Unmanned cargo ship docks with orbiting Space Station

Washington (AFP)
Sept 29, 2013

An unmanned cargo ship successfully berthed with the orbiting International Space Station on Sunday following a one-week delay due to a technical glitch, NASA said.

ISS astronauts "successfully captured the Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo spacecraft with the station's robotic arm" at 1100 GMT, NASA said.

"Following its capture, the spacecraft is being maneuvered by Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Karen Nyberg of NASA for installation onto the Earth-facing port of the station's Harmony module," the space agency said on its website.

The Cygnus capsule, built by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences, launched on September 18 on a demonstration mission meant to show it can successfully deliver cargo to the space station.

Orbital Sciences has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA that requires the company to deliver freight to the ISS over the course of eight flights by the beginning of 2016.

However a software problem delayed the Cygnus spacecraft's planned approach to the research outpost. The capsule manufacturers eventually figured out how to fix what they called a data format mismatch.

Orbital Sciences is one of just two private US firms enlisted by NASA to carry payloads to the ISS.

California-based SpaceX already showed it could send its reusable Dragon capsule to the ISS bearing cargo in May 2012.

Cygnus's delay however allowed time for three new ISS crew members -- Michael Hopkins of NASA and Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian space agency -- to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz.

Their Soyuz-TMA-10M capsule blasted off from Kazakhstan and docked successfully with the ISS just six hours later, in a new shortcut route now used by the Russian space agency.

The capsule orbited the Earth just four times on its way to the ISS as opposed to the usual 30, under a technique originally devised in the Soviet era but only adopted on a regular basis in the past year.

The orbiting space lab is typically staffed by six international astronauts -- traveling in overlapping groups of three -- who live on board for missions that last six months.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Unmanned_cargo_ship_docks_with_orbiting_Space_Station_999.html.

Russian court jails 6 more Greenpeace activists

September 29, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in the northern Russian city of Murmansk on Sunday sent six more Greenpeace activists to jail for two months and showed no sign that the remaining two activists would be treated any differently for a protest at a drilling platform in Arctic waters.

Twenty other activists and two journalists were ordered jailed for two months during a marathon court session on Thursday that stretched late into night, but the court ruled to hold the remaining eight only until new hearings could be held on Sunday.

No charges have been brought against any of the activists, who are citizens of 18 countries, including Russia. Russian prosecutors are considering whether to charge them with piracy, among other offenses, and the activists are being held pending the investigation.

The Russian Coast Guard disrupted an attempt on Sept. 18 by two of the activists to scale a platform owned by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom to call attention to the environmental risks of drilling in Arctic waters. The next day, the Coast Guard seized Greenpeace's ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and towed it to Murmansk with the crew and activists aboard.

Greenpeace Russia campaign director Ivan Blokov has described the seizure of the ship as "the most aggressive and hostile act" against the environmental organization since French government agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior ship in 1985, killing one man.

Peter Wilcox, an American who captained the Rainbow Warrior, also is the captain of the Arctic Sunrise. He was ordered held in custody during Thursday's court session. Those ordered jailed on Sunday include Dima Litvinov, Greenpeace International spokesman, who has dual U.S. and Swedish citizenship; Finnish activist Sini Saarela, who was one of the two who tried to scale the platform; a British activist; two Dutch citizens and a Ukrainian cook.

The platform, which belongs to Gazprom's oil subsidiary, is the first offshore rig in the Arctic. It was deployed to the vast Prirazlomnoye oil field in the Pechora Sea in 2011, but its launch has been delayed by technological challenges. Gazprom said this month it was to start pumping oil this year, but no precise date has been set.

Jailed Russian tycoon is honored by Lech Walesa

September 29, 2013

GDANSK, Poland (AP) — A son of Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky received a $100,000 human rights award on behalf of his imprisoned father on Sunday during a ceremony in Poland conducted by Solidarity founder Lech Walesa.

The award, announced on Thursday, was bestowed in recognition of the tycoon's efforts to build a free economy and a civil society in Russia. In the ornate 14th-century Artus Court in Gdansk, Walesa gave the award to 28-year-old Pavel, Khodorkovsky's eldest child, who read his father's letter of thanks in English.

