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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television has announced that the government has freed four dual-nationality prisoners. It didn't identify them, but a person close to Iran's judiciary tells The Associated Press that the group includes Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian (reh-ZY'-ahn), former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini. The source says they were freed in exchange for the release of seven Iranians held in U.S. prisons.
VIENNA (AP) — Word of an exchange of prisoners with Iran comes as Secretary of State John Kerry meets in Vienna with Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the nuclear accord with Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency is said to be close to certifying that Iran has met all commitments under the landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. That certification is expected to come as early as today.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Britain's foreign secretary is condemning last night's deadly attack by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso. The assault on a luxury hotel and cafe in the capital of the West African nation left 23 people dead along with four attackers. Philip Hammond says the United Kingdom stands with the people of Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.
SAO PAULO (AP) — The Brazilian government says it's directing funds to a biomedical research center to help develop a vaccine against a virus linked to brain damage in babies. The Zika (ZEE'-kuh) virus is spread through mosquito bites. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert yesterday advising pregnant women to avoid traveling to Brazil and several other countries in the Americas where Zika outbreaks have occurred.
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The fears of lead in Flint, Michigan, have become so intense that at one recent elementary school's family fun night, the longest line was for blood testing. It's been nearly two years since safe drinking water flowed from many Flint faucets. But many of the community's 100,000 people had no clue they were drinking lead until the state finally acknowledged it in October. The problems began after the city switched its source to the corrosive Flint River and failed to treat the water properly.
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