Morning Brief, Tuesday, August 21

Middle East

KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee, called for Iraq’s parliament to choose a new prime minister and cabinet.

The latest trial of former aides to Saddam Hussein is bringing back bitter memories for Iraq’s Shiites. 

The son of Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi unveiled an ambitious reform agenda, but papa is off limits.

Europe

Economic competition may force Swedes to cut back on vacation time.

Moscow may be booming, but its residents have no hot water for much of the summer, a legacy of centralized planning.

Oil-rich, environmentally conscious Norway is seeing its interests clash with its ideals in the Arctic.

Asia

China Labor Watch, a labors rights group based in the United States, reports “brutal conditions” at several Chinese toy factories.

Facing worsening inflation, China’s central bank raised interest rates for the fourth time this year. 

The latest talks over North Korea’s nuclear program made little headway in Moscow. 

Elsewhere

Quant fund managers are finding that you can’t model panic. Investors, meanwhile, are fleeing to lower-risk items like Treasury bills. 

Sovereign wealth funds are raising eyebrows in Washington, DC. 

Chinese products are flooding Africa, for better or worse. 

Previously undiscovered islands are popping up as the Arctic sea ice melts.

Today’s Agenda

• Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visits India for talks on security and economic collaboration.
• London hosts its fourth annual International Animation Festival.
• Google and Universal unveil GBox, their new online music store.
• Brazil welcomes techies for the 12th annual Future of Information Technology conference in São Paulo.

Yesterday on Passport

• What We’re Reading
• China’s own mine disaster
• How can we know the number of dead in Darfur?