Morning Brief, Thursday, March 15

United States Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admits he was the mastermind of 9/11 as well as a host of other plots, large and small. But was he tortured? Speaking from Mexico, President Bush promised to work on a new guest worker program to address the illegal immigration problem, but rejected calls for outright amnesty.  Medical marijuana: ...

By , a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
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603290_070315_ksm_05.jpg

United States

United States

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admits he was the mastermind of 9/11 as well as a host of other plots, large and small. But was he tortured?

Speaking from Mexico, President Bush promised to work on a new guest worker program to address the illegal immigration problem, but rejected calls for outright amnesty. 

Medical marijuana: still illegal in the United States.

In a rare incident, the U.S. Navy briefly lost contact with one of its submarines. 

Middle East

Palestinian leaders presented their new unity cabinet. Israel doesn’t like it.

U.S. and Iraqi forces are clamping down on illegal oil smuggling.  

Asia 

China is not excited about U.S. moves to punish a Macao bank accused of laundering money for North Korea.

Maoist rebels killed dozens of police in India. 

China’s industrial output grew by over 18 percent in January and February. 

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim, a World Bank advisor, hopes to run for prime minister.

Europe 

Poland’s legislature paid tribute to a woman who saved 2,500 Jews during the Holocaust.

Russian oil headed to the EU will bypass the clogged Bosphorus, running overland instead from Bulgaria to Greece. 

Big protests expected in Hungary today. 

Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.

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