Morning Brief, Tuesday, July 31
Middle East Getty Images News Iraqi lawmakers are going on vacation after failing to accomplish, well, anything of substance. They’re due to return on Sep. 4. Iraqi Kurds are particularly upset that a list of eligible voters for the Kirkuk referendum was not completed. Top U.S. officials fired back after Tehran criticized proposed U.S. arms ...
Middle East
Middle East
Iraqi lawmakers are going on vacation after failing to accomplish, well, anything of substance. They’re due to return on Sep. 4. Iraqi Kurds are particularly upset that a list of eligible voters for the Kirkuk referendum was not completed.
Top U.S. officials fired back after Tehran criticized proposed U.S. arms deals in the Gulf and Israel. Congressional critics of the deal are keeping their powder dry until they return from their own vacation.
Europe
Subprime strikes again: The cost of credit insurance is going up rapidly in both Europe and the United States.
The European Union is demanding that a U.S. visa waiver program apply equally to all EU citizens.
Russian prosecutors are seeking the arrest of Boris Berezovsky, a dissident Russian tycoon who has lived in Britain since fleeing Russia in 2000.
Asia
Hosting U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for the “strategic economic dialogue,” Chinese officials said their country continues to be poor despite years of rapid growth. So what’s all the fuss?
Afghan police found the body of the second South Korean hostage to be killed by the Taliban.
A top Japanese official said his country regrets a resolution that passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday regarding the Japanese military’s role in sex slavery during WWII.
Southeast Asian countries agreed to set up a regional human rights group, but the devil’s in the details.
Elsewhere
Brazil’s government, usually content to point the finger at more developed countries, seems more willing than in the past to discuss ways it can help prevent or slow climate change.
USA Today finds a disconnect between the falling cost of gasoline and rising prices for crude.
Do U.S. nuclear plants require billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees?
Today’s Agenda
- At midnight tonight, the British Army formally ceases its operations in Northern Ireland.
Yesterday on Passport
Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
More from Foreign Policy
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.