N. KOREA DISASSEMBLES ROCKET
SEOUL: North Korea has removed a section of its long-range rocket, a report said Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang extended the launch window for the widely criticized mission

because of technical problems. Satellite images taken on Monday showed signs that technicians had begun to “disassemble part of the rocket” at the Sohae satellite launch centre, Yonhap news agency quoted a government source as saying. North Korea had originally provided a December 10 to 22 window for launching the rocket, but that was extended by another week on Monday when a “technical deficiency.”                         

MALI PM QUITS
BAMAKO: Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned on Tuesday, hours after he was arrested at home by soldiers acting on the orders of former coup leader Amadou Sanogo. He gave no reason for his decision. The resignation plunges further into chaos a country already effectively split in two after armed Islamists linked to al-Qaeda took over the north.                
    
US TO LAUNCH SPACE PLANE
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States is planning a new launch of its tiny, pilotless military space plane on Tuesday as part of a futuristic Air Force program that has fueled speculation over its mission. The X-37B, which weighs five tons and is 29-feet (8.9 meters) long, can return material to Earth in the way of the retired shuttle Orbiter program but is designed to stay in orbit for much longer at 270 days.The last X-37B returned in June after orbiting for 469 days in a test of endurance.
    
MANDELA’S SPARKLE WANING – WIFE
JOHANNESBURG: Ailing anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was Tuesday spending a fourth day in hospital for more tests, as his wife said his trademark “sparkle” was waning. Graca Machel did not give details about Mandela’s health status, just saying it was painful to see the nonagenarian “aging.” South African government officials have said the former president is comfortable and does not face immediate danger, but they refuse to speculate on when he is likely to be discharged from a Pretoria military hospital. Mandela, 94, is suffering from a lung infection.                 
    
COLORADO LEGALIZES MARIJUANA USE
LOS ANGELES: Colorado became the second US state to legalize marijuana for recreational use Monday, as its governor signed a voter-backed proposal into law. But justice officials warned that smoking pot for fun remains against federal law, reflecting the clouds around the issue of legalizing the drug, favored by a growing number of Americans. Days after Washington state’s pot smokers celebrated the first such law, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed an order legalizing personal use, possession and limited home-growing of marijuana for adults aged at least 21.          

TURKEY WORST JAILER OF JOURNALISTS
NEW YORK CITY: Turkey has more journalists in jail than any other country, followed by Iran and China, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Tuesday. The number of journalists in prison reached a record high this year, as critical reporters and editors were charged with “terrorism” and other crimes against the state, the New York-based group said. Turkey had jailed at least 49 journalists as of December 1, including dozens of Kurdish reporters held on terrorism-related charges and other journalists accused of plotting against the government, the group said. Iran had jailed at least 45 journalists by the start of this month, followed by China with 32, the report said.             

CATHAY CREW THREATEN NO SMILE STRIKE
HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific flight crews may stop serving alcohol and smiling at passengers after voting in favor of industrial action during the Christmas holidays over a salary dispute, their union said Tuesday. The Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, which is demanding a five percent salary increase from Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, said the “work-to-rule” measures could also throw flight schedules into chaos. “We will be selective in providing our services,” union general secretary Tsang Kwok-fung told Agence France-Presse, adding that the form and date of the action approved in Monday’s vote is yet to be decided.”This could include not smiling at passengers, not providing certain types of beverages—such as alcohol—or stop serving meals,” he said.
AFP