The latest news on Iraq-war, immigration, early childhood education, Iraq-politics, Darfur, Israel, Asian poverty, Kenyan women, Dem debate, Giuliani, Evangelicals and global warming, and select editorials and op-eds.
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Immigration. Government Set for a Crackdown on Illegal Hiring“In a new effort to crack down on illegal immigrants, federal authorities are expected to announce tough rules this week that would require employers to fire workers who use false Social Security numbers. Officials said the rules would be backed up by stepped-up raids on workplaces across the country that employ illegal immigrants.” Republicans pan Specter immigration alternative “Mr. Specter now suggests the 12 million illegal aliens he says are already here should be given the equivalent of “green card” status but “without the automatic path to citizenship” that critics labeled “amnesty.”

Early childhood education. Study links early education to greater success “Low-income children who attended a comprehensive early-childhood education program were more likely as adults to go to college, get jobs and stay out of the criminal-justice system, a study released this week says.” Chicago early education program for low-income children shows results “More than 20 years later, educational attainment is higher and felony arrests are lower for the alumni of a Chicago early intervention program for low-income children.”

Iraq-war. U.S. force in Iraq largest of the war “The size of the U.S. force in Iraq has reached nearly 162,000 troops, the largest American presence at any point during the 52 months of the war, Pentagon officials said.” U.S. Says Iran-Supplied Bomb Is Killing More Troops in Iraq “Attacks on American forces in Iraq using a lethal type of roadside bomb said to be supplied by Iran reached a new high in July, according to the U.S. military.”

Iraq-politics. Al-Maliki arrives in Iran “Iraq’s prime minister has arrived in Iran for talks aimed at securing Tehran’s support in restoring security to the country.” Pressed by U.S., a Wary U.N. Now Plans Larger Iraq Role “The United Nations has offered to increase its presence in Baghdad for the first time in more than three years, after repeated appeals from the Bush administration for the world body to play a more active role in mediating Iraq’s sectarian disputes.”

Darfur. Hope builds for Darfur “U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew S. Natsios said yesterday that momentum is building for a political settlement to the Darfur crisis after rebel groups agreed on a common platform last week for talks with the Sudanese government.” UN says Darfur peacekeepers mainly from Africa “The United Nations said it has received pledges of troops and police for a predominantly African peacekeeping force to help end the four-year-old conflict in Darfur that has claimed more than 200,000 lives, … Many countries from Africa, several from Asia, one from the Middle East and none from the West were included in a preliminary list of countries that have offered personnel for the 26,000-strong joint force,”

Israel. 30 injured, four arrested as police evacuate families, supporters from Hebron market “According to police, 11 policeman were wounded in the skirmishes that erupted at the market, where Jewish settlers and right-wing activists were illegally occupying several buildings.” Thirty hurt as police evict Jewish settlers from Hebron “The two settler families evicted yesterday had moved into a two-storey building in the city centre’s long-closed market area last autumn but ignored a supreme court order to leave. Hundreds of supporters joined them in recent days, ahead of yesterday’s operation.” Soldiers’ refusal to heed West Bank evacuation orders roils Israel “Israel is awash in debate over whether its army can tolerate soldiers who won’t carry out orders they oppose ideologically. The answer from the army is no; it is sending those soldiers to jail.” Barak blasts soldiers who refused orders “Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemned the decision of 12 Duchifat Battalion soldiers to refuse to participate in the evacuation of Jewish settlers from Hebron, and stressed that “any phenomena of refusing [orders] has no place in the army.”

Asian poverty. ADB warns on rising inequality in Asia “China and Nepal have the largest rich-poor gaps in Asia following a decade in which income distribution in the region has become increasingly skewed in favour of the rich, according to a new study by the Asian Development Bank. … A majority of the 22 developing countries in the study, ranging from central Asia to Indonesia in south-east Asia, registered increases in inequality over the last decade,”

Kenyan women. Kenyan women push for MPs quota “Kenyan women have launched a campaign to collect 1m signatures to lobby MPs to reserve 50 seats in parliament for women before elections later this year. Some 10,000 women attended a rally in the capital, Nairobi, calling for the Affirmative Action Bill to be passed.”

Dem debate. War on Terror Takes Focus at Democrats’ Debate“The Democratic presidential candidates tangled over foreign policy, criticizing Senator Barack Obama for proposing an attack against Al Qaeda in Pakistan.” Democrats debate before union members in Chicago “Two of the leading Democratic presidential candidates found themselves repeatedly under attack Tuesday evening at Soldier Field, one for recent foreign policy statements and the other for taking money from lobbyists.”

Giuliani. Giuliani sets agenda with 12-point vow “Taking his cue from “The Contract with America,” which Republicans credit with catapulting them into control of Congress in 1994, Giuliani is campaigning across the country on his “12 Commitments,” a list he unveiled in June of what he intends to do if he’s elected president.”

Evangelicals and global warming. Warming Draws Evangelicals Into Environmentalist Fold “the result of a years-long international campaign by British bishops and leaders of major U.S. environmental groups to bridge a long-standing divide between global-warming activists and American evangelicals. The emerging rapprochement is regarded by some as a sign of how dramatically U.S. public sentiment has shifted on global warming in recent years.”

Editorial. UN ‘resolve’ on Darfur (Chicago Tribune) “It’s hard to be optimistic about the UN Security Council’s toothless resolution — gee, why does that phrase ring a bell? — to send a peacekeeping force to Darfur. Four years in the making, the resolution calls for of 26,000 international troops who will be authorized to defend themselves or to protect civilians — but not to disarm the rebels or the deadly government-sponsored militias before they attack civilians.”

Op-ed. Ron Paul big on ‘Net, but media don’t notice (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune) “Of all the interesting little fish swimming beneath the currents of the major candidates in this presidential campaign season, none is making waves as surprising as those kicked up by Rep. Ron Paul.”