Russia's Putin says the West is on the decline

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Monday the West's influence was waning as its economy declines but warned Russian diplomats to be on their guard against a backlash from Moscow's former Cold War enemies.

In a biennial speech to Russian ambassadors, Putin also took a shot at the West by condemning any unilateral actions to solve international disputes and underlined the importance of resolving such conflicts through the United Nations.
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"Domestic socio-economic problems that have become worse in industrialized countries as a result of the (economic) crisis are weakening the dominant role of the so-called historical West," Putin told a meeting of Russian ambassadors from across the world.
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Putin reiterated accusations that the West is engaging in unilateral diplomacy outside the United Nations to maintain influence in world politics, and implied again that the West was behind the Arab Spring revolutions.

"We are seeing attempts by individual players in the international community to keep the influence they are used to by which our partners often use unilateral actions that contradict international law," he said.

"This can be seen from the so-called humanitarian operations ... and intervention in internal conflicts."

Romania president impeached amid EU, US concern

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers impeached President Traian Basescu in an overwhelming vote Friday, paving the way for a national referendum that could see the divisive and increasingly unpopular leader ousted from the powerful position he's held for eight years.

The vote of 256-114 in parliament came as Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta have engaged in a bitter power struggle in the eastern European country of 19 million, which emerged from communism in 1989. The machinations, especially attempts to sideline the judiciary, have led the United States and the European Union to issue statements of concern about Romania's democracy.

Basescu's opponents accused him of overstepping his authority by meddling with the prime minister's office and trying to influence judicial affairs. The 60-year-old former ship captain also was accused of making racist remarks about Gypsies and disabled people.

Senate Speaker Crin Antonescu, who will serve as interim president now that Basescu has been effectively suspended from the role, said a popular referendum on Basescu's fate will be held July 29.

Clinton: "Friends of Syria" must unite to stop Russia, China "blockading" progress

(CBS/AP) PARIS - The United States and its international allies called Friday for new, global sanctions against President Bashar Assad's regime, stepping up the pressure after the defection of a top general dealt a major blow to the Syrian leader.

The question, explains CBS News State Department correspondent Margaret Brennan, is whether Russia and China will finally and completely sever the financial lifeline which is keeping Assad in power. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said they've essentially given Assad a free pass by failing to implement sanctions and continuing to import Syrian oil.
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Clinton joined senior officials from about 100 other countries in Paris to win wider support for a Syrian transition plan unveiled last week by U.N. mediator Kofi Annan. Joined by America's allies, she called for "real and immediate consequences for non-compliance, including sanctions," against the Assad regime.

But with neither Moscow nor Beijing in attendance, much remained dependent on persuading the two reluctant U.N. veto-wielding powers to force Assad into abiding by a cease-fire and the transition strategy. Clinton urged governments around the world to direct their pressure toward Russia and China as well.

Ukraine Activists Protest Russia Language Bill

About 1,000 opposition activists were rallying in the capital of Ukraine on Thursday to protest legislation upgrading the status of the Russian language.

The Ukrainian parliament passed the bill Tuesday that would allow the use of Russian in courts, education and other government institutions in Russian-speaking regions of the country.

Members of Ukraine's pro-Western opposition say that such a law would effectively smother the Ukrainian language by removing any incentive for millions of Russian-speaking Ukrainians to learn it. They also say it would bring Ukraine back into the Russian orbit and torpedo its efforts to forge closer ties with the European Union.
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Lawmakers loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych, who draws his support from the Russian-speaking east and south, rushed the bill through the parliament, without giving the opposition much chance to oppose it in a debate. Parliament's speaker, whose signature on the bill is required before it is given to the president, resigned in protest.

Ukraine's jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko sent a message of support to the protesters from a prison in the country's east where she is serving a seven-year term for abuse of office.

From farms to factories, Russians wary of WTO

LENIN STATE FARM, Russia (AP) — Migrant workers, some stripped to their underwear in the sweltering heat, pick fragrant strawberries from the sprawling fields of Lenin State Farm, a former collective that has become one of the most successful farms around Moscow.

Director Pavel Grudinin says his strawberries are better than anything else in the Russian capital because they go from field to shelf in under 24 hours.

But with Russia joining the World Trade Organization next week, Grudinin worries that rules designed to ensure fair trade will put him at a disadvantage. He says it will be hard for him to compete with U.S. and European producers who can offer lower prices — because they don't have to deal with corruption and bureaucracy.

Thousands of businesses across Russia are fearful as the country — after 18 years of negotiations — is set to join the WTO, which restricts import duties and subsidies in an effort to even the playing field for international trade. Parliament needs to approve the ascension by July 10, something almost sure to happen as Russian President Vladimir Putin — whose party controls parliament — says WTO membership will bring increased foreign investment and make Russian companies more competitive.

Grudinin says those rosy projections fail to take into account the toll of never-ending inspections and official checks.

"That's why we're not competitive," he says. "We don't get much support compared to European and American farmers. We'd better deal with corruption first and then join the WTO, not the other way around."

Euro 2012: For Poland and Ukraine, the hangover begins now

In one of his short stories, Polish science-fiction writer Stanislaw Lem imagined a spy from an alien culture making a report on the Earth’s activities based on years of distant observation.

One of the things he marvels at is our piety — every weekend, tens of thousands of us fill large, open-air houses of worship to cheer on the priests, who work in teams on grass.

Lem meant this, like he meant just about everything, as a swipe at totalitarianism and our circus-cult generally. Like all great satire, it turns out to be indistinguishable from the truth.
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For Poland and Ukraine, the hangover started Monday.

Euro 2012 left little of real worth for either country. Many of the planned infrastructure improvements — the easiest way to sell these things to non-sports fans and various other realists — weren’t finished. Watchdog groups have been stymied in their efforts figure out the exact cost of hosting the tournament — originally estimated around $50 billion (U.S.).
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When people remember the tournament in five years time, they’ll remember Spain, Pirlo’s Panenka and racism. None does Poland or Ukraine any good.

All big, expensive, global showcases are idealized as a vast program of forced modernization. They need to be. Developed countries, where it’s harder to hide the cost overruns, have been slowly losing interest.

Space Station Crew Lands in Kazakhstan

A Soyuz reentry capsule with three members of the International Space Station (ISS) crew landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday, mission control said.

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers have spent more than six months in orbit.

While in orbit, the crew performed one space walk and several docking and undocking operations. They also conducted more than 30 scientific research experiments.