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G8 reaches deal on African aid for health issues G8 leaders have reportedly struck a deal pledging US$60 billion in aid to Africa. The deal which will be announced later today will be a commitment to fighting AIDS and malaria on the continent. US President George W. Bush falls ill during G8 Summit U.S. President George W. Bush has fallen ill with a stomach bug and missed the morning session of the G-8 Summit, but has returned to the days events.

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Judge orders Paris Hilton to return to jail A day after being released to house arrest, Paris Hilton is brought back into court today in handcuffs, and ordered to serve out her remaining 23-day sentence in jail.
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Sri Lankan Civil War: Police in Sri Lanka force hundreds of the minority Sri Lankan Tamils community out of Colombo for what they say are security reasons. Italian police arrest a group of people for allegedly providing material support for an al Qaeda-linked organisation Salafist Group for Call and Combat. G8 leaders reach agreement on a deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

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President of the United States George W. Bush and President of Russia Vladimir Putin meet to discuss missile defense. Putin, in a minor reversal of recent rhetoric regarding Bush's European missile shield plans, suggests placing a radar installation in Azerbaijan. Four supposed agent provocateurs who had encouraged peaceful protesters to throw stones are unmasked. A police spokesperson pointed to a possible involvement of Intelligence agencies. At least 12 citizens of Oman are killed by Cyclone Gonu. Hamas militants kill a Fatah member and five other Palestineans are injured in a renewal of fighting between the two groups. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand raises interest rates in New Zealand to 8%, the highest level of any industrialised nation. American scientists identify a new strain of potentially lethal bacteria called Bartonella rochalimae.

Philadelphia to become largest city in U.S. without Boy Scout building
When the Philadelphia City Council broke its 80 year old building lease with the Cradle of Liberty Council, it set itself on a course to be the largest city in the nation without its own Boy Scout building. The scouts must abandon their building before the end of July. Local scouts now have to go to suburbs for services.

With the eviction of the Cradle of Liberty Council, Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the nation, is the only one without its own Scout building. The four largest cities are each served respectively by their own council: Greater New York Councils; Los Angeles Area Council; Chicago Area Council and the Sam Houston Area Council. Cities six through ten have council offices within their city limits as well (Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas and San Jose).

The Philadelphia-based council is the seventh largest in the nation. The top five are New York, Houston, the Washington-BaltimoreArea (National Capital Area Council), Saint Paul (Northern Star Council) and Salt Lake City (Great Salt Lake Council).

In December 1928 the City of Philadelphia gave the Philadelphia Council permission to build a headquarters on city-owned land at 22nd and Spring Streets in Fairmount Park. The Scouts built their headquarters at their own expense and, complying with the terms of the agreement, immediately turned over the property to the city. In return they remained housed in their building rent free "in perpetuity."

The Beaux Arts style building built in 1929 was designed by architect Charles Klauder. Located at 22nd and Winter Streets it is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Having lost the use of the land and building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway given to the council, it will operate out of its suburban office in Wayne, Pennsylvania. This office is is 21 miles outside of Center City, considered the heart of the Delaware Valley.

The eviction of the council is due to the controversies over the issue of avowed homosexuals being leaders in the Boy Scouts. The city of Philadelphia does not allow discrimination against openly gay people, and the Scouts have asserted that under the First Amendment Freedom of assembly they can exclude people who don’t meet their membership standards.

There is no word about the Scouts future plans in Philadelphia and Scout officals have not yet commented on it. The council is still recovering from the loss of United Way funding in 2003.

Anaheim Ducks win Stanley Cup
The Anaheim Ducks won the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup on Wednesday in Game 5 of the 2007 finals. The Ducks achieved a 6-2 score against the Ottawa Senators at their home stadium, the Honda Center, winning the best-of-seven series while only allowing one Ottawa victory. This marks the first such championship for a California professional ice hockey team.

Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in the 2006-2007 season.

Switzerland lifts ban on motor racing
Switzerland has lifted a 52 year old ban on any form of motor racing taking part in the country. The ban was first introduced following the more than 80 deaths in the disaster at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The ban was lifted following heated discussions within the Swiss parliament with some arguing that the reintroduction of the sport could help the countries component manufacturers and the tourism industry, while others argued that the sport wasn't good for the environment.

The final voting saw the ban lifted with 97 votes for and 77 against.

