Morning Brief, Friday, May 4

Middle East

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In a surprise move, Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton announced a measure that she says would end the war in Iraq. Her proposal to deauthorize the president's authority to wage the war—an authority she originally supported in 2002—would go into effect on October 11, 2007.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with the Syrian foreign minister for about 30 minutes on Thursday, but Iran appears to have spurned similar U.S. and Arab efforts to reach out. Iran is also wreaking diplomatic havoc at a conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

The hometown of deceased al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has become a hotbed of jihadism. 

Remember all those schools being built in Iraq? This one came rigged with huge amounts of explosives.

Europe

The results of Scotland's parliamentary elections are too close to call. The Scotsman is labeling the error-plagued polls "a fiasco."

Bit by bit, England is falling into the ocean. 

Nicolas Sarkozy is maintaining his lead over rival presidential candidate Ségolène Royal heading into Sunday's final round of French elections. 

Asia

China's largest energy company says it has confirmed a huge offshore oil find near the northeastern port city of Tianjin.

Texas Instruments plans to build its new chip factory in the Philippines, not China.

Powerful U.S. lawmakers are raising questions about India's ties to Iran. 

Is the Persian Gulf becoming "West Asia" as the global balance of power shifts eastward?

Elsewhere

A third blockbuster U.N. report concludes that an expenditure of just 0.12 percent of the world's annual GDP would be enough to lower the risk of massive climate change. Global warming's latest winners: gardeners. Its losers: allergy sufferers.

Can cell phones save you from bioterrorism?

Media consolidation: Microsoft is reportedly making a serious bid to buy Yahoo!, the Internet portal. Reuters could be sold to a Canadian media company, and Rupert Murdoch wants to buy the Wall Street Journal.

Today's Agenda

• Mohammad Khatami, Iran's former president, meets with the Pope in Vatican City.
• The Asian Development Bank is holding its annual meeting today. On the agenda: nuclear energy, poverty, and overpopulation.

Yesterday on Passport

• Supreme commander guy
• Foster's: Australian for ... biofuel?
• The truth about RSS