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Sunday, June 24, 2012,AP News in Brief at 5:58 a.m. EDT

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Posted: Jun 23, 2012 4:00 PM

Updated: Jun 24, 2012 4:01 AM

In city of leaks, Supreme Court is good at keeping secrets like upcoming health care decision

WASHINGTON (AP) It's the biggest secret in a city known for not keeping them.

The nine Supreme Court justices and more than three dozen other people have kept quiet for more than two months about how the high court will rule on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

This is information that could move markets, turn economies and greatly affect this fall's national elections, including the presidential contest between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But unlike the Congress and the executive branch, the Supreme Court appears to truly value silence when it comes to upcoming court opinions.

No one talks, and that's the way they like it.

Contrast this with the rest of the government, which couldn't keep secret Obama's role in supervising an unprecedented U.S. cyberattack on Iran's nuclear facilities or the existence of a double agent inside al-Qaida's Yemen branch who tipped the U.S. to a new design for a bomb to put on a jetliner.

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Report: Turkey calls for NATO meeting over downing of plane by Syria in international airspace

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) State television says Turkey has called for an extraordinary NATO meeting over the downing of its plane by Syria in international airspace.

TRT television reported Sunday that Turkey has sought the NATO meeting for Tuesday.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told State TV that Turkey would seek the meeting over article 4 of the NATO charter concerning Friday's incident.

The article says member countries "will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened."

Davutoglu said Sunday that the jet was downed in international airspace after it mistakenly entered Syria, but the plane was not on a spying mission.

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Wildfire spreads west of Colorado Springs as thousands evacuate homes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) The Colorado town of Manitou Springs is under evacuation order as a wildfire quickly spreads about 2,000 acres.

The Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs flared up around noon Saturday and grew out of control amid hot, dry and gusty conditions.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported early Sunday that 5,000 residents of Manitou Springs, just several miles west of Colorado Springs, were ordered to evacuate.

Evacuation orders also were in place on the west side of Colorado Springs and in the towns of Cascade, Ute Pass.

In some neighborhoods, Colorado Springs police cruisers rolled down streets, issuing the order to leave through a loudspeaker.

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Egypt on high security alert hours ahead of announcement of presidential election results

CAIRO (AP) Authorities deployed extra security forces in Cairo streets and near key state institutions and police were ordered to "confront with firmness" any violation of the law just hours ahead of the official announcement of Egypt's highly disputed presidential election results.

The June 16-17 runoff vote between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammed Morsi and ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, left Egyptians with nerve-wrecking uncertainty as both candidates claimed victory and the results were delayed.

Both candidates have rallied supporters to the streets in a show of strength amid speculations about last-minute backdoor deals between the powerful ruling generals and the rising Islamists over power-sharing arrangements.

Anticipation was high and there were fears violence could break out after Sunday's announcement.

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Greek PM cannot attend EU summit due to eye op, will send foreign minister

ATHENS, Greece (AP) Greece's government says its new prime minister will not be well enough to travel to a critical European Union summit in Brussels after undergoing an eye operation.

Antonis Samaras underwent surgery for a detached retina Saturday. Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said Sunday that the doctor treating him had forbidden him from flying.

Kedikoglou said newly appointed Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos would attend the June 28-29 summit in Samaras place.

Greece's incoming finance minister, Vassilis Rapanos, was also hospitalized Friday after suffering a collapse. As his swearing in had to be postponed outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias still holds the title.

Zanias, who was a key negotiator for Greece's bailout deal before being named to the post, will also attend the summit, along with two deputy ministers.

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Paraguay's Lugo denounces ouster as president, asks backers to keep peace, in Paraguay protest

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) Fernando Lugo emerged early Sunday to denounce his ouster as Paraguay's president as a "parliamentary coup" and a "foreordained sentence" that was not based on proper evidence.

Lugo said his truncated presidency was targeted because he tried to help the South American nation's poor majority. Asked whether he had any hope of retaking office, Lugo exhorted his followers to remain peaceful but suggested that popular national and international clamor could lead Paraguayan lawmakers to reverse his impeachment.

