Morning Brief, Tuesday, October 16

Tue, 10/16/2007 - 8:26am

Middle East


ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images

Turkey moved closer to invading northern Iraq, pushing up oil prices in the process. The government of Iraq sent Tariq al-Hashimi, the Sunni vice president, as an emergency envoy to Ankara.

States around the Caspian Sea say they won't let their territory be used for an attack on Iran amid speculation in the region about the purpose of quiet visits by top U.S. officials to Azerbaijan.

An errant U.S. Patriot missile accidentally hit a farm in Qatar.

Asia

The former head of Sinopec, China's state energy company, was arrested for "financial problems" (read: corruption).

Taiwan rejected Chinese President Hu Jintao's offer of peace talks.

U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari is touring Asian capitals, urging regional leaders to put pressure on Burma. 

Europe

Ukraine's pro-Western parties reached a power-sharing agreement Monday.

Some 13,000 Finnish nurses are threatening to quit their jobs over low pay.

Speculation is growing that France's Nicolas and Cecilia Sarkozy are headed for divorce. 

Elsewhere

In a victory for Brazil, the World Trade Organization has declared U.S. cotton subsidies to be out of compliance with WTO rules. 

Tensions with Ethiopia and the United States have Eritrea on the brink of crisis.

Anti-retroviral drugs are widely failing to save people from HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Today's Agenda

  • U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Egypt to lay the groundwork for a November peace conference between Israelis and Palestinians.
  • Tehran is hosting a regional summit on the Caspian Sea, featuring Vladimir Putin of Russia.
  • The U.N. General Assembly today elects new rotating members of the Security Council.
  • U.S. President George W. Bush hosts the Dalai Lama.
  • The winner of the Man Booker Prize for literature will be announced this evening in London.

Yesterday on Passport

Blake Hounshell | Permalink |
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