TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An American journalist jailed in Iran for allegedly spying for the U.S. is vowing to remain on a hunger strike until she is freed even though she is "very weak," her father said Monday.

Roxana Saberi, who has been on a hunger strike for a week, was convicted more than a week of ago and sentenced to eight years in prison after a one-day trial behind closed doors.

Her parents said they brought her a bouquet of flowers on Sunday — her 32nd birthday — and were able to visit her again in Evin prison on Monday.

"Roxana is very weak and pale. She has been on a hunger strike for a week now," her father, Reza Saberi, told The Associated Press. "She is only drinking sweetened water to remain alive."

American journalist Roxana Saberi’s conviction for espionage practically screamed symbolism as it coincided with Iran’s national holiday, Army Day. To celebrate the strength of Iran’s armed forces, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared that Iran’s army keeps the country “one of the strongest in the region” and “no country dares to threaten [Iran].” On a day when Iran officially flexed its military muscles, it has unofficially shown its diplomatic chutzpah by defying calls from the international media and the U.S. State Department to release Ms. Saberi from an unjust incarceration.

Pandering for votes seems to be an inevitable part of politics. However, Hamid Karzai, the current President of Afghanistan up for reelection this coming fall, has crossed the line from political ingenuity to violating human rights.

Last month, Karzai signed a Shi’ite Personal Status Law, which the United Nations Development Fund for Women has interpreted as legalizing marital rape. Moreover, the law — which has yet to be publicly released — includes a provision that requires a woman to gain permission from her husband to work outside the home or to go to school. Thus, this law, approved by Karzai and both houses of Parliament, significantly endangers the gains Afghan women have made since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's judiciary ordered a full investigation Monday into the case of an American journalist imprisoned for allegedly spying for the U.S. and allowed the woman's parents to visit her for the first time since she was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The developments in the case of Roxana Saberi appear to be the latest signs that some senior Iranian officials want to ensure tensions over the case do not derail moves toward a dialogue with the Obama administration to break a 30-year diplomatic deadlock between the two countries.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton renewed calls for Iran to release Saberi said she hoped for positive action from the judiciary chief's investigation order.

GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations opens its first global racism conference in eight years on Monday with the U.S. and at least six other countries boycotting the event out of concern that Islamic countries will demand that it denounce Israel and ban criticism of Islam.

The administration of President Barack Obama, America's first black head of state, announced Saturday that it would boycott "with regret" the weeklong meeting in Geneva, which already is experiencing much of the bickering and political infighting that marred the 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa.

The Netherlands and Germany announced their boycotts Sunday, while Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy already had said they would not attend.

Dozens of Cornell students had the opportunity to speak directly with Iranian citizens via long-distance phone calls yesterday afternoon. The students of Prof. John Weiss’s seminar, History 2161: Iran and the World, together with the assistance of volunteer translators (an assortment of Cornell students and professors fluent in Farsi), worked to bring the “Enough Fear” campaign’s phone event to Ho Plaza, where Cornellians waited in line for the opportunity to speak with volunteers in Iran over the single landline connected outside of Willard Straight.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president on Wednesday sent the clearest signal yet that the Islamic Republic wants warmer ties with the U.S., just one day after Washington spoke of new strategies to address the country's disputed nuclear program.

Taken together, the developments indicate that the longtime adversaries are seeking ways to return to the negotiating table and ease a nearly 30-year-old diplomatic standoff.

President Barack Obama's administration has sought to start a dialogue with Iran — a departure from the Bush administration's tough talk.

Iran had mostly dismissed the overtures, continuing to take hard-line steps like putting an American journalist on trial on espionage allegations.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the president announced Tuesday, a key step for an ambitious space program that worries the U.S. and other world powers because the same rocket technology used to launch satellites can also deliver warheads.

For nearly a decade, Iran has sought to develop a national space program, creating unease among international leaders already concerned about its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.