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Large earthquake strikes off Guatemala's Pacific coast At 19:29:46 UTC (2:29:46 local time), an earthquake estimated by the United States Geological Survey at a magnitude of 6.8 struck just off the Pacific coast of Guatemala. 13 drug-resistant TB cases reported in Thailand Thirteen cases of a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, XDR-TB, have been reported by a prominent doctor in Thailand.

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Singapore and Brunei issue joint banknote Singapore and Brunei are today marking 40 years of currency interchangeability with a special banknote might come as a shock to some.

Wikipedia Current Events
Ireland's Green Party (Comhaontas Glas) agree to go into government with Fianna Fáil as part of Ireland's 30th Dáil, when it opens on 14 June 2007. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits right off the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom awards Sir Tim Berners-Lee the Order of Merit for his pioneering work on the world wide web. Gigantoraptor erlianensis, a gigantic, birdlike, dinosaur is discovered in Inner Mongolia by paleontologist Xu Xing. Shimon Peres is elected as the President of Israel. An explosion in Beirut has killed at least 10 people, including MP Walid Eido. Hamas militants kill at least 16 Palestinians, including 2 UNRWA workers and 13 Fatah members, as clashes intensify in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Fatah officials claim that they have agreed on a ceasefire but fighting continues. A South African public sector strike closes down most of the schools and hospitals in the country. EADS Astrium unveils its space tourism project, one week ahead of Paris Air Show. A landmark ruling by the UK's highest appeal court, the Law Lords, allows the family of an Iraqi who died in UK military custody to sue the British Government and demand a public inquiry into the circumstances of his death. A strike by Indian Airlines ground staff disrupts air traffic throughout India. An explosion at the Al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq is reported to have destroyed two of the minarets. Indonesian police claim to have arrested Abu Dujana, the leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah, responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings. Shimon Peres is set to become Israel's ninth president after opponents bow out in the first round of the Israeli presidential elections.

Large earthquake strikes off Guatemala's Pacific coast
At 19:29:46 UTC (2:29:46 local time), an earthquake estimated by the United States Geological Survey at a magnitude of 6.8 struck just off the Pacific coast of Guatemala, approximately 115 km (70 miles) south-southwest of Guatemala City. The USGS estimates the depth at 64.8 km (40.3 miles).

"It has not caused any damage, there is no damage reported," said emergency services spokesman for Guatemala's emergency response team, Benedicto Giron.

Despite the claims of no damage, the swaying of buildings, damages to houses, collapsing buildings and mudslides are being reported in Guatemala. Buildings also swayed in El Salvador. There are no reports of injures or deaths, but the USGS reports that damage in the area could be moderate to heavy.

"[There are] no reports of damage or casualties at this time; however, this earthquake may have caused damage due to its location and size," said a statement posted on the USGS website.

A Red Cross spokesman in El Salvador, Carlos Lopez says that there are no reports of damage or injuries in El Salvador.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin stating that there was little risk of a tsunami; the bulletin listed the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.0.

"The earthquake was too deep to generate a tsunami hazard. We don't think there is going to be a dangerous Pacific-wide tsunami but we will monitor the situation," said spokesman for the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, David Walsh.

On June 8, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Guatemala in the same region 100 km (60 miles) south-southwest of Guatemala City.

Mars was once covered by oceans, study says
University of California, Berkeley scientists have published a report in Nature that says Mars was once covered by massive oceans.

In the 1980's the Viking spacecraft sent back images to NASA that had shown thousands of kilometers of ancient shorelines, known as Arabia and Deuteronilus, on the north and south poles of Mars, but the Mars Global Surveyor got a closer look of the shorelines and photographed a 300 meter length of the two shorelines in the 1990's. Those images had shown that the alleged shorelines were too warped and rugged to have been created by water or an ocean.

But the new study now shows that due to a tilting in the axis of Mars by nearly 3,000 kilometers over a period of 2 or 3 billion years, the shorelines might actually have to be more rugged as the water settled, creating land formations that would rise and fall during this process.

"When the spin axis moves relative to the surface, the surface deforms, and that is recorded in the shoreline,"said Michael Manga, a UC Professor and a co-author of the study.

"On planets like Mars and Earth that have an outer shell, or lithosphere, that behaves elastically, the solid surface will deform differently than the sea surface, creating a non-uniform change in the topography," said Taylor Perron the primary author of the study and who is now attending classes Harvard University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences to receive his postdoctoral degree.

