Media group asks nations not to recognize Iran results

Media rights group Reporters Without Borders is urging nations to not recognize the results of Iran’s presidential election, citing censorship and a crackdown on journalists. The nongovernmental group, which advocates freedom of the press, said it has confirmed the arrest of four reporters by Iranian authorities, including one who won the organization’s press freedom prize in 2001. In addition, the France-based group said, it has no information on 10 other reporters who have either gone into hiding or have been arrested.

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Why the White House Views Iran’s Election as a Diplomatic Coup

When Obama Administration Iran czar Dennis Ross and top U.S. Iran negotiator William Burns were planning the details of the President’s outreach to Tehran with senior European diplomats earlier this spring, they discussed a possible nightmare scenario for the June 12 presidential elections in Iran

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Manchester Utd edge closer to Valencia deal

Wigan Athletic have confirmed that negotiations over the transfer of winger Antonio Valencia to Manchester United are expected to start "very shortly". United have indentified 23-year-old Valencia as one of the players they want to bring in as a replacement to Real-Madrid bound Cristiano Ronaldo with a fee in the region of £17 million ($28m) being mooted. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan told Press Association Sport that the Premier League champions have made their interest in the Ecuadorian international winger known for “the last two or three months”.

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U.S. pledges $73 million in aid to Zimbabwe

The United States will provide $73 million in aid to Zimbabwe, President Obama announced Friday after meeting with Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the White House. “I obviously have extraordinary admiration for the courage and tenacity that the prime minister has shown in navigating through some very difficult political times in Zimbabwe,” Obama said. “There was a time when Zimbabwe was the breadbasket of Africa, and [it] continues to have enormous potential.

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Can once-cool MySpace stage a comeback?

In the brief history of Web sites, there are few if any second chances. Remember Friendster? That’s why it’s difficult for some industry observers to see a comeback for MySpace, the large online social network that has seen its popularity flatline and its hipness surpassed by younger sites like Twitter and Facebook in recent months.

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Australia crash out of Twenty20 World Cup

The world’s top-rated Test nation Australia crashed out of the Twenty20 World Cup after losing by six wickets to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge. Australia, who are also world champions in the 50-over version of cricket, could not transfer their skill to the shortest form of the game and will not contest the Super 8 phase.

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When a ‘Chosen’ Tibetan Lama Says No Thanks

“For the last time, I’m not your messiah,” groans the title character in the 1979 comedy The Life of Brian. There’s an echo of Brian’s panicked renunciation in a shakeup currently underway in Tibetan Buddhism — in this case, nobody’s laughing, although the ending will, no doubt, be happier

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The Journalism of David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace was young enough when he published his first novel, The Broom of the System, in 1987, that critics who read his witty marathon sentences and then flipped to the author photo of a young man willing himself to look older — like every fake I.D. picture ever taken — were powerless: they had to dub him the next literary voice of his generation.

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Obama in Dresden, Germany: the Non-Controversy Controversy

Sometimes location is everything. Other times, it’s just a convenient place to spend the night. On both sides of the Atlantic, much has been made of Barack Obama’s decision to spend Thursday night in Dresden, the German city known primarily as the site of a horrific bombing campaign by U.S.

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UK minister quits, calls for Brown’s resignation

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday he was "disappointed" over the resignation of James Purnell, his work and pensions secretary. In his letter of resignation — published by the Press Association — Purnell also called on Brown to step aside.

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