Iran leader denies hostage-taking role
Tehran, Iran Iran’s ultraconservative president-elect on Monday dismissed as “baseless” allegations of his involvement in the 1979 hostage-taking at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and in killing dissidents.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said Iran was seeking “fair and expanding” relations with the world.
“The dissemination of baseless information by Western countries despite enjoying advanced intelligence gathering capabilities is questionable,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a meeting with Iranian lawmakers.
“We seek fair and expanding relations with all countries, and I advise them to adjust their stances toward Iran,” said Ahmadinejad.
Brothers freed in Aruba
Ranjestad, Aruba Two Surinamese brothers held in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager were freed Monday on the orders of a judge, but the 17-year-old son of a top justice official was ordered jailed for 60 more days.
The justice official’s son, Joran van der Sloot, and Surinamese brothers Deepak Kalpoe, 21, and Satish Kalpoe, 18, had been held since June 9 on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala. The three young men have acknowledged that they were with Holloway the night she disappeared.
“The detention of Deepak and Satish K. has not been prolonged,” court clerk Isella Wernet said. “The suspects are ordered released immediately. The detention of Joran van der S. has been prolonged 60 days beginning today.”
Two fleeing Haiti die
Port-au-Prince, Haiti A boat carrying dozens of migrants fleeing Haiti sank off the island’s coast, killing two people and leaving 11 others feared dead, a U.N. official said Monday.
The boat left the northern region of Cap-Haitien on Saturday and was heading toward Turks and Caicos.
Quake shakes Sumatra
Jakarta, Indonesia A magnitude-6.7 earthquake rocked a large swath of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island today shaking buildings and causing panic, witnesses and meteorological officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.7 and was centered 120 miles west of the Sumatra town of Sibolga.
Notorious inmate freed
Montreal Canada’s most notorious female inmate was secretly spirited from prison on Monday after serving 12 years for the rapes, torture and murders of three teenage girls, including her younger sister.
Karla Homolka, 35, received the relatively light sentence in return for her testimony against her ex-husband Paul Bernardo. Homolka told the court and psychiatrists she was a battered wife who took part in the rapes and murders to protect herself and her family.
The correctional service, confirmed the release of Homolka – who has changed her name to Karla Teale – but would not say where she was headed.