Mars is said to have an elastic crust and the study shows why the shorelines vary so much in elevation with Arabia at 2.5 kilometers and Deuteronilus at 0.7 kilometers.

"This is a beautiful result that Taylor got. The mere fact that you can explain a good fraction of the information about the shorelines with such a simple model is just amazing. It's something I never would have guessed at the outset. This really confirms that there was an ocean on Mars," said Mark Richards, a professor at UC Berkley of earth and planetary science and study co-author.

The study says that as little as a 50 degree shift in the Martian axis, could cause a significant change in the elevation of the shorelines of Arabia, as much as 3,000 k.m.. As little as a 20 degree shift could do the same with Deuteronilus, but with a 700 k.m. change in the shoreline elevation.

It is estimated that the shorelines on Mars were created between 2 and 4 billion years ago.

Thai female boxing champ paroled from prison
Female boxing champion Samson Sor Siriporn was released on parole from prison Pathum Thani, Thailand today, after serving five years of a seven-year term on a drug conviction. She will live at the residence of the director of the Women's Rehabilitation Center.

The 24-year-old Thai woman won the WBC world flyweight title in a special match in prison in April, defeating Ayaka Miyano of Japan, and creating a media sensation. She is due to defend her title next month.

"Thanks for those who supported a convict like me," Siriporn was quoted as saying at a press conference. "Some may not agree but I don't care. I am happy that there are people willing to support me. I like to thank all the officials as well."

13 drug-resistant TB cases reported in Thailand
Thirteen cases of a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, XDR-TB, have been reported by a prominent doctor in Thailand.

The 13 cases were first reported yesterday by Dr. Manoon Leechawaengwong, chairman of the Drug Resistant TB Research Fund of the Siriraj Foundation at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.

Manoon's disclosure, reported on the website of The Nation newspaper, was contradicted by Dr Mongkol na Songkhla, the public health minister, who said he had not yet been informed of the XDR cases. Another doctor, Dr Tawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Ministry of Public Health's Disease Control Department, had insisted last week that there were no cases of XDR-TB in Thailand.

But today, Thawat said in a report by the government-run Thai News Agency that the ministry would request the TB samples from Siriraj Hospital to verify that they are XDR-TB, and the result would be forwarded to the World Health Organization.

The XDR strain is the same that sparked a health alert last month in the United States and Europe, when a Georgia man took transatlantic flights from the U.S. to Greece, and then to Canada, passing through international borders without being stopped.

Manoon said government health officials weren't paying enough attention to tuberculosis.

"We have to speak the truth and look for a way to prevent the spread of the disease," he was quoted as saying by The Nation. "If possible, the government should have the power to restrict the movement of those infected with drug-resistant forms of TB – to reduce the chance of them spreading the disease."

Neither of the news reports gave the whereabouts of the patients, or whether they had in fact been isolated.

The World Health Organization has reported that so far 269 XDR-TB patients from 35 countries worldwide have been found. Of the total patients, South Korea ranked first with 136. Thailand is ranked 17th worldwide on the number of patients suffering from every type of TB disease out of 22 countries.

European Union to fund scheme to reduce aircraft emissions and noise pollution
The European Union (EU) has announced plans to fund a private-public scheme dubbed "Clean Sky" to reduce aircraft emissions and noise pollution in European aircraft. Officials claim that the project will have large-scale economic benefits, will reduce jet engine carbon emissions by 20-40% and will therefore offset the large growth in commercial air travel. The proposal comes at a time when European officials are under heavy criticism for not doing enough to reduce aircraft emissions.

The new proposal is outlined in a document that is reported to be likely to be passed by the European Commission. The document says that "Not launching Clean Sky soon will put the European industry in a position of competitive disadvantage, with negative repercussions not only for the industry itself but also for the EU as a whole," and goes on to point out that the US has a comparable scheme, the National Aeronautics Research and Development Policy, and points out that progress is beginning to be made in the area by Brazil, Russia, China and India. The paper also highlights the need for public spending in the scheme to ensure it does not fall behind international development. The commission has argued that "the present value, at 2006 prices, of the cumulative direct effect over the period 2010-2035 of Clean Sky on economic output in the EU has been estimated to approximately €100 billion to €160 billion reflecting increased operating profits, labor expenditures, capital investment and other direct effects."

The proposal calls for the aviation industry to contribute 800 million Euros between 2008 and 2014, with companies such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Thales, Dassault and Eurocopter. Universities and research institutions have also pledged support. The funding will be matched with public money from the EU, making the total cost €1.6 billion.