In a speech he said the award is a great encouragement to his father, at a time when he needs it, and a sign that "Poland and Europe are right behind" him . Pavel Khodorkovsky lives in New York, where he heads the Institute of Modern Russia think tank.

Walesa said he hopes that "our recognition for suffering and struggle will bring effects." Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has been convicted in two separate trials in his country of evading taxes, stealing oil from his own company and laundering the proceeds. He has spent nearly 10 years in prison and is due for release in 2014.

At the time of his arrest in 2003 most Russians were pleased to see Putin reining in the oligarchs, who had gained fantastic wealth and political influence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But Khodorkovsky's demeanor during his trials and his writings from prison have earned him much respect.

His case is seen as Putin's punishment for Khodorkovsky's political ambitions and support for the opposition. Amnesty International has declared Khodorkovsky a prisoner of conscience. As a Gdansk shipyard electrician, Walesa received the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for founding Solidarity, the Polish freedom movement that grew out of worker discontent. In 1989 it peacefully ousted communism from Poland and the following year Walesa became Poland's first popularly elected president.

He has since withdrawn from active politics but continues to support pro-democracy efforts around the world, including the Lech Walesa human rights award that he founded in 2008. Walesa turned 70 on Sunday, and the award-giving ceremony began with presents, flowers and good wishes for him.

Afterward, a birthday party was held for Walesa at the Abbots' Palace in Gdansk, attended by hundreds of people, including government officials, public figures and Pavel Khodorkovsky.

Cambodian opposition boycotts parliament over vote

September 23, 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The Cambodian opposition boycotted the opening of parliament Monday over alleged widespread cheating in the July elections, putting the country's political crisis at a critical juncture.

Empty seats dotted the National Assembly as 55 lawmakers elected from the opposition were absent, while 68 ruling party lawmakers attended the session. Heavy security surrounded the parliament Authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen was poised to continue his 28 years in power during a re-election vote scheduled for Tuesday's session, which was largely a formality. The 61-year-old leader took his seat beside other lawmakers and made no comment about the boycott.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party says it was cheated out of a victory because of electoral fraud. It had vowed for weeks to boycott parliament unless the government agreed to an independent probe of the July 28 election results.

The government rejected the demand of an independent probe, and King Norodom Sihamoni had urged the opposition to take its seats at the assembly, pointing to a constitutional stipulation that the assembly must be convened within 60 days of the election.

"The Cambodian nation must stand united," Sihamoni told the half-empty assembly as he convened parliament. He did not mention the boycott but called for an "active and vigorous implementation" of legal and judicial reforms — among the many reforms called for by the opposition.

As the ruling Cambodian People's Party swore in its lawmakers, the opposition held its own symbolic ceremony far from the capital at the sacred temple of Angkor Wat, in Siem Reap. The opposition lawmakers took an oath not to participate in government until justice is delivered, said Son Chhay, an opposition lawmaker.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called the convening of parliament without the opposition a violation of the constitution. "What the (ruling party) did this morning is a step backward for Cambodia," Sam Rainsy said. "It violates the constitution which calls for pluralism, not one-party rule."

Talks last week between Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy failed to break the deadlock. Both sides agreed to seek a non-violent solution to the political crisis, following clashes and a shooting during an earlier demonstration that left one protester dead. They also pledged to work toward electoral reforms in the future.

Analysts say the question now is whether Hun Sen will cede ground to the opposition, and how the opposition will use its new clout — which includes an increase of 26 seats in the assembly. Analysts are divided over the boycott strategy but say the election's outcome shows a significant desire for change among voters.

Although Hun Sen is in a position to impose his will, a compromise would be in his interests to give his regime legitimacy, especially among foreign powers who have questioned the fairness of the polls.

S. Korea to parade North-focused cruise missile

Seoul (AFP)
Sept 11, 2013

South Korea will show off a cruise missile capable of surgical strikes on the North Korean leadership when it stages a military parade in Seoul next month, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

The parade on October 1 marks the 65th anniversary of the founding of South Korea's armed forces and is held every five years.