"In politics, anything is possible," Lugo said.

He added that he was visited by Roman Catholic bishops before Friday's Senate trial for alleged poor performance of duties, and agreed to accept the outcome of a process he considered illegitimate only to avoid bloodshed.

Lugo spoke in a pre-dawn special televised "open microphone" program hosted by a state-funded public television channel that was created by his government. As Saturday turned into Sunday, a long line of speakers queued up in front of the station's headquarters to vent their frustration over what they called an institutional coup, calling for strikes and protests to demand his return.

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Tropical Storm Debby slowly crawls across Gulf; oil platforms evacuated, threat of heavy rain

MIAMI (AP) Tropical Storm Debby crawled slowly closer to the northern rim of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, its exact track still uncertain as forecasters warned the system could begin strengthening and produce near hurricane force winds in coming days.

Amid an ongoing threat of torrential downpours from Debby, authorities warned of the possibility of flooding and strong winds from Texas to Florida. At least one tornado linked to the storm touched down Saturday in southwest Florida, but no injuries were reported. Heavy squalls pounded parts of that state.

At 5 a.m. EDT Sunday, Debby was about 165 miles (265 kilometers) southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the Nationial Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Debby was moving toward the north at 3 mph (6 kph) and was expected to strengthen as it gradually takes a more westward direction in coming hours.

The center of Debby was expected to linger in the northern Gulf over the next few days with no landfall in the immediate forecast.

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Sandusky lawyers tried to quit Penn St. sex abuse case; juror says accusers 'very convincing'

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) Jerry Sandusky's lawyers said Saturday they tried to quit at the start of jury selection in his child sex abuse trial because they weren't given enough time to prepare, raising an argument on the trial's speed that could become the thrust of an appeal.

And one of the jurors who convicted Sandusky of 45 child sex abuse counts said Saturday he was swayed by the "very convincing" testimony of eight accusers who said the retired Penn State assistant football coach molested them for years.

"It's hard to judge character on the stand, because you don't know these kids," juror Joshua Harper told NBC's "Today" show. "But most were very credible I would say all."

A day after Sandusky's conviction, his lawyers disclosed they felt too unprepared to adequately defend him because of how quickly the case was brought to trial. Experts have said the seven months between Sandusky's November arrest and trial was fast-paced by Pennsylvania standards.

"We told the trial court, the Superior Court and the Supreme Court we were not prepared to proceed to trial in June due to numerous issues, and we asked to withdraw from the case for those reasons," attorney Joe Amendola told The Associated Press.

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'General Hospital' scores 5 Daytime Emmys, including best drama; 'Today,' 'Jeopardy!' also win

The Daytime Emmys showered "General Hospital" with five trophies, including best drama, while giving Regis Philbin a fond farewell as a departing talk-show host.

NBC's "Today" show won as best morning show and the syndicated "Jeopardy!" was named best game show at the annual ceremony Saturday.

"Live with Regis and Kelly" was saluted as best entertainment talk show (its first-ever nod in that category) and for best talk-show hosts. Philbin ended his long run as its co-host last November, with a replacement yet to be named to join Kelly Ripa as the syndicated series continues.

Heather Tom, who won as best lead actress for CBS' "The Bold and the Beautiful," made history as the first to win in that category after having previously won as both best younger actress and supporting actress.

Anthony Geary won as lead actor for "General Hospital." The ABC soap also won for supporting actress (Nancy Lee Grahn), supporting actor (Jonathan Jackson), and directing team.

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Quarterfinal opponents England, Italy exceeding expectations at Euro 2012

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) Italy is restoring pride in a tarnished national game while England is shaking off past inhibitions.

The European Championship is turning out better than expected for the English and Italians, who meet on Sunday in the quarterfinals.

The Italians are providing a welcome distraction from another match-fixing scandal at home after setting out in the tournament under siege from fans and the police.

England also entered Euro 2012 at a low ebb after a hastily appointed new coach was given the task of putting together a team which could just compete credibly.

But they've already managed to register a first competitive victory over Sweden and triumph over the host of a European Championship when they beat Ukraine to advance as group winners.

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