Land mine explodes in Siirt, Turkey killing three soldiers, injuring six others
At 1800 hours (UTC) a remote controlled land mine exploded in Siirt, Turkey. The government of Turkey believes that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was responsible for the explosion.

At least 3 soldiers of the Turkish Armed Forces were killed and six others were injured when their military vehicle passed over the device.

The injured personnel and soldiers were immediately taken to a hospital in Siirt via medical helicopters.

Turkish army Generals have told the Turkish people "to resist in the face of these terrorist actions. The Turkish Armed Forces has an unshakable determination in fighting terrorism and it will absolutely give the necessary answer to such attacks."

Paris Hilton released under house arrest
Paris Hilton has been released from prison after serving only three days of her 23-day sentence, reports TMZ.com, though she will receive credit for five days (as the authorities in Los Angeles have counted Sunday evening and Thursday morning as a part of her sentence).

Reports indicate that Hilton was overcome by the stress of incarceration (credited as "medical reasons"), and reached an agreement to serve the remaining days of her sentence under house arrest. She will have to spend 40 days in house arrest, forced to wear a tracking ankle bracelet. The 26-year-old Hilton was released from the Los Angeles Jail Thursday and was placed into house arrest.

In January, the hotel heiress pleaded guilty to charges of alcohol-related reckless driving. In February, the California highway patrol caught her violating her three year probation. Hilton on Sunday entered the Century regional detention facility in Los Angeles, almost immediately after the MTV Movie Awards.

North Korea test-fires two missiles, South Korean officer says
North Korea test-fired several short-range missiles off its west coast, South Korea's Yonhap news service reported today.

"I believe North Korea launched two missiles into the West Sea today, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon," an unnamed South Korean intelligence official was quoted as saying by Yonhap, the South Korean government news service. The official added that the rockets were either a surface-to-ship type or a ship-to-ship type, both with a range of less than 100 kilometers (60 miles), and landed in North Korean territory.

"North Korea conducts this kind of missile test several times a year," the official was quoted as saying. "We saw the test as part of a routine military exercise."

The last missile test was on May 25, which at the time South Korean and US officials said was routine.

But the latest launches occurred a day after US President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on the G8 nations to put more pressure on North Korea to comply with an international agreement to shut down its main nuclear reactor.

The U.S. criticized today's launch as "not constructive."

"The United States and our allies believe that North Korea should refrain from testing missiles," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement from the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. "North Korea should focus on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and fulfill its obligations," Johndroe said, mentioning an international agreement North Korea made on Feb. 13 that it would to shut down its main nuclear reactor in return for financial and diplomatic incentives.

Turkey will host the 2008 IATA Congress
The Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Temel Kotil, has reported that the next International Air Transport Association (IATA) Congress in 2008 will be in Istanbul, Turkey. He also added that this congress would be a good opportunity to introduce Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines President of the Executive Comittee, Candan Karlıtekin, has invited French-Canadian singer Celine Dion to this congress for a concert in 2008.

Turkey secures Kurdish zone border with Iraq
Turkey has tightened access to the border cities, and regions from/to Northern Iraq have been closed after a series of attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and these border cities have been declared as forbidden zones, a press release published on the website of the Turkish Military says. The Chief of Staff, General Yaşar Büyükanıt said that the situation was extraordinary.

It has also been reported that anyone to trespass the borders and enter the forbidden zones will not be tolerated and shot.

The Turkish Military has also cancelled and stopped all flights between Turkey and Northern Iraq.

Post-Kyoto agreement is subject of G8 debate
Leaders from the 7 richest industrialised countries and Russia will have to deal with climate issues at the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. While France and Germany are calling for quantifiable greenhouse gas emission cuts, the U.S. and Japan believe that growing economies such as India and China would need to join in on such efforts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G8 summit yesterday said the two main topics were climate change and combating poverty in Africa. She said her first talks with president Bush were good, and added: "I trust that we will work out joint positions on that." Bush acknowledged that he has "strong desire to work ... on a post-Kyoto agreement."

“We all can make major strides, and yet there won't be a reduction until China and India are participants” —United States President, George W. Bush

Merkel had proposed a 50% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, helping to keep global temperature rise to no more than 3.6°C. White House adviser James Connaughton however said that "At this point in time we are not prepared to adopt that proposal."

