The latest news on Iraq Anniversary, AIG Bonuses, Fed Aids Economy, Service Programs Expand, Death Penalty, Teen Pregnancy, Church Mortgages, Army 'Stop-Loss' Program, Afghanistan Surge, Israel-Palestine, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Select Op-eds.

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Iraq anniversary. Is the Iraq war over? Iraqis, Americans see it differently "Six years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, Americans and Iraqis for the first time have starkly different views about the country's future. Americans are ready to close the book on the war, but Iraqis say the story is far from over."

AIG bonuses. AIG Chief Asks That Awards Be Returned "The chief executive of American International Group, trying to quell the wrath of the public and politicians over millions of dollars in bonuses, told Congress yesterday that he had just asked a few hundred employees of the beleaguered insurance company to give back at least half of the extra pay." In AIG flap, it's not just about bonuses anymore "The firestorm over American International Group is spreading beyond executive bonuses, with lawmakers and policy experts now questioning virtually all aspects of the taxpayer-financed rescue package for the insurance giant."

Fed aids economy. Fed to Pump $1.2 Trillion Into Markets "The Federal Reserve yesterday escalated its massive campaign to stabilize the economy, saying it would flood the financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion." Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy "The Federal Reserve sharply stepped up its efforts to bolster the economy on Wednesday, announcing that it would pump an extra $1 trillion into the financial system by purchasing Treasury bonds and mortgage securities." Federal Reserve moves to bring down interest rates on mortgages, consumer loans "Escalating the government's already aggressive effort to revive the struggling economy, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would spend an additional $1 trillion to bring down interest rates on home mortgages and other business and consumer loans."

Service programs expand. House Passes Expansion of Programs for Service "The House voted Wednesday to approve the largest expansion of government-sponsored service programs since President John F. Kennedy first called for the creation of a national community service corps in 1963."

Death penalty. New Mexico governor agrees to abolish death penalty after visit to state's death chamber "Gov. Bill Richardson, who has supported capital punishment, signed legislation to repeal New Mexico's death penalty, calling it the 'most difficult decision in my political life.'"

Teen pregnancy. Teenage Birthrate Increases For Second Consecutive Year "The rate at which teenage girls in the United States are having babies has risen for a second year in a row, government statistics show, putting one of the nation's most successful social and public health campaigns in jeopardy." 2007 brings a record 4.31M babies "The USA's banner year for babies in 2007 set a record of 4.31 million - and was driven in large part by growing numbers of unmarried adult women giving birth, new government data show."

Church mortgages. Mortgage crisis hits churches "Foreclosures and delinquencies for congregations are rising, according to companies that specialize in church mortgages. With credit scarce, church construction sites have gone quiet, holding shells of sanctuaries that were meant to be completed months ago."

Army 'stop-loss' program. Army to Phase Out 'Stop-Loss' Practice "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced yesterday that the Army will phase out the unpopular practice of 'stop-loss,' which mandates that soldiers stay in the Army beyond their service obligation, over the next two years." 'Stop-Loss' Will All but End by 2011, Gates Says "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Wednesday that, over two years, he would all but eliminate an unpopular practice that has prevented tens of thousands of active-duty soldiers and reservists from leaving military service on time if they were scheduled to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan." Army to end forced extended tours "The number of soldiers forced to remain in the military past their enlistment period under the government's 'stop-loss' program will be cut in half within 15 months under a plan that will virtually eliminate the practice within two years, the Defense Department said Wednesday."

Afghanistan surge. Civilians to Join Afghan Buildup "A civilian 'surge' of hundreds of additional U.S. officials in Afghanistan would accompany the already approved increase in U.S. troop levels there under a new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy being completed at the White House, according to administration officials." U.S. prepares civilian 'surge' in Afghanistan to complement higher troop levels "Top aides to President Barack Obama are recommending that the United States combine a boost in military deployments with a steep increase in civilian experts to combat a growing insurgency in Afghanistan, senior U.S. officials said Wednesday." Obama's Afghanistan 'surge': diplomats, civilian specialists "President Barack Obama is planning a major 'surge' into Afghanistan of diplomats and civilian specialists steeped in running elections, fighting corruption and battling narcotics trafficking as part of a counterinsurgency strategy to stabilize the country, current and former U.S. officials said on Wednesday." U.S. Plans Expanded Afghan Security Force "President Obama and his advisers have decided to significantly expand Afghanistan's security forces in the hope that a much larger professional army and national police force could fill a void left by the central government and do more to promote stability in the country, according to senior administration and Pentagon officials."

Israel-Palestine. IDF in Gaza: Killing civilians, vandalism, and lax rules of engagement "During Operation Cast Lead, Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under permissive rules of engagement and intentionally destroyed their property, say soldiers who fought in the offensive." IDF orders probe into allegations over Gaza war "In the wake of an Haaretz expose, the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday ordered an investigation into soldiers' accounts of alleged misconduct and serious violations of the army's rules of engagement." After Gaza, Israel Grapples With Crisis of Isolation "Israel, whose founding idea was branded as racism by the United Nations General Assembly in 1975 and which faced an Arab boycott for decades, is no stranger to isolation. But in the weeks since its Gaza war, and as it prepares to inaugurate a hawkish right-wing government, it is facing its worst diplomatic crisis in two decades."

Pakistan. Reconciliation Urged in Pakistan Crisis "Pakistan's ruling party, which narrowly survived a meltdown this week in the face of massive street demonstrations, is working to regroup and regain credibility despite the weakened position of its top leader, President Asif Ali Zardari." Obama urged to escalate drone bombing raids deep into Pakistan "President Obama is under pressure to extend U.S. missile strikes against suspected Taliban leaders into the Pakistani city of Quetta under recommendations from national security experts reviewing U.S. policy in the region."

Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka: dispute over how to help civilians in war zone "As fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels intensifies in northeast Sri Lanka, calls to spare as many as 180,000 trapped civilians are growing. But in the debate over how far to push a warring government, caution is guiding the international response.

Opinion. Tithing for world in need (Julia Duin, Washington Times) "When President Obama released his faith advisory council list last month, Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, was the last of 15 names." The Daily Me (Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times) "When we go online, each of us is our own editor, our own gatekeeper. We select the kind of news and opinions that we care most about. Nicholas Negroponte of M.I.T. has called this emerging news product The Daily Me. And if that's the trend, God save us from ourselves." Our Must-Win War (John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, Washington Post) "Later this month, the Obama administration will unveil a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. This comes as most important indicators in Afghanistan are pointing in the wrong direction. President Obama's decision last month to deploy an additional 17,000 U.S. troops was an important step in the right direction, but a comprehensive overhaul of our war plan is needed, and quickly." Road Map for Afghanistan (David Ignatius, Washington Post) "Last October, the Bush administration arranged a briefing for aides to Barack Obama and John McCain on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Among the expert advisers was David Kilcullen, an Australian counterinsurgency guru who had been one of the architects of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq."