Morning Brief, Monday, January 21

Middle East

BRYAN PEARSON/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus is under consideration for the top NATO job.

The U.S. military says Iran is still training and funding Shiite militias in Iraq, even though the use of Iranian weapons is down.

Who cut the power in Gaza? Israel points the finger at Hamas.

Israel embraces the electric car.

Europe

A pro-Russian nationalist, Tomislav Nikolic, has won the first round of Serbia's presidential election.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf kicked off an eight-day tour of Europe. He'll be at Davos later this week.

British PM Gordon Brown called for reform of the IMF, World Bank, and U.N. Security Council in a speech today in India.

Asia

The Sri Lankan military says it has killed 89 Tamil Tiger rebels in heavy fighting over the last three days.

Thailand's legislature will convene today for the first time in nearly two years.

Ten workers have died building the Olympic stadium in Beijing, a story the Chinese government has tried to keep quiet.

Elsewhere

U.S. stock markets are closed for Martin Luther King Day, but European and Japanese indexes fell on fears of a U.S. recession. The Financial Times expects economic gloom to be the unspoken theme at Davos this year.

The Sudanese minister of federal affairs has chosen a top Janjaweed leader to be his aide, the U.S. State Department says.

Cubans voted Sunday to elect a parliament that may decide to ask Fidel Castro to step down when it first convenes Feb. 24.

Hugo Chávez's latest plan: nationalizing farms to combat food shortages.

Today's Agenda

• It's Martin Luther King Day in the United States.
• Sir Edmund Hillary is being buried in his native New Zealand.
• The U.N. Security Council is slated to discuss Nepal, Iraq, East Timor, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
• Lebanon's parliament is due to elect a new president today, but another delay is likely.
• It's fashion week in Paris.