Nation in brief

Bryant's accuser may not cooperate

DENVER - Kobe Bryant's prosecutors said Wednesday he will be put on trial this month, even as attorneys for the woman accusing the NBA star of rape suggested her participation is not a sure bet.

Attorney John Clune said his 20-year-old client will have to talk with prosecutors about whether she will go ahead with the criminal case. He said she fears the recent release of court documents that refer to her sex life threatens the chance of a fair trial.

Prosecution spokeswoman Krista Flannigan said prosecutors had been told the woman would participate even after the transcripts were released this week. The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 27.

Clune said his client is considering filing a civil lawsuit against Bryant. A civil case requires a lower standard of proof than a criminal case, and could lead to the awarding of monetary damages but not prison time.

SEATTLE - Same-sex couples cannot be deprived of the right to marry in Washington state, a judge ruled Wednesday in a decision hailed as a powerful affirmation of equal rights for gay couples.

While significant, the decision does not immediately clear the way for Massachusetts-style gay weddings in Washington state. The state Supreme Court must review the case before same-sex marriage licenses can be issued. The court could take months to hear the case.

King County Superior Court Judge William Downing ruled in favor of gay couples who argued that Washington's law restricting marriage to one man and one woman violates the state constitution.

ATLANTA - After weeks of infighting and a string of no-shows by big names such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference concluded its annual convention Wednesday with a contentious election for president.

The surprise last-minute nomination and election of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth followed conflicts among supporters of two leading nominees. Shuttleworth has been interim president since November.

Shuttlesworth's nomination to the SCLC presidency came as a surprise Wednesday morning, after a long battle for the position between television Judge Greg Mathis and former Georgia state Sen. Ralph David Abernathy III.

The SCLC board of directors had supported Mathis, while members eager to oust the current board backed Abernathy.

DEPRESSION WEAKENS: The second tropical depression of the year rolled through the outer rim of Caribbean islands Wednesday and then weakened into disorganized clumps of thunderstorms. Its remnants could reach the Dominican Republic tonight - but even that wasn't certain. Meanwhile, Hurricane Alex roamed over the open Atlantic after brushing North Carolina on Tuesday. It posed no threat to land.

CONJOINED TWINS IN SURGERY: Two-year-old conjoined twins from the Philippines underwent surgery Wednesday to separate them. Surgery on Carl and Clarence Aguirre began at 10 a.m., said Steve Osborne of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx in New York City. The hospital scheduled a news conference for today to release details of the surgery.

COURT DOESN'T BLOCK ELDERLY MAN'S EXECUTION: A federal appeals court in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday refused to block the execution of the state's oldest death row inmate, a killer who robbed and shot a woman who had befriended him. Lawyers for James Hubbard immediately appealed to the Supreme Court. Hubbard, 74, is scheduled to be executed by injection today, despite pleas from his lawyers, who said he is too old and sick to be put to death.

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