."

"The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice," Obama adds. "This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people."

Updated at 6:50 a.m. ET: A statement from U.S. Africa Command says U.S. forces had received "actionable intelligence" about Buchanan and Thisted and decided to take action.

"During the course of the operation, the rescue force patrolled to the location and confirmed the presence of Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted guarded by nine captors," the statement says. "All nine captors were killed during the assault."

General Carter F. Ham, of U.S. Africa Command, says in the statement that the raid, which took place near Gadaado, was "boldly conducted by some of our nation's most courageous, competent, and committed special operations forces."

"Thanks to them a fellow American and her Danish co-worker are safe and will soon be home with their families," he adds.

Updated at 6:55 a.m. ET: A statement from Panetta says he is "grateful to report that there was no loss of life or injuries to our personnel."

He says the rescue -- "undertaken in a hostile environment" -- showed the "superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others." 

"They are heroes and continue to inspire all of us by their bravery and service to our nation," he says.

Updated at 10:35 a.m. ET: Pentagon officials told NBC News that they are characterizing the people who took Buchanan and Thisted hostage as "criminal suspects,"  rather than pirates. They said the U.S. military has no firm information about whether the captors were connected to pirates or an Islamic militant group like al-Shabaab.

See more of Jim Miklaszewski's reporting on the SEALs raid tonight on NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams.

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• Danger zone then and now: Strait of Hormuz
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“You are standing into danger! Alter course now!”

The American warship radio operator repeated the warning, saying we had entered its self-proclaimed  two-mile exclusion zone in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which 35 percent of all seaborne oil flows.  Suddenly, while the U.S. Navy was threatening us with lethal force, an Iranian frigate opened fire without warning.

It was the second-half of 1987 and tensions were as high in the Strait of Hormuz as they are today.  Iran was laying mines in the Gulf and strait to target oil tankers from Iraq, with which it was at war.  I was working for NBC News as a cameraman, filming activity on the strait from a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter.

• Reporter's notebook: journey to the Strait of Hormuz

We had just passed about half-a-mile away from an unidentified frigate on a parallel course. I suspected it was Iranian and started filming. Seconds later it opened fire on us with its double-barreled 35mm anti-aircraft guns.

---

I figured it would be too late to warn NBC’s helicopter pilot, Grant Witham, and still filming, braced myself for being knocked out of the sky.

It didn’t happen. Witham was still talking to the angry U.S. Navy radio guy who was convinced we had entered his exclusion zone, trying to persuade him we were nowhere near his ship. I interrupted and shouted over the intercom, “Grant, that warship on the starboard side, it just opened fire on us. It must be Iranian!”

• Iran’s perilous path in pictures

Witham dropped the helicopter like a stone, pulling out just above the water and started a zigzag course away from the Iranian warship, telling the U.S. Navy radio operator we were coming under fire. Amazingly, the American radio operator changed from threatening us to telling us they were headed in our direction to offer help.

Afterwards, we pieced together what happened. The previous day a BBC News helicopter had flown right over the Iranian warship, which had threatened over maritime radio to shoot it down if it came close again. We didn’t have maritime radio aboard our chopper and the Iranians had no way of communicating through our aircraft frequencies.  So they had radioed us on the marine channel, threatening to shoot at us as we flew close by, but we were oblivious to the danger.

In the meantime, Witham had been tied up talking to the American ship, which had mistaken us for another helicopter that had intruded into its “zone,” and he was too busy to notice the frigate on our right.

All of this happened seemingly in less than a few minutes, and demonstrates to me at least, just how tense and dangerous the region can be. One or two small mistakes or misunderstandings can suddenly escalate and the results can be catastrophic.

