well, that could have gone better

BBC: up to $23 billion gone missing in Iraq

WashPost: militias go after opposition in Zimbabwe
"The opposition says at least 60 of its supporters have been killed in the past two months. Tsvangirai, who has been the target of at least three assassination attempts, left Zimbabwe after the March vote but returned in late May to campaign for the runoff."

NYT: Indonesian terror network on the run
"The deadliest terrorist networks in Southeast Asia have suffered significant setbacks in the past three years, weakened by aggressive policing, improved intelligence, enhanced military operations and an erosion of public support, government officials and counterterrorism specialists say."

Economist: navies getting bigger and better in Asia
"Is this an arms race? As Asia's defence ministers and military chiefs gathered in Singapore last weekend for their main annual summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue (organised by the IISS), the conclusion of most analysts seemed to be: not yet. A classic arms race, says Mr Huxley, consists of two main countries that have one dominating dispute. Asia is different. Instead, it has the makings of a pair of opposing alliances. A “quad” group (India, America, Australia and Japan) plus Singapore now conduct naval manoeuvres together. So do China and Pakistan. But China and India seem keen to avoid provoking each other. Indeed, they are seeking to build good relations between their navies."

WashPost: the head of Saddam's tribe killed in a bomb blast

BBC: Pakistani lawyers begin "long march" from Sukkur to Islamabad against Musharraf
"The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the rally could be the first real challenge to Pakistan's fragile new civilian government. It could also increase tensions in the government as the junior partner, the Pakistan Muslim League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (PML-N), is taking part in the demonstrations. On Monday, about 4,000 activists from various political parties gathered in Karachi and chanted slogans such as "Go, Musharraf, Go!" and "Musharraf is an American dog!""

Gdn: Burma releases a few opposition activists

Indian Express: RAND says the Pakistani ISI still backing militants
"The study by Rand Corporation, funded by the US Department of Defence, finds that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate and Frontier Corps have failed to root out Afghan insurgent groups based in Pakistan and, in some cases, individuals from these Pakistani organisations have provided direct assistance to such groups as the Taliban and Haqqani network."

Hindu: ethnic protest by Gorkha group shuts down tea and tourist center Darjeeling; West Bengal government not amused

Independent: Chavez says era of armed struggle in Latin America is over
"The armed revolutionary has no place in modern Latin America, the Venezuelan President has declared. Catching his critics off guard, Hugo Chavez called on the Marxist rebel army in neighbouring Colombia to lay down its arms and release its hostages, declaring that guerrilla armies are now "out of place"."

NYT: South Korea becomes home of virtual golf