Iran bans foreign journalists from covering rallies

Iran’s government Tuesday banned foreign media from covering rallies in Tehran being held in the wake of last week’s disputed presidential election. The decision comes after video footage emerged showing violence at demonstrations in support of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi. Moussavi has contested the results of Friday’s election, which showed an overwhelming victory for hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

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Would an Iran with Moussavi at the helm look different?

He’s been labeled by many as the "reformist," a man who can take Iran beyond the truculent anti-Western rhetoric of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. So, when Iran’s government announced over the weekend that Mir Hossein Moussavi had lost in his bid to become the country’s next president, young Iranians took to the streets by the thousands alleging ballot fraud

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Woods wins at U.S. Open warm up

Woods broke away from a four-way tie for the lead Sunday at the Memorial with birdies on his final two holes, the last one a 7-iron that stopped a foot away from the cup for a 7-under 65 and a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk. The “March 14” coalition won 71 seats in Lebanon’s parliament, while the Hezbollah-dominated “March 8” alliance won the remaining 57 seats, Lebanese Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced. Saad Hariri, the leader of the Sunni-dominated March 14 bloc, gave a victory speech Monday after the polls closed but hours before the official results were released

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Islamic militants seize Somali city

Somalia’s hard-line Islamic group Al-Shabab seized control of Jowhar, the president’s hometown, after a battle with pro-government forces Sunday. Jowhar is a major town 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Mogadishu, the capital. “All businesses are closed and residents are already fleeing while Al-Shabab are roaming the streets,” a local journalist said.

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Report: Some at U.S. diplomatic posts earn less than $1 a day

A new State Department report says some local employees hired by U.S. embassies and other posts around the world are so poorly paid they have to cut back to one meal a day or send their children to peddle on the streets. The report from the department’s Office of the Inspector General looked at how the U.S.

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King: Bad economy puts more families on the streets

The tears begin and her voice trembles as Ruth Martinez remembers the first few days of her new world. She would leave work, pick up her son Jacob at school and drive aimlessly, sometimes sneaking back to the office, “to watch TV there without my boss knowing.” Her husband had lost his job, and the stress drove them apart

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Pakistani forces, Taliban clash in Swat Valley

The Pakistani military and the Taliban clashed in the country’s Swat Valley Wednesday as thousands of civilians fled the area, a local official said. An estimated 40,000 people fled the city of Mingora in northwestern Pakistan, as military clashes raged on, said Khushhal Khan, district coordination officer in the area

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Boxing Champ Manny Pacquiao

Millions danced in the streets and a national holiday was announced by Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to mark the latest victory of the island nation’s great 21st century hero: boxing great Manny Pacquiao. The fighter also known as “Pac-Man” won in a knockout, beating British boxer Ricky “the Hitman” Hatton on May 2 and becoming the International Boxing Organization and Ring Magazine World Light Welterweight champion. It was a world record–tying sixth division title and fourth consecutive win in a different weight class

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Panama City Tries to Exorcise its Red Devils

Barreling down Balboa Avenue, belching diesel fumes as they bully fancy European sports cars out of the way, the second-hand American school buses that pass for Panama City’s public transportation system seem like dinosaurs that took a wrong exit off the time-space continuum. Known as “red devils,” these graffiti-covered relics offer one of the few relics of Panama City’s origins.

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