Morning Brief: Karzai attacked
Top Story MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images Afghan President Hamid Karzai survived his fourth assassination attempt and his first in the capital city. The sophisticated attack, likely carried out by Taliban insurgents, came as Karzai was celebrating “Mujahedin Day” in Kabul. The Taliban says it received help from sympathizers inside the security forces. Asia A North Korean ...
Top Story
Top Story
Afghan President Hamid Karzai survived his fourth assassination attempt and his first in the capital city. The sophisticated attack, likely carried out by Taliban insurgents, came as Karzai was celebrating “Mujahedin Day” in Kabul. The Taliban says it received help from sympathizers inside the security forces.
Asia
A North Korean officer has defected to South Korea.
China’s Olympic athletes are making big bucks on sponsorship deals.
The Olympic torch ran into trouble in South Korea, but North Korea rolled out the red carpet.
Global Economy
Now is not the time to give up on biofuels, the International Energy Agency warns, even though they may help cause high food prices.
A refinery strike in Scotland is pushing oil prices to nearly $120 a barrel.
Europe
Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin will hand over power slowly, the head of a Kremlin-backed think tank says.
Russia is combating a worsening inflation problem.
The British military is going green.
Middle East and Africa
Fighting and demonstrations are roiling Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood.
Evidence of attacks on the Zimbabwean opposition is increasing. Some recount results could be ready as early as tomorrow.
Many U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo were up to no good, the BBC alleges.
Americas
Raúl Castro plans to raise state pensions by as much as 20 percent.
A mysterious drug-related shootout in Tijuana, Mexico, left 15 dead.
The U.S. mortgage industry is fighting proposed new regulations.
Today’s Agenda
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is visiting Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka this week. Top of his agenda? The proposed Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline.
Top U.N. officials are meeting in Switzerland to discuss the global food crisis.
The Czech foreign minister is visiting the United States. Other EU foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is visiting Tunisia.
Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
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