Morning Buzz: Oct. 16, 2007

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will meet President Bush today. Tomorrow the Dalai Lama will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in Washington. Beijing has said the visit is bad for U.S.-China relations.

A new report shows that pirate attacks are up 14 percent in the first nine months of 2007, with the waters bordering Somalia and Nigeria experiencing the biggest hike in attacks. The International Maritime Bureau said a total of 198 attacks occurred on ships in the first nine months of this year, up from 174 in the same period in 2006. A total of 15 vessels have been hijacked, with 63 crew members kidnapped and three killed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran today and warned the United States not to use a former Soviet republic to stage an attack on Iran, making a clear reference to rumors that the United States would use Azerbaijan as a staging ground to coordinate an attack against the Middle Eastern nation.