President George W. Bush finds himself in a position between the pressure from France and Germany, but on the other hand he wants to urge countries like India and China to join climate efforts. He told reporters that: "The United States can serve as a bridge between some nations who believe that now is the time to come up with a set goal … and those who are reluctant to participate in the dialogue. ... We all can make major strides, and yet there won't be a reduction until China and India are participants."

President Bush will defend his plan today to organise a separate conference on global warming with the 15 biggest polluters to set their own goals, and to rely on technological innovations to achieve part of the emission targets. When asked about the U.S. plans, Merkel said in a television interview that she didn't expect the differences to disappear overnight. At the G8 summit she said stated: "I think we all know that the goals agreed by the European Union cannot be accepted by the entire world."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters: "On climate change ...We agreed that Japan and the United States would be working together for the creation of an effective framework which is flexible, and that we would be cooperating to achieve that end in the future."

The new President of France Nicolas Sarkozy wants the U.S. to increase their efforts on climate issues. He told reporters yesterday: "We need quantifiable targets in the final text. It is an extremely important point and I intend to talk to the president of the United States about it as early as this evening. ... President Bush has made a first effort, but we need to set ourselves targets to clearly show the determination of the G-8 to act and to obtain results... If we don't act now, it will be too late to avoid a disaster. It will cost less than if we wait."

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin called the U.S. plans to deal with global warming "very pragmatic and interesting." Italian Prime Minister Romani Prodi recognised that "the American president has made comments in the last few days that have been more open than in the past." Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair also welcomed the U.S. engagement for "substantial" reductions, which the U.S. is aiming for, according to a recent U.S. draft G8 document.

President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso at the G8 summit said he thought the E.U. was taking a leading role in the climate debate, also by influencing the position of countries like the U.S. and China. He believes a global agreement to follow Kyoto is needed, possibly by 2009. He stressed that, as this was a problem created by all nations, effecting all, it had to be tackled within the UN-framework, and that agreements made by only a number of states would fall short of what is needed. He also doubted the possibility that hard numbers on emissions cuts would result from this summit.

Other topics at the G8 Summit will be development in Africa (including the fight against AIDS and malaria), the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization, and the U.S. plans to set up a missile defence shield in Europe.

The U.S. is the only G8 country that has not ratified the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.

Owner wants $10 million for Flight 93 crash site land
Mike Svonavec, the owner of the land in Somerset County, Pennsylvania where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001 has set a US$10 million price tag for his property, which is sought by the group, Families of Flight 93 and the United States National Park Service for building a memorial dedicated to those on the plane.

Svonavec says that the price is fair market value for the 273 acre property and the organization would not be charged for the exact site of the crash. The organization has offered to buy the land for no more than $500,000 at least three times.

Currently, the U.S. National Park Service only owns approximately 60 acres of the land. PBS Coals Inc. owns 864 acres of the land and Svonavec owns 273 acres. The entire field is nearly 2,000 acres.

The permanent memorial is estimated to cost $58 million and is scheduled to be constructed starting in 2008 or 2009. On the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, a ribbon will be cut at the site.

Svonavec has also placed a box on the crash site temporary memorial, where visitors can leave a "donation" to pay for his asking price for the land as well as the cost of providing security at the site. Funding was provided for the cost of security, but in February the funds were already used up and Svonavec says he can no longer afford to keep the land maintained and secure. Reports say that the security company that is currently in charge of security charges $10,000 per month.

"That land has been paid for with 40 lives...the donation box is an insult to that cost. I think Svonavec believes his land, because it has the blood of my cousin and 39 other people, it's worth more," said Patrick White, Vice President, Families of Flight 93.

Rare Middle East cyclone batters Oman
Tropical Storm Gonu headed toward Iran today, after lashing Oman for two days with high winds and torrential rains, and causing at least 23 deaths and the evacuation of more than 20,000 people to emergency shelters. Concern was high for the oil industry, as rough seas kept tankers from leaving their ports.

Such storms are rare in the Middle East. Early today, Gonu was weakening and was downgraded to a tropical storm. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center projected the storm to continue weakening as it made landfall on Iran's southeastern coast. Offshore Iranian oil installations were expected to be spared, officials said.

In the Omani capital, Muscat yesterday, there were torrential rains and howling winds, a rarity in the quiet coastal city. Streets were flooded and emergency vehicles were useless. Flights were canceled at Oman's Seeb International Airport.

Twenty-three deaths were reported by Omani authorities today. Electricity and phone lines were out and roads flooded. Police said a body washed ashore in Sur. There were also reports of people trapped in homes in low-lying areas of the capital.

