Progress spacecraft docks with ISS at second attempt
The unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft Progress has successfully docked with the International Space Station after a failed attempt five days ago. Progress M-15M docked with the Pirs module at 01:00 GMT, a source at Mission Control Centre told Itar-Tass. The maneuver was conducted with the help of a new automated system that was designed to be used in future robotic and manned missions in orbit. The cargo has been already unloaded. Progress is now being loaded with garbage and will later be released into the Earth's atmosphere only to burn up upon re-entry.
Counter-coup arrests carried out in Mali
Religious leader Amadou Dembelle and an army officer have been arrested by armed men in Mali’s capital, Bamako, as part of an investigation into an attempted counter-coup, AFP reports. A relative of Dembelle, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday, said Dembelle had called relatives after the arrest and told them it was in connection with the attempted counter-coup. On April 30 and May 1, paratroopers loyal to ousted leader Amadou Toumani Toure attempted a counter-coup against the junta which seized power in Mali on March 22.
Hundreds take to streets over Arizona immigration law
Several hundred protesters marched in the state capital Phoenix on Saturday to protest the two-year-old local crackdown on illegal immigration. Some people carried placards reading "Migration is a human right," Reuters reports. The notorious law, signed by Republican governor Jan Brewer in April 2010, seeks to drive illegal immigrants out of the state of Arizona. Before the law took effect, a federal judge blocked some of its parts. However, the US Supreme Court upheld its most controversial provision last month which requires police to check the immigration status of people they stop for inspection if they suspect their stay in the country maybe illegal.
Syrian opposition urges international action on Aleppo
The head of the main Syrian opposition group has urged the international community to take action on Syria outside the UN Security Council as fighting between government and rebel forces continues in the flashpoint city of Aleppo. "Our friends and allies will bear responsibility for what is happening in Aleppo if they do not move soon," Abdelbasset Sida, the Syrian National Council chief, told a news conference early on Sunday, Reuters reports. "Any action has to be from outside the Security Council through an Arab League initiative and through a resolution passed by the General Assembly," he said. Previous resolutions on Syria have been vetoed by permanent Security Council members Russia and China.
Top Venezuelan embassy official killed in Kenya
Olga Fonseca, the charge d'affaires of Venezuela's embassy in Kenya, has been murdered at her residence in the capital, Nairobi, police and foreign ministry officials said on Friday. Police believe Fonseca was strangled in her mansion in the exclusive Runda neighborhood. Venezuelan embassy officials in Kenya were not available for comments, Reuters reports.
Protesters march in London against ‘capitalist’ Olympic Games
Some 500 people marched near the Olympic Park in London on Saturday to protest against the economic impact and corporate flavor of the London Olympics, AP reports. The protest was aimed at delivering a message that British society is split over holding the Games on its soil. The march took place shortly after police cracked down on more than 130 bicyclists who had defied an order by the city authorities to avoid cycling in groups around the venue during the opening ceremony on Friday night.
Papua New Guinea rocked by 6.6-magnitude quake
A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning, the US Geological Survey reports. The epicenter of the tremor was located at a depth of 66.7 km in the New Ireland region 32 km south-east of the town of Taron. There have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was not expected to generate a tsunami.
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