This is just an amazing day for Alaska

It wasn't immediately clear when marriage licenses would be issued to same-sex couples in Alaska, however the state does have a three-day waiting period between applications and marriage ceremonies. The late Sunday afternoon announcement caught many people off guard. No rallies were immediately planned. "This is just an amazing day for Alaska. We're just so fortunate that so many have fought for equality for so long — I mean, decades," said Susan Tow, who along with her wife, Chris Laborde, were among couples who sought to overturn Alaska's ban. The lawsuit filed in May sought to bar enforcement of Alaska's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. It also called for barring enforcement of any state laws that refuse to recognize gay marriages legally performed in other states or countries or that prevent unmarried gay couples from marrying. U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess heard arguments Friday afternoon and promised a quick decision. He released his 25-page decision Sunday afternoon. "Refusing the rights and responsibilities afforded by legal marriage sends the public a government-sponsored message that same-sex couples and their familial relationships do not warrant the status, benefits and dignity given to couples of the opposite sex," Burgess wrote. "This Court finds that Alaska's same-sex marriage laws violate the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment because no state interest provides 'excessively persuasive justification' for the significant infringement of rights that they inflicted upon homosexual individuals," he wrote. The state intends to appeal the ruling, Sharon Leighow, a spokeswoman for Gov. Sean Parnell, said in an email to The Associated Press. Messages sent to the state's attorney general's offices were not immediately returned. Parnell said in a statement Sunday that he has to defend and uphold the law and the Alaska Constitution. "Although the district court today may have been bound by the recent 9th Circuit panel opinion, the status of that opinion and the law in general in this area is in flux," he said. Joshua Decker, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, said Alaska has no legal chance of prevailing at either the 9th Circuit Court or with the U.S. Supreme Court. "It's really unfortunate the governor wants to continue to swim against the tide of history and try to perpetuate discrimination against Alaskans," said Decker. "We're disappointed but that's not going to dampen our elation." If the state does appeal to the 9th Circuit Court, chances of winning were slim since the federal appeals court already has ruled against Idaho and Nevada, which made similar arguments. Alaska voters in 1998 approved a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. But in the past year, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that prevented legally married same-sex couples from receiving a range of federal benefits. Federal courts also have since struck down state constitutional bans in a number of states. Tow and Laborde, who married in Maryland last year, planned to meet with other plaintiffs, some by phone, later Sunday to celebrate. Earlier in the week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals from several states that were seeking to retain their bans on same-sex marriage. The move on Oct. 6 means that gay marriage is now effectively legal in about 30 states. But much of last week was marked by confusion as lower courts and states worked through when weddings can begin. On Tuesday, a federal appeals court in the West overturned marriage bans in Nevada and Idaho. On Thursday, West Virginia officials began issuing gay marriage licenses, and Kansas' most populous county issued a marriage license Friday to a gay couple, believed to be the first such license in the state. Sunday's ruling in Alaska came in a lawsuit brought by five gay couples who had asked the state to overturn a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 1998. The amendment defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Palestinians are seeking

