North Korea cancels discussion of American prisoner

Former Rwandan intelligence chief faces charges in first French trial

PARIS — With a hoist from two bailiffs, Rwanda’s former intelligence chief was placed in a courtroom wheelchair Tuesday — and France opened its first trial over the African country’s genocide. The trial of Pascal Simbikangwa, 54, may not reveal much new about the systematic killing of ethnic Tutsis and Hutu moderates by radical Hutus in 1994. Books on the genocide have been written, rivers of tears shed and documentary films made. A U.N. war crimes tribunal and other courts have already sent dozens to prison — some for life.

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1. Report: U.S. abortion rate at lowest since 1973 NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. abortion rate declined to its lowest level since 1973, and the number of abortions fell by 13 percent between 2008 and 2011, according to the latest national survey of abortion providers conducted by a prominent research institute. The Guttmacher Institute, which supports legal access to abortion, said in a report being issued Monday that there were about 1.06 million abortions in 2011 — down from about 1.2 million in 2008.

Q-and-A: Ukrainian student's view

Valerie Solodarenko is from Poltava, Ukraine, and is a sophomore business communication major studying in Riga, Latvia. In high school, Solodarenko was an exchange student in North Judson, Ind. In this Q-and-A, Solodarenko discusses her reaction to the events in her home country.

Timeline of revolution in Ukraine

The protests in Ukraine have roots in events from nearly a decade ago. Here is how the situation unfolded in the country.

Sochi prepares to keep Olympics safe, successful

LONDON — After all the talk of terror threats, corruption, overspending and anti-gay legislation, the head of the Sochi Olympics is determined to show the world the games will be a huge success. Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is “fully ready” and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations.

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1. U.S. looks at ways to prevent spying on its spying WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is looking at ways to prevent anyone from spying on its own surveillance of Americans’ phone records. As the Obama administration considers shifting the collection of those records from the National Security Agency to requiring that they be stored at phone companies or elsewhere, it’s quietly funding research to prevent phone company employees or eavesdroppers from seeing who the U.S.

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WASHINGTON D.C. — President Barack Obama is calling for major changes in the way the U.S. intelligence community collects and stores information about people in the U.S. and abroad following disclosures that have sparked fury over sweeping government surveillance and stoked concerns about privacy. Some of the changes will take effect immediately. Others will require further study and may take action by Congress to be implemented.

Al-Qaida-linked group increases efforts against Syrian government

BEIRUT — Al-Qaida is positioning itself as a vanguard defending the Sunni community against what it sees as persecution by Shiite-dominated governments across Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. As a result, a Syrian rebellion whose aim was the removal of President Bashar al-Assad is evolving into something both bigger and more ambiguous: a fight increasingly led by Sunni jihadis — often foreign and animated mainly by hatred of Shiites — who are determined to create an Islamic state. Battling these extremists is a coalition that includes moderates who are horrified that their rebellion in Syria has been discredited, with parts of the country falling under strict religious law. For moderates in the Middle East, the renewed assertiveness of the extremists is increasingly taking on the aspect of a regional calamity. “The war in Syria has poured gasoline on a raging fire in Iraq, and conflicts in both countries are feeding upon one another and complicating an already complex struggle,” said Fawaz A.

Nelson Mandela, 20th century colossus, dies at 95

JOHANNESBURG — Nelson Mandela, who became one of the world’s most beloved statesmen and a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, has died.

Top 5 things you need to know today

Hawaii has issued 40 licenses for same-sex marriages in the first hours since the state began allowing the unions.

5 things to know today

Police: Yale campus safe, no gunman found NW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Yale University was locked down for nearly six hours Monday as authorities responded to a phone call warning that an armed man was heading to shoot up the school that they are investigating as a likely hoax. Police did not find a gunman after SWAT teams searched the Ivy League campus and a lockdown was lifted Monday afternoon.

Nuclear deal blocks Iran’s path to bomb

GENEVA — Iran struck a historic deal Sunday with the United States and five other world powers, agreeing to a temporary freeze of its nuclear program in the most significant agreement between Washington and Tehran in more than three decades of estrangement. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani endorsed the agreement, which commits Iran to curb its nuclear activities for six months in exchange for limited and gradual sanctions relief, including access to $4.2 billion from oil sales.

Typhoon deaths climb into thousands in Philippines

TACLOBAN, Philippines — Corpses hung from trees, were scattered on sidewalks or buried in flattened buildings — some of the 10,000 people believed killed in one Philippine city alone by ferocious Typhoon Haiyan that washed away homes and buildings with powerful winds and giant waves. As the scale of devastation became clear Sunday from one of the worst storms ever recorded, officials projected the death toll could climb even higher when emergency crews reach parts of the archipelago cut off by flooding and landslides.

Blast heard near Yemen US Embassy; attack denied

ADEN, Yemen — A large explosion followed by heavy gunfire was heard late Monday near the U.S. Embassy in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, security officials and residents said.

7.3-magnitude quake rocks Japan

TOKYO (AP) — An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Saturday morning off Japan’s east coast, the U.S.

Wave of car, suicide blasts kill at least 61 in Iraq

BAGHDAD – A barrage of car bomb and suicide bomb blasts rocked Baghdad and two northern Iraqi communities Thursday, killing at least 61 people during a major holiday period and extending a relentless wave of bloodshed gripping the country. The bulk of the blasts struck in mainly Shiite Muslim parts of the Iraqi capital shortly after nightfall, sending ambulances racing through the streets with sirens blaring.

New seats let airlines squeeze in more passengers

It’s not your imagination. There really is a tighter squeeze on many planes these days.

OBAMA, ROUHANI BACK RESUMPTION OF NUCLEAR TALKS

Senate panel votes to authorize force in Syria

WASHINGTON — A Senate panel has voted to give President Barack Obama the authority to use military force against Syria in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack.