NATIONAL AND WORLD NEWS DIGEST | Ex-Rep. Tom DeLay gets 3-year sentence

Ex-Rep. Tom DeLay gets 3-year sentence

AUSTIN, Texas

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, once considered among the nation’s most powerful and feared lawmakers, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for a scheme to influence elections that already cost him his job, leadership post and millions of dollars in legal fees.

The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay, a Houston-area Republican, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for using a political-action committee to send corporate donations illegally to Texas House candidates in 2002.

Abortion decline stalls in recession

NEW YORK

The long-term decline in the U.S. abortion rate stalled as the recession took hold, according to the latest comprehensive survey of America’s abortion providers.

The Guttmacher Institute, which periodically surveys U.S. abortion providers, reported today that there were 1.21 million abortions in 2008 and a rate of 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women age 15-44.

Both figures were up slightly from the previous 2005 survey, ending a steady decline since 1990, when U.S. abortions peaked at 1.6 million and the abortion rate was 27.4.

8 killed, 72 missing in flash flooding

BRISBANE, Australia

At least eight people died and 72 were missing after the latest downpour to hit Australia’s flood-wracked Queensland state sent raging torrents rushing through several towns, washing away cars and houses.

Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said today that four children had died, and there were “grave concerns” for at least 11 of the missing. Many of those still stranded or unaccounted for are families and young children, she said.

Underwear lecture now open to men

CHICAGO

The Lake Villa District Library in Illinois has agreed to allow men to attend a historical presentation on “Unmentionables: The Rise and Fall of Ladies Underwear,” after hearing complaints that it was violating the state’s Constitution by excluding males from the public program.

A Chicago Tribune article Monday received a swift response after describing the “no men” rule set by program presenter Ellie Carlson, an expert on historical clothing. Carlson, a costume curator, says she usually bans men because it makes women “of a certain age” uncomfortable with the subject matter, which veers into talk about menstruation, sex and other bodily functions, she said.

By 11 a.m., the library updated its event listing, which now states: “Please note: This program is designed for ladies only. Men may attend (but that may put a damper on discussion!).”

Violence erupts near Sudan border

JUBA, Sudan

Violence in the disputed region of Abyei has killed at least 30 people along Sudan’s north-south divide, officials said. Observers fear the latest unrest could spark more fighting amid an otherwise peaceful and jubilant independence referendum in the south.

Abyei remains the most contentious sticking point between north and south after a two-decade civil war that left 2 million dead. Even President Barack Obama, who applauded this week’s historic referendum on independence in the south, warned that violence in the Abyei region should cease.

Combined dispatches