Beaten Back, Iran’s Opposition Looks To Reform From Within

Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi lashed out defiantly at Monday’s certification, following a partial recount initiated by the clerical body that oversees Iran’s elections, of the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “From now on we will have a government..

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Obama awards WWII-era women pilots congressional medal

President Obama on Wednesday signed a measure awarding the 300 surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots from World War II the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill passed by both chambers of Congress bestows one of the nation’s highest civilian honors on the group known as WASPs more than 60 years after they were the first women to fly U.S.

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Nicaraguan capital’s mayor dead

The mayor of Nicaragua’s capital, three-time world boxing champion Alexis Arguello, was found dead in his home early Wednesday morning from a gunshot wound to his chest. He was 57. Local media reported that the Nicaraguan sports icon committed suicide, but there was no official confirmation

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Reformists question legitimacy of Iran’s government

Three leading Iranian reformists who have rejected the results of last month’s election questioned the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government Wednesday. This comes as Ahmadinejad is set to take office at the end of the month. Presidential candidate Mehdi Karrubi wrote a letter in his party’s newspaper, saying he would not recognize the government and vowing to “stand by the people and the revolution, until the end of my life.” His statement prompted Iran’s government to block publication of the newspaper

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Can Hong Kong Disneyland Get the Magic Back?

Hong Kong Disneyland — the beleaguered park that has drawn underwhelming reviews for its thin lineup of attractions — needed a lifeline. On Tuesday it got one, when the Hong Kong government and Walt Disney executives reached a deal to expand Disney’s second Asian theme park over the next five years in an attempt to boost sales and stand up to competitors

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Al Qaeda threatens France for perceived anti-burqa stance

Al Qaeda threatened to "take revenge" on France "by every means and wherever we can reach them" because of a debate in France over whether the burqa, a traditional Islamic woman’s covering, violates French law, according to a statement posted on radical Islamist Web sites. “We will not tolerate such provocations and injustices, and we will take our revenge from France,” said the statement, signed by Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, calling himself “commander of al Qaeda in North Africa [Islamic Maghreb].” The statement is dated June 28, five days after French President Nicolas Sarkozy controversially told lawmakers that the traditional Muslim garment was “not welcome” in France

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Karzai demands U.S. forces turn over Afghan killing suspects

Tensions mounted between American-led coalition forces and the Afghan government Monday as Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded U.S. troops hand over private security guards suspected of involvement in the killing of a top Kandahar law enforcement official. The U.S.

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