The World
By Alex Altman, Harriet Barovick, Gilbert Cruz, Adam Goodman, Kate Pickert, M.J. Stephey, Claire Suddath, Pelin Turgut
1 | Jerusalem Olmert Bows Out In a surprise announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not seek re-election and would step down after his party's Sept. 17 leadership vote. Olmert, currently under two separate criminal investigations over allegations of corruption, had already vowed to resign if charged. The news clears the way for a new government but will probably delay progress on Israeli-Palestinian relations.
2 | Moscow From Russia: Get Out Robert Dudley, CEO of TNK-BP, a lucrative joint venture between British oil giant BP and a Russian consortium, has left the country following what BP called a "campaign of harassment" by Russian authorities, aimed at gaining control of the company. Dudley continues to run TNK-BP, which provides a quarter of BP's global production, from a secret location.
3 | India A New Source of Terror At least 16 coordinated blasts rocked the western city of Ahmadabad on July 26, killing 45 people. Whereas previous attacks had been widely attributed to foreign militants, the Indian Mujahedin claimed responsibility for the bombings--raising the specter of domestic terrorism and highlighting mounting unrest among India's Muslim minority.
4 | Washington Awkward Questions Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' senior aides at the Department of Justice regularly broke the law by basing hiring decisions for career posts on political considerations, according to an internal report released on July 28. The report singled out Monica Goodling, a top aide who routinely quizzed candidates about their political ideology even though it was illegal and against department policy to do so. Some of her interview questions: "Why are you a Republican?" "What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?" "Aside from the President, give us an example of someone currently or recently in public service who you admire." "Tell us about your political philosophy."
5 | Seattle Earnings Now--and Later Every college graduate knows that not all careers are created equal. But according to a new report from salary-survey company PayScale, differences in earnings can widen with time. Results for the 10 most popular college majors: [The following descriptive text appears within a diagram. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]
MEDIAN SALARIES FOR THOSE WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE ONLY
Less than five years' experience
Ten to 20 years' experience
$43,000 $72,100
Business
$35,900 $60,400
Psychology
$54,200 $67,000
Nursing
$38,800 $64,800
Biology
$34,900 $52,000
Education
$38,000 $64,700
English
$50,100 $98,600
Economics
$38,100 $70,000
Communications
$40,800 $78,200
Political Science
$55,900 $95,500
Computer Science
SOURCES: PAYSCALE; PRINCETON REVIEW
6 | Tanzania CONSTANT PERIL Albinos in this East African nation are fearing for their lives after the latest in a rash of ritualistic murders. More than 20 albinos, who suffer from a genetic disorder that results in sensitive, pigmentless skin, blond hair and blue eyes, have been killed in the past year. The main suspects are local witch doctors, who sell albino organs and hacked-off body parts as good-luck charms. In April, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete appointed an albino to be a Member of Parliament and ordered a crackdown on witch doctors.
7 | Turkey A Reprieve for the Ruling Party Turkey's highest court narrowly ruled against banning the governing AK Party over charges that its allegedly Islamist agenda violated the country's secular constitution, but the court sent a "serious warning" by slashing its state funding. Many had feared a ban would spark political chaos, threatening Turkey's E.U. bid.
8 | Geneva Free-Trade Failure After seven years of negotiations, the World Trade Organization's Doha round of free-trade talks collapsed over reluctance to relinquish protective trade barriers. Though the U.S. and the E.U. offered to reduce their farming subsidies, talks reached an impasse as China and India, emboldened by their rapid economic growth, insisted on the right to protect their farmers from competition and refused to accept a compromise.
9 | Washington Fending Off Foreclosure The massive Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 offers U.S. homeowners, lenders and local communities some relief from the mortgage crisis. The bill is nearly 700 pages, but here's a highlight reel: o An increase in the federal debt limit from $9.8 trillion to $10.6 trillion, to cover a possible bailout of the beleaguered mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae o $300 billion in mortgage-refinancing funds backed by the Federal Housing Administration o $180 million in counseling and legal services for homeowners facing foreclosure o Tax credits of up to $7,500 for new homebuyers, to be paid back over time o $4 billion in grants for local communities to buy and renovate foreclosed properties
10 | Washington A Political Veteran Indicted A federal grand jury has charged Alaska Senator Ted Stevens with concealing more than $250,000 in gifts from an Alaskan oil-infrastructure company, including major construction work on his home. Stevens, 84, was charged with seven counts of failing to report the gifts on public disclosure forms. The Senate's longest-serving Republican member, he has given up powerful posts on the Commerce and Appropriations committees while maintaining that the charges are false.
What They're Watching in the Middle East A syrupy Turkish soap opera has millions of viewers across the Arab world hooked--and their clerics seething. Religious leaders from Bahrain to the West Bank have condemned Noor for being "replete with wickedness, evil and moral collapse," in the words of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti. The show has drawn ire over its portrayal of egalitarian marriage--the heroine's husband supports her career in fashion--and characters who drink and date. Despite the criticism, 3 million to 4 million people in Saudi Arabia are tuning in daily.