| Judge temporarily blocks law that could close all Louisiana abortion clinics Posted: 31 Aug 2014 08:48 PM PDT  The measure, signed into law by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in June and due to take effect Sept. 1, would require doctors who perform abortions to have patient admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their practice. "Plaintiffs will be allowed to operate lawfully while continuing their efforts to obtain privileges," Federal Judge John deGravelles wrote in the decision. Abortion rights activists applauded the decision, the latest in a string of rulings against similar measures, saying it would give doctors more time to seek hospital privileges. "Today's ruling ensures Louisiana women are safe from an underhanded law that seeks to strip them of their health and rights," said Nancy Northup, president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which sued to block the law on behalf of three of the state's five clinics.
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| Florida power utilities fear return of ‘Green Governor' Crist Posted: 01 Sep 2014 09:28 AM PDT  By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) - When Charlie Crist last governed Florida, his green energy and climate policies made him few friends among the state's powerful electricity corporations. Now, as the Republican-turned Democrat bids to return to the governor's mansion, it may be payback time. Florida's three largest utilities have poured money into the re-election campaign of Republican incumbent Governor Rick Scott in an expensive and closely watched political battle for the nation's largest swing state. ...
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| Actress Jennifer Lawrence contacts authorities after nude photos hacked Posted: 01 Sep 2014 04:49 PM PDT  Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence has contacted authorities to investigate who stole and posted nude images of her online, a spokeswoman said on Monday, part of a reported mass hacking of celebrities' intimate photos. Online pictures of the actress, 24, who won an Academy Award for "Silver Linings Playbook" and stars in "The Hunger Games" movie franchise, began appearing on Sunday. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence," spokeswoman Liz Mahoney said in an emailed statement. Model Kate Upton was among celebrities whose photos were posted online.
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| Cuba's new crackdown takes effect Posted: 01 Sep 2014 12:23 PM PDT  New government restrictions are upsetting travelers to the island nation.
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| Obama notifies Congress of airstrikes in Iraq Posted: 01 Sep 2014 10:20 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has sent official notification to Congress of his order for last week's airstrikes and humanitarian aid drops to help Iraqis threatened by Islamic State militants.
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| Cry for help from Americans detained in North Korea Posted: 01 Sep 2014 02:55 PM PDT  Three detained Americans seek diplomatic negotiations for their freedom.
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| Horrors committed by Islamists in Iraq Posted: 01 Sep 2014 11:29 AM PDT  UN officials say ISIS has carried out atrocities on "an unimaginable scale."
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| Nigerian troops battle Boko Haram Islamists Posted: 01 Sep 2014 11:33 AM PDT  Militants attacked Nigerian troops as they prepared retake an embattled town.
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| Obama's careful election strategy Posted: 01 Sep 2014 07:30 AM PDT  The president has a tricky path to walk if he wants his party to keep the Senate.
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| China universities vow ideology clampdown on staff, students Posted: 01 Sep 2014 06:29 AM PDT  A wider suppression on free expression in China intensifies.
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| Ukrainians pull back from airport; Poroshenko slams Russia Posted: 01 Sep 2014 05:14 AM PDT  By Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Monday it had pulled its forces back from defending a vital airport in the east against Russian tanks, as President Petro Poroshenko accused Moscow of "direct and open aggression". The withdrawal from the civilian airport outside the city of Luhansk was the latest in a string of reverses for Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian separatists who Kiev says have the direct support of hundreds of Russian troops and armor. A military statement said Ukrainian paratroopers were engaging a Russian tank battalion near the airport.
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| Brace yourselves: Campaign cash buying tons of ads Posted: 01 Sep 2014 12:34 AM PDT  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa's airwaves are already jammed with political ads, most of them negative, in one of the Senate races nationwide that will decide which party claims the majority.
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| Ukraine accuses Russia of "open aggression" Posted: 01 Sep 2014 07:19 AM PDT  By Pavel Polityuk and Polina Devitt KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Monday of "direct and undisguised aggression" which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in their war with pro-Moscow separatists. In the latest in a string of setbacks in the past week, Ukraine's military said it had pulled back from defending a vital airport in the east of the country, near the city of Luhansk, where troops had been battling a Russian tank battalion. Poroshenko said in a speech there would be high-level personnel changes in the Ukrainian armed forces, whose troops fled a new rebel advance in the south which Kiev and its Western allies say has been backed up by Russian armored columns. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called on Sunday for immediate negotiations on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine, blamed Kiev's leadership for refusing to enter into direct political talks with the separatists.
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| Beijing faces defiance in Hong Kong on vote reform Posted: 01 Sep 2014 01:38 AM PDT  Pro-democracy lawmakers disrupt a Beijing official's speech on tightly limited voting reforms.
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| Paris suburb building blast death toll reaches 8 Posted: 01 Sep 2014 10:50 AM PDT  PARIS (AP) — The death toll in the partial collapse of a four-story apartment building in a Paris suburb has risen to eight after emergency crews pulled the bodies of a man and a woman from the rubble.
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| Pakistan's premier challenged by raging protests Posted: 01 Sep 2014 11:23 AM PDT  Antigovernment protesters briefly force the state TV channel off the air as they clashed with police.
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| Kiev: Ukraine soldiers in battle with Russian tanks in Lugansk Posted: 01 Sep 2014 09:01 AM PDT  Ukraine's defence minister warned on Monday that a "great war" had broken out with Russia over his country's future that could claim tens of thousands of lives. "A great war has arrived at our doorstep -- the likes of which Europe has not seen since World War II. Unfortunately, the losses in such a war will be measured not in the hundreds but thousands and tens of thousands," Valeriy Geletey wrote in a Facebook post. Russia on Monday again denied either sending or planning to send troops into eastern Ukraine to help separatist rebels pursue their recent counteroffensive against the pro-Western government's forces. Geletey wrote on Monday that "hundreds of Russian soldiers and officers have permanently entered Ukraine's (eastern) 'black earth' region."
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| Tony Stewart's return to race track ends early Posted: 31 Aug 2014 09:37 PM PDT  HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Tony Stewart climbed from his battered car, took a big gulp of water, and surveyed the damage.
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| ISIL fighters more discreet force Posted: 31 Aug 2014 10:32 AM PDT  Militants in Iraq are starting to blend in with residents, making them harder to target.
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