An Iranian man convicted of throwing acid in the face of a female student who was to have been blinded himself on Sunday in retribution was pardoned by his victim, the state-run television website sai

Israel on Wednesday was deporting the last of the nearly 700 foreign activists detained in a deadly raid on an aid flotilla bound for Palestinians in the blockaded, Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Australian Brett Lancaster outraced his rivals over the final metres to capture the rain-soaked second stage of the Tour of California on Monday and claim the overall race lead.