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Scores killed and wounded as violence escalates in Iraq Intense violent turmoil in Iraq continued Sunday and Monday when attacks across Baghdad killed more than 30 people. A busy restaurant frequented by police officers was the target of the deadliest attack, a suicide bombing that claimed 23 lives and wounded more than 36 others. Iran election going to run-off, challenger alleges fraud Friday's elections whittled Iran's field of presidential candidates from eight to two, but the incredibly close vote has led to the scheduling of an unprecedented runoff to be held next Friday. Candidates Mahmoud Ahmadizezhad and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani will square off next week --- unless candidate Mehdi Karroubi has his way. Hotel Rwanda hero tours USA Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero portrayed in the film "Hotel Rwanda", visited Atlanta, Ga. and Washington, D.C. this week to address American students and business leaders at schools and conferences centers. His appearances coincide with World Refugee Day events in Washington.

Wikipedia Current Events
Cedar Revolution: The Anti-Syrian bloc of Saad al-Hariri captured control of the Lebanese Parliament in the Lebanese general election of 2005, winning 72 of the 128 available seats. A Suicide bomber in Iraq kills 13 policemen, and injured more than 100 people, in the city of Irbil, northern Iraq. One Israeli is killed in West Bank ambush after Palestinian terrorists shot his car. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. A Palestinian female suicide bomber was caught in the Erez Crossing, carrying explosives and a detonator in her underwear. She planned to carry out a suicide bombing attack in the Soroka hospital where she recieved medical treatment and was scheduled for a doctor's appointment. The woman was identified as Wafa Samir Ibrahim Bass and said she was sent by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. US Planetary Society, in association with Cosmos Studios and Japan Planetary Society, intends to lauch Cosmos I, an experimental solar sail spacecraft, on June 21 British Potato Council demonstrates for the removal of the term "couch potato" from the Oxford English Dictionary because potatoes are "inherently healthy". In Japan, magnitude 4.9 earthquake hits central Niigata prefecture, with little reported damage and no tsunami risk. International Whaling Commission meets in Ulsan, South Korea. Japan tries to ease its restrictions to whaling but its suggestion to exclude proposed creation of whale sanctuaries is voted down

Google planning PayPal rival
Financial analysts say Google is planning an e-wallet service that could eventually compete with eBay's payment service PayPal. Google has not confirmed the development.

The rumor is a first sign of Google's expected expansion of revenue sources to capitalize on its advertising customer base and search-engine traffic. What form that expansion will take has been a hotly debated subject for the company whose stock valuation momentarily made it the world's biggest media company on June 7, 2005. Even Microsoft has been mentioned as a possible future competitor.

Ebay's stock valuation dipped more than 2% on the news. Paypal currently accounts for one-fifth of the company's revenues. But one business analyst saw potential benefit for Paypal, depending on exactly how the "Google Wallet" takes shape. The uncertainty underlined the lack of substantive information behind the rumor.

According to the New York Times, the CEO of a major online merchant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was approached by Google to take part in this service. Steve Langdon, a Google spokesperson, declined to comment.

Scores killed and wounded as violence

escalates in Iraq

Intense violent turmoil in Iraq continued Sunday and Monday when attacks across the country killed more than 80 people. A busy restaurant frequented by police officers was the target of the deadliest attack, a suicide bombing that claimed 23 lives and wounded more than 36 others.

"There were a number of policemen outside the restaurant having tea from Alaa, the tea man. There were two tables with chairs around them where the policemen were sitting. Then a suicide bomber came close to them and blew himself up," said a 29-year-old witness, Qusay Kaabi, according to the Washington Post. "It was a very loud explosion, and the restaurant was filled with smoke and dust."

The New York Times reported that, in an aura of resignation, older men just 80 yards away resumed curbside games of checkers even before workers finished cleaning away chunks of flesh. "It's Iraqis who die like this, not Americans," Muhammad Jasem, 25 and unemployed, told the Times. "We never saw this kind of thing before they came." In the capital city alone, more than 600 civilians have perished in the six weeks since Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari named his Shiite-led cabinet on April 28.

In Tikrit on Sunday, a man killed himself and five Iraqis while targeting a U.S. military base in a car rigged with explosives. Early Monday, a suicide attacker in Ibril detonated his vehicle in a crowd of police recruits. Local officials confirm the blast killed 15 and wounded 100, some severely. The city was cited just yesterday by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari as one of many relatively stable areas of the country.

The surge in violence has occurred while U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops battle insurgents near Karabilah on the Syrian border. British and American warplanes pounded targets to support a 1,000 Marine force. A Marine statement also said patrols in the devastated city of Fallujah came under attack Sunday. According to the statement, 15 insurgents were killed while the attack was repulsed.
Iran election going to run-off, challenger alleges fraud
Friday's elections whittled Iran's field of presidential candidates from eight to two, but the incredibly close vote has led to the scheduling of an unprecedented runoff to be held next Friday.

Candidates Mahmoud Ahmadizezhad and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani will square off next week --- unless candidate Mehdi Karroubi has his way. Karroubi has alleged voting irregularities and has called on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to investigate. Karroubi alleges that members of the unelected Guardian Council and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps conspired to rig votes. These charges were seconded late Saturday by reformist candidate Mostafa Moin, who had been leading in some pre-election polls but placed third in Friday's vote.

Filmcrew working for Channel 4 arrested for soaking Tom Cruise in London
Four members of a filmcrew have been arrested on suspicion of assault after squirting water at movie star Tom Cruise at the London premiere of the War of the Worlds on Sunday evening.

The crew were freelancers filming a new comedy show for Channel 4. Channel 4 has no production facilities itself; all television programmes are commissioned from independent companies.

Cruise had been on a walkabout meeting and greeting fans, and was being interviewed by the crew under the impression that it was a serious interview, when they used a fake microphone to squirt him in the face.

Cruise remained calm throughout. He took hold of the culprit, asking him why he did it.

"Why would you do that? What's so funny about that? It's ridiculous. Do you like making less of people?"

"Don't run away. That's incredibly rude."

"I'm here giving you an interview, answering your questions and you do something nasty. You're a jerk."

Security guards then took the filmcrew away, before they were arrested and bailed by the police. The crew face further questioning by officers today.

Scotland Yard have said "We will see whether to pursue the charges, see whether the victim wants to pursue it."

Tom Cruise resumed meeting fans and signing autographs, spending an hour in Leciester Square.

Today in History

1734 - A black slave known as Marie-Joseph Angélique was tortured and then hanged in New France.

1788 - New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution and was admitted as the 9th U.S. state.

1813 - Laura Secord set out to warn British forces of an impending American attack at Queenston, Ontario.

1864 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign ended.

1985 - Greenland officially adopted its own flag, adding support to its independence movement.

2000 - The anti-gay amendment known as Section 28 was repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
Quote of the Day

"Life has no meaning a priori... It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that you choose." ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

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