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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi killed in airstrike Al Qaeda in Iraq head Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed in an airstrike north of Baqubah, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said. Germany wins, 4-2 over Costa Rica in first World Cup match Millions worldwide watched the 2006 soccer World Cup kick off in the Allianz Arena in Munich, Friday, and saw hosts Germany cruise to a 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

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New HIV drug could stop virus from spreading In a small-scale trial on humans, American scientists say they may have developed a new drug that could stop the spread of HIV and "rapidly clears" the blood of the virus.

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Scientists in Greece confirm that the 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism is one of the world's first known analog computers. A delegation from the rebel Lord's Resistance Army arrives in Juba, Sudan for peace talks with the Ugandan government to be mediated by Riek Machar, Vice President of Southern Sudan. According to an aide to Iraq's prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and one of the world's most wanted men, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed by a U.S. air raid. Al-Zarqawi's body was retrieved and visually identified by known scars, tattoos and fingerprints. First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, 28, publicly refuses to go to Iraq, saying it would make him party to war crimes. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fills the last open posts of his Council of Ministers, appointing Qadir Obeidi as defense minister and Jawad Bulani as interior minister. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, a former ambassador to France and one of the first women in Bahrain to practice law, is elected President of the Sixty-first United Nations General Assembly. The Broadmead area of Bristol, United Kingdom is temporarily closed following the discovery of an unexploded German bomb from World War II. Microsoft makes Windows Vista beta 2 available for general download. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad declares his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, betrayed his trust â Mahathir's strongest criticism of Abdullah's administration yet.

Ecuador beats Poland, 2-0 in Group A match

A strong defensive display and two well taken goals saw Ecuador beat Poland in the second Group A match at the soccer World Cup.

The thousands of Polish fans who had traveled to the Veltins-Arena stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, saw their team struggle to put together attacking plays.

Ecuador, whose captain and defender Ivan Hurtado was taken off injured on 67 minutes, scored a goal in the first half and one 10 minutes from the end for a 2-0 victory.

The first twenty minutes was cagey with both sides unable to find form; there was not one chance on goal for the first twenty minutes.

When one did come it was Ecuador who capitalised: a throw-in from the right into the penalty area was flicked on for Carlos Tenario to nod passed the outstretched fingers of Artur Boruc into the far corner of the Polish net.

While first half-possession was equal for both sides Poland dominated the second period as Ecuador sat back on their lead, content to hit on the break.

Poland continued their early form of choosing the wrong pass and many times lost the ball in the third of the pitch nearest the opposition goal.

Ecuador scored a second ten minutes from time; in a rare attack near the Polish goal the ball was threaded by Polish defenders leaving a two on one with a stranded Boruc.

Agustin Delgardo didn't miss from 10 yards.

The Polish game never got going for manager Pawel Janas until the last five minutes when they hit the horizontal and then the vertical whitework of Christian Mora's goal.

Much of the credit for the performance of Luis Suarez's Ecuador side must be put at the feet of their defenders, particularly Giovanny Espinoza and Ivan Hurtado.

He will be hoping his defensive leader recovers for the next game against Costa Rica while Poland must contend with a German side who won their first game of the World Cup, Friday.

Germany wins, 4-2 over Costa Rica in first World Cup match

The 2006 soccer World Cup kicked off in the Allianz Arena in Munich, Friday, with hosts Germany cruising to a 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

The first match of Group A, which was full of attacking football, was a goal-fest for Jurgen Klinsmann's side, whose Miroslav Klose notched up a brace.

The highlight of the match went to German midfielder Torsten Frings for a 30-yard shot that sent the new tournament football swerving viciously past a hapless Costa Rican keeper.

The match had started brightly for the side-missing captain Michael Ballack, when on 6 minutes left-back Philipp Lahm curled in from the top-left of the penalty area.

But the joy the home crowd had after the spectacular start was punctured 6 minutes later by Paulo Wanchope. The Costa Rican striker broke through a static German defence to pass the ball neatly by Jens Lehmann.

Klose, who had 7 goals for the team in the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup, tapped in a second to again give the German side the lead with a quarter of an hour gone.

During the game possession of the ball was dominated by the hosts who, while looking vulnerable on the break, looked like scoring whenever they went forward.

