Morning Brief, Wednesday, August 22

Middle East

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP

U.S. President George W. Bush distanced himself from Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki, whose government has largely failed to meet political benchmarks set out by the United States. Maliki retorted today that "no one has the right to place timetables" on his government.

A helicopter crash killed 14 U.S. troops in Iraq. 

African-Americans are signing up for the U.S. military at much lower rates than before the Iraq war. 

Asia

Daring political activists held a rare democracy demonstration in Myanmar, one of the world's most repressive countries.

India will become a $20 billion market for pharmaceuticals by 2015, according to a new study by McKinsey. 

Osama bin Laden is alive and well, says a top Taliban commander. 

Europe

Russia wants the Czech Republic's central banker to head the IMF, but Europe—including the Czechs—is sticking with Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French Finance Minister. 

The brother of France's justice minister is heading to jail on a drug conviction. 

Russia is going crazy for Putin's topless photos. 

Elsewhere

The CIA inspector general released a damning report on the agency's mistakes before the September 11th attacks.

A senior IMF official told the Financial Times that the turmoil in the financial markets "undoubtedly will dampen economic growth." All eyes remain on Ben Bernanke and the U.S. Federal Reserve as a nervous Wall Street looks for further rate cuts.

Coming soon to a computer screen near you: ads in YouTube clips. 

Today's Agenda

• Hurricane Dean strikes again.
• President Bush plans to invoke Vietnam in a speech defending the Iraq war before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.
• British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks on the EU constitution treaty.

Yesterday on Passport

• Fox News sends the five-oh after FP
• Tuesday Map: Speed bumps on the road to Ouagadougou
• Imprisoned Iran-American scholar freed at last