AP Briefs

Abortion rights activists rally to remove state law

SANTA FE - Abortion rights activists are marking the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. They rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday in support of a bill that would wipe an old anti-abortion law off New Mexico's statute books. The 1969 criminal abortion ban is no longer enforceable. But activists say that if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, the state law could be revived. The legislation also would put the protections of the Roe v. Wade decision into state law.

Rate cut raises fears of potential U.S. recession

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve, confronted with a global stock sell-off fanned by increased fears of a recession, cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday. The Fed action was the most dramatic signal it can send that it is concerned about a potential recession in the United States. It marked the biggest one-day move by the central bank in recent memory.

Unites Nations to pressure Iran over nuclear program

PARIS - The U.N. Security Council's five permanent members and Germany are expected to agree Tuesday on a new resolution to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, a French diplomat said. But a U.S. official said differences over the issue remain. The senior French diplomat, who briefed reporters Monday on condition that he not be identified by name, said an agreement was very close and should be finalized by the six nation's foreign ministers at a meeting in Berlin, Germany.