Main News of August 17

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

*Opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pelted the Russian Embassy in London with stones overnight, causing significant damage to the building, the embassy said in a statement.

*South African President Jacob Zuma cut short a visit to a regional summit in neighboring Mozambique in order to visit a platinum mine where at least 34 people were killed in clashes between striking miners and police, local media reported.

*Ecuador granted political asylum to WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange out of concern that after his extradition to Sweden Assange could be transferred to the United States where he might face the death penalty, the Ecuadorian ambassador to Russia said.

*A U.S. woman who sent her adopted son back to Russia has appealed against a court order to pay child support for him, saying she could not afford to pay $1,000 a month.

 

RUSSIA

*Anti-Putin punks Pussy Riot were jailed for two years each over a February protest in Moscow's largest cathedral. The verdict sparked protests outside the courtroom. RIA Novosti was at the court and on the streets of Moscow.

*President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen to a record post-election low, according to a survey published by the Russian independent pollster Levada center.

 

SCIENCE

*The Russian-built neutron detector on board NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, designed to search for any water that might be bound into shallow underground minerals along the rover's path, was activated on Friday, the manufacturer said.