None less so than the accidental shooting down of the Iranian Airliner Flight 655 on July 3, 1988, with the loss of all 290 passengers and crew. The USS Aegis Cruiser Vincennes had incorrectly identified the Airbus A300 as an Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter and targeted the airliner with two missiles with devastating results. (Read a Washington Post story on the incident here)

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• Slideshow: Slices of life in Iran

By Ali Arouzi
NBC News
BANDAR ABBAS, IRAN

 

With each passing day, the tension between Iran and the West escalates over access to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for oil exports at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Over the weekend “Nightly News” was given a rare opportunity to visit the port city of Bandar Abbas, the closest Iranian city to the Strait of Hormuz.  We were the only foreign journalists allowed to visit the city, an area just a few miles from the Strait, and speak to the people who live there.

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After flying into Bandar Abbas airport we jumped into a cab, and it did not take long for our driver, Jamshid, to start complaining about soaring inflation and the effect of U.S sanctions. He told us that the price of everything has gone up and he and his family are struggling to stay afloat.  

Today, the European Union joined the United States in imposing heavy sanctions on the Iran oil and gas sector. The sanctions came one day after a U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, steamed through the crucial sea passage without incident, despite threats issued by the Iranian government three weeks ago.

A pair of Chinese-made shoes that Jamshid had bought for his daughter about three months ago now cost $40, nearly double what he previously paid. When we spoke about the presence of a large American fleet in the vicinity, Jamshid told me that his cousin had an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the 5th fleet and it scared him half to death because it was like a floating city. I asked Jamshid in what capacity his cousin had seen the 5th fleet, but he declined to tell me.

We approached people at a fish market, but when the camera came out people clammed up. The few people who did talk to us were not happy.

A fishmonger, who told us his name was Ali, said work had become prohibitively expensive. The price of fishing and materials has sky rocketed, he said, and people simply don’t have the money to buy fish because the price goes up daily.

Others spoke to us off-camera and said they fear war and don't know what to do. More boisterous members of the crowd said they had no fear and would fight till their last breath.

From there, we took to the waters, where we traveled through the Persian Gulf. Amid the plethora of oil tankers, it became obvious that this chokepoint also offered a lifeline for fishing boats, cargo boats and the multitude of unmarked Iranian speedboats that make a clandestine crossing every day loaded with smuggled consumer goods -- ranging from Chinese-made shoes to Japanese cars -- from the other side of the Gulf.

As far as many merchants and politicians are concerned, this is the most significant waterway in the world, and it's here in the Persian Gulf that America and Iran's resolve will be tested if they can't come to some sort of a compromise.

With 17 million barrels of oil traveling through the Strait of Hormuz every day, it's a tight squeeze: only 21 miles at its widest point, and its shipping lanes are even narrower. Inbound and outbound lanes are only two miles wide. This is where Iran can cause trouble if its oil sales are disrupted or it's attacked.

Today, lawmaker Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, deputy head of Iran's influential committee on national security told Iran’s Mehr news agency the Strait "would definitely be closed if the sale of Iranian oil is violated in any way."

Kowsari claimed that in case of the Strait's closure, the U.S. and its allies would not be able to reopen the route, and warned America not to attempt any "military adventurism."

Another senior lawmaker, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told the news agency Iran has the right to shutter Hormuz in retaliation for oil sanctions, and that the closure was increasingly probable.  

And Iran is preparing itself for that eventuality with war games involving the country’s Navy and Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf becoming routine.

A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday on state TV that the likely return of U.S. naval vessels to the region was "not a new issue and ... should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence." This may be seen as a sign of cooler heads prevailing while a last-ditch attempt is made to restart nuclear talks, but it does not indicate any change of stance on Iran’s nuclear program. If talks don't bear fruit, or if Iran is blocked from selling its oil, cooler heads won't prevail for long. One analyst, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity, told me that if Iran can't sell its oil through the Gulf, it's not going to let anyone else do so.

Back on dry land, we visited the local bazaar where we spoke to a man who went by the name Koshrude, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. While we were setting up to interview him he argued with a client buying tea. The client complained that the goods were too expensive, but Koshrude said, "What can I do? The price of the dollar has gone up, so has the Dirham. We have sanctions and threats … it's not in my hands.”

