GOP presses Rep. Todd Akin to quit Senate race after rape remarks - Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- Leading Republicans sought Monday to pressure Rep. Todd Akin into quitting the US Senate race in Missouri, fearing his ill-considered remarks on abortion and rape would cost the GOP its shot at controlling the chamber and damage the … Obama warns Syria over chemical weapons - euronews
US President Barack Obama has warned Syria that any use of chemical weapons in the country's bloody conflict could provoke a US military response. He also said that if the Syrian regime failed to safeguard its weapons of mass destruction there would be … Court: Ala schools can't check student immigration status; police can ask for ... - Washington Post
ATLANTA -- Part of Alabama's immigration law that ordered public schools to check the citizenship status of new students was ruled unconstitutional Monday by a federal appeals court that also said police in that state and Georgia can demand papers from … Rape remark upsets Republican women - San Francisco Chronicle
Jillian Manus Salzman, a powerhouse donor to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and a proud pro-choice Republican, said she screamed when she heard Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, a GOP candidate for the US Senate, say that victims of "legitimate" rape … Belarus dissident fighting extradition by Ecuador
Less than a year ago, an Ecuadorean judge denied a request to extradite Aliaksandr Barankov to Belarus, the former Soviet bloc nation whose president has been nicknamed "Europe's last dictator." Iran says it has upgraded a short-range missile
Iran’s official news agency says the country has upgraded a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile just weeks after it was test-fired.
Shane Warne to captain Melbourne Stars
Leg-spin legend Shane Warne will captain his Melbourne Twenty20 team this season, he said Tuesday, adding that talks were still underway to bring Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt into the squad. AL Capsules: Canadian Ryan Dempster goes 8 innings as Rangers beat Orioles 5-1
ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Dempster pitched eight innings, his longest outing in more than two months and his best since being traded to Texas, and the AL West-leading Rangers beat Baltimore 5-1 on Monday night.
Kyrgyz forces kill fugitive border guard after attack
BISHKEK (Reuters) – Kyrgyz security forces on Tuesday killed a fugitive border guard suspected of shooting dead five people at a remote frontier post, the border guard service of the former Soviet republic said. Border guards and police found the lone gunman, named as Balbai Kulbarak uulu, in a mountain gorge near the Kyrgyz border with Kazakhstan a day after he fled the scene of the attack in a stolen vehicle. The border guard service said in a statement that Kulbarak uulu was killed after putting up “armed resistance” to arrest. …
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dead at 57
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s long-time ruler who held tight control over this East African country but was a major U.S counter-terrorism ally, died of an undisclosed illness after not being seen in public for weeks, Ethiopian state television said Tuesday. He was 57.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, dies at age 57, state TV says
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s state television says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the East African nation’s longtime ruler, has died. He was 57.
Mindset List: Class of 2016 doesn't use radios or watch TVs, and sees women as leaders
MILWAUKEE – Remember when suitcases had to be carried instead of rolled? Or when an airline ticket was a booklet of pages separated by carbon paper? Maybe you remember when Lou Gehrig held the Major League record for consecutive baseball games played.
Sixteen wounded in clashes in Lebanese port city
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – Sixteen people were wounded in overnight clashes between Sunni Muslim and Alawite neighborhoods in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli, local security and medical sources said on Tuesday. Gunmen in the two districts exchanged gunfire and launched rocket-propelled grenades, residents said, in fighting which continued sporadically through the night despite the deployment of troops in the port city. …
Ethiopian prime minister has died
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a regional strongman in power for over two decades, has died in hospital abroad, the government said Tuesday. Exclusive: Iran looks to Armenia to skirt bank sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – With international sanctions squeezing Iran, the Islamic Republic is seeking to expand its banking foothold in the Caucasus nation of Armenia to make up for difficulties in countries it used to rely on to do business, according to diplomats and documents. Iran's growing interest in its neighbor Armenia, a mountainous, landlocked country of about 3. … Billionaire George Soros invests in Man United
US billionaire George Soros has bought a stake in Manchester United, the British football club that made its Wall Street debut earlier this month, according to a filing with US regulators. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles has died: state television
(Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died, Ethiopian state television said on Tuesday. Meles had not been seen in several weeks. The government said in July that he was taking a break to recover from an unspecified condition. State television said Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will be acting prime minister. Rumors that Meles is seriously ill have been rife since the former guerrilla leader, in power since ousting Mengistu Haile Mariam's military junta in 1991, failed to attend an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month. … 
By Alina Selyukh and Alexander Cohen | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican Party and presidential candidate Mitt Romney have almost $60 million more in the bank than President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party but campaign finance experts say it … 
Republican Todd Akin insisted defiantly Monday he won't withdraw from Missouri's Senate race despite hurricane-force pressure from his own party following his weekend remarks on rape. Possible replacement candidates, including two Republicans he … 
Leading Republicans sought Monday to pressure Rep. Todd Akin into quitting the US Senate race in Missouri, fearing his ill-considered remarks on abortion and rape would cost the GOP its shot at controlling the chamber and damage the party's … 
For this year's crop of college freshmen, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Kurt Cobain have always been dead, women have always piloted warplanes and space shuttles, and M&Ms have never been tan. The class of 2016 grew up in cyberspace, a factor that has … 
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Syrian activists said Monday that the southwestern city of Dara'a was under siege in what seemed to be part of an extended campaign by the Syrian government to regain control of the area, the birthplace of the uprising against … 
BEIJING (Reuters) – Leftist supporters of China's toppled politician Bo Xilai are digging in for an unusually defiant defense of their hero, arguing that he and his wife are victims of a plot that has opened a dangerous schism between them and the Communist Party. A Chinese court handed Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, a suspended death sentence on Monday after finding her guilty of murdering a British businessman, Neil Heywood. … 
(ABCNEWS.com) Rep. Todd Akin fought to salvage his Senate campaign Monday, even as members of his own party turned against him and a key source of campaign funding was cut off in outrage over the Missouri congressman's comments that women are able to … 
Researchers trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the 1937 disappearance of US aviator Amelia Earhart in the Pacific have said they spotted debris under water that may have come from her plane. 
