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Space Shuttle Atlantis lands in California Atlantis has made a successful landing in California, after being diverted away from Florida because of adverse weather conditions. North Korea denies entry of IAEA inspectors North Korea has decided not to give International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors permission to enter the country, claiming that the $25 million of recently unfrozen funds has not yet reached their bank account.

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Former Washington D.C. police officer sues district for racial discrimination and harassment According to court documents obtained by Wikinews, Randy Squires an African American male and a former police officer of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (DCMPD) has filed a lawsuit against the department alleging racial discrimination and harassment by a fellow officer.

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Lebanon declares victory over Fatah al-Islam, an Al Qaeda linked group, after a month's battle at a Palestinian refugee camp. Inflation in Zimbabwe reaches 9,000%, the highest in the world. NASA postpones the landing of Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center due to inclement weather, prolonging STS-117 for another day. NASA states that it can extend the mission until June 24 if necessary. A polar blast moving north over the South Island of New Zealand causes major disruptions and claims at least one life. The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone finds three leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara and Santigie Borbor Kanu guilty of war crimes. The President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak invites the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Jordan to a summit on Sunday to discuss the Palestinian crisis. The Kuwaiti government condemns the besieging of its embassy in Iran and the beating of a diplomat, regarding it as an "attack on Kuwait." The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it regrets that the incident occurred. Deposed Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is ordered to return to Thailand to face charges in an asset concealment case. Japan changes the name of Iwo Jima to its original name Iwo To to reflect the wishes of its original inhabitants.

Landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis postponed due to bad weather
The planned landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis earlier today has been postponed due to poor weather conditions in the vicinity of the landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center. The shuttle is currently on STS-117, a mission to the International Space Station.

According to NASA, there were showers within a 34-mile radius of the landing strip and clouds within 8,000 feet. Both of these represent conditions in which flight rules prohibit a landing. The shuttle has five more opportunities to land over the course of the next three days. Atlantis could land tomorrow at 2:16 p.m. or 3:51 p.m. ET. According to Mission Control, weather forecasts predict better conditions tomorrow.

If necessary, there are also backup sites in California and New Mexico. If required, these alternative facilities will be activated on Saturday. Atlantis can potentially remain in orbit until Sunday, but officials have stated they will only postpone landing until Sunday if there are technical problems that require attention prior to landing.

NASA would prefer not to use alternative sites as this would significantly increase the cost of preparing Atlantis for its next mission, scheduled for December. The shuttle would have to be brought back on a jumbo jet; this would take up to ten days and cost US$1.7 million.

The mission managers held a last-minute meeting late Wednesday to discuss potential problems which could affect the landing – damage to the thermal blanket on takeoff - which required repairs. Material known as gap filler was found to be sticking out of a wing, and debris was found floating nearby after the shuttle docked with the space station on Tuesday. The only problem found to be of significant concern was the gap filler. Engineers want to check whether gap filler will withstand the re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Love Ulster group proposes new Dublin march
The group Families Acting for Innocent Relatives as well as others involved in Love Ulster has proposed a second march through Dublin for later this summer. The organisers claim that about 3000 will attend.

A previous march in February 2006 led to a riot

Organiser Willie Frazer has claimed that the Garda Síochána are prepared to police it.

Republican Sinn Féin has announced that they will protest against the new march.

Date set for Royal Mail strike
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has confirmed that Royal Mail workers are to hold a 24 hour strike on June 29, the first national post strike in the United Kingdom in 11 years.

In a statement, Dave Ward, CWU Deputy General Secretary, said that Royal Mail are "intent on cutting services, cutting jobs and cutting pay" and that "the Union remains committed to reaching an agreement" to resolve the issue. CWU members voted 77% in favour of taking strike action.

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier said that the organisation was "very disappointed" to hear news of the announcement and explained that "we are losing business because we have failed to change and modernise."

Dave Ward of the CWU said that "We have tried to reach an agreement but Royal Mail are refusing to negotiate" and that he wanted to "put the record straight about the way that Royal Mail have been deliberately misleading the public on what this dispute is about. The Union has never asked for a 27% pay rise and we are not opposed in any shape or form to modernisation."

