(AP) ST. LOUIS -- Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a conservative Republican candidate for the US Senate, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in the case of "a legitimate rape," adding that conception in such … 'Top Gun' director dies after jumping off bridge - The Associated Press
China's Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence - Reuters
By John Ruwitch HEFEI, China Aug 20 (Reuters) – A Chinese court sentenced the wife of disgraced Politburo member Bo Xilai to death on Monday but suspended her execution, ending one chapter in a scandal that has shaken the ruling Communist Party ahead … Bloodshed persists in Syria on Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr - Los Angeles Times
BEIRUT -- In the Syrian town of Talbiseh on Sunday, residents heralded the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan on a tank, chanting anti-government slogans. Young children played on swings hanging from the tank's turret. Across the country, Syrians shared … Israel deploys anti-rocket battery near Egypt border
The Israeli army has deployed an Iron Dome air defence system, designed to intercept and destroy rockets, days after two rockets were fired at the town of Eilat near the border with Egypt, a military spokeswoman said Monday. 'Top Gun' director Tony Scott commits suicide: report
Prominent Hollywood film director Tony Scott, whose works included "Top Gun," has committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in San Pedro, California, The Los Angeles Times reported late Sunday. Myanmar ends media censorship
Myanmar has abolished censorship of its media, the information ministry announced on Monday, in the latest in a series of sweeping reforms by the country's nominally civilian government. Wallaby skipper Pocock out of All Blacks clash
The Wallabies were dealt a major blow on Monday with confirmation that skipper David Pocock needs keyhole surgery on his knee and will miss Saturday's clash with the All Blacks in Auckland. 
Sir Alex Ferguson will wait until the last minute before deciding whether new striker Robin van Persie is fit enough to make his debut in Manchester United's Premier League opener at Everton on Monday. 
Police were on Monday interviewing 10 nationalists who raised Japanese flags on an island at the heart of a corrosive territorial row, sparking protests in China. 
An unauthorized landing by Japanese activists on an island at the center of a dispute with China is sparking nationalist outrage and fueling calls on both sides for aggressive government action that some fear could lead to an escalation of tensions. 
By John Ruwitch | HEFEI, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court sentenced the wife of ousted Politburo member Bo Xilai to death on Monday but suspended her execution, witnesses to the hearing said, ending one chapter of a scandal that has shaken the country … 
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan urged China on Monday to protect its citizens after anti-Japanese protests rocked Chinese cities on the weekend, and stressed that a feud over disputed islands in the East China Sea should not damage ties between Asia's two biggest economies. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Chinese cities on Sunday, with groups overturning Japanese cars and shouting slogans denouncing Japan's claims to the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. … 
Australia's struggling BlueScope Steel Monday reported a Aus$1.04 billion (US$1.09 billion) net loss for the 2012 fiscal year, but said it was now well-positioned globally for growth. 
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Brent crude futures inched up in early Asian trade on Monday after a plan by the United States to release its strategic petroleum reserves met opposition, while expectations of a revival in North Sea crude output also limited gains. Oil prices slipped last week after a source said the White House was "dusting off" plans for potentially tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, as high energy costs from undermining the success of Iran sanctions. … 
An ultimatum issued by platinum giant Lonmin to workers to end a wildcat strike runs out Monday after the London-listed company ordered employees back to work at a South African mine where police killed 34 people. 
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian shares inched lower on Monday, taking a break after investor risk appetite had risen on hopes that Europe's policymakers will take decisive steps to tackle the euro zone's debt crisis in coming weeks. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.2 percent, pulled lower by Chinese shares. The index has risen about 1 percent so far in August and is hovering near a three-month high hit earlier in the month. Hong Kong shares fell 0. … 
Somalia's newly appointed legislature elects the country's next president Monday, in a fresh bid to end two decades of unstable central government in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation. 
Japan's Mika Miyazato claimed her first LPGA Tour title by winning the Safeway Classic with a closing two-under 70 to beat Inbee Park and Brittany Lincicome by two shots. 
HONG KONG -- Anti-Japanese protests spread across China over the weekend, and the landing of Japanese activists on a disputed island on Sunday sharply intensified tensions between the two countries. Protesters took to the streets in nearly a dozen … 
ST. LOUIS -- Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a conservative Republican candidate for the US Senate, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in the case of "a legitimate rape," adding that conception in such … 
Ecuador's decision to grant Wikileaks founder Julian Assange asylum has been backed by foreign ministers from countries across South America. A document agreed at the Union of South American Nations meeting in Ecuador said it supported the country "in … 
The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician was given a suspended death sentence Monday after confessing to killing a British businessman by poisoning him with cyanide in a case that rocked the country's top political leadership. 
HEFEI, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court on Monday sentenced Gu Kailai, wife of ousted politician Bo Xilai, to death with a two-year reprieve for murdering a British businessman, witnesses to the closed-door hearing said, in a scandal that has shaken China's leadership transition. The sentence means that Gu is likely to face life in jail, provided she does not commit offences in the next two years. A court official called by Reuters would not immediately confirm the sentence, saying that a news conference to announce the outcome of the hearing would be held shortly. … 
A Chinese court on Monday handed Gu Kailai, wife of the disgraced leader Bo Xilai, a commuted death sentence for murdering a British man, a lawyer for the victim's family told reporters. 
A Chinese court on Monday handed Gu Kailai, wife of the disgraced leader Bo Xilai, a commuted death sentence for murdering a British man, a lawyer for the victim's family told reporters. 
