News Briefs For January 28, 2009

Iraqi policemen hold up their ink-stained fingers after casting their vote in the country's provincial elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. The polls opened Wednesday for members of the Iraqi security forces, detainees and hospital patients. General voting is scheduled on Saturday. (Hadi Mizban/AP Photo)

MIDDLE EAST

Top Defense Ministry official: Egypt sees Hamas as 'national enemy'. Egypt's attacks also include Iran and allies in Arab world.

Iraq elections begin with early voting. But in Iraq's north, ethnic strife flares as vote draws closer, and everyone agrees that the stakes are very high. Another Iraq war update: Fight shifts from AQI to Iran's agents.

Iran 'could be able to build nuclear bomb by 2010'. But Hillary Clinton sees opportunity. See here and here. Meanwhile, Iran wants an apology from the U.S. Iran is also making it very clear that they have no interest in stopping the nuclear work.

Flush with cash, Arab royals pave path Of modernity. Cities like Dubai and Doha have seen a generation's worth of change within the past five years.

ASIA

Islamabad: No deal allowing U.S. Predators into Pakistan.

Sri Lanka troops take another Tiger village: military. Numerous civilian casualties reported. Sri Lanka denies that there is a crisis.

Pakistan's Zardari vows to restore order to Swat. But another minister admits that school burnings in Swat can’t be stopped. More here. According to the British think tank IISS, insurgents roam freely on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Fiji's leader has expressed defiance, a day after the Pacific Islands Forum threatened it with expulsion if no elections were held by the end of 2009.

Over 1,000 civilians killed in Afghan fighting last year: NATO.

AFRICA

South Africa Says Zimbabwe agrees on forming a unity government. The Zimbabwean opposition though is divided on how to proceed. Zimbabwe's cholera crisis is now called desperate.

43 killed in Madagascar political violence.

U.S. and Kenya agree on how to handle captured pirates.

Obama calls South Africa's president. Was it to talk Zimbabwe?

THE EUROPE

Russia is changing its treason laws.

Israel's chief rabbinate severs Vatican ties. The Vatican tries to make up.

France to cut foreign military deployments by 15 percent.

Northern Ireland study sparks rage over payouts for all Troubles families. More here and a comment here.

Iceland raises quota for whale hunts.

Brussels proposes billions for energy projects after gas crisis.

THE AMERICAS

U.S. Homeland Security: Secretary Napolitano issues first in a series of Action Directives.

Obama says country 'cannot afford inaction' on economy. Plan will probably pass tonight or tomorrow.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will celebrate 10 years in power next week by holding a rare summit with some of his closest leftist allies in Latin America.

Raul Castro arrives in Russia to boost ties. He also wants Russian help in the lifting of the American embargo.

300 hostages killed by FARC, says former guerrilla.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS/FINANCIAL CRISIS

World economy may lose 51 million jobs: U.N. agency.

Participants have little to celebrate at Davos this year. More here.

Vladimir Putin attacks Western rescue packages. Other news outlets are saying that he is striking a conciliatory tone in Davos.

Social Forum activists see opportunity in crisis.

U.S. stimulus bill grows to $887 billion as it moves through Senate Committees