The Iranian government has released 140 people arrested in the aftermath of the Islamic republic's disputed presidential election, a semi-official news agency reported Tuesday. Kazem Jalali, spokesman for the parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, said the detainees posted bail and were freed from northern Tehran's Evin Prison during an inspection of the prison by a task force made up of commission members, the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) reported. However, Jalali said Tuesday's visit did not prompt the ...

As American soldiers now defer to Iraqi forces in their homeland, the six-year war has changed dramatically for the thousands of U.S. troops deployed to Iraq. A security agreement that went into effect at the start of the year mandated the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns by June 30. Almost a month after the completion of that pullout, the dynamics of patrolling the streets have changed dramatically. The Americans are no longer in charge, subject ...

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet was reassured Monday about the condition of its crown prince, according to state-run media, amid mounting speculation about his health. The country's second deputy prime minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, spoke to ministers about the condition of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud while leading a Cabinet session in Jeddah, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The crown prince has been convalescing at his residence in the Moroccan city of Agadir, where he arrived ...

Authorities will investigate an Illinois cemetery after a bone found on the ground there was determined to be human, a sheriff's spokesman said Saturday. Supporters displayed signs, including "Palin 2012" and "Palin, you're as great as Alaska." The few dissenters in the crowd said they wanted to come down and see what the hoopla was about. Palin and Lt. Gov Sean Parnell, who will replace her, passed out burgers and hot dogs at the food line. Media and the crowd ...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was met with a fairly warm reception at a picnic in Anchorage on Saturday, a day before she steps down as the state's governor. Supporters displayed signs, including "Palin 2012" and "Palin, you're as great as Alaska." The few dissenters in the crowd said they wanted to come down and see what the hoopla was about. Palin and Lt. Gov Sean Parnell, who will replace her, passed out burgers and hot dogs at the food line. ...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who will leave office Sunday, made it clear to hundreds gathered at a picnic in Wasilla on Friday night that she loves her hometown. "This being my last time to speak to the valley community as your governor, I do want to tell you sincerely that I love you," Palin said at the annual Governor's Picnic, in one of her last speeches as governor. "I appreciate you and your support, the support that you've shown my ...

A fundamentalist supporter of Iran's president urged him Friday to reconsider appointing a controversial confidant to the post of Iran's top vice president. According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami said in a sermon during Friday prayers that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should rethink the appointment of Esfandyar Rahim Mashaie. During his Friday sermon, the ayatollah said he regarded the present government to be legal, a reflection of his support for Ahmadinejad -- whose controversial victory in last ...

Iran's supreme leader believes the country's president should dismiss the top vice president, whose recent appointment has drawn criticism from conservatives, semi-official media reported Wednesday. The semi-official Iranian Students News Agency quoted the first vice speaker of the parliament, Hojatoleslam Seyed Mohammad Aboutorabifard, as saying that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei believes the president's choice for top deputy, Esfandyar Rahim Mashaie, should be removed. "The president has been advised about this view in a letter," Aboutorabifard told ISNA, the news ...

The outgoing head of NATO says the organization is as alive and kicking as it has ever been, but will have to adapt to new challenges such as cyber-terrorism and the implications of climate change. As he prepares to leave his post after more than five years in the job, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told CNN that NATO's operational tempo has never been higher in its 60-year history. He said: "We have our operations from Afghanistan to Kosovo, to ...

A group of top Iranian reformists have called for a national vote on the country's disputed presidential election in order to "exit this dead end and current crisis." The Association of Combatant Clergy issued a blistering statement saying the people's trust had been lost after the opposition was "met with brutality, beatings, indecency and incarcerations." Iran's current leaders "betrayed the revolution, its values, the homeland and the people, in irreparable ways," according to the statement, posted Sunday on Rouhanioon.com, the ...