Morning Brief, Thursday, September 13

Middle East

DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty

A fragile compromise on a new oil law for Iraq appears to have collapsed. (That's Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani at right.)

The U.S. military has begun releasing Iraqi detainees in time for Ramadan. Meanwhile, in the isolated Gaza Strip, Ramadan is going to be less festive than usual this year.

China is signaling its support for the IAEA's "confidence-building" approach to Iran.

Asia

It's been a lousy week for Shinzo Abe. He was forced to resign as Japanese prime minister, his party is in disarray, and now he is in the hospital suffering from "exhaustion". All this political uncertainty could undermine Japan's economy, Sebastian Moffett warns in the Wall Street Journal.

New, smaller earthquakes struck Indonesia. So far, no major tsunamis.

India's communist party is threatening to withdraw from PM Manmohan Singh's government if the U.S.-India nuclear agreement goes through.

The Pakistani military is once again battling militants in Waziristan, where over 250 government soldiers have been captured by Taliban fighters.

Europe

A report by a branch of the Swiss government found Switzerland's naturalization system to be discriminatory, even racist. 

Can a comedian lead a political revolution in Italy?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy tackles pension reform, an initiative fraught with political peril.

Elsewhere

An independent panel headed by former Fed Chairman Paul A. Volcker urged the World Bank to look more seriously at its corruption policies.

Somali Islamist groups have banded together in Eritrea to call for regime change in Mogadishu.

Nearly two hundred more species are threatened by extinction, a new report by the World Conservation Union warns.

Australian PM John Howard announced plans to retire after (theoretically) winning the next election. 

Today's Agenda

• As the U.S. Congress looks for a bipartisan way forward, President George W. Bush announces his plans for Iraq at 9 p.m. EST.
• Portugal hosts an EU conference on "flexicurity".

Yesterday on Passport

• The humanitarian dilemma in Iraq
• An epidemic of denial over Iran
• Clinton's former U.N. Ambassador makes a boo-boo