Putin orders building hastened at new Russian spaceport
VOSTOCHNY Russia (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered construction sped up on a multi-billion-dollar spaceport in Russia’s Far East that he said would break reliance on the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and launch future missions…
Hamas popularity surges as Palestinian rivalry flares
RAMALLAH West Bank (Reuters) – Militant group Hamas would sweep Palestinian elections if they were held today after its support soared during seven weeks of war with Israel in Gaza, an opinion poll published on Tuesday found.
Thai junta blocks rights meeting in Bangkok
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s ruling junta ordered that a rights talk at a journalists’ club in Bangkok be shut down on Tuesday, further stoking concerns over freedom of expression in the country since a military power grab in May.
Record 4.1 million in Syria got food aid in August, U.N. says
GENEVA (Reuters) – A record 4.1 million people in Syria received food rations in August due to more convoys being able to cross front lines and borders from Turkey and Jordan, the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday.
Afghan turmoil threatens NATO’s ‘mission accomplished’ plans
BRUSSELS/KABUL (Reuters) – NATO will declare “mission accomplished” this week as it winds down more than a decade of operations in Afghanistan but departing combat troops look likely to leave behind political turmoil and an emboldened insurgency.
South Korean military to press homicide charges over latest death
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s military said on Tuesday it will upgrade charges against four soldiers to homicide for the abuse of a fellow conscript that lead to his death in a case that shocked the country over violence in the military.
Market-style reforms widen racial divide in Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba’s experiment with free-market reforms has unintentionally widened the communist-led island’s racial divide and allowed white Cubans to regain some of the economic advantages built up over centuries.
Hong Kong pro-democracy group says support fizzles: Bloomberg
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong pro-democracy movement that has threatened to blockade the financial district to protest against Beijing ruling out full democracy for the city said support for the group has dwindled, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Malaysian law professor charged in crackdown on dissent
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian prosecutors charged a high-profile law professor with sedition on Tuesday for an opinion he voiced on a political crisis that occurred five years ago, extending a recent crackdown on dissent from opposition politician…
Philippines Congress dismisses impeachment motions against Aquino
MANILA (Reuters) – Lawmakers allied with Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday threw out three impeachment motions in the House of Representatives, the first political challenge to the popular leader in four years.