The client reluctantly bought two boxes of Indian tea and left. Koshrude said, “The customer was right to complain, prices are staggering!”

When asked about the presence of the U.S. Navy in the area, Koshrude dismissed it as saber rattling at sea.

"We have seen these pressures before. We dealt with it and we will do so again," he said.

Our day was drawing to an end and hunger started to set in. In the true tradition of Iranian hospitality, Jamshid, our driver, insisted that we go to his house and have dinner with his family. He said, “It is my duty. You are guests in my town, and besides which the restaurants are too expensive.”   

After our meal, he dropped us off at our hotel and bid us farewell. I could not help feeling very sorry for him because it's the working man that will pay disproportionally for Iran's standoff with the West.

 

 

Reporter's Notebook

KABUL – Michael Vick would feel right at home here.

Just north of Kabul, on the edge of the mountains, around 1,000 people recently  gathered in the cold for a dog fight. The crowd was basically all men, of all ages, even babies, sharing in a tradition that has been going on for hundreds of years.
 
Dog fights are popular all over the country, and in some cases gambling is involved. In this particular case, we were told there was no gambling taking place, although I’m not sure that was true.
 
The dog fight is led by an old man, the fight master,  who stands with a stick. He rules the show and is very powerful and very confident. The crowds gather in a series of circles, and no one steps out of line. Only the dog owners and their dogs are allowed to enter the circle.

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At the start of the fight, there is a green cloth between the dogs so they cannot see each other. The dogs are held by their owners without leashes. Then the cloth is dropped, and the dogs run towards each other and start the fight.

Contrary to common belief, the goal is not for the dogs to kill one another. The winner is the dog that best controls the other – usually by holding on to the skin that surrounds the dogs’ necks – which is decided by the old man. And once he has made his pronouncement, the fighting stops immediately.
 
I know that the notion of dog-fighting is very controversial. I understand this view – I have had dogs, and love these animals. But at the same time, the dogs do not die and the owners do not want their animals to get hurt.

In fact, the dog owners are very protective of their animals. After all, owning a fighting dog is an expensive proposition for an Afghan. One dog owner told us that the prices for a fighting dog start at $500 and go as high as $10,000 – a lot of money anywhere, but particularly in Afghanistan.  The owners seemed to care for their dogs and treated them with respect.

That said, Afghans tend not to be concerned about cruelty to animals. Taking care of their fighting dogs is more about protecting a valuable asset.

After the fights were over, the elderly fight master told us that he has been going to fights since he was a 10-year-old, attending at first with his father. This is a part of Afghan tradition, a way of life and a bit of excitement on Fridays, the day of rest here.

NBC News’ Kiko Itasaka contributed to this report.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – According to his family,  Mukarram Khan Aatif, 47, knew the risks he faced, but still decided to continue reporting.

As a journalist in Pakistan's northwest and tribal regions, Aatif worked for the U.S.-government funded Voice of America Pashto-language radio service Deewa, and for a local Pakistani Urdu-language network called Dunya. He covered his own communities in the tribal regions which are ravaged by militancy and terrorism.

Aatif told the stories of those who had been displaced after military operations forced them from their homes. His colleagues say he tried to balance the stories about violence and terror with the underreported, but vital stories about education and health.

---

"He used to find a news story in everything," said colleague Hameedullah Khan.

But his reporting upset the Taliban, who say Aatif refused to cover them the way they wanted, and dared to criticize their actions - which is why, they say, two gunmen armed with AK-47's entered the mosque where Aatif was praying last week, and shot him dead. 

"He was on our hit list," Taliban spokesman Ihsannullah Ihsan told NBC News. "And now we will target other journalists who have become a party against the Taliban."

Aatif became the 38th Pakistani journalist to be killed since 2002, and the first to be assassinated in 2012.