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Brent crude inched up on Tuesday, but prices stayed near $114 a barrel as investors sought clarity on policies to help the euro zone after the European Central Bank squashed speculation about further steps to contain the debt crisis. Trading is expected to be rangebound as supply concerns stemming from Middle East tensions and maintenance issues in the North Sea offset signs of weak global demand. … 
The Republican Party has ridden ideological, anti-government fervor to a number of victories, particularly in the 2010 midterm election. But the political dangers created by the free-wheeling, anti-authoritarian movement have come into full view in the … 
(AP) WASHINGTON – Facing strong fundraising from his Republican challenger, President Barack Obama and Democrats have spent more than they brought in last month as the president expanded his campaign operations and purchased millions of dollars in … 
The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck central Indonesia at the weekend has risen to six, an official said Tuesday, after rescuers reached villages that had been cut off by a landslide. 
Divers recovered the body of one of the Philippines' most influential politicians on Tuesday, three days after a light plane carrying him and three others crashed into the sea, the government said. 
Australia's Qantas Airways said Tuesday it had suspended two pilots after they were reportedly involved in a heated argument in the cockpit of their Boeing 747 at Dallas airport. 
Diana Nyad slogged across the Straits of Florida for a third straight day Monday, hopeful she could fend off hypothermia, jellyfish and stormy weather as she inched toward a swimming record. 
Mitt Romney's cash advantage over President Obama and the Democrats more than doubled in July, as intense Republican fund-raising and heavy spending by Mr. Obama and his allies left Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee with $62 million more … 
* Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore to join prestigious club * Male-only membership policy drew criticism * Obama welcomes decision – White House (Adds further Moore background, Woods quotes) By Mark Lamport-Stokes Aug 20 (Reuters) – Augusta National Golf … 
(CNN) — An appeals court on Monday sided with the federal government in blocking several provisions in Alabama and Georgia's controversial anti-illegal immigration laws, while allowing other key parts of those laws to stand. Advocacy groups like the … 
Representative Todd Akin's assertion that women who are victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant provoked outrage across the political spectrum, but the views he articulated are far from new in anti-abortion circles. The idea that during rape, … 
WASHINGTON -- President Obama warned Syria on Monday that it would face American military intervention if there were signs that its arsenal of unconventional weapons was being moved or prepared for use. It was Mr. Obama's first direct threat of force … 
An ancient skull discovered in a cave in Laos has pushed back the clock on human migration to Southeast Asia by as much as 20,000 years, a study has found. 
Platinum giant Lonmin said it would fire anyone at its South African mine who did not return to work Tuesday, a day after the world's third-largest platinum producer reopened the plant where 44 people were killed in a wildcat strike. 
Global wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC warned Tuesday that 515 rhinos could perish by the end of the year if no action is taken to stem the illicit trade in rhino horns. 
