TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians began voting on Friday in a closely-fought election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister who sharply criticizes his economic record and wants detente with the West.

AP - A series of powerful storms packing heavy rains and frequent lightning strikes grounded dozens of flights, left hundreds of thousands without power and caused widespread damage across portions of Texas on Thursday.

AP - Kobe Bryant is one win from an NBA title to call his own.

Reuters - Iranians began voting on Friday in a closely-fought election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister who sharply criticizes his economic record and wants detente with the West.

BANNU, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani forces stepped up attacks on militants across the northwest on Friday as the U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for the next five years.

AP - Iranians voted Friday on whether to keep hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power for four more years or replace him with a reformist more open to loosening the country's Islamic restrictions and improving ties with the United States.

AP - Smoking foes see a turning point in their long battle against the tobacco industry as Congress prepares to send President Barack Obama a bill giving the government broad authority to determine how cigarettes will be made, marketed and sold.

AP - The revelation that Democratic appropriations kingpins may face a House ethics investigation of their campaign receipts from lobbyists for recipients of government grants and contracts moves Republicans closer to gaining a corruption issue in 2010.

AP - South Korea was bracing for a possible third nuclear test by the North, which a U.S. official said was likely despite looming U.N. sanctions on the communist state for its previous test in May.

AP - President Barack Obama says he has lost confidence in the inspector general who investigates AmeriCorps and other national service programs and has told Congress he is removing him from the position.

AP - R&B singer Chris Brown and former girlfriend Rihanna were among the celebrities in the crowd at Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Orlando.

AFP - Iranians queued up to vote in the Islamic republic's most hotly contested presidential race with incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad facing a tough challenge from moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi.

AFP - Nations around the world said they were ready to combat the spread of the swine flu virus, urging people not to panic after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister who wants a thaw in ties with the West.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A prominent anti-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric was killed on Friday in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore, police said.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States plans to review tactics in Afghanistan in response to widespread anger about the high number of civilian casualties, the newly appointed U.S. commander said in comments broadcast on Friday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to deliver a major policy speech on Sunday that Western power-brokers hope will make a clear commitment to pursue peace with the Palestinians.

AP - Armed guards, metal detectors and X-ray machines greet visitors to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Traffic barriers keep away trucks like the one that blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

AP - Suicide bombers attacked a mosque and a religious school in two Pakistani cities within minutes of each other after traditional Muslim prayers, killing at least two people and wounding dozens, officials said. A prominent anti-Taliban cleric was among the dead.

AP - Dozens of stunned relatives held each other and wept as they remembered a mother who died with her 11-month-old daughter, a niece and a young neighbor when a car fleeing a robbery jumped a curb and smashed into the steps of the family's row house.

AP - R&B singer Chris Brown and former girlfriend Rihanna were among the celebrities in the crowd at Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Orlando.

AP - To this day, it is referred to simply as 0.4, the last-second shot that first made Derek Fisher famous.

Reuters - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election which pits hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against a former prime minister who wants a thaw in ties with the West.

Reuters - A prominent anti-Taliban Pakistani Muslim cleric was killed on Friday in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore, police said.

Reuters - The United States plans to review tactics in Afghanistan in response to widespread anger about the high number of civilian casualties, the newly appointed U.S. commander said in comments broadcast on Friday.

Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to deliver a major policy speech on Sunday that Western power-brokers hope will make a clear commitment to pursue peace with the Palestinians.

Reuters - North Korea is unlikely to respond militarily to planned U.N. sanctions for its nuclear test, although the possibility should not be completely dismissed, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election and a senior ally of Mirhossein Mousavi said the moderate candidate was on track to defeat hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO ministers have backed a U.S. shake-up of military command in Afghanistan based on a model used in Iraq, as well as plans to step up training of Afghan security forces, a NATO spokesman said on Friday.

AP - Iranians packed polling stations from boutique-lined streets to conservative bastions Friday with a choice that's left the country divided and on edge: keeping hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or electing a reformist who favors greater freedoms and improved ties with the United States.

AP - Madonna can adopt a second child from Malawi, the southern African country's highest court ruled Friday, overturning a lower court decision it said was out of touch with the times.

