A Pennsylvania judge ruled Wednesday that a new Republican-supported state voter ID law could be implemented for Election Day, despite objections that it was a partisan attempt to hurt President Obama and could cost thousands of voters the right to … Lebanese Clansmen Say They Kidnapped Syrians - Wall Street Journal
AP BEIRUT--Armed Shiite clansmen in Lebanon said Wednesday they had captured more than 20 Syrians and will hold them until one of their relatives seized by rebels inside Syria is freed. The tensions were a stark reminder of how easily Syria's civil war … Undocumented young people getting help with permits - MiamiHerald.com
BY ANNA EDGERTON Young undocumented immigrants all over the county are looking for information today on how to apply for the "deferred action for childhood arrivals" that President Barack Obama announced in June. The application became available on the … Romney steps away from Paul Ryan's Medicare cuts - Los Angeles Times
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mitt Romney on Wednesday unequivocally disavowed more than $700 billion in Medicare spending cuts proposed by his new running mate, Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin. In an interview on "CBS This Morning," Romney was asked how he squared … Syria's Assad: an autocrat grappling with a crumbling regime
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took power 12 years ago pledging reforms but has become one of the region's most ruthless leaders as he wages an increasingly brutal war to crush a rebellion. Market bomb wounds 14 in Afghanistan: officials
A bicycle bomb Wednesday wounded at least 14 people at a busy market in western Afghanistan as Muslims prepared to celebrate the end of fasting month, officials said. Russian female punk rock band supporters protest at cathedral
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Security guards scuffled on Wednesday with masked protesters demonstrating outside Moscow's main cathedral in support of members of the Pussy Riot punk band who are on trial for an irreverent protest at the same church. Witnesses said 18 demonstrators in colorful balaclavas like those worn by the band mounted the steps of Christ the Saviour Cathedral and held up placards reading: "Blessed are the merciful". Guards moved swiftly to disperse the demonstrators and treated some of them roughly, Internet TV channel Dozhd reported. Ekho Moskvy radio said five people were detained. … Saudi daily insists Russian official interviewed on Syria
A Saudi daily insisted Wednesday it had held an interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, following denials from Moscow that he had ever spoken to the newspaper. Islamic militants warn Egypt army on Sinai raids
Islamic militants in the Sinai Peninsula warned the Egyptian military on Wednesday against cracking down on jihadis and claimed they were not behind a sneak attack earlier this month that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers.
Israel protests to EU over settlement designations
Israel has protested to the European Union over a decision to designate an upscale Jewish district a West Bank settlement.
UN panel concludes war crimes perpetrated in Syria
Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and pro-government shabiha fighters have perpetrated war crimes and crimes against humanity on Syrian civilians, a U.N. expert panel concluded Wednesday in a report that provides in chilling detail further evidence of a conflict spiraling out of control. One kidnapping in Syria prompts kidnapping of 20-plus in Lebanon - Christian Science Monitor
A series of tit-for-tat abductions this week of Shiite Lebanese and Sunni Syrians threatens to further undermine stability in Lebanon as the sectarian nature of the brutal conflict in Syria deepens and spreads. Members of the Meqdad clan, … Judges say ICC competent to try Ivorian strongman Gbagbo
The International Criminal Court ruled Wednesday against a challenge by Ivory Coast ex-president Laurent Gbagbo's lawyers on its jurisdiction to try him for crimes against humanity. Indian firm poised to start Mozambique coal mine
Indian steelmaker Jindal Steel will begin operations at its Mozambique coal mine on September 1, joining big players Vale and Rio Tinto in the country's coal-rich Tete region, a manager said Wednesday. Zambia lose, Ghana draw in Africa Cup warm-ups
African champions Zambia lost in South Korea and Ghana drew in China Wednesday, as they prepared for Cup of Nations qualifiers next month. Cambodia KRouge lawyers condemn 'interference'
Lawyers for a former Khmer Rouge leader accused of genocide urged Cambodia's UN-backed court on Wednesday to rebuke the country's foreign minister for allegedly meddling in the trial. Mugabe says census will reveal AIDS toll on Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe launched the national census Wednesday, saying he hoped the once-a-decade count would measure the extent to which AIDS was affecting the population. Indy hotel to exhibit prints, 1 original drawing by Pablo Picasso
INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis hotel is inviting the public to see more than two dozen prints by Pablo Picasso that span the Spanish artist’s career.
