BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Cabinet announced that it had forced out three high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Trade as part of an anti-corruption plan. Three lower-ranking ministry officials were also dismissed. The Trade Ministry controls some of the most visible commodities in Iraq, operates the $5.3 billion program to provide monthly ration baskets for all Iraqis and supervises imports of new cars. It also oversees the importing of grain, seeds and construction materials. The directors general of the state company for cars and machinery, the legal department and the private sector directorate were all forced into early retirement, while lower-ranking officials were pushed out of the grain-importation department and the division in charge of importing construction materials.
Georgia's president to reshape government
UNITED NATIONS: Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili told the U.N. General Assembly yesterday that his major government overhaul, which he calls a "Second Rose Revolution," will guard against Russian encroachment. The plan includes stronger checks and balances in government, more independence for Parliament and the judiciary, and increased funding for opposition parties. Georgia's first "Rose Revolution" in 2003 displaced President Eduard A. Shevardnadze without bloodshed.