(CBS News) Until today, few people outside of Missouri had ever heard of Todd Akin, the Republican candidate for Senate there, but Akin's remarks about rape have put him and the abortion issue in the national spotlight. Republicans and Democrats alike, … 
TOPEKA, Kan. -- A Kansas congressman's 10-second naked plunge into the sea where the Bible says Jesus walked on water prompted apologies Monday from him, head-shaking from other Republicans and the kind of international attention that no politician … 
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S. forces could move against Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, President Barack Obama warned, notably if he deploys his chemical weapons against rebels trying to overthrow him. In some of his strongest language yet on Syria, on a day when U.N. observers pulled out after a fruitless bid for peace and Assad's forces mounted new attacks, the U.S. leader said Assad faced "enormous consequences" if he crossed a "red line" of even moving unconventional weapons in a threatening manner. … 
TOKYO (Reuters) – Shares edged up on Tuesday as investors held on to hopes the European Central Bank will act to soothe borrowing costs, even as officials denied a report about the shape of its planned bond buying strategy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.2 percent while Japan's Nikkei stock average opened down 0.1 percent after rising to a three-month high on Monday. U.S. … 
TOKYO (Reuters) – Embattled TV maker Sharp Corp aims to cut 8,000 jobs or 15 percent of its global workforce, including 3,000 from the sale of two TV factories in China and Mexico to Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry , Japan's Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday. Sharp had previously announced it would cut its workforce by 5,000 positions. The Yomiuri report is the latest in a recent string on additional steps the troubled TV maker is expected to take to curb costs and satisfy its lenders. … 
YARE, Venezuela (Reuters) – Well-armed inmates in one of Venezuela's notoriously overcrowded prisons rioted over the weekend, killing 25 people, the government said on Monday. In familiar scenes for Venezuelans, relatives wept outside the Yare I complex in the central coastal state of Miranda, as sketchy details emerged of fighting among armed gangs in the prison. Prisons Minister Iris Varela told reporters that 25 people, including one visitor, died in the riot. "We will make them answer for this," she added, saying another 29 inmates and 14 visitors had been injured in the riot. … 
LONDON (Reuters) – Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit has rejected the idea of big banks being split up, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Vikram Pandit said Citi , formed through mergers such as the acquisition of Travelers in 1998, had already gone back to the basics of banking, and had sold most of the units from that deal. "What's left here is essentially the old Citicorp. That's a tried and proven strategy. Why did it work? Because it was a strategy based upon operating the business and serving clients and not a strategy based on dealmaking. … 
By Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Monday threatened US military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning in the strongest terms yet that any attempt to deploy or use chemical or biological weapons … 
By Jeff Mason and Laura MacInnis | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama hammered Republicans over taxes and women's rights on Monday in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room that was meant to knock his rivals on what was … 
By Edward Krudy | NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple Inc's market value climbed past $623 billion on Monday, surpassing the record set by Microsoft Corp during the heyday of technology stocks in 1999. Apple shares rose 2.6 percent, bringing its gains this … 
By Patricia Zengerle and David Lawder | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior Republicans on Monday pushed their candidate in the Missouri Senate race, congressman Todd Akin, to quit over his remarks about rape that distracted from the build up to the party's … 
Elton John believes his son Zachary's childhood is going to be "very difficult", battling homophobia and the impact of his father's fame, the pop icon said in an interview published Tuesday. 
By Patricia Zengerle and David Lawder | WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior Republicans on Monday pushed their candidate in the Missouri Senate race, congressman Todd Akin, to quit over his remarks about rape that distracted from the build up to the party's … 
President Obama said Monday the US would reconsider its opposition to military involvement in the Syrian civil war if President Bashar Assad's beleaguered regime deploys or uses chemical or biological weapons. He called such action a "red line" for the … 
By Steve Gorman | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comedian Phyllis Diller, the former housewife whose raucous cackle and jokes about her own looks made her one of America's first female stand-up comedy stars, died in her sleep on Monday at age 95, her longtime … 
My applause for the admission of the first two women to Augusta National Golf Club is tempered by a question. They're really going to wear the green jackets like Billy Payne promised? Are we sure they're not going to be asked to instead wear green … 
Barack Obama has launched a strident attack on Mitt Romney's refusal to release more than two years of his tax returns, in a rare statement by the president on the issue. Taking questions from reporters in the White House briefing room, Obama brought … 
* Hundreds gather at Correa's presidential palace * Assange asylum helping leftist leader's image * Quito wants guarantees for Wikileaks founder's safety By Eduardo Garcia and Jose Llangari QUITO, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Ecuadoreans marched on … 
HOUSTON — Police in Jonesboro, Ark., have drawn scrutiny after a suspect handcuffed in a police car apparently managed to shoot himself in the head. Jonesboro police stopped Chavis Carter, 21, of Southaven, Miss., on July 28 while he was riding with … 
An arrest warrant was issued for a grandson of Nelson Mandela on Monday after he failed to appear in court for not paying maintenance to his first wife, local media reported. 
A female Japanese journalist was killed Monday while covering clashes in Syria's Aleppo, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that three other reporters were missing. 
Barnes & Noble on Monday announced it will release Nook tablets in Britain in the first move by the world's largest book seller to sell the e-readers outside the United States. 
Togo's security minister on Monday vowed that an opposition rally planned for a key district in the capital would not take place, as authorities would block access to the area. 
Taiwan's leading carrier China Airlines said Monday it will boost its service from Taipei to Auckland, introducing daily flights from October in a bid to tap New Zealand's growing tourism market.