AP - To him, she was 'My Dear Dusia' and he signed his letters 'Br' — short for brother.

AP - Sarah Palin says David Letterman owes an apology to young women across the country for his joke about her daughter.

Reuters - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election and a senior ally of Mirhossein Mousavi said the moderate candidate was on track to defeat hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Reuters - NATO ministers have backed a U.S. shake-up of military command in Afghanistan based on a model used in Iraq, as well as plans to step up training of Afghan security forces, a NATO spokesman said on Friday.

AFP - Iranians turned out in force on Friday for the Islamic republic's most hotly contested presidential vote with incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad facing a tough challenge from moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi.

AFP - The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis said on Friday that it has a swine flu vaccine ready for trial as governments stepped up precautions to counter the new declared influenza pandemic.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A prominent anti-Taliban Muslim cleric who condemned suicide bombings was killed on Friday in a suicide attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore, police said.

AP - After more than a decade of efforts by smoking opponents, Congress prepared to take a final vote Friday on legislation giving the government far-reaching powers to regulate tobacco and limit tobacco industry marketing and sales practices that lure young people into smoking habits.

AP - A senior Sunni lawmaker was killed after delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in a former insurgent stronghold in western Baghdad, raising fears that violence could escalate ahead of Iraq's national elections next year.

AP - Some of the market's star players are taking a break.

Reuters - A prominent anti-Taliban Muslim cleric who condemned suicide bombings was killed on Friday in a suicide attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore, police said.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election and allies of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main moderate challenger issued rival victory claims.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO on Friday backed a U.S. shake-up of military command in Afghanistan, as well as plans to step up training of Afghan forces, and Washington said it saw the chance of turning the tide in the war within a year.

AP - Iranians packed polling stations from boutique-lined streets in north Tehran to conservative bastions in the countryside Friday with a choice that's left the nation divided and on edge: keeping hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or electing a reformist who favors greater freedoms and improved ties with the United States.

AP - TV stations across the U.S. started cutting their analog signals Friday morning, marking the final signoff for a 60-year-old technology and likely stranding more than 1 million unprepared homes without TV service.

AP - The head of Iraq's main Sunni parliamentary bloc was killed in a bold daylight attack after delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in western Baghdad, raising fears that insurgents are trying to rekindle sectarian violence.

AP - The Michael Vick era in Atlanta is officially over.

Reuters - Iranians streamed to polling stations on Friday in a hotly contested election and allies of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main moderate challenger issued rival victory claims.

Reuters - NATO on Friday backed a U.S. shake-up of military command in Afghanistan, as well as plans to step up training of Afghan forces, and Washington said it saw the chance of turning the tide in the war within a year.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved expanded sanctions against North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test, a move close ally China said showed firm opposition to Pyongyang's atomic ambitions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers took the final steps on Friday to pass sweeping legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration broad authority over cigarettes and other tobacco products, sending the bill to the president to be signed into law.

PERUGIA, Italy (Reuters) - An American university student on trial for the murder of a fellow British student testified on Friday that police had beaten her and suggested to her what she should say under interrogation.

AP - Iranians packed polling stations from boutique-lined streets in north Tehran to conservative bastions in the countryside Friday with a choice that's left the nation divided and on edge: keeping hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power or electing a reformist who favors greater freedoms and improved ties with the United States.

AP - Television stations across the U.S. began cutting their analog signals Friday, marking the final signoff for a 60-year-old technology and likely stranding more than 1 million unprepared homes without TV service.

AP - Madonna can get 'Mercy,' Malawi's highest court ruled Friday. The court overruled a lower court, saying the pop star can adopt 3-year-old Chifundo 'Mercy' James. 'I am ecstatic,' Madonna said in a statement in which she also thanked the court. 'My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her.'

Reuters - The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously approved expanded sanctions against North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test, a move close ally China said showed firm opposition to Pyongyang's atomic ambitions.

Reuters - U.S. lawmakers took the final steps on Friday to pass sweeping legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration broad authority over cigarettes and other tobacco products, sending the bill to the president to be signed into law.

