Libya
News agencies reported Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Libya, John Christopher Stevens, was killed in an assault outside the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, after protestors stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to protest a U.S.-released film that protesters said insulted the prophet Muhammad (PBUH). – Washington Post
A Libyan judge suspended the trial of a senior Gaddafi-era intelligence official on Tuesday after his defense lawyer said the proceedings were unconstitutional. – Reuters
Egypt
Protesters angry over an amateurish American-made video denouncing Islam attacked the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday, killing a State Department officer, while Egyptian demonstrators stormed over the fortified walls of the United States Embassy here. – New York Times
So it was before the revolution, so it is now. Police officers come, sometimes, to clear out the street vendors — there are thought to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, in this massive city’s vast informal economy — and to ease the flow of traffic. The street vendors return, with nowhere else to go, and so does the congestion. – New York Times
Egyptian authorities on Tuesday ordered the arrest of former presidential candidate Ahmed Shafik in a corruption case that involves deposed leader Hosni Mubarak’s two sons and four retired military generals. – LA Times’ World Now
U.S. intelligence agencies recently monitored a secret meeting between Egypt’s intelligence chief and a senior Iranian spy that is raising new fears the Muslim Brotherhood government in Cairo could begin covertly supporting global terrorism. – Washington Free Beacon
The 100-member group is supposed to represent the new Egypt and is charged with drafting a constitution that will underpin the country’s future as a democracy. But the cordial atmosphere belies the deep divisions within this constituent assembly over how that future will look. Huge differences persist between Islamists and liberals over the basic nature of the state that is being mapped out in the new charter. – Financial Times
[Morsi] already faces a host of challenges: from secular Egyptians worried about his Islamist doctrines, from militants trying to stoke conflict with Israel, and from the poverty and joblessness that fed the Arab Spring and brought down the three-decade dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. To all those, add the rising tide of garbage in Cairo, the world’s largest Arab city. – Associated Press
Egypt denied on Tuesday comments attributed to Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi that it was in talks to buy Iranian crude oil. – Reuters
44 should condition any meeting with Morsi on the latter’s clear and public renunciation of 9/11 revisionism. This position would present Morsi with a stark choice: He can either repudiate the hate-filled conspiracies that he has helped to sow and reap the benefits of Obama’s embrace, or he can expose himself as an irresponsible ideologue with whom few members of the international community will want to deal. – Washington Post
Iran
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel inserted himself into the most contentious foreign policy issue of the American presidential campaign on Tuesday, criticizing the Obama administration for refusing to set clear “red lines” on Iran’s nuclear progress that would prompt the United States to undertake a military strike. As a result, he said, the administration had no “moral right” to restrain Israel from taking military action of its own. – New York Times
The U.S. and other countries are pushing the United Nations nuclear watchdog to step up pressure on Tehran amid what they said were new indications that it has continued to work on developing capabilities to build a nuclear weapon. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is “frustrated” by the partial impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran over its ongoing nuclear program, a U.S. official told CNN. – CNN’s Security Clearance
The Obama administration is sending one of its top Treasury officials on a tour of the Middle East this week to help ramp up sanctions against Iran and Syria. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
European Union states are putting together a new set of sanctions to increase pressure on Iran to give up its controversial nuclear activity, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Reuters on Tuesday. – Reuters
The U.N. atomic agency has received new and significant intelligence over the past month that Iran has moved further toward the ability to build a nuclear weapon, diplomats tell the Associated Press. – Associated Press
If Iran decides to make a nuclear weapon, the United States would have a little more than a year to act to stop it, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Six world powers proposed on Wednesday that Iran be rebuked over its expanded uranium enrichment program and urged to clarify concerns about its disputed nuclear activities, diplomats said. – Reuters
A group of Iranian legislators, critical of the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has urged the central bank to intervene in the currency market to support the rial, which hit record lows this week, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused his country’s enemies of enacting a sinister plan to create a drought by somehow destroying the rain clouds before they reach Iran, several Iranian websites reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Editorial: The Administration’s diplomatic rebukes to Israel are also telling Iran that it is that much freer to move ahead with its nuclear plans. If Israel does strike Iran, Mr. Obama’s mishandling of our ally will be a major reason. – Wall Street Journal
Syria
International relief officials reported an increasingly grim aid crisis stemming from the Syria conflict on Tuesday, with two million people there not getting desperately needed help, and a sudden acceleration of refugees overwhelming the ability of neighboring countries to absorb them. – New York Times
U.S. officials are heaping scorn on Iran’s inclusion in a Middle East “contact group” formed to discuss and resolve the ongoing conflict in Syria. – Washington Times
