Morning Brief, Tuesday, January 9

Iraq and Middle East

The Iraqi government has revised its stance on a U.S. troop increase. The Iraqis now welcome it. 

Yet another Saddam video has emerged online, this one a gruesome clip of his body post-hanging. 

Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was captured by a Palestinian group this summer, is reportedly in good health. 

Thirty Turkish workers were killed in a plane crash in Iraq. 

Washington

Congressional Democrats are divided over how to deal with Bush’s new strategy for Iraq, which he will announce tomorrow evening on prime-time TV. Passport will be live-blogging it, so tune in here starting at 9 PM EST tomorrow.

Europe

German PM Angela Merkel is outraged at cuts in Russian oil deliveries to Europe resulting from Moscow’s spat with Belarus.

MI5, Britain’s domestic security agency, will email terror alerts to the public. 

Another Polish priest has resigned for past spying for the communists. 

Asia

Japan will not accept a nuclear North Korea, says Shinzo Abe. Japan’s prime minister just elevated Japan’s department of defense from agency to ministry rank.

Fighting broke out in China after officials closed a school for the kids of migrant workers.

The Thai cabinet has tentatively approved new regulations on foreign companies. The first time they tried to restrict capital inflows, the Thai stock market tanked. 

Elsewhere 

A U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked a remote village in Somalia near the Kenya border.  The target? Al Qaeda.  

Sudan’s vice-president, representing the mostly Christian south of the country, says the current peace agreement is not working.

Hugo Chávez announced a major nationalization campaign in Venezuela, spooking bond holders hours before his inauguration for a third term. We’ll have more about what makes Chávez tick later today.