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Saturday, June 13, 2009, TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered a thumping victory in Iran's fiercely contested presidential race, official results showed on Saturday, in a major upset for his moderate rival. "Doctor Ahmadinejad, by getting a majority of the votes, has become the definite winner of the 10th presidential election," state news agency declared as his jubilant supporters took to the streets in celebration. Ahmadinejad won 65 percent of the vote against more than 32 percent for war-time premier Mousavi, with almost 90 percent of ballot boxes counted, said election commission chief Kamran Daneshjoo, highlighting the massive turnout.

Saturday, June 13, 2009 TEHRAN: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president and head of the Expediency Council - Iran's top political arbitration body, has given resignation from his office.

Saturday, June 13, 2009 WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama held out the "possibility of change" in US-Iran ties, but his administration insisted Tehran halt its sensitive nuclear work. "We are excited to see what appears to be a robust debate taking place in Iran," Obama told reporters amid conflicting claims over who has won Friday's election."And obviously after the speech that I made in Cairo, we tried to send a clear message that we think there's the possibility of change, and, you know, ultimately the election is for the Iranians to decide."But just as has been true in Lebanon, what can be true in Iran as well, is that you're seeing people looking at new possibilities."

Saturday, June 13, 2009 WASHINGTON: The launch of space shuttle Endeavour has been cancelled due to a hydrogen leak, Nasa officials have announced.Endeavour was due to take off from Cape Canaveral with seven astronauts at 0717 local time (1117 GMT), but was cancelled several hours beforehand. The problem was discovered during fuelling, before the astronauts had donned their spacesuits. The shuttle was to deliver equipment for space experiments, as well as drop off a new station crewmember. The ship would have taken three days to reach the International Space Station, where six astronauts work. It was to deliver the final components of Japan's Kibo laboratory.

Saturday, June 13, 2009 TEHRAN: Moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed victory in a hotly contested presidential vote in Iran on Friday while state news agency said hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won. The conflicting claims came even as crowds of voters were still queuing to cast their ballots long after balloting was officially over at 10:00 pm (1730 GMT). According to the interior ministry, all those in line at that time would be allowed to cast their ballots in the most hotly contested election since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago.Even as the tail-enders were still voting, Mousavi called a news conference in Tehran to claim victory. "In line with the information we have received, I am the winner of this election by a substantial margin," Mousavi said. Only minutes earlier, close Mousavi aide Ali Akbar Mohatshemi-Pour told media his candidate had won 65 percent of the vote. Media, however, announced that Ahmadinejad had won re-eleection. "Doc...

Saturday, June 13, 2009 KABUL: A British soldier was among three-dozen people killed in a surge of attacks in Afghanistan, authorities said Friday, with violence at record levels two months ahead of presidential elections. The new bloodshed was announced as General David Petraeus, commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, warned Thursday of more "tough months" ahead in the battle against extremist insurgents here. Six Afghan policemen were killed on Friday in separate bomb blasts in the eastern province of Paktika and in the southern city of Kandahar, authorities said. Several people were also wounded in the attacks. Another bomb blast killed a British soldier, serving in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), near Kandahar city on Thursday, the British defence ministry said.ISAF announced meanwhile that four Afghan civilians were killed Thursday in a traffic accident involving one of its vehicles in the northeastern province of Kunar. Two more civil...

Saturday, June 13, 2009 TEHRAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken a strong early lead in his bid for a second term as Iran's president, chalking up 69 percent of the vote after 19 percent of ballots were counted in Friday's election, the elections chief said. Ahmadinejad received 3,462,548 votes, compared to 1,425,678 for his closest challenger, former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi, said Kamran Daneshjoo, chairman of the electoral commission at the interior ministry. That gave Ahmadinejad 69.04 percent of the vote and Mousavi 28.42 percent in the massively supported elections which saw long queues at polling stations from early morning and forced continual extensions of the cut-off time. Mousavi, Ahmadinejad's challenger-in-chief, had earlier claimed a landslide victory in Iran's most hotly contested election since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago. "In line with the information we have received, I am the winner of this election by a substantial margin," Mousavi ...