At least four people were killed and dozens wounded on Tuesday in ground and aerial bombardments of one of the last rebel strongholds in the Syrian capital Damascus, opposition activists said. – Reuters
As the fighting in Syria gets worse, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels determined to oust him are committing an increasing number of violations of international humanitarian law, the EU humanitarian chief said on Tuesday. – Reuters
A team from the World Health Organization that visited Syria’s Homs province last week found a humanitarian situation that is “grave and continues to deteriorate”, with one in four residents in need of humanitarian aid, the WHO said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Her eyes welling up with tears, actress Angelina Jolie said she heard “horrific” and “heartbreaking” accounts from Syrian refugees she met Tuesday during a visit to a camp in Jordan that has provided shelter for those fleeing the civil war in the neighboring country. – Associated Press
Yemen
A car bomb exploded Tuesday alongside a convoy of vehicles used by Yemen’s defense minister, killing seven bodyguards and five civilians in the heart of the capital, Sana, while the minister escaped unharmed, government and hospital officials said. – New York Times
Yemen’s president replaced security officials and some ministers late on Tuesday, state media reported, in an apparent move to reduce the influence of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh following an attempt on the defense minister’s life. – Reuters
Iraq
The Syrian war is fanning a sectarian backlash in neighboring Iraq, as rising violence attributed to al Qaeda on both sides of the border pushes the government in Baghdad closer to its counterpart in Damascus. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Iraq is once again teetering on the brink of chaos as sectarian tensions rise, according to Senate hawks who visited the government and opposition groups last week. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Senate hawks John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Tuesday called on the Senate to quickly approve President Obama’s pick to be the new ambassador to Iraq. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
On September 4, security forces raided 10 venues ranging from alcohol stores to bars to clubs. Behind them, they left smashed bottles, bruised bodies, and new fears Iraq could be heading toward an Islamic state. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Iraq offered foreign diplomats a rare glimpse Tuesday of a camp that is the new temporary home of an Iranian exile opposition group that has had a long-running feud with Baghdad, winning from the envoys cautious praise of the conditions there. – Associated Press
Israel
Scrambling to head off intensifying protests against the high cost of living in the West Bank, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad, announced price and tax cuts Tuesday and said his government was doing its best to alleviate economic hardship. – Washington Post
In a highly unusual rebuff to a close ally as tensions escalated over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program, the White House said on Tuesday President Barack Obama would not meet Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli prime minister’s U.S. visit later this month. – Reuters
Turkey
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Turkey during the coming week, the E-Ring has learned, where he is expected to meet with military officials to discuss Syrian instability, Afghanistan and other issues. – The E-Ring
A suicide bomber thought to be from a leftist militant group threw a grenade into a police station in Istanbul on Tuesday then blew himself up, killing a police officer and wounding at least seven other people. – Reuters
Turkey’s Kurdish conflict is at its bloodiest in more than a decade but Ankara should resist the urge for an all-out military offensive and tackle the legitimate grievances of the country’s millions of Kurds, a think-tank said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Asia
South Asia
At least 191 people were killed when fires engulfed two factories in two major cities, renewing concerns about lax building safety measures and dismal working conditions for factory workers in Pakistan. – New York Times
President Hamid Karzai’s determination to make a close aide, Asadullah Khalid, his next intelligence chief has divided Western officials here, some of whom say they are troubled by allegations of torture and drug trafficking against Mr. Khalid and worry that in such a powerful role he would be a step back for the country. – New York Times
On the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday expressed sorrow over the “pain and suffering of the American people” but offered a pointed critique of how the subsequent war on terror had been waged. – LA Times’ World Now
The Taliban raised about $400 million last year from sources that included donations, taxing local economies and extorting money from such targets as drug dealers, cell phone operators and aid projects, according to a U.N. report on the militant Islamist group released on Tuesday. – Reuters
China
Vice President Xi Jinping’s continuing absence from public life is throwing another wrench into preparations for China’s leadership change this fall when Mr. Xi is due to take over the nation’s top job, according to party insiders, analysts and diplomats. – Wall Street Journal
Germany’s relationship with China has grown so close that Berlin now calls it “special,” but the coziness has some Germans concerned about Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refusal to bring up human rights with Asia’s biggest power. – Washington Times
More than 1,000 Hong Kong university students boycotted class on Tuesday, demanding the withdrawal of a patriotic Chinese curriculum they say amounts to Communist Party brainwashing. – Reuters
Chinese authorities and media remained silent on the whereabouts of Vice President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, with speculation mounting over why Beijing was not more forthcoming on the health of its president-in-waiting. – Reuters
