NATION & WORLD || Judge blocks part of NC abortion law

Judge blocks part of NC abortion law

RALEIGH, N.C.

A federal judge blocked part of North Carolina’s new abortion law Tuesday, ruling providers do not have to place an ultrasound image next to a pregnant woman so she can view it, nor do they have to describe its features and offer her the chance to listen to the heartbeat.

The law was set to take effect today, but U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles’ decision puts a key section of it on hold until she can hear more arguments.

North Carolina legislators and officials have argued that by offering the image to a woman seeking an abortion and other information they would promote childbirth and protect patients from emotional distress associated with the procedure and possible coercion. The judge said she received no evidence supporting those arguments.

Rapist appears to target sorority alums

DALLAS

A Dallas-area rapist appears to be preying on members of a national black sorority, leading the organization to urge alumnae to remove any trace of their affiliation from cars, clothing and even their key chains.

Delta Sigma Theta issued the warning this week, citing four sexual assaults, all involving black women in their mid-50s to mid-60s. Police say the assailant indicated during the attacks that he knew personal information about the victims.

George McGovern in hospital for fatigue

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.

Former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern has been hospitalized for fatigue in South Dakota, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Jullie Ward, a spokeswoman for Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, said the 89-year-old former senator from South Dakota was admitted to the Sioux Falls hospital for fatigue after completing a lecture tour. She said doctors expect him to make a full recovery and be released in a couple of days.

PETA: SeaWorld enslaves orcas

ORLANDO, Fla.

The animal-rights group PETA is expected to file a federal lawsuit in California this week alleging that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is violating the U.S. Constitution’s ban on slavery by keeping five wild-caught killer whales at marine parks in Orlando and San Diego.

“The 13th Amendment prohibits slavery, and these orcas are, by definition, slaves,” PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said in a prepared statement issued by PETA.

SeaWorld called the claim “baseless and, in many ways, offensive.”

Tsunami debris heading for Hawaii

HONOLULU

Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on Hawaii’s shores by early 2013, before reaching the West Coast, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists.

A Russian training ship spotted the junk — including a refrigerator, a television set and other appliances — in an area of the Pacific Ocean where the scientists from the university’s International Pacific Research Center predicted it would be.

Study: Flu shots protect 59 percent

MINNEAPOLIS

Annual flu shots protect only about 59 percent of the population — far less than previously thought — according to a new study led by University of Minnesota researchers.

The study found “major holes and gaps” in the vaccine given to tens of millions of Americans every year to prevent influenza and its complications, said Michael Osterholm, the lead scientist and head of the university’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

In the past, experts have estimated that annual flu shots protect 70 percent to 90 percent of the population.

Combined dispatches