As well as approval by the European Commission, the plan requires approval by the individual EU member states. Britain, though infamously skeptical of large EU projects, has already voiced its support, along with several other countries.

If the project goes ahead, funding will be split between six separate main initiatives, including a "greener" engine, a "smart" fixed wing that continually readjusts itself to maintain best fuel economy, and research regarding lighter materials that could be used to replace metals in aircraft bodies and components.

According to current estimates, the 20-40 percent carbon emissions reduction will mean a reduction of two to three billion tons between 2015 and 2050, and the project will also reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 40-60 percent in the same time frame, as well as causing a 50% reduction in "perceived aircraft noise".

Cessna to display seven aircraft and new cabin concept at Paris Air Show
The US-based Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is expected to statically display seven of its aircraft and a mock-up of its latest business jet large cabin concept at the 47th International Paris Air Show, dubbed the LCC.

The seven aircraft expected to be on display are the Citation CJ2+, Citation Encore+, Citation XLS, and Citation Sovereign business jets, a Grand Caravan, a 206 Stationair, and a 172 Skyhawk single engine piston aircraft.

Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton said of the exhibit, “There is so much synergy now with other companies under the Textron corporate banner – companies like Bell Helicopter and Textron Systems – that we felt it made sense for us to return as an exhibitor to the Paris Air Show... We are particularly excited to have our large cabin mockup as the highlight of our exhibit."

Cessna originally announced plans for a new large model of business jet for the Citation range at last year's annual National Business Aviation Association meeting, and the idea has been in development since, culminating in the new large cabin concept design. The mock-up at the Paris Air Show includes a large galley, seating for nine passengers, a toilet and a dummy flight deck.

Cessna claim the new design, which outsizes their previous large cabin and long-range business jets, would "set a new standard for performance, cabin comfort, passenger amenities and environmental friendliness," if launched.

Cessna refuse to release details such as exact internal design specifications and manufacturers of avionics and engines unless the new model actually enters production. Cessna Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Roger Whyte told reporters that preliminary wind tunnel testing had "fully met... expectations" and that they had "received extremely positive reaction to the performance parameters as well the cabin design of the proposed aircraft from our customer base", although he warned that there are still a number of processes to be completed before Cessna actually decide whether or not to launch the new model.

Television's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89
Don Herbert, known to many as his stage name "Mr. Wizard", died Tuesday night. Mr. Wizard, who is famous for introducing science to children for over 50 years, died of bone cancer at the age of 89 at his Bell Canyon Home in Los Angeles.

“Using everyday equipment made it something that children should not be afraid of. If you used scientific equipment that's strange to the child, it's not going to help him or her understand.” —Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard), Interview on Voice of America's Our World

Mr. Wizard was the host of the program Watch Mr. Wizard in the 1950s and 60s, and later Mr. Wizard's World in the 80s. His children-themed shows gave viewers a glimpse into the science world by performing experiments with common household objects. Herbert said in an interview on Voice of America's Our World, a science and technology program, that "Using everyday equipment made it something that children should not be afraid of. If you used scientific equipment that's strange to the child, it's not going to help him or her understand. So we used everyday equipment. And especially because we used everyday equipment in new and unusual ways, which helped." Generations of young scientists tuned in each week to learn about scientific principles and follow along with Mr. Wizard by conducting the same experiments at home.

Herbert, who was born in Waconia, Minnesota, attended the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse. After graduating with degrees in English and general science, he joined the US Army Air Corps, and served in World War II as a bomber pilot in Europe. Post-war, he worked as an actor before becoming the host of Watch Mr. Wizard in 1951. The program ran for nearly 15 years on NBC and CBC.

In 1983, the show's format was revived with Mr. Wizard's World, which aired on the Nickelodeon cable network for 7 years. He also appeared on the talk shows of David Letterman (including the premiere episode of Late Night with David Letterman), Johnny Carson, and Regis Philbin, as well as staring as a panelist on the game show Hollywood Squares 5 times in 1986.

Herbert is survived by his wife and six children and step-children.

Indonesia arrests Jemaah Islamiyah leader
Police in Indonesia say they have arrested Abu Dujana on Saturday on the island of Java. Dujana is alledged to be the military leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) which stands accused of a number of attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings.

The 38-year-old Dujana was Indonesia's most wanted fugitive. Police say it took days to identify him because of his many aliases. DNA and fingerprinting were both used to make the final confirmation.