Reuters - An American university student on trial for the murder of a fellow British student testified on Friday that police had beaten her and suggested to her what she should say under interrogation.

AFP - The UN Security Council voted unanimously Friday to adopt tougher sanctions targeting North Korea's atomic and ballistic missile programs, but the Stalinist state was reportedly sticking to its nuclear defiance.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Opposition challenger Mirhossein Mousavi claimed victory against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran's election on Friday, but the state news agency said the hardline incumbent was the winner.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A landmark bill giving the U.S. government for the first time broad regulatory power over cigarettes and other tobacco products won final approval in Congress on Friday, and President Barack Obama said he would quickly sign it into law.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. lawmakers are digging in their heels over President Barack Obama's plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison for foreign terrorism suspects, demanding details of his efforts, limits on detainee movements and thorough risk assessments.

AP - Iran's state news agency reported that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election Friday, but his main reformist challenger also confidently claimed victory at a news conference moments earlier.

AP - No more 'light' cigarettes or candy-flavored smokes. Bigger, scarier warning labels. Fewer ads featuring sexy young smokers. Historic anti-smoking legislation sped to final congressional passage on Friday — after a bitter fight lasting nearly a half-century — and lawmakers and the White House quickly declared it would save the lives of thousands of smokers of all ages.

AP - Influential senators working to overhaul the nation's health care system have investments and family ties with some of the biggest names in the industry. The wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, the lawmaker in charge of writing the Senate's bill, sits on the boards of four health care companies.

AP - The earth moved here on June 2. It was the first recorded earthquake in this Texas town's 140-year history — but not the last. There have been four small earthquakes since, none with a magnitude greater than 2.8. The most recent ones came Tuesday night, just as the City Council was meeting in an emergency session to discuss what to do about the ground moving.

AP - Former President George H.W. Bush marked his 85th birthday on Friday the same way he did his 75th and 80th birthdays: He leaped from a plane and zoomed downward at more than 100 mph in freefall before parachuting safely to a spot near his oceanfront home.

AP - A 53-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being naked near a high school on Lake Tahoe's east shore. The naked man was arrested Monday after three Whittell High School students reported spotting him tied to a rock and lying face down behind the school. When the students asked if he needed to be untied, the man answered no.

Reuters - State media declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of Iran's election on Friday, but challenger Mirhossein Mousavi alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

Reuters - A landmark bill giving the U.S. government for the first time broad regulatory power over cigarettes and other tobacco products won final approval in Congress on Friday, and President Barack Obama said he would quickly sign it into law.

Reuters - Republican U.S. lawmakers are digging in their heels over President Barack Obama's plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison for foreign terrorism suspects, demanding details of his efforts, limits on detainee movements and thorough risk assessments.

AFP - Moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed victory in a hotly contested presidential vote in Iran on Friday while state news agency IRNA said hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won.

AFP - The Security Council voted unanimously Friday to slap tougher UN sanctions on North Korea to cripple its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but Washington said Pyongyang might respond with 'further provocation.'

TEHRAN (Reuters) - State media declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of Iran's election on Friday but challenger Mirhossein Mousavi alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously approved wider sanctions against North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test, a move which close ally China said showed firm opposition to Pyongyang's atomic ambitions.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday the Taliban wanted to take over the country and vowed to fight against militancy 'to the end.'

AP - Iran's interior ministry said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took nearly 70 percent of the early votes counted, but his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and warned of possible fraud in the election.

AP - Influential senators working to overhaul the nation's health care system have investments and family ties with some of the biggest names in the industry. The wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, the lawmaker in charge of writing the Senate's bill, sits on the boards of four health care companies.

AP - An inspector general fired by President Barack Obama said Friday he acted 'with the highest integrity' in investigating AmeriCorps and other government-funded national service programs. Gerald Walpin said in an interview with The Associated Press that he reported facts and conclusions 'in an honest and full way' while serving as inspector general at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

AP - Yankees manager Joe Girardi has accused Boston's Brad Penny of deliberately hitting Alex Rodriguez with a pitch. Rodriguez was hit in the back with a pitch in the first inning Thursday night at Fenway Park, prompting umpires to warn both teams. The Red Sox went on to win 4-3 and improved to 8-0 against the Yankees this season.

