Morning Brief, Tuesday, November 28

The Middle East

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is in Iran in an effort to secure help in tackling the escalating violence in Iraq. He met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday, who pledged his support, and is meeting with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today. Khamenei insists that if security is to be restored, U.S. troops must leave.

Meanwhile, Bush denies that Iraq is plunging into civil war, and blames Al Qaeda for the devastating violence in the country. 

A senior American intelligence official claims that Hezbollah is training Shiite militias in Iraq, including the Mahdi Army, with the help of Iran and Syria.

A classified Marine Corps intelligence report has been made public today, stating that the U.S. military is no longer able to defeat the insurgency in the Anbar province of western Iraq, or counter al Qaeda’s growing popularity in the region.

Five years on from the fall of the Taliban, things are getting worse in Afghanistan, especially for women.

Turkey

The Pope begins his controversial visit to Turkey, with security higher than President George W. Bush’s visit in 2004. The Pope joins in the debate over Turkey joining the EU, pledging his support for the membership bid.

Elsewhere 

Vietnam’s membership to the WTO is ratified. Quebec is recognized as a nation within Canada. Negotiators from China, the U.S., and North Korea meet to discuss nuclear disarmament. And YouTube goes cellular.