Two killed, high damages as storm hits Vienna, Austria
On what was the hottest start of the summer ever since measurements have been recorded in Vienna, two people were killed, several injured and a not yet estimated amount of property damaged as a strong storm hit the capital of Austria.

Vienna, as all of Austria and central Europe, has experienced an unusual streak of hot days in the last week, culminating in 36.2 Celsius in Langenlebarn in Lower Austria today. The temperature is expected to fall in the coming days, as the cold front producing the storm reached Austria. It was windy all day in Vienna, but around 16:30 (4:30 pm) local time what was only wind became a full-blown storm. It produced wind speeds between 113 and 123 kilometers per hour in Vienna and was accompanied by rain. By 18:00 (6 pm) local time, wind speeds has normalized again and the rain had stopped.

Two people were killed during the storm. One, a crane operator, died when his crane toppled into the main fire station of Vienna in the historic first district. 60 firemen were required to secure the site. A 60-year old woman was struck and killed by a falling tree in Donaustadt, Vienna's twenty-second district. A 40-year old man was severely injured in this incident, emergency services disclosed.

Many trees were cut down by the strong winds, creating obstacles for public and individual traffic on the streets. Parkgoers fled the grounds as branches crashed on the ground. Also damaged was the site of the Donauinselfest, a free festival traditionally organized by the Social Democratic Party of Vienna in June. This year, the festival takes place on the coming weekend, from the 22nd to the 24th. The organizers dismissed the possibility of canceling the whole event. However, Josi Urban, a member of the organizing team, was quoted saying "this does not look good" and stated that some areas of the huge festival site might have to be closed.

“Vienna is standing still”—Stefan Sauer, spokesman for ARBÖ

Almost all lines of the Wiener Linien, the public transport company of Vienna, experienced problems due to trees, bricks and other things blocking the streets and tram lines. Commuters relying on the ÖBB, the Austrian Public Rail Service, had to cope with delays of one hour and more. Services are currently being restored to their regular level. This is not made easier by the many people switching to cars in the face of adverse weather. Stefan Sauer, spokesman for ARBÖ, a vehicle and accident emergency organization, said: "Vienna is standing still." Several blocks in different districts were cut off electric power as trees and other objects cut power lines.

The storm was felt in Vienna, most of Lower Austria and some parts of Upper Austria and Burgenland. Many streets became impassable either due to excess water or obstructions caused by the wind. A concert by singer Barbara Streisand in front of the historic Schönbrunn Palace had to be postponed to Friday, June 22. It was initially feared the concert would have to be cancelled altogether. After the damage was assessed and Streisand expressed her desire to sing in Vienna, the organizers determined it was safe to hold the concert on Friday. This will be the first concert ever by Streisand in Austria. A slide show of photographs from Vienna after the storm can be viewed at derStandard.

Adam Aircraft receive $105 million in funding for A500 and A700
US aircraft manufacturer Adam Aircraft have received US$105 million in funding for two aircraft that they currently produce, namely the Adam A500 and the Adam A700 AdamJet. Both are carbon-bodied six-seat civil utility aircraft. The A500 is piston-engined and has a Push-pull configuration and the A700 is of a new variety of aircraft known as very light jets (VLJs).

A significant proportion of the money came from a senior secured credit facility from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. Adam Aircraft say that the money will be used to accelerate the production of the A500 and to move the A700 through the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Founder and CEO of Adam Aircraft Rick Adam said that investors were given confidence by the company's order backlog, currently valued at around $800 million. Earlier this month, China's Hainan Zhong Hang Tai General Aviation Airlines expressed their confidence in the uncertified A700 when they announced that they had placed an order for 50 of the new aircraft. They say that they chose the A700 because it had the largest cabin space of any VLJ, with company CEO Jason Fan adding that he thought the "innovative twin-tail design remind(s) people of a Formula 1 race car." It is an expensive purchase, as the Chinese government charges a 21% import tax on new aircraft.