The United States promised $212 million in immediate assistance to the devastated Gaza Strip on Sunday yet urged Palestinians and Israelis to return to peace negotiations to break a cycle of violence that has yielded three wars in six years. People in Gaza "need our help desperately — not tomorrow, not next week, but they need it now," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at an international donor conference. He said more than 20,000 homes need to be rebuilt and 100,000 people remain displaced with winter fast approaching. The Palestinians are seeking $4 billion in aid from donors at a conference in Cairo to rebuild Gaza after this summer's 50-day war between Hamas and Israel. Kerry said the new U.S. money, which takes American aid to the Palestinians to more than $400 million this year, would go to security, economic development, food and medicine, shelter and water and sanitation projects. The Indian Ocean is a cyclone hot spot. Of the 35 deadliest storms in recorded history, 27 have come through the Bay of Bengal — and have landed in either India or Bangladesh. In 1999, a cyclone devastated Orissa's coastline and killed at least 10,000 people. While India has a disastrous record of response to natural calamities, it managed last October to safely evacuate nearly a million people out of the path of Cyclone Phailin, the strongest tropical storm to hit India in more than a decade. Phailin destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of crops after it made landfall in Orissa, but claimed only about 25 lives. Japan's Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Vongfong could reach the Tokyo area by Tuesday. Strong winds from the storm knocked out power lines and toppled traffic signals and signposts on Sunday, and bullet train service was halted for several hours on Kyushu island. Authorities issued landslide warnings. West Japan Railway Co., which operates trains in central Japan in the area surrounding the ancient capital of Kyoto, said that some train services would be shut down starting Monday afternoon because of the typhoon, and that the disruptions could continue through Tuesday. The U.S. military on Okinawa, where last week's typhoon killed three U.S. airmen who were washed out at sea, instructed personnel and their families to remain indoors Sunday until strong winds and rain subsided. Six months after the collapse of his Israeli-Palestinian mediation effort, the latest U.S. stab at forging a Mideast peace accord, Kerry renewed his call for a return to negotiations. Kerry praised Egypt for organizing the conference, Israel for pledging to facilitate greater Palestinian economic opportunities and the U.N. for creating a monitoring system so that aid to Gaza isn't plundered by the militant group Hamas or used to threaten the Jewish state's security. But Kerry said a lasting solution needs to be found and that the world doesn't want to see a return every two years or so to a war in Gaza, a cease-fire and another expensive reconstruction effort

The latest outbreak

None of the 15 others still under observation has been diagnosed with Ebola so far, though the Spanish government is under fire for its handling both of Romero's case and the threat of a wider outbreak of the disease. Reuters images showed Romero alert and sitting upright in her hospital room with an oxygen mask strapped to her face and responding to the hospital staff attending to her. She had taken a turn for the worse two days ago, health authorities said, and is still considered critical. "Teresa Romero's condition has undergone no significant changes and is still serious, but stable," a government Ebola committee said in a statement on Saturday afternoon. The latest outbreak of the disease has already killed more than 4,000 people, mostly in West Africa, and Romero's case has raised fears about contagion in Europe and elsewhere. "The big problem is in West Africa where the doubling rate is every four weeks and it really is going up and up, so it will not be surprising if we have spillover into this country," said Sally Davies, Britain's chief medical officer. Britain has said it will start screening passengers for Ebola who enter the country through London's two main airports and by railway from continental Europe. The United States on Saturday began screening travelers from West Africa at New York's John F. Kennedy International airport. kid decor, kid decoration, kid decorations, kid decorate, kids decoration, kid decoration room, kid decor the room, kid's room decoration, kids room, Spain's government tightened Ebola detection protocols on Friday and tasked Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria with responding to the health crisis, five days after the contagion was confirmed. Romero was diagnosed with Ebola after caring for two priests who had contracted the disease in Africa and were then repatriated to Spain. Both men died, one in August and one in September. Another nurse who treated one of the priests was released from hospital late on Saturday, after testing negative for Ebola. A hairdresser, another nurse and a cleaner, all of whom came into contact with Romero, were admitted to the isolation unit at the Carlos III hospital on Friday evening. The 13 who were already under observation included Romero's husband. An experimental treatment, ZMab, is available in Spain for use in her case, a health source said. However, it was not clear whether she was now being given the drug. She was given antibodies from previously infected patients earlier this week. The ZMab combination drug, made by Canada-based company Defyrus Inc., is one of the agents used to make ZMapp, another treatment, which was developed by MappBiopharmaceutical Inc. ZMapp has been used on some Ebola sufferers, a number of whom survived, but available supplies are exhausted.

