IRAN
Panetta warns Iran not to meddle in Iraq
AFP — October 26, 2011
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday warned Iran that it should not meddle in Iraq when American forces leave the country at the end of this year.
Iran Makes New Arrests in Fraud Case
Rick Gladstone, New York Times — October 25, 2011
The Iranian authorities have widened their investigation into what they say is a record $2.6 billion embezzlement uncovered in a network of Iranian banks last month, interrogating at least 67 people and putting 31 of them under arrest, state media reported.
NORTH KOREA
US Envoy: N. Korea Talks ‘Positive, Constructive’
Voice of America — October 25, 2011
Talks between the United States and North Korea on resuming stalled nuclear negotiations have ended in Geneva, with a U.S. official calling them “positive and constructive.”
Top UN relief official urges US, NKorea to avoid humanitarian aid discussions at nuclear talks
The Washington Post — October 24, 2011
The U.N.’s top relief official says nuclear talks in Switzerland between the United States and North Korea should avoid discussions of humanitarian assistance for the chronically hungry Asian country.
Official: May be ‘weeks and months’ before North Korea responds on talks
Jill Dougherty, CNN — October 26, 2011
A senior State Department official is tempering expectations on how quickly North Korea could respond to just-concluded discussions with the United States in Geneva, Switzerland.
LIBYA
Libya to NATO: Stay until the end of the year
Ariel Zirulnick, Christian Science Monitor — October 26, 2011
Although NATO seems poised to bring its Libya mission to an end, the transitional government has asked it to remain through the end of 2011 to help ensure security.
Gaddafi’s home town Sirte blasted into the Dark Ages
Wyre Davies, BBC News — October 26, 2011
Across Libya in recent days, people have been partying, crowds gathering in public places and everyone has been looking forward to building a new country after more than 40 years of stifling, dictatorial rule.
UNITED STATES
Boehner Rips Russia’s Soviet-Style Behavior
Mike Emanuel, Fox News — October 26, 2011
Two and a half years after the Obama administration “reset” relations with Russia, House Speaker John Boehner says he’s troubled that the country seems to be slipping back into its Soviet-era ways.
Obama Tells Leno Qaddafi’s Last Moments Shouldn’t Be Relished
Kate Andersen Brower, San Francisco Chronicle — October 26, 2011
President Barack Obama said no one should take enjoyment from the images of Muammar Qaddafi’s final moments after he was captured while trying to escape his besieged hometown in Libya last week.
