Morning Brief, Friday, June 9

Posted By Carolyn O'Hara Friday, June 9, 2006 - 12:31 PM Share

GOOOOOAL! You have to think it's the sentiment on the minds of everyone from Sao Paulo to Stockholm - and now Washington, for obvious reasons. The rest of the world may move on to football mania, but Washington hopes to reap the benefits of Zarqawi's death for awhile, not least because immediately after the bombs were dropped, more than a dozen raids around Baghdad yielded a "treasure trove" of intelligence.

But Zarqawi was alive when they got to him? That may need some more explaining. More coverage: why human intel was the key; the Taliban says many more men can become Zarqawi; a curfew and bombs in Baghdad; Ignatius on the crucial opportunity Zarqawi's death offers to the US - and the insurgents.

Maliki takes to the op-ed pages (and here) to lay out his vision for Iraq's future and his plans to move forward. This will be his toughest assignment:

To provide the security Iraqis desire and deserve, it is imperative that we reestablish a state monopoly on weapons by putting an end to militias. This government will implement Law 91 to incorporate the militias into the national security services. Unlike previous efforts, this will be done in a way that ensures that militia members are identified at the start, dispersed to avoid any concentration of one group in a department or unit, and then monitored to ensure loyalty only to the state. In addition, we will engage with the political leaders of the militias to create the will to disband these groups.

Iran starts repouring urnanium into centrifuges. Translation: We're listening, but don't bully us. The G8 is failing to meet its much-heralded aid pledges from last year's meeting at Gleneagles. Bolton is still angry about UN deputy's remarks. Japan wants a defense ministry. The US trade deficit just keeps getting worse.

The cervical cancer vaccine: best news you'll hear today.

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