AP Top News at 8:50 a.m. EST

Sources: Pentagon rules shift on women in combat

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon rules are catching up a bit with reality after a decade when women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. On Thursday, the Pentagon is recommending to Congress that women be allowed to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.

Greek leaders agree to new cuts

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and his coalition partners have struck a deal on new cuts demanded by creditors to secure a vital euro130 billion bailout. A spokeswoman for the prime minister's office says the agreement with the majority Socialists and the conservatives will allow alternative cuts to those rejected early Thursday during a meeting of the three coalition party leaders.

8 minutes pass before cops got sent to Powell home

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Emergency call logs show that nearly eight minutes elapsed between when a social worker called 911 to report that Josh Powell's children were in danger and when sheriff's deputies were dispatched. By the time officers were on their way, the home was exploding in a gas-fueled inferno, with Powell and his two young boys inside. The priority of the dispatch Sunday was "routine" instead of "emergency," which cost several minutes of response time, and when the deputies arrived 14 minutes later, there was nothing they could do.

Analysis: Obama contraceptive mandate has a price

The Obama administration's new mandate that religious organizations pay for their workers' birth control has become a bludgeon for Republican culture warriors, as social issues have surged to the forefront in the presidential campaign. Conservatives who believe religious freedom always trumps gender equity in the public arena are outraged. But so too are Roman Catholic and evangelical moderates who have stuck with President Barack Obama, an abortion rights supporter, because of his 2008 pledge to reduce the abortion rate and find common ground among religious and secular Americans. These backers say the administration could have easily avoided the controversy by including broader religious exemptions already in place at some federal agencies.

Dwindling time, rising tension make Iran top fear

WASHINGTON (AP) — The prospect of conflict with Iran has eclipsed Afghanistan as the key national security issue with head-spinning speed. After years of bad blood and an international impasse over Iran's disputed nuclear program, why does the threat of war seem so suddenly upon us? The short answer is that Iran has used the years of deadlock over whether it was pursuing a bomb to get within roughly 12 months of being able to build one. Iran claims its nuclear program is not aimed at building a bomb, but it has refused to drop suspect elements of the program.

APNewsBreak: Official: 10 states get ed waiver

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday will free 10 states from the strict and sweeping requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, giving leeway to states that promise to improve how they prepare and evaluate students, The Associated Press has learned. The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The only state that applied for the flexibility and did not get it, New Mexico, is working with the administration to get approval, a White House official told the AP.

LA abuse charges prompt awkward talks for parents

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sinister allegations of abuse by at least two teachers in a Los Angeles school have forced awkward discussions as parents warn youngsters that people they trust — pastors, teachers, even relatives — might do things that could hurt them. It was a grim reminder of risks faced by kids, even within the safety of school walls.

Gender-bending model pushes limits of the runway

NEW YORK (AP) — On a chilly winter afternoon, Andrej Pejic settles into a Manhattan cafe with a cup of Earl Grey tea, sitting gracefully, long legs crossed. The blue-eyed fashion model gazes out a window, unaware that almost every man sitting at surrounding tables is transfixed. A man in a black leather jacket walks up to the window, presses his face against the glass and kisses it. Pejic giggles and admits: "I find it flattering."

Elizabeth Taylor auctions raise $183 million

LONDON (AP) — Paintings, jewelry and fashions belonging to the late Elizabeth Taylor have sold for more than $183 million, with all of the more than 1,800 items on offer snapped up, Christie's auction house said Thursday. Christie's said 1,817 lots were sold at a series of auctions in New York and London, some at 50 times their pre-sale estimates.

No. 10 Duke stuns No. 5 North Carolina 85-84

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Austin Rivers and his Duke teammates kept hanging around, doing just enough to keep North Carolina from blowing the game open until the Tar Heels finally gave them an opening. The freshman took advantage, burying a shot that will live on in the lore of this fierce rivalry.