The Committee to Protect Journalists named Pakistan the deadliest country to report from for the second consecutive year in 2011. Of the 46 journalists killed as a result of their work across the world last year, seven died in Pakistan. In 2010, out of 44 journalists killed worldwide, eight were from Pakistan. Local journalists, typically working in and around their home communities, are often at greater risk. 

Aatif was no exception. He narrowly escaped a twin suicide attack while reporting from the Mohmand tribal region in December 2010. Two other journalists were killed in that attack. His colleagues say he often talked about the horror he witnessed that day, as he watched the blasts from less than 100 yards away. 
 
Three years ago, when the Taliban decided they were unhappy with his reporting and passed along a death threat through the local journalists’ association, Aatif chose to move his family from the tribal regions to an area just outside of Peshawar, rather than stop working.

"We left our native village in Mohmand and shifted our family to Shabqadar because of threats from the Taliban militants, but they chased us even here," said Haji Yaqoob Khan, Aatif's older brother. "He was a journalist, and well-known to everybody, but to me, he was still a child. I was always worried for his security, but I couldn't save his life."

Colleagues and family members remember Aatif as an honest, hospitable, and hard-working man. Hundreds attended his funeral prayers in Mohmand last week, and dozens of his colleagues called for justice outside the Peshawar Press Club, as they protested the murder of the man they had all come to know and respect over the years.

Colleague Hameedullah Khan remembers Aatif as a man who was shy with strangers, but was the life of the party among friends; a man who loved to share jokes and laugh.

"He used to buy chocolates from the village shop, just to hand them out to the local children," said his brother.

Voice of America Director David Ensor said that Aatif  “risked his life on a daily basis to provide his audience with fair and balanced news from this critical region."

"We mourn the loss of our colleague," said Ensor. "We call on authorities in Pakistan to do more to protect journalists working there and bring his killers to justice."

Safdar Hayat Dawar, president of the Tribal Union of Journalists, knew Aatif as a "thoroughly professional" journalist who remained committed to his reporting, despite the threats. Dawar worries for the dozens of journalists who continue to work in the region.

"How are they supposed to work, when they're suspected of spying for the U.S. or for Pakistan's armed forces?" said Dawar. "Twelve journalists have been gunned down in the tribal areas since 2005, and we don't know what will happen next."

NBC News’ Amna Nawaz contributed to this report from Islamabad.

BEIJING – American billionaire Warren Buffett has staged yet another surprise performance, this time winning the hearts and minds of millions of Chinese with an American folk song. He sang and played ukulele for a hugely watched television program to celebrate the Year of the Dragon Monday.
 
"We know of Mr. Buffett's investing genius, but we did not know that he can sing as well," remarked one smiling local television host as she introduced the 45-second video clip of the 81-year-old philanthropist and chairman of investment giant Berkshire Hathaway. The video was posted on the web site of China's state-run television CCTV, which broadcasts a glitzy TV extravaganza annually on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

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“I am Warren Buffett, and I'd like to wish all the people of China a Happy New Year in this Year of the Dragon. Your country has accomplished amazing things, and the best is yet to come," Buffett said before crooning the American classic “I've Been Working On The Railroad."
 
At the end, he raised his hand and said "Xiexie,” the Chinese word for “thank you.”

His greeting got a favorable response from many Chinese viewers online.
 
“Grandpa Buffett deserves respect, not because he is good at making money, but because of his selfless contributions and his charitable and kind-hearted activities,” said one commentator on Youku.com, a popular video site.
 
"A role model for all the rich people," remarked another.
 
"Grandpa Buffett is so cute, he is not just a god of wealth, but a sage who understands human nature and the way the world works," added another.
 
"We invited Warren Buffett to participate in the gala this year not because of the great business success he has achieved, but mainly because of his famous contribution to the public welfare," television producer Luo Yan told local media.
Buffett cuts a legendary figure in China. Chinese tycoons have paid up to $2 million dollars for the privilege of dining with the American financial guru in a charity auction. 

