The BBC's Urdu-language service is reporting, and Agence France Presse says it has confirmed, that a senior officer in the Pakistani army has been taken into custody and is suspected of having ties to "a banned organization."

Stephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renee Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University.

Incredible as this sounds, ash from a volcano in Chile that starting erupting more than two weeks ago is now disrupting air travel to Australia and New Zealand for the second time.

Particles spewed into the air on June 4 and subsequent days have made their way around the world twice. There's concern that they could damage jet engines.

Jonathan Cohn is a senior editor at The New Republic.

Television talk shows tend to reinforce the misperceptions of our political debate. But a segment on CNN this Sunday was the rare exception, because it showcased what Republicans really think about the economy — and what might happen if their preferred policies prevail.

It's hard to imagine, at a time when we're mostly thinking about the beach and the next cycle of empty-headed summer TV fare like Jersey Shore. But the powers that be in Hollywood are selecting what will be hailed as the best examples of television excellence right now – voting on final nominees for the Emmy awards.

Ballots featuring potential nominees were posted online for Emmy academy voters last week; votes are due Friday. Which means most TV critics are making noise right now about who they'd like to see recognized.

Including me.

Jeff Bergner has worked in the private sector and in the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government.

With President Obama expected to announce on Wednesday some details about how fast and how soon the 30,000-or-so "surge" troops will be removed from Afghanistan, here are some of the things being reported about his plan:

Liza Featherstone is a journalist based in New York City.

The Supreme Court yesterday unanimously slapped down the largest civil rights class action suit in history — on a dry technicality. Justices agreed that Dukes v. Wal-Mart, the ten-year-old sex discrimination lawsuit should not proceed as a class action because the lower courts had not followed proper procedure in certifying it. While the Court's decision is discouraging, no one should imagine that it represents an end to the fight for justice at Wal-Mart.

He's a lone prospector on the street's of Manhattan's Diamond District. Using tweezers and a butter knife, Raffi Stepanian scrapes up bits of gold, diamonds and rubies that fall from workers clothing and shoes. He told the New York Post a week of urban panning earned him more than $1,800.

Instead of sifting through more job ads, an unemployed Irishman decided to advertise himself. The 26-year-old marketing grad spent close to $3,000 on a billboard. He used a photo of himself holding a suitcase and the words "Save Me From Emigration." He got several job offers.