Global Economy
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For the first time in 12 years, the U.S. dollar dipped below 100 Japanese yen in value. Oil, meanwhile, climbed past $110 per barrel.
Most international CFOs think the U.S. economy is already in recession, according to a new survey.
2008 U.S. Elections
Former vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro has severed her ties to the Clinton campaign after being pilloried for making racially tinged remarks about Barack Obama.
John McCain says he has begun considering potential running mates. Mitt Romney hopes he gets the nod.
Asia
In an annual ritual, China fired back at the State Department's criticism of its human rights record, calling the U.S. record on this front "tattered and shocking." Russia piled on, accusing the United States of holding "double standards."
Pakistan accuses the U.S. military of firing artillery shells across the border.
A suicide bomber killed six Afghan civilians in Kabul.
Middle East
Islamic Jihad resumed firing rockets at Israel Thursday, and Israeli jets struck back.
Iran's hardliners will likely engineer a win in Friday's legislative elections, but many have been critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's handling of the economy.
Support for the Iraq war is growing, but a majority of Americans are not aware of how many U.S. troops have died.
Iraq's central government plans to wrest control of Basra's port from local militias.
Europe
Referring to the United States' image abroad, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says, "I think the magic is over."
Serbia's president dissolved the parliament and called for snap elections on May 11.
Who is Client #6?
Elsewhere
The L.A. Times has a smart editorial about the fight over Iraq between Adm. William J. Fallon and Gen. David Petraeus. David Ignatius chimes in. The AP looks at possible replacements for Fallon as CENTCOM chief.
According to ABC News, the Pentagon is burying a report that found no direct operational ties between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Read the executive summary here (pdf).
A Pentagon review has discovered some 50 video recordings of interrogations at military facilities. One tape reportedly shows FBI agents getting rough with a detainee.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to crack down on ground-level ozone.
Today's Agenda
- Climate change will likely dominate this year's EU summit, a two-day affair that begins today.
- Leaders of member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are meeting in Senegal.
- It's National Elephant Day in Thailand.
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is due to give a speech on the financial markets.
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to Brazil, followed by Chile on Friday.
- U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill is meeting his North Korean counterpart in Geneva.
Yesterday on Passport
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