Daily Surf Report: Ahmedinejad Confirmed, Comoran Plane Crash, Jackson “Wasn’t a Freak” Jun 30, 200910:48 PDT

Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

Ahmedinejad is once again declared by a state entity as the winner of this month’s Iranian elections, while just off the island nation of Comoros the search continues for survivors of a Yemenia Air crash. This is your Daily Surf Report, using the best videos on the web to keep you abreast of the day’s top stories.

Ahmadinejad Victory in Iranian Election Upheld

The Guardian Council, Iran’s top election authority, has confirmed the contested results of Iran’s popular election. Nearly a month of civil protests have followed what many Iranian citizens believe to be manipulated vote tallies.

The Guardian Council announced that a recount of a random sampling of 10% of the vote was consistent with the state announced 60 percent victory margin for incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Yemenia Air Flight Crashes with 153 Aboard

Harsh weather conditions are likely what caused Yemenia Air flight 666 to crash into the Indian Ocean as it made its landing approach to the island nation of Comoros.

Comoros is a French colony, and a large majority of the flight’s passegers are French nationals. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged military support in the rescue efforts, which have so far recovered one unidentified survivor of the crash.

BET Awards Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson

On Sunday night, BET’s annual awards paid special homage to the King of Pop, with performances of Jackson songs by Ne-Yo and a Jackson 5 tribute by New Edition, as well as a dance tribute (complete with red “Beat It” jacket) by host Jamie Foxx.

Several of the stars shared memories and well wishes for the Jackson family, who were in attendance. Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson, spoke with CNN to discuss his son’s legacy.The most emphatic comments came from Reverend Al Sharpton, who encouraged remembering Michael Jackson for his genius, rather than his eccentricities.

Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years

Convicted fraud Bernie Madoff’s apology to the New York court and the victims of his multi-billion dollar ponzi scheme apparently did little to sway U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin, who handed the 71 year old Madoff the maximum sentence of 150 years in prison.

Pitchman Billy Mays Dies at 50

Infomercial personality and salesman Billy Mays was found dead in his home on Sunday morning. The cause of his death is currently unknown but early speculation has linked the death to Mays being hit on the head by an object during the rough landing of a US Airways flight he was on.

Washington Reacts to Ousting of Honduran President

President Obama expressed concern regarding the military coup this weekend that resulted in the overthrowing and expulsion of Leftist President Manuel Zelaya.

President Obama condemned the coup as “illegal” and vowed the U.S. would continue to recognize President Zelaya as the Democratically-elected leader of Honduras.

Box Office Champ: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

Despite a less than stellar critical reception, Michael Bay’s sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen dominated the weekend box office, raking in an estimated $112M and raising it’s five day total since it’s Wednesday opening to over $201.2M. It easily beat out this weekend’s other new arrival, the drama My Sister’s Keeper starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, and Alec Baldwin.

Not every critic panned Bay’s giant robot explosion fest. YourGeekNews.com discusses how lowering your expectations might be the key to really enjoying this film.

The Daily Surf Report is your daily primer of the world in video. Check back every week day for the best video highlights of the day’s top stories.