North Korea to host Russian gas pipeline?
South Korean officials are set to visit Russia in August to discuss the potential for laying a gas pipeline through North Korean territory.

Putin marks construction of new pipeline
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended opening ceremonies Friday for construction of the first leg of a new natural gas pipeline in Russia's Far East.

Moscow, Baku relations linked to energy
Moscow, [insert any national capital here] relations linked to energy.

Ex-Soviet states meet for 'Russian NATO' summit

In Russia, witnesses risk their lives
Valery Kazakov was almost to the prosecutor's office when the killers caught him. He was shot as he cut through an alleyway, and when he stumbled bleeding into the street, a man bent down to stab the final breaths out of him.

Riot police use brute force to break up Moscow rally
"What kind of country is this? They're all bandits," cried Yekaterina Veselovskaya, 60, as riot police dragged off a friend. "We're going back to the Stalinist 1930s." In a new tactic, undercover agents and police arrested people for giving interviews to the press.

"Ever since Putin came to power, all his decisions have led to murder," Alexei Korostyshevsky told The Daily Telegraph before being grabbed by two undercover police. At least three similar arrests were made.

Russia to upgrade its naval base in Syria

Iran and Russia: No Love Lost
Yet they're now coming together.

Canada watching Russian Arctic moves closely
I would hope so.

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Putin dives to new depths
Vladimir Putin has dived to the bottom of the world's deepest lake in Siberia, aboard a mini-submarine.

Putin dons wetsuit, gets cozy with whale: reports

You know what interests me about these PR stunts? The contrast with our own dear leader.

Putin carefully controls his image to come across as an aggressive manly-man.

Obama carefully controls his image to come across as a metrosexual intellectual.

Consider what that says about their target audiences. Oy.

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A Hot Summer in Europe (short read, very good)

Can President Obama and the European Union contain Moscow’s ambitions and whims? Or will they purchase a fallacious and precarious tranquility by sacrificing Georgia’s independence? At stake is the very sovereignty of Europe: its energy independence. Energy has become decisive because for Putin, gas is now a weapon as powerful as a deterrent arsenal. Consider a popular song performed by a military choir in Moscow. Its chorus depicts the “radiant future” that Gazprom is preparing: “Europe has a problem with us? We will cut off its gas; a big smile will rise in our eyes and happiness will leave us no more.” Similar sentiments are expressed toward the Ukraine and its desire to join NATO, as well as toward American forces all over the world. The Russian public loves the song.

If Tbilisi falls, there will be no way to get around Gazprom and guarantee autonomous access to the gas and petroleum wealth of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. As for the global credibility of President Obama, it will amount to no more than the empty-sleeved gestures of someone whose arms have been amputated.

Russia Says Georgia Fired on South Ossetia, Threatens Force
Russia accused Georgia of firing at South Ossetia and warned that its troops may fight back, as the countries prepare for the first anniversary of the war over the separatist region. Georgia denied the claims.

Russia Accused of Altering Border
Georgia said Russian reconnaissance teams entered the village of Kveshi in a disputed region in an attempt to move the boundary several hundred yards to a strategically better position.

South Ossetia one year on: Georgians wait in fear for Russians to return
A year ago, the Kremlin shocked the world when it sent troops into Georgia. Today, the war clouds over South Ossetia are gathering once more.

INTERVIEW - Saakashvili says Russia still wants him out

Threat of war hangs over Georgian energy routes
BASHKOI, Georgia (Reuters) - More than 800,000 barrels of high-quality Caspian crude oil flow daily to the Mediterranean beneath this Georgian village, 42 km (26 miles) from breakaway South Ossetia.

Georgia’s Leader Escapes Damage in Biden Visit
But is his teleprompter still okay?

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UN experts ask Azerbaijan to stop free speech curbs

Scuffle in wedding place in Baku, five knifed

Azerbaijan to start gold exports


Turkish oil exploration rankles Greeks
An oil exploration plan by Turkey increased tension created when Turkish jets violated Greek air space, officials told the news agency Kathimerini.

8,000-year-old human skeleton found in a Turkey tomb
An 8,000-year-old human skeleton was found during excavations in one of the oldest residential areas in southern Turkey, a media report said.