Declaring in that area Israeli state land clears the way for increased Jewish settlement on territory Palestinians claim for any future state. These acres are near the area where three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed in June, one key development in the run-up to this summer's war in Gaza. Leaders of West Bank settlement told Israeli media that building more Jewish homes in the area is an appropriate answer to the fear the June kidnapping has brought. But Peace Now, an Israeli group that opposes the settlement, says this will "stab in the back" moderate Palestinian political forces. A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said this will only inflame tensions after the Gaza war. Emily Harris, NPR News, Jerusalem.

 

Congress is continuing to pressure President Obama to take action against the Sunni extreme group, Islamic State. On Fox News Sunday, Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republican Mike Rogers called for a comprehensive strategy to crush the militants. Rogers also says he's worried about the hundreds of Americans who join the military group.

 

"I will tell you I'm very concerned because we don't know every single person that has an American passport that has gone and trained and learned to fight."

 

Islamic State militants have taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria, and have threatened the US and parts of Europe.

 

If you're one of the 30 million or so drivers hitting the road this holiday weekend, you will see some welcoming numbers at the gas pump. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports this year's Labor Day weekend gas prices are at a four-year low.

 

This weekend's national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is around $3.40. That's the lowest for a Labor Day weekend since 2010 according to Gasbody.com. It thanks in large part to drops in crude oil prices that are fueled by the shale oil boom in Texas, North Dakota and Canada. The US is one of the world's top oil producers along with Saudi Arabia and Russia. Drivers in South Carolina are paying the lowest average for a gallon for gasoline at around $3.14; the nation's highest gas prices are in the Pacific states with Hawaii topping the list at around $4.30. Hansi Lo Wang, NPR News.

 

The Electric Zoo musical festival in New York City has been shut down after severe thunderstorms roll through the area tonight. The cancellation came on the three-day electronic musical fest final day. It's the second time in two years the event has been cancelled midstream. Last year, the third day was called off after two people died of drug overdoses.

 

This is NPR News in Washington.

 

At US Open, Caroline Wozniacki beat Maria Sharapova to win in three sets and returned to a grand slam quarter-final for the first time in more than two years. She said she took a goal for broke approach in the third set. 

 

"When I lose, I'm gonna go for my shots, and I'm gonna go third, and, you know, then, this is the only chance I have to win. And if I'm gonna lose, at least I'm gonna do it with dignity."

 

With Sharapova's loss, number 1 seat, Serena Williams, is the only woman left of the top six.

 

A team of scientists from the US and Singapore has developed a new way to detect the malaria parasite in a patient's blood. NPR's Joe Palca reports the technique may reduce errors in diagnosing the illness.

 

Right now, detecting of malaria parasite involves taking a drop of a patient's blood, smearing it on a glass slide, adding a chemical that reveals the parasite and examining the slide under a microscope. As they report in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers say the new technique should be simpler to perform. It doesn't require chemicals or microscopes. Instead, it uses the magnets like those found in an MRI scanner to measure a waste product the parasite makes. Right now the magnets require a desktop-size device to work, but the researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology think they can reduce that to the size of a computer tablet. Joe Palca, NPR News.

 

The World Health Organization says it's treating Senegal's first confirmed Ebola case as a top priority emergency. The UN agency says it will quickly respond to the country's urgent need for support and supplies including personal protective equipment for health workers. 

 

This is NPR News in Washington.