The events remained peaceful

Outside Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, where the Cardinals hosted the San Francisco Giants in the first game of the National League Championship Series, several dozen protesters stood on the sidewalk, chanting and holding signs. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that fans headed to the game mainly went around the protesters without stopping to look, though a few cheered their efforts. Four days of planned events began Friday afternoon with a march outside the St. Louis County prosecutor's office. Protesters renewed calls for prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, in the Aug. 9 death of Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old. A grand jury is reviewing the case and the Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation. "We still are knee deep in this situation," said Kareem Jackson, a St. Louis rap artist and community organizer whose stage name is Tef Poe. "We have not packed up our bags, we have not gone home. This is not a fly-by-night moment. This is not a made-for-TV revolution. This is real people standing up to a real problem and saying, 'We ain't taking it no more.'" On Saturday evening, a smaller group of demonstrators joined Brown's mother at a prayer vigil and protest outside the Ferguson apartment complex where her son was shot and killed two months ago. The group then marched to the Ferguson police department. The events remained peaceful but boisterous gatherings into the night. Vietnam-era peace activists, New York City seminarians and hundreds of fast-food workers bused in from Chicago, Nashville and other cities marched alongside local residents, spurred by a national campaign dubbed Ferguson October. He said the city also will bolster its police presence when the St. Louis Rams host the San Francisco 49ers Monday night — the same day protesters are planning acts of civil disobedience they expect will lead to widespread arrests. The crowd early Saturday was significantly larger than the ones seen at Friday's protests. While the main focus of the march was on recent police shootings, participants also embraced such causes as gay rights and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Police reported no arrests or violence Saturday afternoon and early evening. "I have two sons and a daughter. I want a world for them where the people who are supposed to be community helpers are actually helping, where they can trust those people to protect and serve rather than control and repress," said Ashlee Wiest-Laird, 48, a Baptist pastor from Boston.

Civil rights organizations

Civil rights organizations and protest groups invited people from around the country to join vigils and marches from Friday to Monday over the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. A march is planned for Saturday morning through downtown St. Louis, with discussions about race and teach-ins about how to interact with police officers set to follow, according to organizing groups like Hands Up United. The weekend's demonstrations kicked off on Friday afternoon with hundreds peacefully marching through the rain to the St. Louis County courthouse in Clayton, adjacent to St. Louis. Protesters have called for the arrest and prosecution of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot the unarmed Brown, as a grand jury weighs whether he should be charged in the killing. Some 300 people later assembled outside the nearby Ferguson Police Department, chanting phrases like "Who are we? Mike Brown!" and "Indict. Convict. Send those killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell!" just inches away from dozens of officers clad in riot gear. kids 9, kids 10, kids 11, kids 7, kids 8, kids 5, kids 6, kids 3, kids 4, kids 1, kids 2 Into early Saturday morning, many protesters moved to the St. Louis neighborhood of Shaw, where 18-year-old Vonderrit Myers Jr. was shot dead by an off-duty white officer working for a private security firm in what police described as a firefight on Wednesday. While the atmosphere was at times tense, there were none of the clashes with police that have marked protests in the St. Louis area in the wake of Brown's killing. Police said as of early Saturday there had been no arrests, injuries or damage from the night's protests. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said law enforcement authorities in the area are planning for large crowds and possible violence, particularly given the killing of Myers on Wednesday. Police arrested eight people during chaotic protests that followed that killing on Thursday night.

