Top story: To officers in Pakistan's military, the country's most powerful institution, are increasingly disillusioned with the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, in a meeting on Monday, reportedly took the president and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to task for corruption, and called on them to fire some of the most corrupt ministers in the 60-member cabinet.
Zardari has so far been successful at resisting the military's pressure. Following the meeting, his office released a statement that all sides had agreed to "protect the democratic process."
However, the Pakistani government's sluggish response to the floods has damaged the public's trust in its capabilities. Zardari in particular has been the target of public ire for traveling to France just as the crisis was mounting, and for not visiting the flood-devastated regions of his country for weeks after the crisis broke out.
Both Washington and Pakistan's military also remain concerned about the perilous state of the government's finances. The United States has been pushing Pakistan, where only an estimated 2 million out of a population of 170 million pay an income tax, to raise taxes on its wealthiest citizens as a precondition for continuing to receive international assistance.
North and South Korea prepare for talks: Hours after a historic meeting of North Korea's ruling Communist Party, a South Korean official announced that the two rivals will renew discussions over military matters.
Asia
- NATO officials confirmed that a senior al Qaeda official was killed in an air strike in eastern Afghanistan.
- India began an ambitious national identity program meant to improve access to public services.
- Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will host a dinner for some of China's richest people to speak about philanthropy.
Middle East
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office disavowed the content of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's U.N. speech, saying it had not been coordinated with the prime minister.
- Retired U.S. Gen. Jack Keane said that the British suffered a defeat in Iraq by retreating from Basra in 2007.
- An Iranian court sentenced Hossein Derakhshan, a prominent blogger, to 19 years in jail for his writing.
Europe
- Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Europe to protest governments' austerity measures.
- Former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov may launch an appeal Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's order to fire him to the supreme court.
- European counter-terrorism officials repeated their warnings of a terror attack on European soil.
Americas
- Oil giant BP formed a new division tasked with upholding the company's safety standards.
- The drilling effort to rescue 33 trapped Chilean miners is progressing rapidly, with some officials suggesting that the miners could be freed by mid-October.
- Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Roussef slipped in the polls, raising the chances of a runoff vote.
Africa
- Sudan delayed voter registration for January's referendum on southern Sudan's independence until November.
- Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signaled his support for a delay of elections planned for January.
- Guinean authorities blocked the families of the 157 people who died in a massacre from gathering at the site of their deaths.
FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images
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