Midday Roundup: Cutting that cable cord just got a little harder

Streaming wars. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today against a company that makes it easier for internet users to watch broadcast content on their computers or phones. NBC, CBS, PBS, and other companies that send out programming over-the-air sued Aereo, which uses thousands of tiny antennae to collect broadcast content and stream it over the internet for a fee. Aereo claimed what it was doing was no different from a TV user watching a program at home over an antenna. But the court disagreed, ruling Aereo violated broadcasters’ copyrights by redistributing their programs without permission.

Sensational story. The source of a story about the burial of 800 babies in a septic tank outside a former orphanage in Ireland now says she was misquoted and misunderstood. Catherine Corless, a local historian in County Galway, Ireland, said she was simply trying to document the names of several hundred children who died from disease at the orphanage over the course of more than 3 1/2 decades. She told The Irish Times she never said 800 bodies were in a septic tank, only that about 800 children had died during the time the orphanage was operational, from 1925 to 1961. Last Friday, the AP issued a lengthy correction to its original report.

Christian college woes. A college accreditation body has placed Louisiana College, a Baptist school in Pineville, La., on probation for its administrative problems. WORLD reported in April that the college faced financial turmoil and faculty dissent under the leadership of President Joe Aguillard, who stepped down May 31. Louisiana College remains accredited, but it will have to submit a monitoring report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and undergo a site visit next year.

Fertility measure. Iran’s parliament voted yesterday to ban abortion and sterilization as a way to increase the country’s population. Lawmakers still need to work out details of the plan, including whether patients or providers would be punished for illegal abortions, tubal ligations, and vasectomies. The Washington Post reported the new law was a response to a call from Ayatollah Khomeini.

Inking the deal. Ukraine plans on Friday to sign an economic and trade agreement with the European Union at the center of the controversy that sparked the country’s recent revolution. The deal will strengthen Ukraine’s ties with the West even as rebels in the East are fighting to maintain close connections with Russia. But Russia appears to be backing down from its support for the rebels. The Russian parliament terminated the resolution it passed earlier this year giving President Vladimir Putin authority to use military force in Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.