The latest news on Obama in Iraq, the military budget, President's Faith and Neighborhood Council, Foreclosure scams, NY shooting, Bush AIDS campaign, Torture, America & Islam, Mideast, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Iran

Sign up to receive our daily news summary via e-mail »

Obama visits Iraq. President Obama makes surprise stop in Baghdad "President Obama arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit today, his first trip here since entering the White House in January. He touched down just 24 hours after one of the worst days of violence in the Iraqi capital this year." Obama visits US soldiers in Iraq "US President Barack Obama is in Iraq for talks with Iraqi leaders and to see US troops at the end of a trip to Europe."

Military budget. Military Budget Reflects a Shift in U.S. Strategy"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced a major reshaping of the Pentagon budget on Monday, with deep cuts in many traditional weapons systems but new billions of dollars for others, along with more troops and new technology to fight the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan." Pentagon chief takes aim at big weapons programs "If Congress goes along, the cuts could spell the end for many of the military's best-known weapons programs, including much of the Army's Future Combat Systems, the Air Force's F-22 fighter, the next generation of Navy destroyers and the C-17 cargo plane," Gates Seeks Sharp Turn In Spending"Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates outlined sweeping changes to the defense budget Monday that would shift billions of dollars in Pentagon spending away from elaborate weapons toward programs more likely to benefit troops in today's wars."

President's Faith and Neighborhood Council. Faith-Based Issues: President's Council Gets More Members "The White House announced on Monday the names of 10 additional council members who will advise the president on faith-based programs and other key issues, such as fatherhood and poverty."

Foreclosure scams. Foreclosure Scams Are Target of Crackdown "Federal and state officials are cracking down on foreclosure-rescue scams, the Obama administration said yesterday as it pledged to take on a growing industry that's targeting borrowers who are trying to save their homes."

NY shooting. In rambling letter, N.Y. killer reportedly forecast attack "The man who opened fire in an immigrant center, killing 13 people before taking his own life, felt he was persecuted by police, couldn't accept his "poor life," and was intent on killing himself and at least two other people, according to a letter mailed to a television station the day of the massacre." Note From Gunman Arrives at Television Station "Mr. Wong's sister, in a television interview on Monday, described her brother's rocky transition to America two decades ago as well as recent hard times that had apparently tilted him further into desperation."

Bush AIDS campaign. Bush AIDS fight saved 1.1M, study says "Former President George W. Bush's international AIDS-fighting campaign has reduced by 10 percent the mortality rates in 15 targeted countries, primarily in Africa, and has saved 1.1 million lives, according to a study that for the first time quantified the successes of his program."

Torture. Report Calls CIA Detainee Treatment 'Inhuman' "Medical officers who oversaw interrogations of terrorism suspects in CIA secret prisons committed gross violations of medical ethics and in some cases essentially participated in torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross concluded in a confidential report." Report Outlines Medical Workers' Role in Torture"Medical personnel were deeply involved in the abusive interrogation of terrorist suspects held overseas by the Central Intelligence Agency, including torture, and their participation was a "gross breach of medical ethics,"

America & Islam. America Seeks Bonds to Islam, Obama Insists"President Obama formally began his outreach to the Muslim world on Monday when he spoke before Turkey's Parliament, telling legislators that the United States "is not and will never be at war with Islam." In Turkey, Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World "President Obama made his most direct outreach to Muslims around the world Monday, telling Turkey's Grand National Assembly that the United States "is not and never will be at war with Islam." Obama avoids saying 'genocide' while in Turkey "President Obama, steering a delicate course on an explosive issue, said Monday his views on the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century have not changed since he declared it a "genocide" last year, but he avoided using that term in front of his Turkish hosts."

Mideast. Lieberman: Peace talks with Palestinians at a 'dead end' " Speaking at an Israel Beiteinu conference in Jerusalem, Lieberman said "there's a withdrawal from talks, and we have to understand and acknowledge that we're at a dead end." ANALYSIS / Obama saying Israel still bound to two-state solution " Dialogue between Jerusalem and Washington over the past week has been done via speech-making. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman swept aside the Annapolis process, and U.S. President Barack Obama swept it right back."

Rwanda . Rwanda marks genocide anniversary "The ceremony on Tuesday was held in Nyanza, a hill in the capital of Kigali, where thousands of people were slaughtered during the 1994 massacre."

Sri Lanka . Sri Lanka rejects UN call for ceasefire "Sri Lanka today rejected a call by the UN for a ceasefire in its military campaign against the Tamil Tigers, insisting it would not be trapped into letting the group's leaders escape." Sri Lanka claims rebels cornered "The Sri Lankan military is claiming to have killed hundreds of fighters of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam(LTTE) after three days of fighting, pushing the remaining rebels into a small "no fire" zone."

Pakistan . More Drone Attacks in Pakistan Planned "Despite threats of retaliation from Pakistani militants, senior administratio n officials said Monday that the United States intended to step up its use of drones to strike militants in Pakistan's tribal areas and might extend them to a different sanctuary deeper inside the country." Pakistan's Chief Justice Assails Attorney General Over Taliban Flogging "The newly restored chief justice of Pakistan displayed his reputation as a human rights advocate and a prod to the government on Monday, when he hauled the attorney general and other officials before the Supreme Court and rebuked them over the flogging of a 17-year-old woman in the Taliban-controlled area of Swat."

Iran . Iranian Presidential Candidate Calls Ahmadinejad an Extremist "Rejecting the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as "extremist," a leading presidential candidate said Monday that he favored improved relations with the West and greater individual freedoms at home." Ahmadinejad's Main Rival for Iranian Presidency Calls for Increased Freedoms "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's main opponent in the upcoming presidential election said Monday that he wanted to increase freedoms for Iranians, in part by curbing the so-called morality police who enforce strict interpretations of Islamic laws," If Obama gambit works, Tehran's hard-liners would suffer, Iranian says "The U.S. government is pursuing a high-stakes gambit to improve relations with Iran, with President Obama delivering a conciliatory speech last month and later dispatching deputies to two international conferences in an attempt to find common ground with Iranians in attendance."

Opinion. Listening in Kabul (David Ignatius, Washington Post) "Try to picture the unlikely scene here Monday: A brash U.S. diplomat and America's top military officer are sitting at a conference table with a ferocious-looking delegation of bearded and turbaned Afghan tribal leaders, including one man who spent two years as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. And they are soliciting the tribal chieftains' advice on U.S. policy options in the Afghanistan war."