Modi pitches India’s frugal space prowess at rocket launch
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a pitch for India to be the world’s low-cost space technology supplier, minutes after witnessing the launch of a rocket carrying five satellites from France, Singapore, Germany and C…
Philippines senator Estrada refuses to enter plea in plunder case
MANILA (Reuters) – A Philippine lawmaker, the son of a former president ousted in 2001 on corruption charges, refused to enter a plea on Monday on charges he plundered $4.2 million from his congressional fund, saying the charges were politically motiva…
China supreme court appoints top environmental judge
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s supreme court has appointed a senior judge to handle environmental cases as the environmentally challenged country bids to get tough on polluters and improve the way its laws are enforced, an official newspaper said on Monda…
Japan says North Korea missile launch violates U.N. resolution
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s top government spokesman said on Monday North Korea’s missile launch the previous day violated a United Nations resolution and that Tokyo would respond in cooperation with other nations, such as the United States and South Kor…
U.S. soldier suspected of murder in Panama likely to face military justice
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – A U.S. soldier suspected of murdering a Panamanian woman will “most likely” face charges in a military court in the United States, a U.S. military spokesman said on Sunday.
Kidnapped Tunisian embassy workers freed in Libya
TUNIS (Reuters) – A Tunisian diplomat and an embassy worker kidnapped earlier this year by unknown gunmen in Libya arrived at dawn on Monday at a Tunis airport after being freed on Sunday.
Bulgarian leaders appeal for public calm after bank runs
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s leaders have appealed to citizens not to panic and withdraw their savings when banks reopen on Monday, following runs on two major lenders that have raised concerns for the Balkan country’s financial stability.
Jailed Benghazi suspect ‘not cooperative’: congressman
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Libyan militia leader accused of being part of the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, has been “compliant but not cooperative” with U.S. interrogators, Representative Mike Rogers said on Sund…
In peril under India’s new PM, a vestige of Soviet-style planning
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi never had a high opinion of the Planning Commission, an institutional vestige of the country’s attempts to mimic the Soviet command economy during the infancy of its independence more than half …
Iraqi army presses Tikrit assault as lawmakers scramble to fill posts
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s army sent tanks and armored vehicles to try to dislodge insurgents from the northern city of Tikrit on Sunday, the second day of a pushback against a Sunni militant takeover of large stretches of Iraq.