"With this arrest we have successfully stopped acts of terrorism in the future," said police spokesperson Sisno Adiwinoto. "He was a key figure in the terrorist network in Indonesia."

Adiwinoto described Dujana as a field commander, a strategic planner and a bomb expert. "He was involved generally in the first Bali bombing, Poso and others." said the police spokesman.

Dujana is likely to be charged under anti-terrorism laws, and as such, could face the death penalty.

MuchMusic Video Awards this Sunday in Toronto, Canada; Wikinews will be there
Wikinews will be attending The 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards this weekend, a popular annual event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. True stars will be out to play, present, and else wise schmooze at the CHUM-City Building just above the city's Entertainment District in the Queen Street West neighbourhood.

MuchMusic is the most popular music channel in Canada, and has been holding the event since 1990. Roughly 6000 fans line the streets surrounding Much headquarters each year, and 1200 more score "the wristband" and enjoy a free festival-style show in the parking lot, watching four outdoor performance areas spread out in the downtown location. New this year is a special roof-top stage, on the top of the building.

Last year's show reached 3.5 million viewers in Canada and 100 million around the globe, with broadcasts in 65 countries.

Performing at the show will be Avril Lavigne, Fergie, Billy Talent, Hilary Duff, Alexisonfire, Maroon 5, Belly, The Used, and Finger Eleven.

On stage presenting will be Nickelback, Jay Manuel (Canada's Next Top Model, America's Next Top Model), Tara Reid (American Pie, this fall's Land of Canaan), Joss Stone, Sum 41, Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Grudge 2), Hedley, Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Sean Avery (New York Rangers), George, Sam Roberts, Emilie de Ravin (LOST), Marianas Trench, and Kardinal Offishall.

Photographer Robin Wong will be photographing the red carpet of the MMVAs for Wikinews and Wikipedia. He first helped the sites in April of this year, photographing Hilary Duff at MuchMusic. Wong's extensive client list includes Fidelty Investments, Flare Magazine, Masterfile, First Light, Fashion Television, FCB Canada, Profit Magazine, Financial Post, and Publicis. His works have appeared in the 2004 and 2005 Applied Arts Awards Annual, the top publication for the creative industry.

Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has been nominated for "Favourite Canadian Artist" at this year's awards.

Canadian rock group Nickelback has been nominated for "Favourite Canadian Group" at this year's awards. They, and Canadian rock group Billy Talent, have five nominations.

Among the awards up for grabs are four People's Choice categories, which are still open for text message (within Canada) or online ballots.

Nominated for "Favourite Canadian Artist" is Avril Lavigne, City and Colour, George, k-os, and Nelly Furtado. "Favourite Canadian Group" may go to Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Hedley, Nickelback, and Three Days Grace. Akon, Fergie, Gwen Stefani, Hillary Duff, and Justin Timberlake will all be duking it out for "Favourite International Artist", while Evanescence, The Killers, My Chemical Romance, the Pussycat Dolls, and Red Hot Chili Peppers are all possibles in the "Favourite International Group" category.

Viewers can watch all the videos on MuchAXS, muchmusic.com's "viewer-controlled broadband community." From there, viewers can either vote online at muchmusic.com, or text "MMVA" to 299299 to vote on their phone (Canada only).

Both Billy Talent and Nickelback have five nominations a piece, leading the list, just ahead of Belly and k-os with 4 nods each.

The VIPs at the event will be treated to premium goodies at The 2007 MMVAs Gift Lounge. Mingling, sampling, and customizing their collection, they'll also have a pre-packaged gift bag.

Available to them are:

Balmshell Lipgloss Collection in a Balmshell Market Bag

Cosabella Lingerie

Evian Natural Spring Water

FLICK OFF gear

Fossil Canada Fashion Watches for Men and Women

Glamour Campaign Apparel for Women and Men

Guess? Inc. Best-selling Footwear for Men & Women

LOULOUMagazine

Luxottica Designer Sunglasses

Mavi Jeans "Perfect Fit" Jeans

MGA Entertainment BRATZ THE MOVIE Dolls

Nine West Rolling Luggage and Large Tote Bag

Nokia 5300 Xpress Music Phone and BH-800 Bluetooth Headset

Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system

MMVA attendees will be invited to FLICK OFF, as part of a Canadian advertising campaign intended to promote energy conservation by reducing electricity usage to young people (the 'L' and the 'I' together are perceived as a 'U' which has struck some criticism in the Canadian media). They will sign FLICK OFF apparel, which according to press materials "will be used at a later date to support this important cause."