Rick Adam said of the new funds "this financing allows Adam Aircraft to aggressively pursue our product development and production growth plans,".

Adam Aircraft say that the A700 is presently undergoing flight tests and development processes. The company hopes to certify it with the FAA in 2008.

Recall of Thomas the Tank Engine toys due to lead-paint fears
A recall issued last week for Thomas the Tank Engine toys made in China and containing lead-based paint, is the latest scare for consumers, and follows recent scandals involving Chinese-made pet food, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste and other toys, The New York Times has reported in a series of articles.

Last week, RC2, a U.S. toy company based in Oak Brook, Illinois, issued a recall for its popular wooden "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" train sets. The recall involved 1.5 million "Thomas Wooden Railway" vehicles and train sets sold at toy stores and various retailers across the U.S. from January 2005 through June 2007.

A subsequent recall has been issued in the United Kingdom, where Thomas the Tank Engine was originated in the 1940s as a character in a children's story by the Reverend W.V. Awdry. Around 70,000 toys are involved in the U.K. recall, according to The Guardian.

"RC2 has determined that the surface paints on the recalled products contain lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a press release dated June 13. "Consumers should take the recalled toys away from young children immediately and contact RC2 Corp. for a replacement toy," the commission said.

Those "adverse health effects" could include brain and nerve damage, especially in young children, as well as blood and brain disorders. Severe lead poisoning causes vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, anemia, loss of appetite, headaches and in particularly high doses, coma and death.

In an article on Monday, The New York Times reported that recalls have been issued for 24 different toys in the U.S. in the past year, and every one of them was made in China. According to the Toy Industry Association, toys made in China account for around 70 percent to 80 percent of all the toys sold in the U.S., The Times said.

"These are items that children are supposed to be playing with," Prescott Carlson was quoted as saying by The Times. Carlson is a co-founder of a child-safety website called Imperfect Parent, which tracks recalls of toys and other baby products. "It should be at a point where companies in the United States that are importing these items are held liable," Carlson said.

RC2 would not comment to The Times, and a Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman would not say how long ago the problem with the lead paint was discovered.

For a follow-up article on Tuesday, The Times visited a factory in Dongguan, in China's Guangdong province, where the "Thomas and Friends" toys are made. The paper interviewed workers and took photos on the factory floor.

"You're intruding," a factory manager identified only as Zhong was quoted as telling the reporters. "Tell me, why exactly are you here?"

During the visit, a reporter, translator and a photographer were detained by factory officials, and released a day later after local police and government officials intervened.

The factory also produces other toys for RC2, including toy John Deere trucks, NASCAR racing models and M&M's cars, The Times said. RC2 makes the toys under licenses from various companies. The "Thomas and Friends" toys are made under license from Hit Entertainment, which owns the "Thomas" brand.

List of recalled Thomas and Friends toys

According to RC2, items in the "Thomas and Friends" recall are:

Red James Engine & Red James' # 5 Coal Tender

Red Lights & Sounds James Engine & Red James' #5

Lights & Sounds Coal Tender

James with Team Colors Engine & James with Team Colors *#5 Coal Tender

Red Skarloey Engine

Brown & Yellow Old Slow Coach

Red Hook & Ladder Truck & Red Water Tanker Truck

Red Musical Caboose

Red Sodor Line Caboose

Red Coal Car labeled "2006 Day Out With Thomas" on the Side

Red Baggage Car

Red Holiday Caboose

Red "Sodor Mail" Car

Red Fire Brigade Truck

Red Fire Brigade Train

Deluxe Sodor Fire Station

Red Coal Car

Yellow Box Car

Red Stop Sign

Yellow Railroad Crossing Sign

Yellow "Sodor Cargo Company" Cargo Piece

Smelting Yard

Ice Cream Factory

Toys listed that are marked with codes containing "WJ" or "AZ" are not included in the recall.

Earlier, RC2 said that customers would have to cover shipping costs to return the toys to the company. It later agreed to cover postage after angry complaints by parents, The Times said in an article yesterday. Refunds will take about two months.

