International in brief

Journalist who got docs has book deal

NEW YORK (AP):

The reporter central to revealing the massive U.S. government surveillance efforts has a book deal.

The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald signed with Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Macmillan, for a book to be published in March. Metropolitan announced Thursday that the book would include additional material on government operations and its "extraordinary cooperation" with private companies.

Greenwald is a journalist and commentator for the Guardian whose reports have been based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Greenwald has written three books in which he argues the government trampled on personal rights in the name of national security.

Another reporter who has broken news based on documents from Snowden, Barton Gellman of The Washington Post, has a book deal with an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).

Where's that baby?

LONDON (AP):

By the time you're reading this, the Duchess of Cambridge could be in labour. Or it could be a matter of hours. Or days. Or weeks.

As Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, await the birth of their first child - and the future heir to the English throne - some are convinced the royal due date has already passed, even though Buckingham Palace has not given an exact date. Many in the British media predicted the baby would be born last week and the prince himself is now on official leave.

Dozens of reporters have already staked out the central London hospital where Kate is expected to give birth. The palace has said only that the Duchess is due to deliver the baby in "mid-July."

Russian opposition leader sentenced to 5 years

KIROV, Russia (AP):

Russian opposition leader and Moscow mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny was convicted of embezzlement Thursday and sentenced to five years in prison, a harsh ruling his supporters called an obvious attempt to shut down a foe of President Vladimir Putin and intimidate other opposition activists.

Navalny, who rose to fame as an anti-corruption blogger before leading unprecedented protests that revealed the depths of anger against the Kremlin, was found guilty of heading a group that embezzled 16 million rubles ($500,000) worth of timber from a state-owned company in 2009.

Governor finalises restrictions on abortion

AUSTIN, Texas (AP):

Texas Governor Rick Perry signed sweeping new abortion restrictions on Thursday that could shutter most of the state's clinics that provide the procedure, a final step for the Republican-backed measure that has caused weeks of sometimes raucous protests at the Capitol.

Supporters credited God's will and prayer as the governor signed the legislation, with protesters' chants of "Shame! Shame! Shame!" echoing into the Capitol auditorium from the hallway. Opponents have vowed to fight the law, though no court challenges were immediately filed.

"Today, we celebrate the further cementing of the foundation on which the culture of life in Texas is built," Perry told an auditorium full of supportive Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion activists. "It is our responsibility and duty to give voice to the unborn individuals."

The law restricts abortions to surgical centres and requires doctors who work at abortion clinics to have hospital-admitting privileges. Only five of the 42 abortion clinics in Texas, the nation's second-largest state, currently meet those new requirements.

The law also bans abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, based on the disputed notion that foetuses can feel pain at that point of development, and dictates when abortion-inducing drugs can be taken.