Commentary: Michael Jackson’s enemy was time

Seconds after the news first hit the airwaves, your own shock merged with everyone else’s in the immediate vicinity. And you could feel it rolling through the rest of the planet like a runaway diesel. (CNN) — Seconds after the news first hit the airwaves, your own shock merged with everyone else’s in the immediate vicinity.

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Iranian Politics: Watching ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in Tehran

On June 23, Iranian security forces, reportedly using live ammunition, clashed with protesters numbering in the hundreds in the area of the country’s parliament in Tehran. At the same time, there were indications that a behind-the-scenes struggle was intensifying in the corridors of power even as the government continued its campaign to quiet the populace through propaganda and entertainment.

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Berlusconi Faces Crisis After Allegation He Slept With ‘Escort’

By most modern democratic standards, Silvio Berlusconi’s wild 15-year political ride would seem closer than ever to crashing. The 72-year-old Prime Minister is facing a swirl of questions linked to his personal life, including the latest allegations that a high-paid escort stayed with him at his Rome residence the night of Nov. 4 as results were coming in of Barack Obama’s election victory.

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Venus and Federer eye sixth Wimbledon win

Venus Williams and Roger Federer go into Wimbledon seeking singles title number six at the All England Club and casting aside any thoughts of retirement. Venus is third seed behind world number one Dinara Safina and her sister Serena, but is bidding for a hat-trick on her favorite grass

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Brazilian judge rules U.S. dad can visit son — in Brazil

A Brazilian federal judge has issued a ruling making it possible for David Goldman to have more access to his son Sean in the ongoing custody battle over the boy, Goldman’s attorney said Friday. The Brazilian court said Thursday it will allow Goldman to visit with his son unsupervised every week from Monday morning through Saturday evening. The problem is he must do it on Brazilian soil, not in New Jersey where he lives.

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Teen guns down Iraqi lawmaker, bombs mosque

A 15-year-old boy shot and killed a prominent Sunni Arab parliament member and killed three more when he tossed a hand grenade into a Baghdad mosque on Friday, an Interior Ministry official said. The lawmaker has been identified as Hareth al-Obaidi, the head of the Iraqi Accordance Front bloc and deputy head of parliament’s Human Rights Committee.

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Madonna wins adoption appeal in Malawi

Malawi’s high court ruled in favor of pop superstar Madonna on Friday, saying she will be able to adopt a young girl from the country, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office said. Spokeswoman Zione Ntaba said she could not immediately offer further details. Madonna, 50, took her effort to adopt the three-year-old to Malawi’s highest court last month after a lower court ruled the adoption did not meet local law.

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