Palestinian security officials in Gaza revealed on Tuesday that they thwarted an attack on former US President Jimmy Carter's convoy. Security said that they discovered two roadside bombs at the Erez border crossing, which was used by Carter's convoy to access the Gaza Strip.

Security officials added that a group affiliated with al-Qaida was behind the planned attack, and said that members of the Hamas security team were dispatched to defuse the bombs.

Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for Gaza security forces, denies that any explosives were found, and says that security arrangements for the trip went according to plan and without any breach.

On Friday, Iranian state media declared current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of their presidential election. However, his challenger, Mihossein Mousavi is now claiming irregularities and is claiming victory as well.

According to the head of the state election commission, Ahmadinejad was leading Mousavi by 69 percent to 28 percent with just 19 percent of ballots counted.

Attempting to pre-empt any official announcements, Mousavi had earlier called a news conference during which he claimed that there had been irregularities, including a shortage of ballot papers. He declared:

"I am the definite winner of this presidential election."

Mousavi said that many people were not able to cast their ballots, even after voting had been extended by four hours.

At the news conference, Mousavi also said:

"(We) are waiting for the counting of votes to officially end and explanations of these irregularities be given. We expect to celebrate with people soon."

"We hope that authorities in charge do their work in this regard with the wisdom of the supreme leader this issue would end in a good way."

Under Iranian rules, if neither candidate can secure 50 percent of the votes, a run-off will be held on June 19 between the two front-runners.

Madonna, 50, who was barred from taking home four-year-old Malawian girl Chifundo "Mercy" James in April because she was not a resident of the country for the required 18 months, was told earlier today that she would be allowed to give the girl a new home. During a 90 minute hearing held earlier today at Malawi's Supreme Court, Madonna found out the good news.

Malawi's chief justice Lovemore Munlo said:

“In our view, Chifundo James would be better taken care of if she was adopted by foreign parents who will give her love and affection. We therefore grant the adoption.”

In making his decision, the judge said that he took into consideration Madonna's commitment to giving Malawian orphans an improved standard of life, and commented that her financial stability made her a good candidate for adoption.

Madonna is said to be very "excited" by the news. Her lawyer, Alan Chinula, said:

Madonna is very “excited” with the news. The pop superstar’s lawyer Alan Chinula said:

“It's the wee hours of morning in New York but she is excited at the news. As her lawyer I am happy this has settled this contentious issue.”

WHO Declares First Global Flu Pandemic in 41 Years

For the past several years we've been subjected to the warning ads in various media - radio, television, and print - that the world is overdue for a flu pandemic and that one is sure to be coming soon. The day has finally arrived. On Thursday the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Infections around the globe, including the United States, Europe, South America, and Australia, have now climbed to nearly 30,000 cases.

The announcement of the pandemic is official scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly making its rounds globally. Now that the WHO has upgraded the situation to pandemic levels, they will begin asking drugmakers to speed up the production of a swine flu vaccine. The declaration should also prompt governments to devote additional funds towards efforts to contain the virus.

Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday following an emergency meeting with flu experts. Chan indicated that the WHO would be moving the world up to the agency's highest alert level - phase 6. Phase 6 means that a pandemic, or global epidemic, is already under way.

It has now emerged that two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on board the Air France flight which crashed late last month, killing all 228 on the flight. French secret servicemen were able to establish the connection while working through the list of passengers who boarded the ill-fated Airbus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 31.

Flight AF447 crashed in the mid-Atlantic while en route to Paris during a violent storm. Investigators are positive that there were computer malfunctions, however they have not yet ruled out terrorism.

Soon after news of the crash broke, agents for the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure were dispatched to Brazil.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, along with his wife and a member of his security team, have been quarantined in Shanghai, China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus sweeping the globe. Nagin traveled to China on an economic development trip, and flew there on a plane with a passenger being treated for symptoms suspected to be from the virus.

A statement from the mayor's office said that all three are symptom free, and that "The mayor is being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials."

A Picture of actor David Carradine, who's dead body was found in the closet of his Bangkok hotel room with ropes tied around his neck and genitals, has angered the family of the star. The photo was published by a a newspaper in Thailand and Carradine's brother Keith released a statement, saying,

"The family wants it understood that, per attorney Mark Geragos, any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published."

The family of the actor has also enlisted the aid of celebrity attorney Mark Geragos. The attorney said regarding the matter:

"They (Carradine's family) want an investigation. I would think that the people in Bangkok would want to support an investigation and allow the FBI to go over there and assist in the investigation so we can get the answers to the questions."

President Barack Obama began a goodwill tour of the Muslim world, visiting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. At the same time, a new audiotape surfaced from Osama bin Laden with new threats to the U.S.

In the recording, Bin Laden said that Obama inflamed Muslim hatred towards the U.S. by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in Swat Valley and block Islamic law in the area. He also claimed that U.S. pressure led to a campaign of "killing, fighting, bombing and destruction" which prompted the exodus of a million Muslims in Swat Valley.

Osama's message was first broadcast on Wednesday on the Al-Jazeera Television network at almost the exact moment Obama touched down in Saudi Arabia.

Just one day earlier, Al Qaeda's #2 man dismissed Obama's trip aimed at repairing U.S. relations with the Muslim world, insisting that the overture is trumped by wars against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In an audio message posted online, Ayman al-Zawahiri said:

"His bloody messages were received and are still being received by Muslims, and they will not be concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words."

As if Britney Spears' "Circus" tour wasn't already raunchy enough, the pop princess is about to step it up big time on the UK leg of her tour. She's reportedly planing to hire naked acrobats, topless burlesque performers and dancing dwarves to perform after each of her eight shows.

A source says:

"It's going to be crazy. Britney wanted to throw parties people will be talking about for years. I promise you, you've never seen anything so explicit in your life."

Britney will be performing eight shows in London between June 3 and 14, before moving on to Manchester, Ireland and France.

Her US shows were definitely R-Rated, but in Europe, anything goes and Britney is gonna go there.

No longer is the swine flu limited to just one geographic area. The H1N1 virus has now been documented in all fifty U.S. states, and countries around the world. Officials in the U.S. said Monday that they have now confirmed the virus in more than 10,000 peoplea across the country.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the confirmed tests represent about one in twenty of the actual number of infections. Taking that into consideration, that would bring the total number of U.S. cases to around 200,000.

So far, seventeen deaths have been definitively linked to the H1N1 virus in the U.S., according to the CDC.