They scored a third, Klose's second, on 61 minutes, when the striker was first to react to a rebound from his own header, which had been saved by Jose Porras.

Wanchope kept the home team on their toes breaking the German defence for a second time but any chance of the Central American team pulling off a shock was ended when Fring's bullet hit the back off the net.

The game was played in spirit, the only yellow card going to Costa Rica's Daniel Fonseca for a first-half challenge.

54 killed, 20 injured in Tanzanian bus crash

A bus accident in the north of Tanzania located approximately 15 miles to the east of Mount Kilimanjaro killed at least 54 people and injuring 20 after falling into the Malala river. Police say that the bus was packed with too many people and witnesses claim the bus was speeding.

"There were some (people) that were standing, plus cargo on top...It is not allowed within the law because the bus's capacity is 26 passengers," said Arusha regional commissioner, Abbas Kandoro. He also said the bus had at least 74 people on board.

"The bus was carrying 74 passengers. Fifty four people have died," added Kandoro.

A crane has been called in to assist in the rescue and police fear that more bodies will be found under the wreckage.

The people were traveling from Arusha to Mererani.

Details emerge on how al-Zarqawi's location was pinned

Someone said to be an informant within Abu Musab al-Zarwaqi's trusted circle told Coalition forces the insurgent leader was going to have a meeting, it has emerged. This information appears to have led US F-16Cs to a safehouse in the Iraqi town of Hibhid, where the Jordanian and five others were killed on Wednesday.

"We had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Zarqawi was in the house. There was 100 percent confirmation," Caldwell said.

The infomer is said to want the insurgency to pursue a strategy within the Iraqi political process, which in the informer's view was in contrast to tactics executed by al-Zarqawi's leadership that involved ethnic killings.

It was one of the last in a long line of breadcrumbs leading the hunt for the Iraqi government's most-wanted murderer to the doorstep of an attractive isolated house in Hibhid.

In a late-April video al-Zarqawi had been shown spraying bullets from a machine gun with a horizon in the background. This is said to have revealed the general location of al-Zarqawi, found near Diyala province, in the north east of Iraq. The ethnically mixed region had seen an upsurge in violence and over days preceding the airstrike.

Murders had included a number of decapitated heads left in fruitboxes. Al-Zarqawi had been known for kidnapping and video beheadings of westerners in Iraq.

Another al-Zarwaqi insider also had given vital clues to the investigators before the final tip-off. A former customs clearance officer in Rutba who called himself Ziad Khalaf al-Karbuli had named Sheikh Abu Abdul-Rahman as al-Zarqawi's spiritual advisor and gave-up contact details.

Ziad Khalaf al-Karbuli had appeared on Jordanian television, May 23, to confess his links to al-Zarqawi, and to his murder of a Jordanian driver and his kidnap of two Moroccan embassy employees in 2005. The vital clue about Abu Abdul-Rahman was not broadcast.

With details from the al-Karbuli interrogation the gunsights got closer to al-Zarqawi. "Through painstaking intelligence effort, they were able to start tracking him, monitoring his movements and establishing when he was doing his link-ups with Zarqawi, " Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said of the investigators.

The US search for the Sheikh included the use of remote controlled aircraft, it was revealed.

However; it is said neither the al-Karbuli information nor the al-Zarqawi betrayer lead the Americans to press the fire button on al-Zarwaqi's two-story home. Al-Zarqawi was hard to catch because he reportedly eschewed trackable cell-phones in favour of high-tech Thuraya-made satellite phones to communicate.

The death certificate was signed by the secret informant who said both Sheikh Abu Abdul-Rahman and al-Zarqawi would be in Hibhid, Wednesday night.

For the elusive insurgent who had previously escaped attempts to bomb him, the execution came after comparison of this source's information with tracks of the location of satellite phone users.

The location found was beside a property with a courtyard surrounded by fields away from other buildings. It appears then the US command made the decision to strike at an address in the small town, near Baqubah.

US special forces were on the scene to photograph the dead al-Zarqawi at 6:17 p.m., two minutes after two 500lb bombs were dropped. Al-Zarqawi was said to be alive and being given medical assistence when he died of wounds sustained in the bombing.

The announcement of the killing was made Thursday by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said to viewers of Iraqi television the $25 million bounty for information leading to the death or capture of al-Zarqawi would be "honored."