Editorial: Assuming that Mr. Xi returns and takes office as planned, the pressure he faces for transparency and accountability will only grow. China appears headed for a significant economic slowdown, which means more dissatisfied citizens and less tolerance for governmental incompetence and corruption. If they are wise, Mr. Xi and Mr. Li will open the political system rather than allowing it to crumble around them. A good first step would be to tell the truth about their own activities. – Washington Post
Editorial: Here’s hoping that Mr. Xi recovers quickly from whatever is ailing him. When he presumably takes office as the Party’s General Secretary next month, he might consider revising the government’s information policy. But then Beijing will never fully win the trust of the Chinese people and the world until transparent and democratic institutions choose its leaders, and a President-elect vanishing for political reasons is unthinkable. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Patrick Chovanec writes: Many in Washington have developed a serious case of China-envy, seeing it as an exemplar of how to run an economy. In fact, Beijing’s mandarins are no better at picking winners, and just as prone to blow money on boondoggles, as their Beltway counterparts. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
East Asia
The Chinese government accused Japan on Tuesday of stealing a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, hours after the Japanese government announced that it had bought them from their private Japanese owners for nearly $30 million. – New York Times
A group of activists who triggered a confrontation between China and Japan by sailing to disputed islands on Aug. 15 revealed on Wednesday that their vessel was not seaworthy for a return to the islands and that they faced legal and financial barriers to repairing it. – New York Times
The United States cautioned China and Japan against escalating a row over a group of islands that both nations claim, warning that tensions between the world’s second and third-biggest economies would have global repercussions. – Reuters
Impoverished North Korea rejected South Korea’s offer of emergency food and medicines to help recover from devastating summer floods, two days after accepting what would have been the first shipment of government aid from Seoul in two years – Reuters
A probe into whether a U.N. agency’s shipments of computer equipment to Iran and North Korea breached U.N. and U.S. sanctions criticized the exports but found that they were legal. – Reuters
Popular Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto formally launches a bid for national power on Wednesday with a new political party that critics say taps simmering nationalist sentiment just as Japan faces increasingly strained ties with China and South Korea. – Reuters
Richard Katz writes: Yoshihiko Noda’s turn as Japanese prime minister appears to be nearing an end, and with it, the tenure of his Democratic Party of Japan. The DPJ’s rise to power in 2009 promised a new day, breaking the old ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s five-decade near stranglehold on Tokyo. Now, three years and three DPJ prime ministers later, the country is instead headed for a new era of political turbulence, party splits and realignments, and economic uncertainty. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
David Axe writes: America counts heavily on a cordon of allies stretching from Japan to the north down to Thailand, and across to India, in the highly unlikely event of war with China. But these same allies could draw the U.S. into strictly local disputes in which America does not always have a clear security interest and which could destabilize the region. – AOL Defense
Burma
A new foreign investment law should be promulgated in Myanmar soon, a senior minister said on Wednesday, after lawmakers compromised on certain proposals that were opposed by President Thein Sein who is keen to attract foreign companies. – Reuters
Russia
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia issued a decree on Tuesday that had the effect of prohibiting Gazprom, the state natural gas giant, from cooperating with European Union investigators trying to build an antitrust case against it. – New York Times
A Russia trade bill that would extend permanent normal trade relations with Moscow remained entrenched in political limbo on Tuesday. House leaders continue to argue that they aren’t seeing the action needed from the Senate or the Obama administration to pass a bill, yet. – The Hill’s On the Money
Europe
The weeklong fast being staged in tents outside the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest is the latest and most eye-catching protest against the policies of the country’s current prime minister, Viktor Orban, who has been accused of undermining Hungary’s young democracy. – New York Times
Journalists at TVi are bracing for another court verdict in a tax-evasion case that’s threatening to drive the television station, one of Ukraine’s few remaining independent media outlets, into bankruptcy. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
East Africa
Clashes between two tribal communities in Kenya’s restive Tana River area erupted again on Tuesday despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew, leaving four people dead, in violence that has driven out residents and brought renewed scrutiny of the country’s security situation. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
While international leaders on Tuesday urged Somalia’s new president to move swiftly to establish an inclusive government in order to rebuild his ruined nation, the Islamic militia that controls much of the country called him a traitor. – LA Times’ World Now
Central Africa
Rwandan authorities risk liability for war crimes as fresh allegations emerge of their continuing support for a rebellion in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. – Financial Times
Ugandan Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels killed one soldier and wounded six others in an ambush of a Central African Republic (CAR) army convoy in the remote east, local and defense officials said on Tuesday. – Reuters
