Daily News Digest

The latest news on Food crisis, Torture, Afghanistan, Food crisis, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, McCain's faith, Housing crisis, Torture, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Zimbabwe, Darfur, and Op-Eds.

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Food crisis. UN meeting to address food crisis "Key United Nations development agencies are meeting in Switzerland to try to develop solutions to ease the escalating global food crisis." The New Economics of Hunger "The food price shock now roiling world markets is destabilizing governments, igniting street riots and threatening to send a new wave of hunger rippling through the world's poorest nations."

Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Unapologetic Wright speaks out"The embattled pastor of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd on Sunday that he is "running for Jesus," not public office, and Americans should know by now that "different does not mean deficient" when it comes to the African-American church." What did Rev. Wright say in Dallas? "Wright, the former pastor of presidential hopeful Barack Obama, spoke at Friendship-West Baptist Church to honor the Rev. Frederick Haynes on the 25th anniversary of his becoming the church's senior pastor."

McCain's faith. McCain doesn't put his faith out front "Not long after he became the presumed Republican nominee, John McCain flew to New Orleans to face a skeptical audience -- conservative leaders of the Council for National Policy. A questioner zeroed in on a topic McCain rarely addresses on the campaign trail, asking him to explain his faith in God."

Housing crisis.

Afghanistan. Karzai survives Taliban assassination attempt during military parade "President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt yesterday when Taliban militants fired gunshots and rockets at a military parade in central Kabul. Three people, including an MP, were killed." Karzai Escapes Attack in Kabul by Gunmen"A well-coordinated assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai by suspected Taliban insurgents at the Afghan national day military parade in central Kabul has turned into a moment of national embarrassment for the government."

Iraq. Iraq Struggle Unfolds in Peaceful Protest and Violent Attacks in Sadr City"The latest episode in the struggle between the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government unfolded Sunday on the streets of Sadr City, where members of Parliament demonstrated peacefully while clashes occurred a few blocks away." Iraqi political leaders protest U.S. siege of Sadr City "About 50 leaders representing a variety of Iraqi political blocs took to Baghdad's Sadr City, a stronghold of fiery religious leader Muqtada al Sadr, to protest the U.S.-led siege of that area." Iraq showdown may boost al-Maliki "The fortunes of Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have received an unexpected boost from his initially botched offensive against militias in Basra, which has turned into a standoff between al-Maliki and the Shiite Mahdi Army militia."

Iran. Questions Linger on Scope of Iran's Threat in Iraq"The United States has gathered its most detailed evidence so far of Iranian involvement in training and arming fighters in Iraq, officials say, but significant uncertainties remain about the extent of that involvement and the threat it poses to American and Iraqi forces." U.S. Weighing Readiness for Military Action Against Iran "The nation's top military officer said that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" as one of several options against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq."

Zimbabwe. Signs of Attacks on the Opposition Rise in Zimbabwe"Evidence of widespread retribution against people who supported Zimbabwe's opposition party in last month's election has begun to stream out despite the government's efforts to restrict press access to the worst of the violence." Zimbabwe police arrest hundreds in opposition MDC "Zimbabwe's security crackdown intensified Friday as riot police raided the opposition movement's headquarters in the capital city of Harare, arresting hundreds of people, including many rural activists and their families who had fled recent violence in their home districts."

Darfur. Old problems haunt new U.N. Peacekeepers in Darfur "Four months after it took over from the beleaguered African Union force in western Sudan, the joint U.N.-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur is a tale of good intentions and loftier ambitions, mixed with some of the same issues that dogged its predecessor."

Op-Eds.

Pariah Diplomacy(Jimmy Carter, New York Times) "A counterproductive Washington policy in recent years has been to boycott and punish political factions or governments that refuse to accept United States mandates. This policy makes difficult the possibility that such leaders might moderate their policies."

Hunger affects us all (James Carroll, Boston Globe) "Of all the marks of difference that separate humans, none is so drastic as hunger. Not only does the physical sensation of being famished set a person off from those who are sated, but the well-fed are hard put even to imagine the desperation that goes with an empty stomach."

Bowling 1, Health Care 0 (Elizabeth Edwards, New York Times) "The vigorous press that was deemed an essential part of democracy at our country's inception is now consigned to smaller venues, to the Internet and, in the mainstream media, to occasional articles."