New videotape of Ayman al-Zawahiri aired on Aljazeera

Al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has released a new videotape. The Arabic television network Aljazeera has aired the tape.

On the tape, al-Zawahiri said, "God bless the prophet of Islam in Iraq, the persistent hero of Islam, the Holy Warrior Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." According to Aljazeera, the tape was made before the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

During the broadcast, al-Zawahiri talks to the general Muslim population saying, "I call upon them to reject any referendum on Palestine, because Palestine is not for bargaining or bidding. Palestine was a land of Islam, and its liberation is the duty of every Muslim. I call upon Muslims everywhere to support the brothers in Palestine."

Al-Zawahiri also claims that the United Nations is trying to "occupy" Sudan and is attempting to "divide" the nation.

"The spineless Sudanese government ... is joining the United States in dividing Sudan to stay in power. In Sudan, the crusader (U.N.) Security Council decided to send military experts to Darfur in preparation for its occupation and division. I call upon every Muslim and everyone who has faith in Sudan, and every fervent Muslim in Darfur to confront the Zionist Crusader plot to occupy the lands of Islam," added al-Zawahiri.

Zawahiri also talks about judges in Egypt who wish to make the judiciary system independent.

"In Egypt, the crusader system supports the secular system that violates the judges' integrity, cheats in elections and enforces emergency law. Oh judges, you won't obtain independence unless your country is liberated first, and our home will not be liberated unless Islamic Sharia [law] is implemented. The regime won't give you your independence because to do so would be to kill itself," said Zawahiri, who was addressing the Egyptian judges.

"I have to be frank with you. You are part of the problem. You agreed on the constitution and the secular laws imposed on the nation by arms and suppression and torture and rigged elections. I tell the Egyptian judges you will not gain independence because America and Israel simply and clearly do not want that, and what you see today in procedures against you is part of their promised American reform plan," added Zawahiri.

Zawahiri also talks about the aid to the Palestinian government, which has been frozen. "The Arab governments did not have the courage to even meet the Palestinians' needs for one month. Because the orders came from [Washington D.C.] to their agents to starve the Palestinians and to isolate them," added Zawahiri.

The videotape is approximately 17 minutes long and it is unknown where Aljazeera got the tape.

34 people injured in Assam serial blasts

At least 34 people were injured when a series of explosions rocked different parts of the state of Assam in India, on Thursday night. According to the police, four explosions of a very high intensity occurred in different parts of the state after 7 p.m. Those injured in the explosions are being treated at local hospitals.

Police said the first explosion occurred when militants lobbed a grenade at a crowded market in Islampur, 80 kilometres north of Guwahati, injuring 21 people. In the second incident, five passers-by were injured in another blast near the Golokganj police station close to the border with Bangladesh. The third explosion took place in the western district of Dhubri town where three people were wounded. The last explosion occurred in Nagaon, 120 kilometres east of Guwahati, injuring four people, including a policeman.

The attacks come a day after the Central government announced dates for the third round of talks between government peace representatives and an 11-member civil society group from Assam chosen by the militant, separatist group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). The ULFA has demanded the release of five of its top leaders from prison if New Delhi wants to hold direct talks with the separatist group. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said "We have already recommended their release to the authorities in Delhi. We want peace back in the state."

26 Australian citizens detained in immigration centres

According to a government document, the Australian federal government has detained 26 Australian citizens in immigration detention centres over the past ten years. In its count, the document does not include high-profile cases involving Cornelia Rau, Vivian Solon and "Mr. T", for which the government has already accepted liability.

Responding to a question on notice from Labor MP Steve Georganus, Phillip Ruddock, former Australian immigration minister said that the commonwealth ombudsman was looking into 220 possible cases where people have been illegally detained and of those 26 had been identified as legitimate Australian citizens. "Of the 220 cases bearing the descriptor 'released not unlawful' the department has identified 26 cases involving Australian citizens" he said.

According to Mr Georganus, his question was put to the government six months ago. He received a reply from Mr Ruddock last week.

Mr Georganus said that the errors should not be occurring in a democratic country. "When you see 26 Australian citizens locked away in Australia in a democratic country in the year 2006, you lose all confidence," he said.

