Foreign News: Pressure at Berlin

When Nikita Khrushchev wants to be taken at full seriousness, he does not merely pop off at a diplomatic reception, he solemnly reads what he has to say.Last week, before 15,000 people gathered for a Russian-Polish friendship rally in Moscow's new Sports Palace, Khrushchev opened up what is obviously Russia's winter offensive in foreign policy. In a first hasty reading, the world took him to mean a new hot time in Berlin

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Deadly Clashes as Thai-Cambodian Temple Tensions Reignite

Cambodian and Thai troops squared-off for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, the latest in a series of deadly clashes over small but symbolically valued sections of territory along the Southeast Asian countries’ shared border. The flashpoints are two ancient temples known in Cambodia as Ta Krabey and Ta Moan, which lie 160 kilometers west of Preah Vihear, a cliff-top temple that is the focal point of the wider border dispute

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French military fends off Somalia pirate attack

The French military fended off a pirate attack on two fishing boats, hundreds of miles off the coast of east Africa, a French Defense Ministry spokesman said Tuesday. Wen hosted a welcome ceremony for Putin at the Great Hall of the People at the start of a three-day visit, before their private talks and a larger session involving ministers from both sides, Xinhua said.

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Report: Iran accuses U.S. in researcher’s disappearance

The United States is involved in the disappearance of an Iranian researcher, Iran’s state-funded media reported. Shahram Amiri, a researcher at Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University, disappeared after going to Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage on June 4, Iran’s state-funded Press TV reported Wednesday

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U.S. plans ‘serious’ sanctions if Iran diplomacy fails

The Obama administration is working on a substantial sanctions package against Iran in case current diplomatic efforts to curb its nuclear program fail, top officials told Congress on Tuesday. Under Secretary of the Treasury Stuart Levy, who developed some of the existing financial sanctions against Iran under the Bush administration, said at a Senate Banking Committee hearing that the “comprehensive” plan would target “key vulnerabilities and fissures” in Iran to show Tehran that it would face “serious costs” for thwarting international demands.

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Obama’s high-stakes Olympic gamble

If there was any question about whether President Obama would do anything to bring the Olympics to Chicago in 2016, he’s put those doubts to rest. He and first lady Michelle Obama have embarked on an unprecedented joint diplomatic mission to beat out Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the Summer Games

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