Reuters - State media declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner of Iran's election on Friday but challenger Mirhossein Mousavi alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

Reuters - The U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously approved wider sanctions against North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test, a move which close ally China said showed firm opposition to Pyongyang's atomic ambitions.

Reuters - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday the Taliban wanted to take over the country and vowed to fight against militancy 'to the end.'

AFP - Hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a strong early lead in his bid to be re-elected president, Iran's poll chief said after Iranians turned out massively to vote in Friday's pivotal presidential race.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three detainees from Guantanamo Bay were transferred to Saudi Arabia 'under appropriate security measures,' the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday, in another step toward President Barack Obama's goal of closing the prison for terrorism suspects.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Chinese submarine accidentally collided with an underwater sonar array being towed by a U.S. military ship, CNN reported on Friday, quoting an unnamed military official.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama gave tentative backing to Zimbabwe's fragile national unity government on Friday, but the country's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, left a White House meeting largely empty-handed.

AP - Despite fierce opposition in Congress, the White House insisted Friday it has not ruled out releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States. But with narrowing options, the administration has begun shipping newly cleared inmates abroad to regain momentum in its effort to close the Cuba-based prison camp.

AP - Police in Portsmouth, N.H., said a man has been charged with lying about his involved in a hit-and-run accident by telling them his son was driving the vehicle. Problem is, the man's son is an infant. A police officer questioned the man about who 'normally' drives the car and was told by the man that his 19-year-old son drives the vehicle, but wasn't home, Foster's Daily Democrat reported. The man told police he would have his son contact them.

Reuters - Three detainees from Guantanamo Bay were transferred to Saudi Arabia 'under appropriate security measures,' the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday, in another step toward President Barack Obama's goal of closing the prison for terrorism suspects.

Reuters - A Chinese submarine accidentally collided with an underwater sonar array being towed by a U.S. military ship, CNN reported on Friday, quoting an unnamed military official.

Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama gave tentative backing to Zimbabwe's fragile national unity government on Friday, but the country's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, left a White House meeting largely empty-handed.

AFP - Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was heading for victory in Iran's presidential election, official results showed, as his supporters early Saturday began celebrating in the streets of Tehran.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on track for re-election in Iran's presidential vote, official figures showed on Saturday, but his moderate challenger alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

AP - Iran's interior ministry said Saturday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was far ahead with nearly 80 percent of all votes counted, but his pro-reform rival countered that he was the clear victor and warned of possible fraud in the election.

AP - Despite fierce opposition in Congress, the White House insisted Friday it has not ruled out releasing Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States. But with narrowing options, the administration has begun shipping newly cleared inmates abroad to regain momentum in its effort to close the Cuba-based prison camp.

AP - Court records show singer Usher has filed for divorce from Tameka Foster Raymond after less than two years of marriage. The 30-year-old Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, filed the petition Friday in Superior Court in Atlanta. The court record did not give any details about the split between the R&B star and his wife, who were married in August 2007.

AP - The Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings were tied 0-0 at the end of the first period of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals on Friday night, with a lack of good chances and a lot of tentativeness on both sides.

Reuters - Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on track for re-election in Iran's presidential vote, official figures showed on Saturday, but his moderate challenger alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took an unbeatable lead in Iran's election on Saturday, official results showed, but his moderate challenger alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

DETROIT (Reuters) - The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed their revenge and a Stanley Cup with a 2-1 Game Seven win over the Detroit Red Wings Friday.

AP - Slide over Super Mario and make room on the Stanley Cup for a new batch of Pittsburgh Penguins. Max Talbot scored two second-period goals, and the Penguins overcame the loss of captain Sidney Crosby to beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Friday night in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup.

Reuters - Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took an unbeatable lead in Iran's election on Saturday, official results showed, but his moderate challenger alleged irregularities and claimed victory for himself.

Reuters - The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed revenge and their first Stanley Cup since 1992 after closing out a nail-biting 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game Seven on Friday.