Australian unemployment at lowest level in 30 years

Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced Australia's unemployment rate for May 2006 on Thursday. The rate had dropped to 4.9 percent, the first time since 1976 that unemployment in Australia had been below five percent.

Mr Howard said 56,000 full time jobs were created in May with 38,000 of those taken up by women. He said it was a symbol of how well his government was managing the economy. "The result is a wonderful symbol of the success of the Governmentâs economic policies." said Mr Howard.

According to the government 1.8 million jobs have been created since it took office in March 1996.

The number of people actively seeking work also increased, a sign Mr Howard said that people are "confident of finding work."

At an interview in Sydney, Mr Howard told reporters that he beleived the unemployment rate would be driven down further when the benefits of his Workchoices industrial relations reforms begin to show. "I believe, as some of the effects of the workplace relations changes work their way through, then the unemployment rate, particularly in small business, will go down even further," he said.

Mr Howard denied that Workchoices had any affect on the figures for May saying that it was too early to tell. "I am not going to make that claim. Itâs only Mayâs figures and the changes only came in March. I think it is too early to make that claim" Mr Howard told reporters.

Following the announcement, Liberal MP Wilson Tuckey said that the rise in the number of jobs could not have happened without the government's industrial relations reforms. "We wouldn't have achieved these outcomes, particularly in employer hiring, without the changes we've made,"

"When employers have confidence in their hiring arrangements as the Workchoices gives them, they're going to go out and hire more people" said Mr Tuckey.

Stephen Smith, workplace spokesperson for the opposition attacked Mr Tuckey's claims stating that all the government's new industrial relations legislation has achieved is reduced wages. "The suggestion that somehow we've got these employment and unemployment figures as a result of 30 days of John Howard slashing wages is a complete nonsense," he said.

"It's great that we've got a 30-year low in unemployment but that's a result of 15 years of continuous economic growth and a resources boom." said Mr Smith.

New HIV drug could stop virus from spreading

In a small-scale trial on humans, American scientists say they may have developed a new drug that could stop the spread of HIV and "rapidly clears" the blood of the virus.

"There is a lot of interest in this product," said editor Keith Alcorn of the National Aids Manual.

The drug called PA-457, which is derived from betulinic acid and comes from by-products from paper manufacturers, is being manufactured and developed by Maryland drug manufacturer Panacos Pharmaceuticals. The drug is known as a maturation inhibitor, which is a new group of drugs. Its purpose is to break down the protective protein coating of HIV. The drug exposes the inner genetic material by making holes in the coating of the virus essentially causing it to break down and disabling its ability to be passed from one human to the next. The drug also shows that it works on strains of HIV that are resistant to other medications. The drug is also compatible with other HIV drugs.

"It's a truly novel new class of drugs, and I really support their development. If PA-457 turns out to be non-toxic, easy to use and not to select for resistance, it will find good use," said Charles Boucher who researches HIV at Utrecht university medical center in the Netherlands.

"It stops the virus by interfering in one of the final stages in its assembly and stops it from 'budding out' from the wall of a cell," said Alcorn.

Scientists are expected to begin a larger scale test on 48 people in one month, whose drugs are no longer working; however, the drug itself is not likely to be available for wide-scale use for at least 3 years. Test subjects will be administered either a placebo or PA-457 that will be taken in combination with the medication they already take.

"This provides the basis for future studies that will be designed to provide a detailed understanding of the interaction between PA-457 and its target as well as insights into the design of new generations of maturation inhibitors," said CEO of Panacos Pharmaceuticals, Graham Allaway.

At least 80% of those suffering from the disease have shown resistance to other medications.

Today in History
1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in a river in Anatolia while leading an army to Jerusalem.

1829 - Oxford beat Cambridge in the first Boat Race.

1864 - American Civil War: Confederates defeated a much larger Union force at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads.

1935 - Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio. This is the traditional date of the first day of sobriety of Dr. Bob Smith, AA's cofounder.

June 10 is National holiday of Portugal observed: Camoes, who wrote the national epic The Lusiads, dies in 1580.

Quote of the Day

All that you see has appeared because of Love.

All shines from Love,

All pulses with Love,

All flows from Love â

No, once again, all is Love!

~ Fakhruddin 'Iraqi ~

Word of the Day

equipoise; n

A state of balance; equilibrium.

A counterbalance.

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