Morning Brief, Thursday, August 30

Middle East: Three Out of 18 Ain't Bad

SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images News

The Government Accountability Office reports that Iraq is meeting only three out of 18 U.S. benchmarks, contrary to what the White House is saying.

Moqtada al-Sadr, facing political blowback for Karbala, says he is suspending his militia's military operations.

As if car bombs and sectarian cleansing weren't enough, parts of Iraq now face an outbreak of cholera.

The Pentagon is investigating why U.S.-donated weapons are ending up with Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey.

Asia: China's Political Shakeup

China's finance minister and four other top officials are getting the boot in a cabinet shakeup. Turns out "for personal reasons" is just as transparent a cover story in Beijing as it is in Washington.

Is Benazir Bhutto trying to force Musharraf's hand? A spokesman for Pakistan's leader says his boss won't submit to "any pressure or ultimatum" to step down as army chief.

The Afghan government claims the U.S. military killed a top Taliban leader known as "Mullah Brother".

Europe: Bank Run in Greece

Greeks hit by raging wildfires are besieging banks, many of which are giving out government disaster relief money.

Cheap airline tickets may be fueling a rise in cases of typhoid in Britain.

Italy is cracking down on the mafia after a high-profile hit in Germany.

Sweden may be about to set off a redux of the Danish cartoons crisis.

Elsewhere: The Expectations Game

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's words of reassurance have the markets expecting a rate cut in September.  

The Teamsters Union is seeking to block Mexican truckers from operating anywhere in the United States.

Facing rising bulk shipping costs, some countries are importing agricultural commodities like wheat in ordinary shipping containers.

Today's Agenda

• Today is the rough deadline for countries to pledge troops for the U.N./A.U. Darfur peacekeeping force.

Yesterday on Passport

• Two years after Katrina, an insurance nightmare
• Iran's got some issues
• Lesson: Watch the prediction markets