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Summary: U.S. In an Editors' Note, the New York Times conceded today that its report that President Chavez of Venezuela said he regretted not having met Noam Chomsky before his death was in error. (The Times had given great emphasis to the report and the claim was repeated by other media outlets.) The Times acknowledged that readers (Just Foreign Policy, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and the Venezuela Information Office, among others) quickly pointed out the error to The Times. The Times acknowledged that editors and reporters should have been more thorough earlier in checking the accuracy of its report. (In refusing earlier to run a correction, a Times editor told Just Foreign Policy that its reporter had thoroughly checked a recording of the press conference.)
Senator Warner said Thursday the US should consider a "change of course" in Iraq if violence did not diminish soon. His comments underscored the growing misgivings of even senior Republicans about Iraq, the New York Times reports. Warner said the Iraqi government is incapable of providing even basic human necessities to people in some areas of the country, the Washington Post reports. Warner acknowledged that before the invasion of Iraq he failed to aggressively ask questions about what would happen afterwards. One hopes this heightened sense of responsibility will have an impact on Congressional deliberations over U.S. threats to attack Iran.
US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan lack proper equipment, are overstretched and face serious health problems upon their return home, according to a poll released by VoteVets.org.
New York University historian Tony Judt claimed new ammunition for his charge that pro-Israel groups use their influence to stifle debate, Jewish Week reports. Hours before he was to give a talk about the Israel lobby at the Polish Consulate, Poland's consul general canceled the event after being contacted by the Anti-Defamation League and other organizations.
President Bush and Secretary of State Rice may believe they have broken with 60 years of U.S. policy to "transform" the Middle East, but their latest initiatives look painfully familiar, Jim Lobe writes for Inter Press Service. Its effort to forge an alliance between Sunni-led authoritarian states and Israel against Iran - recalls Cold-War efforts to get these countries to focus on a supposed threat from the Soviet Union rather than their demands for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
U.S. and European negotiators reached an interim deal Friday on sharing trans-Atlantic air passenger data for anti-terrorism investigations. EU officials said the agreement would address European privacy concerns.
Iran A travel delay forced the US and its partners to postpone until early next week a decision about what punitive actions to take against Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. officials said the decision will likely be made in a conference call among foreign ministers Monday or Tuesday. The US wants to impose sanctions on Iran in a U.N. resolution, but Russia said Thursday it still does not back sanctions. China has been reluctant to impose sanctions, while France has also not been enthusiastic. President Ahmadinejad has said Iran would not give up its enrichment program because it is operating within the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iraq A purported spokesman for a Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, offered to open negotiations with the US in a tape aired by Al-Jazeera Thursday. "We are prepared for any negotiations, whether secret or public, on the condition only that they are sincere," the tape said.
Open Doors, an international charity serving Christians in 60 countries, has warned of a sharp upturn in violence against Christians in Iraq.
A letter from Al Qaeda leaders found in Iraq shows that the group sees the war as a boon for its cause, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
Lebanon Nearly three people have been wounded or killed each day by cluster bombs Israel dropped in the waning days of the war in Lebanon and officials say it will take more than a year to clear them, the New York Times reports. As of Sept. 28, officials said cluster bombs had severely wounded 109 people and killed 18 others.
Palestine Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh on Friday urged President Abbas to resume talks on forming a national unity coalition after Abbas threatened to dissolve the Hamas-led government. Haniyeh vowed no government in which the Hamas movement served would recognize Israel.
Syria Pride in Hezbollah's perceived triumph in Lebanon has fostered respect and a small but escalating number of politically sensitive conversions for the Shiite faith in Syria, the Washington Post reports.
Turkey Some writers charged with "insulting Turkishness" under Turkey's article 301 say the turmoil is forcing a national debate about what it means to be a democracy that is pushing democracy forward, the New York Times reports.
Thailand Thailand's military has agreed to hold talks with Muslim rebels involved in an insurgency in the country's south, the army chief said Thursday.
Bolivia President Morales of Bolivia is on the US government's "no fly" anti-terror list, CBS News reports.
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-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org
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