Wednesday, March 29, 2006 3:17 p.m. EST
CNN Correspondent Jumps to Al-Jazeera

Lucia Newman, CNN's first and only correspondent based in Havana, has jumped to the new Al-Jazeera International network, which plans to begin operations later this spring.

Newman will be based in Al-Jazeera's bureau in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Journalist Mariana Sanchez, a former news anchor for Panamericana Television, will also work for Al-Jazeera International in a Caracas, Venezuela bureau, the network said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the network is still targeting a launch in late May, spokeswoman Rana Jazayerli said. She labeled as misleading some reports that circulated last week that the network would have trouble meeting that target.

The English-language network will be an offshoot of Al-Jazeera, the influential Arabic network that has come under fire from the Bush administration. Al-Jazeera International will broadcast from offices in Doha, Qatar; London; Washington; and Kuala Lumpur.

This winter, Al-Jazeera International announced that it was hiring Dave Marash, formerly of ABC News' "Nightline," as a Washington-based anchor and reporter.

As yet, no U.S.-based cable or satellite company has said it will carry Al-Jazeera International. With limited space available, it's often difficult for new networks to get substantial carriage commitments - even those without potential political baggage.

Al-Jazeera International has said it expects to be in about 40 million homes worldwide at launch.

Newman did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for an interview on Wednesday.

She's a veteran CNN correspondent, joining the network in 1987. She was based in Panama, Nicaragua, Chile and Mexico before CNN opened its first bureau in Cuba in 1997.

CNN said it intends to keep its Cuba bureau open, but had no announcement on Wednesday about who will take Newman's place.

Chris Cramer, managing director of CNN International, said in an e-mail to his staff that Newman had decided to move on to fresh challenges after two decades of "magnificent service."

The Havana posting has been "a demanding assignment which she has handled with great professionalism and maturity," he said.

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Reprinted from NewsMax.com