World Newsday > News Print Aa On Muslim festival, Syrians take stock of losses Published: August 19, 2012 9:30 PM ALEPPO, Syria — A brief lull in fighting for a Muslim holiday Sunday allowed residents to take stock of their losses after three weeks of … 
HEFEI, China (AP) -- The wife of a fallen Chinese politician has been given a suspended death sentence after confessing to killing a British businessman in a case that has rocked the country's political leadership. A suspended sentence is usually … 
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, the conservative Republican US Senate candidate, said in a television interview that it is "really rare" for women to become pregnant when they are raped. Akin, a six-term congressman running against … 
HEFEI, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court on Monday sentenced Gu Kailai to a death sentence with a two-year reprieve after finding her guilty of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, in a crime that triggered the divisive downfall of Gu's ambitious politician husband, Bo Xilai, a witness to the hearing told Reuters. The sentence means Gu is likely to face life in prison, provided she does not commit offences in the next two years. Gu admitted in court earlier this month to poisoning Heywood last November after a business dispute that she said had led him to threaten her son. … 
Every Wednesday, Lancelot and Juci scamper into a special mission: nudging and pawing youngsters into smiles at the only hospital in Ecuador's capital that treats children with cancer. 
The conciliatory Facebook post by US Rep. Todd Akin on Sunday afternoon wasn't exactly an apology, nor did it clarify his position on the relationship between rape and pregnancy. But he clearly needed to address the furor set off Sunday morning when … 
* Protests reported in Damascus and elsewhere * More than 100 died on Sunday – activist group By Tom Perry BEIRUT, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made his first appearance in public since a July bomb attack, attending prayers at a … 
HEFEI, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court will deliver its verdict on Monday against Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced politician Bo Xilai, on charges of killing a British businessman last year in a scandal that has shaken the Communist Party's transition to a new leadership. Ahead of the verdict hearing due to start at 9 a.m. (9.00 p.m. EDT), a convoy of police vehicles drove into the courthouse complex in the eastern city of Hefei, where dozens of police checked the identity cards of passers-by and watched over a throng of reporters barred from entering the courtroom. … 
The embattled chief of Qantas Airways Alan Joyce said Monday he would forgo any bonus or pay rise, joining a growing list of high-profile top executives at Australian companies who are doing the same. 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) – Puerto Rican voters on Sunday appeared headed to rejecting a pair of constitutional amendments that would limit some defendants' right to bail and shrink the legislature in the U.S. territory, according to early election results. With 53 percent of precincts counted, the "no" vote was leading by 52.9 percent to 47 percent on the bail restrictions and by 52 percent to 47.9 percent on a cost-saving proposal to cut the number of seats in the legislature to 56 from 78. … 
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Three car bombs exploded near interior ministry and security buildings in the Libyan capital on Sunday, killing at least two people in attacks authorities blamed on supporters of the country's deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi. Libyan security officials said they had arrested 32 members of an organized network of Gaddafi loyalists linked to the attacks, which took place on the eve of the anniversary of the fall of Tripoli to rebel fighters. … 
Thousands of earthquakes occurring in rapid succession in less than a year under an Antarctic glacier may have been linked to ocean tides, new research suggests. 
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo insists Eden Hazard won't become a target for the Premier League's hatchet men after he inspired the Blues to a 2-0 win over Wigan on his debut. 
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Sunday renewed its pledge to cooperate with Egypt to restore order along the border between Gaza and the lawless Sinai Peninsula. 
HANOI (Reuters) – Farmer Le Dung and his fellow villagers stockpiled rocks and petrol bombs to battle police trying to take over their land for a luxury property development near Vietnam's capital city. But their most powerful weapon turned out to be the equipment they had set up with the help of Internet activists to record and broadcast the confrontation, which was ignored by state-controlled media. Within hours of the fight on a clear April morning, video of several thousand police firing tear gas and beating farmers in the Van Giang district just east of Hanoi had gone viral. … 
World Newsday > News Print Aa WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange calls on Obama to end 'witch hunt' Originally published: August 19, 2012 9:43 AM Updated: August 19, 2012 2:53 PM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wikileaks founder Julian Assange portrayed himself … 
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was shown on state television yesterday praying in a Damascus mosque to mark the start of an Islamic holiday, a rare public appearance as soldiers battled rebels in several cities. State-run Syrian Television broadcast … 
New Zealand revealed Monday it was considering an early withdrawal from Afghanistan after three of its soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack on their convoy in Bamiyan province. 
A Chinese court will pronounce judgment Monday on Gu Kailai, wife of former top politician Bo Xilai, over the murder of a British businessman in a case that set off China's biggest scandal in years. 
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Kremlin foes criticized Vladimir Putin on Sunday at events commemorating the defeat of a coup that hastened the 1991 Soviet collapse, saying the Russian president had reversed progress toward democracy that seemed unstoppable 21 years ago. Opposition politicians and everyday Russians said the two-year jail sentences handed down to punk performers Pussy Riot for a protest against Putin in a cathedral were part of a crackdown that evoked Soviet-era show trials and scare tactics. … 
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The anonymous text message on Bhumidhar Das' mobile phone was chilling: "Muslims will attack and kill our people after Ramadan. Return home." Within hours, Das, a Hindu working at a car factory in the city of Pune, joined tens of thousands of fellow migrant workers returning to hometowns in the remote northeast after getting or hearing of similar messages. Nearly 80 people have been killed and 400,000 displaced in fighting between Muslims and mostly Hindu Bodo tribesmen in northeastern Assam state in recent weeks. …