Syria refugees battle heat, dust, sexual harassment
Sweltering heat, dust, lack of electricity and at times sexual harassment are some of the hardships faced by refugees in this UN-run desert tent camp in northern Jordan. London shares close lower
London shares closed down slightly on Wednesday as a bounceback in the Standard Chartered share price helped offset the impact of earlier losses in Asian markets. 
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the country as children can start applying Wednesday for a deportation reprieve under a new program established by the Obama administration. Democrats in Congress tried and failed to … 
By Matt Mackowiak The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza rightly called Mitt Romney's bold selection of Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) as his running mate, "the most daring decision of his political career." Until this weekend, most observers expected … 
Young illegal immigrants are lining up by the thousands at consulates across the country to take advantage of the Obama administration program allowing them to apply for a two-year reprieve from deportation. As many as 1.8 million undocumented … 
LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has no way of leaving his refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London without being arrested, even if Quito grants him asylum shortly, lawyers say. The Australian has been in the embassy for eight weeks since losing a legal battle to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted to stand trial for rape. Assange denies the accusations made by two female WikiLeaks supporters. He fears Sweden could send him on to the United States, where he believes authorities want to punish him for publishing thousands of secret U.S. … 
The British queen's husband, Prince Philip, has been taken to a Scottish hospital as "a precautionary measure," Buckingham palace said Wednesday. 
Nearly two dozen Afghan civilians were wounded on Wednesday when two grenades exploded inside a mosque compound and a bicycle bomb blew up in a city market, officials said. 
Yasuhito Endo's goal was cancelled by Nicolas Fedor as Japan were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on Wednesday in a warm-up game ahead of the final round of World Cup qualifiers. 
East Timor is ready to take charge of its own security and UN peacekeepers should be able to leave on schedule by the end of the year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. 
Pakistan on Wednesday released 55 Indian fishermen, 15 of them teenagers, as a "goodwill gesture" to mark independence day in India. 
By ALEXANDER MARTIN The boat carrying activists from Hong Kong reached territorial waters surrounding a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea. TOKYO--Strains in Japan's relations with neighbors were on full display Wednesday as it sought to … 
South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Zimbabwe on Wednesday for briefings on reforms by the unity government, which is inching toward the first balloting since deadly 2008 polls. 
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the country as children can start applying Wednesday for a deportation reprieve under a new program established by the Obama administration. Democrats in Congress tried and failed to … 
By By Marc Levy on August 15, 2012 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A tough new voter identification law championed by Republicans can take effect in Pennsylvania for November's presidential election, a judge ruled Wednesday, despite a torrent of criticism that … 
Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni on Wednesday reinstated several corruption-tarnished ministers in a cabinet reshuffle that left most of the major positions unchanged. 
Iran said on Wednesday it rejected a US offer of aid for survivors of twin deadly earthquakes that struck villages in its northwest on the weekend because it was not made in "good faith." 
| BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Shi'ite Muslim clan in Lebanon has abducted several Syrians it says are rebel fighters in retaliation for the kidnapping of one of their relatives by the rebel Free Syrian Army in Damascus. More than 20 Syrians had been kidnapped … 
Prince Philip, the 91-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was taken to hospital in Scotland on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, Buckingham Palace said. 
LONDON (Reuters) – 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, husband of the Queen, was taken to hospital in Scotland on Wednesday as a "precautionary measure", Buckingham Palace said. "He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a precautionary measure," a Palace spokeswoman said. "We don't have any further details and are waiting for the Duke to be medically assessed." Two months ago, Prince Philip was taken to hospital with a bladder infection, overshadowing four days of celebrations for the queen's 60th year on the British throne. … 
Syrian government forces and their militia allies committed crimes against humanity including murder and torture while rebel fighters were guilty of offences of a lesser scale, UN investigators said Wednesday. 
More than 20 people were killed in a devastating air strike on a rebel bastion in northern Syria on Wednesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain's 91-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth, was taken to hospital in Scotland on Wednesday as a "precautionary measure", Buckingham Palace said. "He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a precautionary measure," a Palace spokeswoman said. "We don't have any further details and are waiting for the Duke to be medically assessed." Two months ago, Prince Philip was taken to hospital with a bladder infection, overshadowing four days of celebrations for the queen's 60th year on the British throne. … 
Armed Shiite clansmen in Lebanon said Wednesday they had captured more than 20 Syrians and will hold them until one of their relatives seized by rebels inside Syria is freed. The tensions were a stark reminder of how easily Syria's civil war could spill over to neighboring states. 
The New York Times is hoping the man who transformed "Auntie Beeb" for the 21st century can do the same for the Gray Lady.