Quickhits

(BBC) Pakistan nuclear staff go missing. (Not as bad as it sounds, they were surveying "mineral deposits." They weren't enrichment specialists. Just a kidnapping.)

(SameArticle) "The technicians went missing on the same day as Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, was reportedly abducted in the same region."

(NYTimes) The ceasefire in Waziristan with Taleban figure and Bhutto killer Baitullah Mehsud is understandably raising concerns.

(CNN) A Russian bomber twice "buzzed" a US aircraft carrier.

In Iraq, (AP) "Al-Qaida in Iraq appears to have regained some footing with a series of high-profile and deadly bombings over the past two weeks and a sabotage blast Monday that may leave parts of northern Iraq without electricity until next week."

(TheAge) The carbombs yesterday in Baghdad seem to be part of that campaign, targeting a meeting of US and Sunni militia leaders from Anbar.

And, (Reuters) "Iraq's government faces collapse unless lingering disputes over this year's budget can be resolved, the parliamentary speaker warned on Monday, after attempts to pass the bill broke down again."