Pluto gets the boot  —  Pluto no longer a planet, say astronomers  —  PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) — Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

Israel may 'go it alone' against Iran  —  Israel is carefully watching the world's reaction to Iran's continued refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, with some high-level officials arguing it is now clear that when it comes to stopping Iran, Israel "may have to go it alone," The Jerusalem Post has learned.

'Morning After' Pill Is Cleared for Wider Sales  —  The Food and Drug Administration today approved over-the-counter sales of the "morning-after" contraceptive pill to women 18 and older, resolving one of the most contentious issues in the agency's 100-year history.

In New Method for Stem Cells, Viable Embryos  —  Biologists have developed a technique for establishing colonies of human embryonic stem cells from an early human embryo without destroying it.  This method, if confirmed in other laboratories, would seem to remove the principal objection to the research.

Is John McCain Running in '08 From a Third Party?  —  ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY DEGREES!  —  What do Air America Radio, Barack Obama's Senate campaign, the Clinton Global Initiative, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano in Connecticut, the campaign of Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm in Michigan …

General: Iran Training Shiite Insurgents  —  WASHINGTON — The Iranian government is training and equipping much of the Shiite insurgency in Iraq, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday, drawing one of the most direct links by the Pentagon.  —  Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero also said it was too soon …

Rice Orders Difficult Posts Filled First  —  New Rules Will Push Foreign Service Officers Toward More Dangerous Spots  —  The State Department plans to implement sweeping changes in the way foreign service officers bid for new assignments in an effort to more quickly fill vacancies in Iraq …

A Matter of Appearances  —  When Judge Anna Diggs Taylor was given the job of deciding whether the Bush administration's wiretapping program was unconstitutional, she certainly understood that she would be ruling on one of the most politically charged cases in recent history.

Putting a period on the macaca story  —  Twelve days after Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) kicked off quite a firestorm with his use of the word "macaca," the senator hoped to finally put the story to rest with a direct apology. … There is, however, reason to doubt that.

12 Passengers Detained After Plane Turns Back  —  A Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai, India, turned back shortly after takeoff today and returned to Schiphol airport under fighter-jet escort.  —  After the plane landed, Dutch authorities took 12 passengers into custody.

Careers and Marriage  —  Forbes.com published a story Aug. 22 by editor Michael Noer on two-career relationships that provoked a heated response from both outside and inside our building.  Elizabeth Corcoran, a member of our Silicon Valley bureau and principal author of the magazine's current cover story …

Lieberman to Campaign With Republicans Today  —  Because nobody could have predicted it — Joe Lieberman will be campaigning with GOP candidates Jodi Rell and Rob Simmons today at the Groton sub base (the one that Holy Joe claims to have singlehandedly saved).

Relearning Lessons in the War on Terror  —  From the recent Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon to the jihadists in Iraq's Sunni Triangle to the repeated efforts by Islamists across the globe to trump Sept. 11, what old lessons about terrorism are we in the West finding ourselves having to relearn?

Ombudsman's Mailbag — Contrary Views  —  In my Aug. 16 column, I wrote about a situation, first disclosed two days earlier by Washington Post columnist Al Kamen, who writes the popular "In The Loop" feature.  This one involved PBS's long-running, all-women, weekly current affairs panel show "To The Contrary," hosted by Bonnie Erbe.

Black students ordered to give up seats to white children  —  Status of Red River Parish bus driver is unknown.  —  vwelborn@gannett.com  —  COUSHATTA — Nine black children attending Red River Elementary School were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children.