Proposed New Zealand Day opposed in Parliament
The New Zealand Day bill has been opposed 117 votes to two in Parliament tonight. The bill would have replaced New Zealand's founding day, Waitangi Day with New Zealand Day.

“The timing is right for New Zealand to actively and positively advance our national identity – starting with a new national day”

—Peter Dunne

Waitangi day is on February 6 each year and celebrates the signing of New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi).

The Select Committee that reviewed this bill on February 23 recommended that the bill was not passed. The vote tonight was a formality. They stated that the bill would have created disharmony within society.

Peter Dunne's United Future party lead the bill by Judy Turner and were the only votes tonight.

Peter Dunne said that a New Zealand Day would not encourage racism unlike Waitangi Day.

Dunne is now drafting up a new bill that would retain Waitangi Day, but either change Queen's Birthday or start Dominion Day back up.

Judges agree on rules for Khmer Rouge tribunal
After months of infighting, rules governing the proceedings of the first-ever trial of leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge in Cambodia have been unanimously agreed upon by Cambodian and international judges in Phnom Penh.

"These rules will ensure us fair and transparent trials," co-prosecutor Robert Petit told reporters. "Now that the rules are adopted, we can move forward."

Backed by the United Nations with a budget of US$56 million, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was expected to start this year. But since being sworn in last July, the panel of foreign and Cambodian jurists have disputed the rules that govern the court, which stipulate such details as lawyer's fees and the height of the judge's chairs. The court is expected to start holding hearings next year and last for three years.

One of the key issues holding up the trial was the insistence of the Cambodian Bar Association that foreign lawyers in the trial pay a fee of $2,700. International judges disputed the fee, which they said was too high and would place an undue burden on volunteer defense lawyers. As a compromise, the fee has been lowered to $500.

The Khmer Rouge, a Maoist communist regime, ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Led by Pol Pot, the regime's plan was to redevelop Cambodia into an agrarian utopia that had no money, religion, schools or social classes. As many as 2 million people died of starvation or overwork in labor collectives and in genocidal purges.

Pol Pot died in 1998, but two other high-ranking Khmer Rouge officials, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, are still alive and living freely in Cambodia. Both men, as are many other Khmer Rouge leaders, are old and suffering from health problems. Another leader, the military commander Ta Mok, died last year while in prison. One other leader, Khang Khek Ieu, the administrator of the Tuol Sleng torture center, is in prison awaiting trial.

Many members of the current government of Cambodia are former Khmer Rouge, including Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Critics of the trial say the $56 million pricetag is too much.

Among the critics is John Gunther Dean, who was U.S. ambassador to Cambodia when Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rogue in 1975.

"I think the $56 million which has been collected to convict half a dozen people, would it not be much better to use that to build some hospitals under the name of 'Lest We Forget?'" he said in a recent interview with Voice of America.

Youk Chhang, director of the non-profit Documentation Center Cambodia, which collects and archives Khmer Rouge records, said the money for the trial has come from voluntary donations, and does not take funds away from such things as building schools or hospitals, and will help Cambodia rebuild its rule of law.

Woman disclosed by newspaper in sex tape commits suicide
Debbie Gerbich, who was involved in consensual group sex sessions with former and serving New Zealand police officers in 2001, committed suicide on June 6, 2007. One of those former police officers on a videotape made during the group sex sessions was convicted of rape but acquitted in two high profile trials dating back to historic sex allegations involving police officers serving in Rotorua in the 1980s.

The New Zealand Herald revealed the identity of Mrs Gerbich on Sunday 31 March after she gave a rival newspaper access to the videotape made in 2001. The Sunday News had published information revealing the existence of the videotape but did not reveal her identity. Mrs Gerbich was reported by the Sunday News to have been devastated after her name was subsequently published by the New Zealand Herald. Mrs Gerbich claimed to have received intimidating emails from New Zealand Herald journalist Steven Cook after she refused to speak with them. Two emails sent from Steven Cooks email account were presented and read out to a reporter on the New Zealand current affairs program Close Up, one of them stated;

"We can play this one of two ways; either with your co-operation or without. We have made enquiries today into your background and have turned up several interesting leads. And I suggest it's in your interests to discuss those with me."

"If you think you can continue to hide in the shadows, you're sadly mistaken."

It is not known how exactly the New Zealand Herald learned her identity and that she was being interviewed as part of police operation Austin investigating the historic sex allegations.

