Morning Brief: Police attacked in western China

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TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images

China is on high alert after a group thought to be Muslim separatists attacked police in Xinjiang with grenades and knives, killing 16.

With four days to go before the start of the Olympic games, athletes and media have begun arriving in Beijing. So far, they are finding intense security and smoggy skies. “We are prepared to deal with any kind of security threat and we are confident we will have a safe and peaceful Olympic games,” Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Organizing Committee, told reporters.

Decision ’08

John McCain intends to announce his VP pick after Labor Day, according to William Kristol.

The Washington Post visits Obama headquarters in Chicago.

Global Economy

Get ready for a new wave of housing defaults. “Subprime was the tip of the iceberg,” one expert tells the New York Times.

Bankruptcy filings are rising among elderly Americans, a new study shows.

Rising shipping costs are hurting the global trade in goods.

Americas

Meet João Carlos Cavalcanti, the mystical Brazilian mining magnate.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez promises to “accelerate the socialist revolution” after regional elections in November.

The FBI used DNA to track the anthrax killer, an anonymous source tell CNN. Some scientists doubt the FBI has it right.

Asia

Eleven climbers died on Pakistan’s K2 mountain.

Japan’s economy is on the brink of recession after nearly six years of growth.

Sex scandals are roiling Malaysian politics.

Middle East and Africa

Iran ignored a Saturday deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment, and told the EU’s Javier Solana today that it will not stop.

Israel agreed to send a group of Fatah activists who had fled Gaza to the West Bank.

Sudan’s runners gear up for the Olympics.

Europe

Russia’s dissident novelist Alexander Solzhenitsen has died.

Flemish nationalism is destroying Belgium.

Italy has begun deploying soldiers in cities to prevent crime.

Today’s Agenda

Mexico is hosting a global forum on HIV/AIDS.

South Korean activists are planning to greet U.S. President George W. Bush with massive protests when he arrives tomorrow.

South African political leader Jacob Zuma is seeking the dismissal of corruption charges.

Bangladesh is holding local elections that could be a key test for democracy.