First high level meeting between US and North Korea in five years occurs
Christopher R. Hill, assistant U.S. secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, travelled to Pyongyang in North Korea today in the first high level meeting between the two countries in five years. The last meeting occurred in 2002, with James Kelly as the U.S. representative.

This trip comes on the heels of news that North Korea would allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to come to their country to discuss its nuclear program.

Hill and his entourage were greeted by North Korean director of U.S. affairs Ji Kun upon their arrival in Pyongyang. Hill is scheduled to fly back to Seoul tomorrow to report on the content of the meeting to diplomats in South Korea.

Thai scientist has deodorized the stinky 'king of fruits'
In southeast Asia, durian is known as the "king of fruits," but with its pungent odor, the large, spike-husked fruit receives less-than-royal treatment in many quarters.

A Thai scientist thinks he has found the key to more widespread acceptance of durian, by creating odorless varieties of the fruit. After 20 years of cross-breeding, researcher Songpol Somsri has come up with a durian "that smells as inoffensive as a banana," according to an article today by The Guardian.

"I've got friends from Australia, Europe and Japan who just won't eat durian because they can't stand the smell," Songpol was quoted as saying. "But I'm sure producing those with a mild smell will help us find new markets."

Despite their popularity, the fruits are banned from the subway system in Singapore. In Bangkok, taxi drivers will often balk at a passenger with durian. The region's airlines won't allow them to be brought onboard. Across southeast Asia, a sign that denotes a finer hotel is a placard in the lobby with a red circle and cross through a silhouette of a durian.

Cultivated across all of southeast Asia, the fruit measures about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter, and weighs around 2 to 7 pounds (1 to 3 kilograms). The fruits are green on the outside, and covered with a thick, spike-covered husk. In Malay, the name durian literally means "thorny fruit".

Inside is a yellow, custard-like flesh that has been described as nutty and sweet, perhaps like a fine French cheese. But because of the smell, which can be overpowering, durian is an acquired taste.

The Guardian quoted a travel writer who described the smell like "pigshit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock."

Devotees of the "king of fruits" say a major part of the experience of eating the smelly fruit is the aroma, or fragrance, if you will.

"To anyone who doesn't like durian, it smells like a bunch of dead cats," Bob Halliday, a food writer in Bangkok was quoted as saying by The New York Times in April. "But as you get to appreciate durian, the smell is not offensive at all. It's attractive. It makes you drool like a mastiff."

Swanzea Banchee, manager of Sunshine Fruit, a major Thai exporter of durian, told National Public Radio (NPR) last month that he thinks an odorless variety of durian would help increase orders from overseas. But, he said he'd never eat one, adding that if a durian doesn't smell, then it isn't really a durian.

"I don't think it's possible to make a durian that doesn't smell," orchardist Somchai Tadchang was quoted as saying by The Times. "Anyway, durians actually smell good," he told The Times. "Only rotten durians stink."

But Dr. Songpol, senior agricultural scientist for the Thai government's Department of Agriculture, has put a lot of time and effort into creating his varieties of odorless durian, called Chanthaburi No. 1 and Chanthaburi No. 2. They were developed at the department's Horticultural Research Institute in Chanthaburi Province, in eastern Thailand, near the border with Cambodia, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from Bangkok. Growing up on a durian farm, he has studied them all his life, he said.

The research farm has several thousand durian trees, and Songpol has spent about 20 years crossing more than 90 different varieties to produce Chantaburi No. 1. It started with only one tree, planted 18 years ago, and which produces about a dozen fruit annually, Songpol told NPR.

Songpol has also been working on another variety of durian, without either the smell or the spikes. It's called Chanthaburi No. 3, he said.

The Thai government is keen to produce and export odor- and spike-free durian, announcing a plan back in April to distribute saplings of the three new varieties to farmers. It's expected that the odorless durians will hit the market in around three years.

