PRES OBAMA TO ADDRESS NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES *

IT MARKS THE SECOND TIME PRES OBAMA HAS ATTENDED THE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY IN ANNAPOLIS, MD *

THE SPEECH COMES A DAY AFTER THE PRES DEFENDED HIS CONTROVERSIAL DRONE PROGRAM AND RENEWED HIS PUSH TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO BAY *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYS ISRAEL'S GOVT SHOULD PREVENT FURTHER SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION WHERE POSSIBLE TO HELP REVITALIZE MIDEAST PEACE TALKS *

BUT KERRY ISN'T CALLING FOR A COMPLETE SETTLEMENT FREEZE *

HE SAYS THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON RESTARTING DIRECT ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH COULD SET BORDERS FOR A TWO-STATE DEAL AND RESOLVE THE SETTLEMENT ISSUE *

KERRY MADE THE REMARKS TO REPORTERS IN ISRAEL *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY BLASTS IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL FOR ELIMINATING HUNDREDS OF PRES CANDIDATES FROM THE JUNE 14 ELECTION *

KERRY SAYS VOTE CAN'T BE FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT WHEN AN UNELECTED BODY CHOOSES CANDIDATES BASED "SOLELY ON WHO REPRESENTS THE REGIME'S INTERESTS" *

IRAN'S GUARDIAN COUNCIL HAS DISQUALIFIED SCORES OF CANDIDATES, INCLUDING FMR PRES AKBAR HASHEMI RAFSANJANI *

KERRY ALSO NOTED THERE ARE "TROUBLE SIGNS" THAT TEHRAN IS MEDDLING WITH IRAN'S INTERNET *

SPOX FOR NIGER'S GOVT SAYS TERRORISTS WHO ATTACKED A MILITARY INSTALLATION IN THE TOWN OF AGADEZ YESTERDAY DID NOT TAKE HOSTAGES, DESPITE EARLIER STATEMENTS *

SPOX SAYS GOVT MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THE HOMICIDE BOMBERS KIDNAPPED SOLDIERS BECAUSE ATTACKERS WHO SURVIVED THE INITIAL EXPLOSION RAN AWAY AND HID INSIDE A DORMITORY ON THE BASE *

ATTACK KILLED 20 SOLDIERS *

N KOREAN ENVOY DELIVERS A LETTER FROM LEADER KIM JONG UN TO CHINESE PRES XI JINPING, SAYING PYONGYANG WILL TAKE STEPS TO REJOIN STALLED SIX-NATION NUKE TALKS *

VISIT BY THE ENVOY IS PART OF N KOREA'S EFFORT TO REPAIR TIES WITH ITS ONLY ALLY *

PYONGYANG HAD ANGERED BEIJING OVER RECENT SNUBS AND ONGOING EFFORTS TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS *

MEANWHILE, SIX-PARTY TALKS ON N KOREA'S NUKE PROGRAM HAVE BEEN STALLED SINCE 2009 *

WA STATE OFFICIAL SAYS LAST NIGHT'S I-5 BRIDGE COLLAPSE INTO THE SKAGIT RIVER WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERSIZED TRUCK *

STATE PATROL CHIEF JOHN BATISTE SAYS THE TRUCK HIT AN OVERHEAD SPAN *

TWO OTHER VEHICLES WENT INTO THE WATER... THREE PEOPLE WERE RESCUED AND ARE RECOVERING *

FIVE CLIMBERS ARE MISSING AND FEARED DEAD ON THE WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST MOUNTAIN *

THE FIVE DISAPPEARED MON ON NEPAL'S MOUNT KANCHENJUNGA *

BAD WEATHER HAS PREVENTED RESCUE EFFORTS *

THE CLIMBERS WERE LAST SEEN DESCENDING FROM THE SUMMIT AT AROUND 25,900 FT... KANCHENJUNGA IS 28,162 FEET HIGH *

LARGE EXPLOSION SHAKES AFGHAN CAPITAL OF KABUL *

BLAST COLLAPSED A BUILDING WALL, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR IF THERE WERE ANY CASUALTIES *

IT'S THE SECOND EXPLOSION TO HIT KABUL IN JUST OVER A WEEK *

EGYPTIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS 10 MALE RELATIVES KILLED A MOTHER AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS IN "HONOR KILLINGS" *

THE MEN SUSPECTED THE WOMEN OF HAVING AFFAIRS AND KILLED THEM TO PROTECT THE FAMILY'S HONOR *

THE THREE BODIES WERE FOUND IN THE NILE RIVER NEAR THE CITY OF LUXOR *

NJ GOV CHRIS CHRISTIE CUTS A RIBBON TO SYMBOLICALLY REOPEN THE JERSEY SHORE FOR THE SUMMER SEASON, SEVEN MONTHS AFTER IT WAS DEVASTATED BY MONSTER STORM SANDY *

CHRISTIE CUT THE FIVE MILE-LONG RIBBON IN SEASIDE HEIGHTS *

SANDY DID AN ESTIMATED $37 BIL WORTH OF DAMAGE IN NJ *

BRITAIN SCRAMBLES FIGHTER JETS TO ESCORT A PAKISTANI INTL AIRLINES PLANE EN ROUTE TO MANCHESTER FROM LAHORE *

PLANE IS CARRYING 297 PASSENGERS *

BRITISH POLICE SAY AN INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE FLIGHT AND AUTHORITIES ARE INVESTIGATING *

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Greek politician slaps rival on TV…watch the video!

Far-Right Politician in Greece Slaps Rival on TV

By NIKI KITSANTONIS / NEW YORK TIMES

ATHENS — Politics has been a rough-and-tumble affair here this year, but mostly in a metaphorical sense until Thursday, when a male legislator from an ultraright political party attacked two rival legislators on a live television talk show, both of them women, throwing water in the face of one and slapping the other in the face repeatedly.

The intemperate outburst came just over a week before general elections that could determine Greece’s future in the euro zone, shifting the debate at least for the moment from commitments to foreign creditors and financial woes to the legislator, Ilias Kasidiaris, and the party for which he was the chief spokesman, Golden Dawn. A prosecutor issued a warrant for Mr. Kasidiaris’s arrest on charges of attempting to inflict bodily harm.

The assault dominated Greek news sites and blogs. Though most commentators played down its possible impact on the outcome of elections on June 17, they agreed that Greece’s international image would suffer.

“It’s another nail in the coffin” for Greece, said Babis Papadimitriou, a political commentator for the television channel Skai and a center-right daily newspaper, Kathimerini. Politically, he said, the impact will probably be slight. “Most of the people that voted for Golden Dawn know what the party is about, and they sent them to Parliament knowing that, to empower them to do what they can’t do.”

The outburst was a first for Greek television, which apparently does not carry “The Jerry Springer Show.” Mr. Kasidiaris, who has served in the Greek military’s special forces, emptied his glass of water in the face of Rena Dourou, of the ascendant leftist party Syriza, before turning on an outspoken Communist Party candidate, Liana Kanelli, who had risen from her seat.

Mr. Kasidiaris snapped after an argument with Ms. Kanelli over accusations about links between Golden Dawn and members of the Greek police force, and Ms. Dourou’s reference to a pending court case against him in the beating of a left-wing student in 2007.

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