Thai military launches coup, backs king  —  BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king.

President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly  —  Fact Sheet: Address to the UN General Assembly: A More Hopeful World Beyond Terror and Extremism  —  THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen: I want to thank …

Poll finds rebound in Bush approval  —  WASHINGTON — Amid falling gas prices and a two-week drive to highlight his administration's efforts to fight terrorism, President Bush's approval rating has risen to 44% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.  That's his highest rating in a year.

Chirac calls for threat of Iran sanctions to be lifted  —  President Jacques Chirac has broken ranks with the US and Britain by calling for the suspension of UN Security Council action against Iran during negotiations over its nuclear programme.  —  In a radio interview yesterday before flying …

McCain Stand Comes at a Price  —  Battling Bush over rules for detainee treatment, senator jeopardizes his courtship of the right.  —  WASHINGTON — Conservative activists are heaping criticism on Sen. John McCain for fighting President Bush over proposed rules for the interrogation of terrorism suspects …

Gen. says U.S. may boost forces in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. military will likely maintain or possibly even increase the current force levels of more than 140,000 troops in Iraq through next spring, the top US. commander in the Middle East said Tuesday in one of the gloomiest assessments yet …

War Clouds, Plus — Worst Idea Ever  —  Fred Kaplan wonders if the "prepare to deploy" order that's "been sent out to U.S. Navy submarines, an Aegis-class cruiser, two minesweepers, and two mine-hunting ships" means we're going to war with Iran.  Sam Gardiner, former US Air Force Colonel …

American becomes first woman space tourist  —  An American who fled Iran's Islamic revolution two decades ago has fulfilled a childhood dream when she became the first woman to pay for her own journey into space.  —  Anousheh Ansari, a 40-year-old Iranian American telecommunications entrepreneur …

Enough Apologies  —  Already, angry Palestinian militants have assaulted seven West Bank and Gaza churches, destroying two of them.  In Somalia, gunmen shot dead an elderly Italian nun.  Radical clerics from Qatar to Qom have called, variously, for a "day of anger" or for worshipers to "hunt down" the pope and his followers.

Connecticut Senate: Lieberman (I) 45% Lamont (D) 43%  —  In one of the country's most closely watched races, incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman (I) continues to sustain a bare lead, now 45% to 43%, over Democrat Ned Lamont (see crosstabs).  —  Lieberman is running as an Independent against the wishes of the Democratic establishment.

Senate set to consider fence bill  —  The Senate, which has been the major obstacle to strict border-security legislation this year, will take up a bill this week that calls for constructing 700 more miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.  —  "It's time to secure the border with Mexico …

Race may be a motive in abortion kidnap case  —  SALEM, New Hampshire (AP) — A Maine couple accused of tying up their 19-year-old daughter, throwing her in their car and driving her out of state to get an abortion were upset because the baby's father is black, a Maine sheriff said Tuesday.

Pope asked to convert to Islam  —  Tripoli - The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week's apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.  —  "If this person were really someone reasonable …