Ecuador’s government declared a nationwide state of emergency Saturday to prepare for a possible major eruption of a snow-capped volcano south of the nation’s capital, Quito. MORE

The September vote on the Iran nuclear deal is billed as a titanic standoff between President Barack Obama and Congress. Yet even if lawmakers reject the agreement, it’s not game-over for the White House.

A congressional vote of disapproval would not prevent Obama from acting on his own to start putting the accord in place. While he probably would take some heavy criticism, this course would let him add the foreign policy breakthrough to his second-term list of accomplishments. MORE

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan warned on Saturday that a volcano 50 km (31 miles) from a just-restarted nuclear reactor is showing signs of increased activity, and said nearby residents should prepare to evacuate. MORE

Pope Francis has established an annual day of global prayer “for the Care of Creation” to boost support for the environment, the Vatican said on Monday.

“I wish to inform you that I have decided to institute in the Catholic Church the ‘World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation’ which, beginning this year, is to be celebrated on 1 September,” the pope said in a letter released by the Vatican. MORE

On Monday a 57-year-old Swedish woman and her 22-year-old son were reportedly stabbed and killed (one actually beheaded) by an Eritrean Muslim asylum seeker in the nation’s largest branch of IKEA.

The Swedish retailer announced it will, for the time being, no longer sell kitchen knives in the store. MORE

Women who work more than 40 hours a week or routinely lift heavy loads may take longer to get pregnant than women who don’t, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers followed 1,739 nurses who were trying to get pregnant and estimated 16 percent of them failed to achieve this goal within 12 months, and 5 percent still hadn’t conceived after two years. MORE

A wildfire that forced some California residents to flee their home for a second time in recent weeks is rapidly growing, prompting authorities to order more evacuations.Several fires are raging in other parts of the parched West 63 PHOTOS

Nine people reportedly died of heatstroke over the past three days in the hospital of Wadi Halfa, Sudan, owing to a heat wave that is sweeping the country.

Mohamed Hassan Shanan, medical director of the Wadi Halfa hospital told reporters on Wednesday, that the authorities have increased electricity supplies to the hospital in order to cover the growing number of patients because of the heatwave.”Nevertheless nine of them died.” MORE

A federal judge’s order that a county clerk must violate her Christian faith and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples to meet the constitutional right to homosexual unions newly created by the U.S. Supreme Court now is under challenge at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The notice of appeal was filed by attorneys with Liberty Counsel immediately after U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Rowan, Kentucky, County Clerk Kim Davis to violate her deeply held religious beliefs, protected by the First Amendment, and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The judge’s ruling appeared to advance President Obama’s ongoing campaign to replace “freedom of religion” with “freedom of worship.” MORE

Cayce, SC (WLTX)- Wednesday is the first day of teacher orientation for Brookland-Cayce High School. Among the new teachers is one the school hopes will help with an increase in immigrant students.  MORE

Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori devised the concept of the ‘uncanny valley’ in 1970. It’s the point at which a robot is made to appear so human-like — if not quite human enough — that it inspires feelings of uneasiness and revulsion in we mere mortals. In other words, humanoid robots really give us the creeps. (Remember the Black Mirror episode Be Right Back?) MORE

Dramatic satellite images from this morning show the gigantic thunderstorm that is in the process of smashing its way across Britain.

The apocalyptic-looking weather front has come across from France – and is sparking fears that up to 50mm of rain will fall over the next two days. MORE

No death penalty, no justice.

HARTFORD — After a sweeping two-year review, the state Supreme Court outlawed capital punishment in Connecticut, saying Thursday that the state’s death penalty no longer comports with evolved societal values and serves no valid purpose as punishment. MORE

Washington – Donald Trump said Tuesday that Jesus Christ was a ‘socialist loser’ because he used to feed the poor and heal the sick.

Then Trump – the Republican presidential contender who has captured the hearts and minds of at least 20% of the nation’s Republicans – vowed:

“Believe me, Trump would never help the poor.” MORE