Melbourne gunman missed court
The gunman involved in the Melbourne shooting on Monday has missed court because he has a injury in the arm and needed surgery in the St Vincent's Hospital. He is under police guard and was remanded in custody until October 10. 31 year-old Christopher Wayne Hudson handed himself in to the police peacefully late yesterday afternoon.

On Monday morning one person, Brendan Keilar, was killed and two wounded in the shooting and much of the centre of Melbourne was sealed off as police searched for the gunman.

Police would not discuss how Hudson received the injury but said the injury happened before his arrest. His lawyer, Patrick Dwyer, also refused to comment on the speculation that it was self-inflicted.

Indonesia pledges to cut haze-causing forest fires by half
Seeking to stave off the forest fires that have blanketed five Southeast Asian countries with choking haze for the past two years, Indonesian environmental and forestry officials said yesterday they would be able to reduce the number of hot spots this year by more than half.

Meeting in Jambi, Sumatra, cabinet ministers from Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand heard what Indonesia plans to do this year to combat the illegal forest fires, which start each year during the August-November dry season.

"We are targeting a drop of about 50 percent in forest fires but we are entering the dry season between July and August so we have to increase our alertness," Indonesian deputy environment minister Masnellyarti Hilman was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse. "We explained the efforts that we've taken to prevent a repeat of the choking haze ... and they praised our efforts," he said.

A statement issued by the ministers after the meeting said Indonesia's efforts would reduce the number of hot spots by 58 percent from the previous year.

Caused by slash-and-burn cultivation on palm oil and timber plantations on Borneo and Sumatra, the haze has covered parts of the affected countries for the past two years. It was first problematic in 1997, due to the El Niño weather pattern.

Roadside bomb kills three Canadian soldiers in Panjwaye, Afghanistan

The identities of three Canadian soldiers killed Wednesday in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan have been released by the Department of National Defence (DND). The three soldiers were killed at approximately 7:49 a.m. local time, when their unarmoured all-terrain vehicle received the force of a nearby bomb blast.

The identities of the three soldiers were reported as follows:

Corporal Stephen Frederick Bouzane, age 26, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry;

Private Joel Vincent Wiebe, age 22, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry; and

Sergeant Christos Karigiannis, (age not provided), 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry

At the request of the family, Sergeant Christos Karigiannis' identity had been held back by DND.

The latest deaths brought the total number of Canadian soldiers killed in the Afghan mission, which began in 2002, to 60.

Canadian Brigadier-General Tim Grant commented on the fact that the incident took place in a secure zone in the Panjwaye District, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Kandahar, and approximately 6 km west of Forward Operating Base Sperwan-Gar. "A determined enemy clearly was able to penetrate the defences and the observation in the area to plant the device," said Grant. The soldiers had been carrying out a routine operation, which involved transporting supplies between two checkpoints.

Grant described the unarmoured soldier's vehicle as "appropriate for the task at hand." He did concede, however, that changes may have to be made to the protocol. "We will review our procedures and if we determine that we need to change them, then we will do so," said Grant.

Corporal Bouzane's father, Fred Bouzane, said that his son will be buried in the town of his birth, Little Bay, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Stephen's smile and dry sense of humour touched everyone he met. He was a quiet, kind and dedicated man who loved his chosen profession and was excited to be in Afghanistan helping the Afghan people," the family said in a statement.

Today in History
168 BC - In the Battle of Pydna, Roman forces defeated and captured Macedonian King Perseus.

1854 - The British Parliament abolished feudalism and the seigneurial system in British North America.

1893 - The Royal Navy battleship HMS Camperdown accidentally collided with and sank the British Mediterranean Fleet flagship HMS Victoria, taking 358 crew members with her.

1941 - World War II: As Nazi Germany began to invade the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian underground government started an uprising to liberate Lithuania from Soviet occupation.

1986 - Argentine footballer Diego Maradona scored both the Hand of God goal and the Goal of the Century against England during the quarter-final match of the FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.

Quote of the Day

Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling…

~ Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass

Word of the Day

mad as a hatter; adj

Demented or crazy.

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