10 things you need to know today: October 3, 2014

1. U.S. journalist in Liberia stricken with Ebola

An American freelance journalist working for NBC News in Liberia has been diagnosed with Ebola, the network said Thursday. The 33-year-old man, whose name is being withheld at his family's request, began showing symptoms on Wednesday, one day after NBC hired him as a second cameraman for NBC News Chief Medical Editor and Correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman. The rest of the crew members, including Snyderman, are being monitored but have shown no symptoms of Ebola.

New York Daily News

2. Appeals judges uphold Texas abortion rule, forcing 13 clinics to close

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Texas can enforce a law requiring abortion clinics to be built according to the same standards as hospitals, effectively ordering 13 of the state's 21 remaining abortion clinics to shut down immediately. The law had been struck down as unconstitutional in August and placed on hold pending appeals. Abortion rights activists said the latest decision "gutted Texas women's rights" to safe abortion. State officials said it vindicated lawmakers trying to ensure that clinics are safe.

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Los Angeles Times

3. 76 million JPMorgan Chase customers' data exposed to hackers

A cyberattack on JPMorgan Chase that was disclosed in July exposed personal information from 76 million households, the company said in papers filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The information included names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Data from seven million small businesses also was compromised. JPMorgan said it found no evidence that the hackers had acquired account information, such as account numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers.

USA Today

4. Health officials place Ebola patient's family in isolation

Authorities have placed four relatives of Thomas Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., in isolation after they allegedly failed to comply with an order to stay home. The apartment where Duncan stayed before he was admitted at a Dallas hospital still had not been cleaned, and sheets and towels had not been taken out, out of fear of contagion. Health officials are trying to find at least 80 people who might have come into contact with Duncan since he arrived on a flight from Liberia last week.

The New York Times

5. Turkey joins the coalition against ISIS

Turkish lawmakers on Thursday voted to authorize the country's military to attack Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants. Turkey also will let other members of the international coalition against ISIS use its soil. The decisions came as ISIS forces advanced to within a mile of the predominantly Kurdish Syrian border town of Kobani. "Most civilians have left the city, and any minute Isis will be inside Kobani," said Rami Abdulrahman of the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Guardian

6. Four suspects arrested in killing of 920 chickens during farm break-in

California authorities have arrested four teenage boys for the slaughter of 920 chickens at a poultry farm. Some of the birds were beaten to death with golf clubs during a break-in last month at a Foster Farms facility in Fresno County. One of the suspects, 18-year-old Gabriel Quintero, was charged with burglary and felony cruelty to animals. The other three — all juveniles — were not immediately publicly identified but were booked on the same charges.

Reuters

7. Hong Kong leader agrees to meet with democracy advocates

Fewer pro-democracy demonstrators showed up in the streets of Hong Kong on Friday, after the city's Beijing-backed chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, agreed to meet with protest leaders. Thunderstorms and fatigue after a week of protests also reportedly contributed to the dwindling crowds, so it was unclear whether the crowds would grow again over the weekend. Leung, however, refused to resign, as protesters have demanded, or to guarantee that 2017 elections to pick his successor will be free of the Chinese government's influence.

The Associated Press

8. Two suspects charged with killing two British tourists in Thailand

Two unidentified workers from Myanmar have been arrested for the murders of two British tourists on the resort island of Koh Tao last month. The bodies of David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, were discovered Sept. 15 on the beach not too far from their hotel. Witheridge had been raped. Police said DNA evidence linked the two suspects from neighboring Myanmar, or Burma, to the crime scene. Thai police have pinned crimes on migrants in the past, but one official said they wouldn't dare try "bringing in a scapegoat" in such a high-profile case.

CNN

9. Google threatened with $100-million lawsuit over leaked nude celebrity photos

Google responded on Thursday to the threat of a $100 million lawsuit for allegedly facilitating the posting of leaked nude photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities. A Hollywood entertainment lawyer representing affected celebrities sent Google a letter accusing it of not trying to remove the pictures from search results even though it knew they were stolen private property. Google said it had removed tens of thousands of photos from its websites within hours of being notified they were there.

The Hollywood Reporter The Telegraph

10. Royals accuse paparazzi of harassing 14-month-old Prince George

Lawyers for Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are threatening legal action against a photographer if he doesn't "cease harassing" Prince George. The palace said in a statement that the paparazzi, Niraj Tanna, appears to have placed the 14-month-old royal baby "under surveillance" and monitored his daily activities to plot opportunities to snap photos to sell. Tanna's lawyers say he is "fully entitled" to take pictures of George in a public park.

BBC News