234

Iran to charge 3 American hikers with espionage (CNN, BBC, Guardian) - A couple of points. A) If they were spies, they would have had better land navigation skills, and wouldn't have strayed into Iranian territory. B) As we found out during the Spring of 2007, the Iranians aren't above crossing borders to detain people. I know I'm not exactly dispassionate in this situation, but as far as I'm concerned, Iran's all wet.

Chinese Premier Pledges $10B of Aid to Poor African Nations (AP, BBC, Times - You can bet that this money has long-term strings attached. China's adventures in Africa are chock full of bad mojo.

Nine executed over Xinjiang riots (BBC, Guardian)

Berlin Wall Galleries (Guardian, Times)

Guardian: Iran's top-down [nuclear negotiation] unity; AFP: Iran Tested New Nuke Design; Refuses To Export Enriched Uranium

BBC: Yemen rebels 'down fighter jet'

Guardian: Civil unrest has a role in stopping climate change, says Al Gore - Manbearpig. Manbearpig, manbearpig, manbearpig. MANBEARPIG.

Guardian: The pope's Anglican division

Guardian: No honeymoon for Hamid Karzai

Times: Allies 'may abandon northern Helmand'

Times: Poppies evoke foreign field of Afghanistan

Wired Danger Room: Rebooting Afghanistan's Low Tech Air Force

Wired Danger Room: Avril Lavigne, David Axe in Afghan Firefight - Idiot...

Michael Totten: Post-Communist Postcards - Just photos, but really, really fascinating.

Cracked: The 7 Most Badass Last Stands in the History of Battle

Last, but certainly not least: happy 234th birthday to the Leathernecks of the United States Marine Corps. Oorah!