Quickhits - Loose Holiday Blogging

A very weird article on CNN. Supposedly,

More than 300,000 Iraqi Shiites have signed a petition calling for an end to what they say are "Iranian terrorist interferences in Iraq" and demanding the United Nations investigate the Islamic republic's involvement in Iraq.

(They cover it straight, but there's gotta be some backstory. The Iraqi based, anti-Iranian group MEK is involved.)

(Xinhua) Iraqi soldiers have encircled a camp in Kurdish Iraq near the Turkish border. They are running checkpoints for PKK, but it also sounds like they've largely shut down access.

(Reuters) Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif is going to try to return to Pakistan (again) within days. The report is that he's straightened things out with the Saudis. (King Abdullah was scheduled to meet with Musharraf sometime.)

(AP) Syria is deciding whether or not to attend the US Mideast peace meeting. (Something to watch as the US is trying to use this to pry Syria away from Iran and Hamas.)

(Reuters) "Lebanon's parliamentary speaker postponed a vote on Friday that was the last chance to choose a president before the pro-Syrian head of state, Emile Lahoud, leaves office at midnight."

(AP) "Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that his government has had increasing contact with Taliban insurgents this year, including several talks this week with militant leaders living in exile."

And, bombings in Russia, Northern India, and Baghdad.