Guo Guanchang, one of China's richest entrepreneurs and founder of Fosun, China's biggest private investment conglomerate, often extols Buffett's value investment philosophy. 
 
Of course, Buffett is also a major investor in China. His company owns 10 percent of the Chinese battery and car maker BYD, with a quarter of a billion dollar investment that has doubled in value. He also invested about half a billion dollars in PetroChina, a gas and oil giant, that yielded over $3 billion in profits when he cashed out after five years.
 
NBC News' Gu Bo contributed to this report.
 

BEIJING – As the Chinese diaspora rings in the New Year around the world this week, many are asking what 2012 and the Year of the Dragon has in store for China, its people, its economy and its relationship with the rest of the world.

For the answer to these questions and countless others that define our everyday lives, mainlanders often turn to their local feng shui expert for answers.

Feng shui, the Chinese art of balancing yin and yang to create harmonious surroundings, has experienced something of a revival here since being squelched during the Cultural Revolution. While it has become something of a novelty for most, there are still many Chinese who take predictions from feng shui experts seriously, elevating the art of feng shui into a highly lucrative profession for experts who provide their expertise to superstitious clients.

Just how profitable? Some top consultants are said to make tens of thousands of dollars per consultation.

But for those of you who do not have thousands in spare cash to hire a top feng shui expert, we here at Behind the Wall consulted Beijing-based feng shui master, Chen Shuaifu, to get his thoughts and predictions for 2012.

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Good year for Dragons, Rats, Monkey and Roosters
Chen, 59, has been in the industry for years and is currently chairman of the Chinese Feng Shui Association, a trade group that has between 50,000-60,000 members.

Chen predicts that this will be a prosperous year for those born in the year of the Dragon (those born in 1940, ’64, ’88,’ ’12), Rat (’36, 60,’84,’08), Monkey (’32, ’56, ’80, ’04) and Rooster (’33, ’57, ’81, ’05). Of these zodiac animals, those born in the year of the Rat are poised to have particularly good luck in 2012.

As snakes grow up, they get longer and eventually turn into dragons, so Chen also believes that those born in the year of the Snake (’29, ’53, ’77, ’01) also stand to benefit from this being a Dragon year.

That prediction probably bodes well for politician Xi Jinping, who was born in 1953 and is widely expected to be elevated to the top Communist Party post in 2012.

Conversely, those born in the year of the Dog (’34, ’58, ’82, ’06) seem poised for a bad 2012 and Chen strongly urged Dogs to postpone major life decisions like weddings until next year when their luck should improve. Whatever choices Dogs of the world make in 2012, Chen especially urges them to think twice about marrying a Dragon this year.

For everyone else, 2012 is an auspicious year to get married.

Watch out for real estate deals
Besides a zodiac animal, every year also has an element assigned to it as well. This year’s element, water, paired with the Dragon is said to be an auspicious combination that should allow prosperity to flow freely.

To that end, Chen believes that as that positive energy flows through the start of 2012, there should be a rebound in China’s export trade. Though he echoed the concern of senior Chinese leadership – most noticeably Premier Wen Jiabao – that inflation and price instability could creep back, Chen predicted it would not be the issue it was in 2011.

Chen’s confidence, though, ends with Chinese real estate. On this issue, it would seem that the zodiac’s message echoes many financial institutions in predicting that this will be a tough year for the already deflating mainland housing market. Chen urges people to avoid real estate decisions at all costs and instead invest in commodities like gold, building materials and agriculture food products.

In regards to the Sino-U.S. relationship, Chen sees good momentum that should lead to increased mutual cooperation and development.

Feng shui experts also dabble in physiognomy, the study of man’s outer features to determine their personality or character and Chen is no exception. In evaluating President Barack Obama’s first term, Chen pounces on his trim figure, particularly his thin jawline. Chen believes that Obama’s weak-looking chin fuels the perception that he is weak and thus prone to challenges by his opponents.

