"Us will not hesitate attacking Iran" Clinton

Today’s comments are the latest in a long line of bellicose rhetoric coming from the Secretary of State. Last month during a television interview she said that Iran was risking the possibility of a US invasion, citing the disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq as a model.

Clinton Emerges, Reasserting Her Diplomatic Stature

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was sidelined in recent weeks by a broken elbow, which forced her to cancel a couple of trips — including one with President Obama to Russia, Italy and Ghana.

Clinton's absence led some commentators to question whether she was being eclipsed by her boss.

But on the eve of a one-week trip to India and Thailand, she returned to the limelight Wednesday with a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations outlining her foreign policy goals. She warned Iran that it had only a limited amount of time to accept Obama's offer of engagement and said the hard-line regime risks further isolation over its nuclear program.

Media ponder 'energy chess game'

Turkish writers were pleased about the Nabucco gas pipeline deal signed by Turkey, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania on Monday in Ankara. They saw it as placing their country in an excellent position strategically, particularly with regard to Europe.

But a commentator in one Turkish paper, as well as writers in several Romanian dailies, wanted to know from where the gas for the pipeline would come. This point was also not lost on Iran's hard-line daily Hezbollah, which believes Europe will have to approach Iran.

Further east, commentators wondered whether Russia's rival pipeline project, South Stream, would now be scrapped.

Ukraine's Tymoshenko calls for 'reset' of ties with Russia

KIEV, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine should build relations with Russia on principles of equality without sacrificing national interests, which would require a "resetting," the Ukrainian prime minister said on Tuesday.

Yulia Tymoshenko said leading countries "have declared a policy of resetting relations with Russia" and that Ukraine should also "build a harmonious and balanced relationship with our largest neighbor in an honest and transparent way."

The prime minister said that whenever she meets with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, "I look him straight in the eyes as an equal.

Porn Prescriptions in the Ukraine

Formerly poisoned Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko is not the only one suffering anymore. On June 30, he outlawed the possession of pornography throughout the country, according to MosNews. Under the new law, a couple of dirty magazines now qualifies as a criminal offense in a country known for its religious and conservative roots. The punishment can range from fines to up to three years in prison. However, there is one important loophole to avoid prosecution: it's okay to have porn if it's for "medicinal" purposes. Even while legislating morality, the country still recognizes porn's purpose as a cure for certain illnesses. In the U.S., medical marijuana possession is permitted in some states for maladies like "chronic" back pain. So, what specific "health problems" can get you out of a porn possession case?

On Visit to Breakaway Enclave

MOSCOW — The Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, made a surprise visit to breakaway South Ossetia on Monday, inspecting a new Russian military base there and promising citizens that Russia would rebuild neighborhoods destroyed during last year’s brief war between Russia and Georgia.

The visit underlined the stark differences that remain between Russia and the United States after last week’s presidential meeting. The “reset” of relations has sidestepped the issue of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, breakaway Georgian territories that have been under Russian protection since the war.

During a televised ceremony, the South Ossetian president, Eduard Kokoity, formally thanked Mr. Medvedev for recognizing South Ossetia as a sovereign nation, and for “the salvation of our tiny people.”

Medvedev's visit to South Ossetia 'immoral' – Saakashvili

TBILISI, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on Monday his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev's visit to South Ossetia "immoral" and "despicable."
Medvedev arrived in South Ossetia earlier on Monday on his first visit to the tiny, former Georgian republic, recognized as independent by Russia last August after a five-day war that began when Georgia attempted to take the province back under central control.
At a meeting with his South Ossetian counterpart, Eduard Kokoity, Medvedev said Russia was ready to develop contacts with the republic and implement joint projects in various spheres.
Saakashvili said the visit was a response to Monday's Ankara summit on the Nabucco project, which he claimed "Russia regards as a failure of its diplomacy."
Five of the six parties to the Nabucco gas pipeline project signed on Monday an intergovernmental agreement on the transit of Caspian gas to Europe, bypassing Russia.
He also suggested that Medvedev's visit came in response to the July 6-8 visit to Moscow by U.S. President Barack Obama, during which Russia "realized that it could not carry out new aggression against Georgia."

Cheney hid CIA program from Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The CIA withheld information from Congress about a secret counterterrorism program on orders from former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, a U.S. senator said on Sunday amid calls for an investigation.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told "Fox News Sunday" that CIA Director Leon Panetta disclosed Cheney's involvement when he briefed members of Congress two weeks ago. She said Panetta told them he had canceled the program.

Russia may still reply to U.S. shield with Baltic missiles

L'AQUILA, July 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia could still deploy tactical missiles in its westernmost exclave if the U.S. goes ahead with its plans for a missile shield in Central Europe, the Russian president said on Friday.
Dmitry Medvedev said Russia's position on U.S. missile defense in Central Europe had not changed.
"We are ready to participate in the construction of a global missile defense by providing both intellectual input and our radars," Medvedev said after the G8 summit in Italy's L'Aquila. "We are glad that there is a readiness in the U.S. to review its plans."

Dutch FM cancels trip to Belgrade

10 July 2009 | 10:53 | Source: B92, Beta
BELGRADE, THE HAGUE -- Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has informed Belgrade that he has canceled a scheduled visit to Serbia on July 21.

Verhagen’s decision to cancel was announced by his spokesman yesterday, who said that “the visit of Minister Verhagen has been postponed. Talks on relations between Serbia and Holland and the EU will be held later.”

B92 understands from diplomatic sources within The Hague that the reason for the postponement were the formal and informal announcements by Serbian officials that the sole talking points with Verhagen would be unblocking the European integration process and cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.