three cheers for cricket

NYT: US military commanders want more attacks in the tribal region of Pakistan
"Pakistan’s government has given the Central Intelligence Agency limited authority to kill Arab and other foreign operatives in the tribal areas, using remotely piloted Predator aircraft. But administration officials say the Pakistani government has put far greater restrictions on American operations against indigenous Pakistani militant groups...Administration officials say the risk of angering the new government in Pakistan and stirring increased anti-American sentiment in the tribal areas outweighs the benefits of dismantling militant networks in the region."
WP: across the border, Afghan forces trained by US Special Forces seem to be improving

NYT: Iraqi Army reclaims last Mahdi Army stronghold in Basra
LAT: in Najaf, residents fear coming intra-Shiite clash
Ind: in Anbar, the intra-Sunni split seems to deepen

WP: Israeli soldier documented the 2006 war in Lebanon
Gdn: it's almost the 60th anniversary of Israel
WP: Carter meets with Hamas leaders

BBC: Druze in Syria remember uprising against the French

BBC: instability in Yemen

BBC: fighting again in Somalia

BBC: one Moroccan dissident's story

AP: recount begins in Zimbabwe
Ind: opposition leader Tsvangirai waits it out in exile
NYT: Chinese arms shipment destined for Zimbabwe waylaid in Durban
"Dock workers at the port, backed by South Africa’s powerful unions, refused to unload the ammunition and weapons on Friday, vowing protests and threatening violence if the government tried to do it without them."

BBC: villages "discovered" in the Congo, mapped with GPS

BBC: heavy fighting in the capital of Burundi, apparently between army and rebel group FNL
AP: ...it continued through the weekend

Gdn: Bhutan expelling ethnic Nepalese, again
"Now a combination of divisions among the refugees, renewed tension inside Bhutan and the surprise election victory by Maoists in Nepal, is threatening a plan that finally gives hope to 107,000 refugees who have been languishing in camps in eastern Nepal for the last 17 years. Tens of thousands of unregistered refugees are living stateless and in abject poverty in Nepal and India."

BBC: president of Nauru, "tiny" South Pacific Republic, calls snap elections

BBC: martial law in Thailand to be relaxed

Gdn: gangs fighting turf battle on outskirts of Paris

BBC: vigilante justice reportedly on the rise in Bolivia

NYT: food shortages causing crises
Chris Blattman: but the story's analysis less than stellar

WP: Mozambican singer recognized for addressing taboo subjects

WP: um, cultural exchange: the Redskins cheerleaders and cricket