Saturday morning roundup

An internal dispute is preventing the Israeli government from agreeing to a settlement freeze, according to French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner. Kouchner said the "central pillars" of the Israeli government didn't agree on how to proceed -- likely a reference to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman and defense minister Ehud Barak.

Get sick, go to jail? The governor of Egypt's Suez province said yesterday that his government will prosecute anyone who catches bird flu. They'll face the charge of "raising birds" -- which apparently carries fines and/or a jail sentence. Egypt has ordered citizens to destroy thousands of chickens after the most recent bird flu outbreak.

At least four people were killed when a car bomb went off in a market in Kukchali, a mixed Sunni/Shi'a area on the outskirts of Mosul. 40 were wounded, according to Iraqi police. It's at least the fifth attack in Mosul this week. (You can track the violence in Iraq on our interactive map.)

Israeli tourism on the Sinai is drying up. Just 66,000 Israelis have passed through the Taba border crossing this year, according to the Israeli Airports Authority, which manages the crossing. That's half as many as last year -- and less than one-third as many as 2004. Tourism has declined over fears of terrorism on the Sinai, which has seen several high-profile attacks -- in Taba, Sharm al-Shaikh and Dahab -- in the past five years.

Iraq won its first home football match since 2002, defeating the Palestinian team 3-0 in a friendly contest in Irbil. About 25,000 fans packed into Fransou Hariri Stadium to watch; others sat on the roofs of nearby buildings. Iraq's last home game was a 2-1 victory over Syria in 2002.

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Keeping secrets

The French president allegedly urged Benjamin Netanyahu to get rid of his ultra-conservative foreign minister.

Slumping Sinai

The recession is having an impact on the Egyptian tourism industry, particularly the less-developed cities like Nuweiba and Taba.

Extra TSA security backfires as Pakistani legislators refuse to get screened

Mubarak: Out of intensive care, on the telephone

Chalabi, Lami want to retroactively bar 55 candidates

Al-Akhbar: Our weekly brief

Peace Processing

Biden arrives in Israel amid serious Palestinian doubts

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife arrived in Israel on Monday.
As Joe Biden lands in Israel, the Israeli government -- obviously keen to demonstrate that it's serious about restarting peace talks -- announced Monday that it will violate its West Bank settlement freeze and build 112 new homes in Beitar Illit, a settlement west of Bethlehem.

Iraqi Elections

Polls close in Iraq; media reports suggest strong turnout, relative calm

An Iraqi man on a bicycle displays his ink-stained finger after voting in Baghdad on March 7, 2010. (Photo: AP)
A handful of insurgent attacks around the country killed two dozen people, but Iraqi security forces seemed generally confident; the vehicle ban in Baghdad, scheduled to last all day, was lifted before noon. Anecdotal reports suggest a strong turnout across the country.

Iraqi Elections

Campaigning stops, voting starts; scattered violence in Baghdad, Mosul

Iraqi policemen show their ink-stained fingers after voting outside a polling station in Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. (Photo: Reuters)
Iraq's campaign season wrapped up today, 48 hours ahead of the election, as soldiers and medical personnel voted early. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and police will be on duty Sunday for the general election, when millions of Iraqis will vote at some 10,00 polling centers around the country (and abroad).