Not enough names to go around in China, ministry says
There are too many people named Wang in China – around 93 million. Also, there are too many with the name Li, about 92 million, and 88 million people named Zhang.

For 85 percent of the population of 1.3 billion in China, there are just 100 surnames, the Ministry of Public Security says, and, according to a report in yesterday's China Daily, that's not nearly enough.

The dearth of surnames creates too much confusion and problems in daily life, leading to many cases of mistaken identity, officials say.

The solution, the ministry says, is combined surnames, which it is proposing in a draft regulation. For example, the China Daily said, if a father's family name is Zhou, and the mother's is Zhu, their son or daughter could have four options for a new surname, Zhou, Zhu, Zhouzhu or Zhuzhou.

The move could make for up to 1.28 million new surnames, said Guan Xihua, a household registration officer with the Beijing public security bureau.

In addition to the popular Wangs, Lis and Zhangs, there are around 20 million each of people named Chen, Zhou and Lin, according to the ministry.

Combine these family names with popular given names, and the result is 100,000 people with the name Wang Tao, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Du Ruofu, a retired researcher on Chinese surnames from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the China Daily that the hybrid surnames are already popular with young couples, even though they are not strictly allowed.

China's Marriage Law says that a newborn can have the surname of either the father or the mother, but does not yet mention a combined surname.

The combined surname would also promote gender equality, Du said. Additionally, Du said people from ethnic minority groups should be encouraged to use traditional surnames, instead of adopting Han Chinese names, which dilutes cultural heritage and diversity.

The ministry's draft regulation allows ethnic minority letters or characters, but bans any foreign letters, self-made characters, pinyin, numerals or the complex form of simplified Chinese characters.

Hamas takes control of Fatah security headquarters
Reports say that at least 200 members of the Hamas security force have taken control of the security headquarters of Fatah in Gaza. Reports also say that the attack of the headquarters killed 10 people and injured at least 30.

"Hamas has decided to punish the attackers and the killers and it will not be reluctant to punish them without any mercy. They crossed all the red lines," said Fawzi Barhoum, a top spokesman for Hamas in a statement to the press.

Mortar shells and rockets were fired at the headquarters before the forces entered it and took control.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the attack and has accused Hamas of attempting a "coup" of the Palestinian government.

"The political and military leaders of Hamas are planning a coup against the legitimate institutions, thinking they will be able to control the Gaza Strip by force," said Abbas in a statement to the press.

Imelda Marcos aquitted of tax evasion

Former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos has been acquitted, due to lack of evidence, of tax evasion charges that date back to the 1980s.

The complaint said Marcos failed to pay 33.734 million Philippine pesos for earning 192.08 million pesos in 1985 and 5.736 million pesos for the Marcos estate in 1989. Without accounting for inflation, the amount tax officials said was owed totals around US$845,000. The case was filed in 1991.

"I thank the Lord that justice for the Marcoses has prevailed," Marcos was quoted as saying outside the courthouse in Quezon City. "You can be sure that this will be followed by justice for the Filipino people.’’

Billion of baht missing from Thaksin accounts, Thai officials say

Thailand's embattled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had his assets in Thailand ordered frozen on Monday, but today banking officials are having trouble locating some of it.

The Assets Examination Committee ordered 52.8 billion baht (about US$1.5 billion) in 21 accounts seized, but only 43 billion baht has been found.

According to the Bank of Thailand, more than 8 billion baht was withdrawn between June 4 and Monday, with about 5.6 billion baht withdrawn in the name of Thaksin's brother-in-law, Bhanapot Damapong.

Today in History
1645 - English Civil War: In the Battle of Naseby, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.

1777 - The Second Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes design for the flag of the United States.

1822 - Charles Babbage proposed a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society.

1985 - A group with alleged links to Hezbollah hijacked TWA Flight 847.

2001 - Leaders of the People's Republic of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

June 14 is Liberation Day in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Flag Day in the United States.

Quote of the Day

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with the golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

~ W. B. Yeats ~

Word of the Day

heartfelt; adj

Felt deeply or sincerely; felt or believed fully.

About Wikinews
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Articles published in this Print edition were created by Wikinewsies. Other content released under the GNU Free Documentation License. To view a copy of the CC-BY license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, California, 94105, USA To view a copy of the GFDL, visit: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Wikipedia Current Events http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events Today in History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Quote of the Day http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page Word of the Day http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page
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