That collective sigh of relief you hear out of Washington, London, Paris, Beijing, etc? It's because Iran didn't just reject the incentives package outright. Expect the diplomatic dance to unfold rapidly as July's G8 meeting in St. Petersburg approaches.
Speaking of St. Petersburg and diplomacy, the US just sent Kissinger to warm the cooling US-Russia relationship. In a must-see photo, the two of them look cozy over the breakfast table. Also, comments like the following make you wonder just how nuts those conversations at the G8 must be:
Last weekend Mr. Putin was host to six foreign journalists at a meal and question-and-answer session, in which he said that on balance the Kremlin's relationship with Washington was positive. But he also flashed an angry side, mocking a question about what steps should be taken if Iran continued to enrich uranium as speculative, according to The Associated Press, which had a reporter at the meal.
"What if my grandmother had certain sexual attributes?" the Russian president snapped, the news agency reported. "Then she would be my grandfather."
Maliki begins a prisoner release program in Iraq in an attempt to sooth sectarian tension. David Ignatius writes that Iraq is "hell on earth", a "nightmare", and "unraveling." His money suggestion: the Iraqi government needs to get out of the Green Zone.
A Council of Europe report determines that European countries illegally colluded with the US on rendition flights. Good map here detailing alleged transfer, staging, and destination points across Europe.
Terror suspects in Canada accused of planning to behead the prime minister. More oil violence in Nigeria. Landless farm workers in Brazil storm a congressional building. US senators press for more details on Haditha. Chertoff attempts some anti-terror funding damage control. And as expected, it is now hard to access Google.com in China.
Why I'm glad I checked the LATimes today: A eunuchs in India story. We really don't see enough of those.
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