Morning Brief, Wednesday, December 19

GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images	YANA PASKOVA/Getty Images

2008 Election

A new poll shows Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton running neck and neck in Iowa, where the first contest of the presidential primary season will be held on January 3.

Asia

Pakistan operates “an elaborate secret detention system” for suspected terrorists, the New York Times reports.

The winner of South Korea’s presidential election is Lee “the Bulldozer” Myung-bak, a former Hyndai executive and conservative opposition leader.

It’s official: The World Bank now estimates that China and India’s economies are 40 percent smaller than we thought. Many more interesting findings here.

Middle East

The U.S. Senate approved $70 billion in war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. and U.N. negotiators brokered a six-month delay in a referendum on the status of Kirkuk, a potentially explosive issue.

U.S. President George W. Bush is headed to the Middle East in January in a bid to push along the peace process that was begun in Annapolis in November.

Staffers for the New York Times in Iraq say Blackwater shot their dog.

Europe

Time names Russian President Vladimir Putin its “Man of the Year.”

Under a new proposal to be approved in January, the EU would create a “single market” for medical treatment.

After a lengthy political impasse, Belgium has formed an emergency government.

Germany’s Social Democrats, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition, are threatening sanctions against the United States for thwarting international agreements on climate change.

Elsewhere

Over the strenuous objections of President Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress chose Jacob Zuma as its party leader. Zuma has been accused of corruption and even rape.

A U.S. District Court judge ordered a court hearing on the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes.

The World Trade Organization ruled that the United States hasn’t done enough to end illegal cotton subsidies. 

Today’s Agenda

• U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits the West Bank.
• The BBC World Service celebrates its 75th anniversary.
• Spain’s national anthem gets new lyrics.
• Zambian politicians and civil-society leaders meet to consider a new constitution.

Yesterday on Passport

• “Olympic” torch relay for Darfur takes on China
• A meltdown in Latin America
• Finnish charity selling Nazi rings for Christmas