Morning Brief, Thursday, February 15
JIM WATSON/AFP Middle East An angry President Bush, in response to skeptics: “I can say with certainty that the Quds Force, a part of the Iranian government, has provided these sophisticated I.E.D.’s that have harmed our troops.” Iraq shut down its borders with Iran and Syria today in an effort to stop weapons smugglers. The ...
JIM WATSON/AFP
Middle East
An angry President Bush, in response to skeptics: “I can say with certainty that the Quds Force, a part of the Iranian government, has provided these sophisticated I.E.D.’s that have harmed our troops.”
Iraq shut down its borders with Iran and Syria today in an effort to stop weapons smugglers.
The United States plans to increase the number of Iraqi refugees it allows into the country from 202 last year to 7,000.
Saudi Arabia quietly changed its succession rules. Now, a subset of the royal family will pick a crown prince from the king’s short list.
2008
Rudy Giuliani’s in, joining Massachusetts’ ex-governor Mitt Romney, Arizona Senator John McCain, California Congressman Duncan Hunter, and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback in vying to be the Republican party’s candidate for U.S. president.
Europe
The Madrid bombings trial began today for 29 Arab and Spanish men accused of complicity in Europe’s deadliest al Qaeda attack.
Daimler may jettison Chrysler.
It’s the hoosegow for a German man who routinely denies the Holocaust. He also authored a book called The Hitler We Loved and Why.
Asia
It’s official: top North and South Korean ministers will resume talks.
Japan is privatizing its postal service, and the United States wants its companies to be in on the action.
Ah, the irony: China bans the importation of poultry from the United Kingdom.
Elsewhere
A brigade of U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan instead of Iraq, rather than the other way ’round.
Facing the abject failure of his price control regime, Hugo Chávez threatens to nationalize grocery stores.
Turkmenistan’s new president is safely ensconced in power, despite scattered protest from the diaspora.
The real Cleopatra was no Elizabeth Taylor.
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