Authorities used mobile-phone text messages to warn people away from dangerous areas. Residents were warned to stay at home, or seek shelter in buildings that could withstand the harsh weather.

Shareefa bint Khalfan, Omani minister of social development, said more than 20,000 people were evacuated to government shelters.

At Oman's weather center, where records have been kept since 1890, metorologists said Gonu was likely the strongest storm to hit Oman since 1977. Milder tropical storms are common mid-May to late June.

In Iran, hundreds of residents of Chabahr, a port on the Gulf of Oman, were evacuated.

"University and school students were moved to higher ground in the area to avoid the cyclone effects," Hojjat Ali Shayanfar, head of emergency services in Sistan Baluchistan province, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Some major roads were flooded in southeastern Iran. In the port city of Bandar Abbas, winds shattered windows and knocked down billboards & trees.

Oman has relatively small oil fields, and there was little damage to them. But oil exports were cut off, as the raging seas kept tankers battened down in port for a third day today.

To the north, at the world's third-largest shipping fuel center in Fuajirah, United Arab Emirates, all refueling and supply operations were suspended, and ships were kept in their berths.

At the entrance to the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, ships passed through, despite four- to six-foot swells and strong winds. About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through this narrow chokepoint.

Iran, OPEC's No. 2 oil exporter, said the storm would not disrupt supplies because its main terminals were inside the Gulf waterway.

Analysts were mixed on how the storm will affect prices at the gas pump.

"About 17-21 million barrels a day of oil are coming out of the Persian Gulf. Even if only some of the tankers are delayed, that could reduce the supply of oil and increase prices, Manouchehr Takin, at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

But Tim Evans, an analyst at Citigroup Global Markets, said while the storm may delay oil tankers, they will eventually get to their destinations, so prices shouldn't be affected too drastically.

Oil prices rose US$0.25 to $65.86 a barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

At its peak, Tropical Cyclone Gonu, named for a bag of palm leaves in the language of the Maldives, reached sustained winds of 240 kilometers an hour (149 miles per hour) . By early today, winds were around 83 km/h, and it was expect to keep weakening.

The storm is believed to be the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record-keeping started in 1945, and was tied for the strongest tropical cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Team New Zealand to challenge Alinghi for America's Cup

Team New Zealand has beaten Luna Rossa Challenge 5-0, thus having the right to challenge current America Cup holder, Alinghi.

Team New Zealand racing in NZL-92, beat Italian team, Luna Rossa five times in a row and won the Louis Vuitton Cup.

NZL-92 completed the race 22 seconds ahead of ITA-94, the Italian's yacht.

In the 24-year history, Team New Zealand has become the first team to defeat another team five times in a row, without losing once. Dean Barker, helsman, said that they are very proud of what they have achieved.

Both teams had not been changed for the yacht race, though Luna Rossa did make an approved change to ITA-94.

On June 23 the best-of-nine challenge for America's Cup will start. The fourth time straight New Zealand will be competing.

Opposition gains control of Philippines senate

With results of the Philippine general election being slowly tabulated, winners are declared in 10 of 12 Senate seats, with opposition parties winning seven, and two going to supporters of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, giving the opposition control of the Senate.

Tornado devastates Vietnam villages

A tornado ripped through several villages yesterday in Thai Binh Province, northern Vietnam, killing one person, injuring five others and destroying more than 70 homes and shops.

"This is the fiercest tornado hitting the district over the past 20 years," Tran Ba Cao, an officer from the Thai Phuong commune people's committee, was quoted as saying by the Vietnam News Agency.

Today in History
1783 - The Laki craters of Iceland began an eight-month eruption, triggering a major famine.

1887 - Herman Hollerith received a patent for his punch card calculator.

1950 - Thomas Blamey became Australia's first (and only) Field Marshal.

1967 - The Israeli Air Force attacked the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 and wounding at least 173.

1995 - Programmer Rasmus Lerdorf released the first public version of the programming language PHP.

2004 - Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele broke the world record for outdoor 10,000 m in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

June 08 is World Ocean Day

Quote of the Day

I knew that good like bad becomes a routine, that the temporary tends to endure, that what is external permeates to the inside, and that the mask, given time, comes to be the face itself.

~ Marguerite Yourcenar

Word of the Day

mendaciously; adv

In a lying or deceitful manner.

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