The United States has lifted restrictions on roughly $2.5 billion in foreign aid to Pakistan following Islamabad's decision to reopen critical military supply routes in the country to American and NATO forces. 

The NATO first trucks in more than seven months are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan after Pakistan’s closure of NATO supply routes officially ended.

Vehicles carrying supplies crossed the border on Thursday, The Associated Press reported, after the two countries struck a deal on Tuesday to reopen the crossing.

The agreement to open up the supply lines was a step forward for the troubled U.S.-Pakistan relations, though many issues still remain.

Baghdad has begun to amass troops along the Syrian border amid reports that fighters from al Qaeda's Iraqi faction are looking to gain a foothold in Syria. 

Iran is repainting its tankers in an attempt to conceal the excess oil that they are now carrying due to sanctions slashing Iranian oil exports, The New York Times reported.

The report from Iranian port city Bandar Abbas found that a fleet of 65 tankers have become “floating storage facilities” for Iran’s oil that it can’t export. One tanker, Neptune, had a fresh coat of black paint, but the ship’s real name was Iran Astaneh, the Times reported.

Iran’s oil exporting problems have grown this month as new sanctions kicked in from the European Union, which stopped importing Iranian oil. Those sanctions, along with ones enacted by the United States, have taken a bite out of Iran’s economy, which relies on oil exports.

The first batch of 25 files suggest technology from Italy's Finmeccanica industrial group has been used in Bashar Assad's crackdown.

Both Romney's and President Obama's campaigns have made strong efforts to court veterans and military families in 2012.

“What a perfect way to celebrate America’s birthday,” said Obama as he spoke to the 25 new citizens and their families

Members of the Iranian legislature moved to shut down the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, a move guaranteed to further escalate tensions between Tehran and the West. 

Walsh said his challenger, who lost both of her legs in Iraq, is talking too much about her military service.