USA
Gay marriage supporters took to the streets in several California communities over the weekend to protest passage of a state constitutional amendment that overturns a California Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex unions. On Saturday, as many as 10,000 people participated in separate peaceful marches in Los Angeles and San Diego.
The Venezuelan Consulate in Houston has been closed and officials asked to leave the country by the State Department, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday. A breach in international protocol reportedly prompted the action after the consulate moved to a new location before receiving permission.
The ozone hole over Antarctica this year is the fifth biggest ever, according to NASA, which has tracked its size for 30 years. The hole reached an area of 10.5 million square miles, which is larger than North America, in September. The stratospheric ozone layer blocks harmful ultraviolet rays.
Of 1.8 million female military veterans. as many as 8,000 are homeless, the US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates. They constitute about 5 percent of all homeless veterans today, compared with 3 percent a decade ago.
An Episcopal diocese in Quincy, Ill., Saturday became the third theologically conservative diocese to break away from the liberal Episcopal Church in a long-running dispute over the Bible, gay relationships, and other issues.
US airlines' on-time performance and baggage handling improved in September, according to the Bureau of Transportation. The overall on-time arrival rate for 19 carriers was 84.9 percent, higher than the 81.7 percent recorded a year earlier and 78.4 percent for August of this year. Among the major carriers, Northwest Airlines had the best record, with an 89.5 percent on-time performance.
Alabama's top-ranked football team needed overtime Saturday to defeat Louisiana State 27-21 in a game in which Alabama coach Nick Saban faced his former squad. With Penn State's upset loss to Iowa, Alabama, Texas Tech, and Boise State are the only teams left in the Associated Press Top 25 with perfect records.
