Pretoria / AFP South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday abandoned a court bid to block a watchdog’s report into corruption allegations against him, as calls grew for him to stand down. Zuma’s surprise move came as thousands of people took to the streets of the administrative capital Pretoria to demand that he leaves office. It paves the way …

  As the presidential campaigns sink to the challenge of demonstrating that there is no such thing as rock bottom, remember this: When the Clintons decamped from Washington in January 2001, they took some White House furnishings that were public property. They also finished accepting more than $190,000 in gifts, including two coffee tables and two chairs, a $7,375 gratuity …

  Like other big contractors, American space companies have long expected some friendly support from their government. And Uncle Sam has usually been more than happy to help. Sometimes, though, government help causes more harm than good. Since 2005, U.S. satellite manufacturers have been prohibited from hiring India’s space agency to launch their equipment. Private American launch companies, such as …