However, despite Chen’s poor assessment of Obama’s facial features, it’s not all bad for the president. The feng shui master’s final prediction for the year of the Dragon: Obama in 2012.

On behalf of all us at Behind the Wall, a very happy Chinese New Year and best wishes for a prosperous Year of the Dragon.

NBC News’ Bo Gu and Eric Baculinao contributed to this report.

CAIRO – Egyptians were greeted by a series of firsts Monday:  Egypt's first democratically elected parliament and first predominantly Islamist parliament convened for their first session.  

New lawmakers were greeted by a now familiar sight.  Roughly 1,000 chanting demonstrators greeted them – despite being kept at a distance from the parliament building by riot police, metal barriers and sharp shooters mounted on roofs. 

They had come to hold lawmakers accountable for a wide variety of promises they believe are essential for the new Egypt.

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From labor laws to honoring martyrs
Shima'a Sa'ib, a 28-year-old engineeer from Cairo, stopped chanting for a minute to explain why she came to protest. “We want them to hear our voice, to give us rights and to give rights to the families of the martyrs,” she said, referring to those killed in the revolution.  

Mahmoud Hussein held a poster filled with photos of people who were killed when police opened fire on them near a police station during the revolution. He pointed to the picture of a father of two who was killed.

"He was my neighbor.  His family was never compensated by the government,” said Hussein. “Now their landlord lets them stay for free. They can't afford to pay rent.” He fears that the new politicians will also ignore their needs.  "They are in power now, they will forget those in need."

Ahmed Desouki, a lanky university student, explained in perfect English why he had come.  "I am here for worker's rights because workers have been suffering from this capitalist government. We need better wages, stop privatization and make the labor unions stronger."  Asked if he thought the new parliament would meet his demands, his reply was swift.  "No. I don't have hope.”

Desouki also expressed distrust about the cozy relationship between the military government known as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, or SCAF, and the Islamists.

Hazdem Mohammed, a 25-year-old computer system administrator from Cairo and a member of the April 6 Youth Movement, the main organization behind the revolution, agreed.

“The people in parliament stole the revolution. The Muslim Brotherhood stole it in order to come to power,” said Mohammed. “The Brotherhood is like Hamas in Gaza, once they come to power, they will never leave.  If the revolution was on the right track, those in the military would be in prison for killing protesters."  He said the April 6 Youth Movement plans to continue organizing opposition to the government. 

Pediatrician Hazem Nasser said he was there to remind lawmakers that they are accountable for upholding some of the larger goals of the revolution. "Nothing has changed in Egypt since the revolution. Maybe they will be dictators, too, if people don’t stand up and tell them right from wrong.  If we don't do that, maybe 500 Mubaraks will arise." 

Looking for more man-friendly family law
Still others, like Salah Hassan and Ahmed Ibrahim, were there for very personal reasons: to protest some of the more female-friendly divorce laws introduced under former President Hosni Mubarak that give mothers preference in child custody disputes.

Both men said their divorced wives had prevented them from seeing their children for the past 10 years, so they were hopeful that the majority Islamist parliament would uphold religious Muslim laws that are more favorable to men. 

Under the current law, women gain child custody in divorce cases until the children are 15 years old, at which time the child can decide who he or she wants to live with. Mothers are also allowed to stay in their homes while they have custody.

But under Islamic law, the father would get the child and the home when boys reach the age of 7 and girls reach the age of 9. 

"I may not agree with the Muslim Brotherhood in other things but for this reason, I voted for them," said Ibrahim, a civil engineer. “I have not seen my child for 10 years."  He also wants to revoke a woman’s right to divorce with ease.  "She just called and told me, I am divorcing you and taking your child and your house.”

Ibrahim reckoned there were as many as 300 others there who were also protesting to overturn Egypt's moderate family laws.

With all of the diverse issues, it will be a wonder what the parliament can get done, but the protesters seem determined to at least make their demands heard.

See Photoblog: Egypt parliament opens for the first time following the fall of Mubarak