Iraq

(Reuters) The deBaathification reform looks to be dead. In an interview, Sunni VP Hashemi said he would not sign off on the new law.

(Same Interview?) Hashemi also said that "he was cautiously optimistic that the main Sunni political bloc would return to the Shi'ite-led government."

(AP) In the long term "status of forces" agreement the Bush administration is trying to get out of the Iraqis to replace the UN mandate, the US wants the ability to freely operate to go after Al Qaeda in the future. (Imagine if any other government agreed to give a foreign military free discretionary reign in perpetuity.)

(AP) Two big bombings in the pet markets in Baghdad, at least 64 killed.

(AP) "Violence returned Thursday to the southern city of Basra, where militants pummeled Britain's airport base with 20 rockets and British gunners answered with volleys of artillery. Civilians were killed and wounded in the crossfire."

(CNN) "Also Thursday, a spokesman for the Polish military said Poland will withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of October."

The NYTimes has a piece on the power and politics of the Kurds. Their claims on Kirkuk and support of the Maliki government are undermining them to the rest of Iraq.