protests in Missouri

Organizers of the four-day Ferguson October events expected 6,000 participants, but the initial protest Friday outside the St. Louis County prosecutor's office in Clayton didn't draw nearly that amount. Protesters huddled beneath umbrellas, raincoats and ponchos as they renewed their call for prosecutor Bob McCulloch to charge Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson officer, in the Aug. 9 death of 18-year-old Brown, who was black and unarmed. A grand jury is reviewing the case, and the U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown's death and a broader inquiry into the Ferguson police force. "We are here to demand the justice that our people have died for," chanted protest organizer Montague Simmons of the local group Organization for Black Struggle. "We are here to bring peace, to bring restoration, to lift our banners in the name of those who've been sacrificed." Police in Clayton reported no arrests, and officers escorted the several hundred demonstrators through the suburb's downtown as they marched past high-end restaurants, jewelry stores, banks and law offices. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Police Department said it had encrypted its radio communications system because tactical information relayed to officers had been compromised during recent situations, putting officer and the public at risk. Tensions remain high in the wake of another black 18-year-old's shooting death by a white police officer Wednesday night in St. Louis. Police say Vonderrit D. Myers shot at the St. Louis officer, who was in uniform but working off-duty for a private neighborhood security patrol. Myers' parents say he was unarmed. Additional demonstrations were planned later Friday in Ferguson as well as in the St. Louis neighborhood where Myers was killed. On Saturday, the protests shift to downtown St. Louis, hours before the Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants in the first game of the National League Championship Series. And on Monday, a series of planned — but unannounced — acts of civil disobedience are to take place throughout the St. Louis region. "I'm not planning to get arrested," said Davidson, who was meeting up with other protesters from Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Tennessee. "But I do plan to do what I believe are in my rights as a protester. If I get arrested, that's on the people who arrest me." Brown's parents, the local chapter of the NAACP and other organizations called for peaceful protests ahead of the demonstrations. St. Louis police arrested eight people Thursday as hundreds gathered to protest Myers' death. At one point officers used pepper spray to force protesters back. A police spokeswoman said one officer was struck in the arm after someone threw a brick, and several cars were damaged. Black leaders in St. Louis want the Justice Department to investigate Myers' shooting as well. Police said the officer fired 17 rounds after Myers shot at him. Preliminary autopsy results show a shot to the head killed Myers. The officer wasn't injured. Online court documents show Myers was free on bond when he was killed. He had been charged with the unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest in June.

patients are sorely lacking

The U.S. military is working to build medical centers in Liberia and may send up to 4,000 soldiers to help with the Ebola crisis. Medical workers and beds for Ebola patients are sorely lacking, particularly in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Liberia and Sierra Leone only have enough beds to meet about 21 percent and 26 percent of their needs, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. British troops have arrived in Sierra Leone to start building more treatment centers and basic clinics. A Ugandan-born naturalized Liberian doctor, John Taban Dada, died of Ebola at a treatment center on the outskirts of Monrovia early Thursday, health officials have confirmed. Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said the gynecologist and surgeon will be immediately buried Thursday in accordance with policy about the quick interment of victims. Dr. Dada served as the medical director of the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia from 2008 to 2013 before moving on to take up a new assignment at the country's largest John F. Kennedy Memorial Center, according to authorities at the Redemption Hospital. "I didn't know he has passed on; it is really unfortunate that we're still losing so many health workers," she told AP. "This Ebola really ... it has come for the health workers," she said, "Because right now at Island Clinic we have almost 10 health workers admitted including doctors from JFK and laboratory technicians and nurses." There was also concern in Spain, where the first person known to have caught the disease outside the outbreak zone in West Africa became sick. The assistant director of Madrid's Carlos III hospital where a Spanish nursing assistant diagnosed with Ebola is being treated said Thursday the patient's condition has deteriorated. Yoland Fuentes said the patient, nursing assistant Teresa Romero, had asked for details of her condition not to be release and doctors could not give further information Two doctors who treated her have been admitted to a Madrid hospital for precautionary observation, bringing to six the number being monitored at the center, health officials said Thursday. Ebola has killed at least 3,800 people in West Africa with no signs of abating. The presidents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the countries hardest hit in the outbreak, are appealing to the World Bank on Thursday for more help for their nations. In Germany, a man infected in Liberia arrived Thursday at a hospital in Germany for treatment — the third Ebola patient to be flown to the country. The St. Georg Hospital in Leipzig said the man, who works for the United Nations in Liberia and whose name wasn't given, will be treated in a special isolation unit. A Ugandan doctor who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone is currently being treated at a hospital in Frankfurt. A Senegalese scientist who was infected while working for the World Health Organization in Sierra Leone, has recovered and was discharged last week from a hospital in Hamburg. The first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, died Wednesday in Dallas. Five major U.S. airports plan to try to catch any travelers from Ebola-ravaged countries who may be carrying the disease by checking their temperatures on arrival.