Welcome to Langley, Dr. David Petraeus

On his first day as a civilian participant in the NSC, Petraeus will have a lot to digest.

(1) Inter-Services Intelligence arrested Younis al-Mauritani and two other Al Qaeda leaders.

(2) Kiwamu Ariga and Kuniteru Maeda are Ishikawa 81-year-olds who mined uranium for Japan.

(3) Chinese officials confirm reports of mid-July meeting by arms dealers with Libyan officials.

(4) (No stories in today’s NYT about Russia and Eurasian region.)

(5a) Sir Peter Gibson’s panel, established in July 2010, will also investigate Libyan renditions.

(5b) Shamal K. Leibowitz gave Israeli embassy FBI transcripts to blogger Richard Silverstein.

(5c) UN officials meeting in Mogadishu predict 750,000 more deaths in the next three months.

(6) July 20 video surfaces of Uruguayan UN peacekeepers sexually assaulting 18-year-old male.

(7) Jacques Chirac’s anosognosia prevents him from appearing at his ethics trial in Paris.

(8) Fereydoon Abbasi indicates Iranian willingness to accept “full supervision for five years.”

(9) Four witnesses undermine the prosecution in the Hosni Mubarek trial, sparking street fights.

Petraeus’s star power could be used either to strengthen Clapper’s role, or to undermine it.