Around 11,000 troops will take part along with picks from the South's military arsenal, including tanks, artillery and rockets and a fly-over involving air force helicopters and jet fighters, a ministry official said.

Also on display will be the Hyeonmu 3, an indigenously developed cruise missile that was first deployed on naval destroyers in November last year.

Two days after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test on February 12, the South's defense ministry called in the media for a video presentation of the Hyeonmu's capabilities.

"It is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the office window of the North's command headquarters," ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters at the time.

The North's nuclear test triggered two months of heightened military tensions on the Korean peninsula that witnessed almost daily threats of strikes and counter-strikes.

The tensions have since eased and the two Koreas are currently making progress on resuming a series of suspended cross-border projects and programs.

Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said South Korea should be wary of antagonizing the North at such a sensitive time.

"In light of the current situation, a low-key event is more desirable than a large scale parade which is likely to irritate the North," Yang said.

But the event in Seoul will be nowhere near the scale of the mass display of military might the North put on in July to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/S_Korea_to_parade_North-focused_cruise_missile_999.html.

Berlusconi ministers resign; Italy gov't in crisis

September 28, 2013

MILAN (AP) — Italy's fragile coalition government was pushed into a full-fledged crisis Saturday after five ministers from former Premier Silvio Berlusconi's political party announced their resignations.

The move drew the ire of Premier Enrico Letta, who accused Berlusconi of a "crazy" gesture aimed at covering up his personal affairs. The five-month-old government has teetered for weeks since the high court confirmed Berlusconi's tax fraud conviction.

Berlusconi's center-right People of Liberty Party is in an unusual coalition of rival forces with Letta's center-left Democratic Party, and the resignations signals the end of the alliance. The resignations must be formally submitted to President Giorgio Napolitano, who must decide if there is any way to continue the government or if new elections must be held.

The announcement by the center-right ministers came after Berlusconi urged ministers in his party to step down if the government doesn't revoke an increase to Italy's value-added tax that takes effect next week.

Tensions already were swirling around a Senate committee vote next week on whether to revoke Berlusconi's legislative seat because of the tax fraud conviction. Letta, in a statement issued by his office, said Berlusconi was using the sales tax increase as an alibi "to justify the crazy and irresponsible gesture, all aimed only to cover up his personal affairs."

Letta said it was Berlusconi who was forcing the government's hand on the sales tax by depriving it of the stability needed to push through alternative measures. "The Italian people will know to return to the sender such a big lie and attempt to distort reality," Letta said.

Democratic Party leader Guglielmo Epifani called the center-right ministers' move "irresponsible." "They are provoking a crisis and we must evaluate exactly what the consequences are," he said. Letta had warned on Friday that he will quit unless he receives prompt pledges of solid support in a confidence vote in Parliament on his government, which is struggling to pull Italy out of a recession.

Nearly all of Berlusconi's senators have vowed to quit, if a Senate committee votes next week to strip him of his Senate seat because of the conviction.

Greek far-right leader, others arrested

September 28, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Police arrested the leader of Greece's extreme-right Golden Dawn party and other top members on Saturday, in an escalation of a government crackdown after a fatal stabbing allegedly committed by a supporter.

It is the first time since 1974 that sitting members of Parliament have been arrested. The arrests underline the Greek government's efforts to stifle the fiercely anti-immigrant party, which has been increasingly on the defensive since the killing.

Police announced the arrests of 17 Golden Dawn members on charges of forming a criminal organization, including party head Nikos Michaloliakos, the group's spokesman and three other lawmakers. Of the six lawmakers targeted, only one remains at large.

An operation by the counterterrorism unit was still ongoing early Saturday afternoon, with a total of about 35 arrest warrants for Golden Dawn members issued, two police officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly.

"It is an unprecedentedly dynamic response to a neo-Nazi organization," government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou told The Associated Press, hinting that Saturday's arrests were the culmination of a long strategy to deal with Golden Dawn as a criminal, not a political force.

"The prime minister and the government were determined to deal with Golden Dawn solely through the justice system...We have succeeded in stripping them of their political cover and deal with them as what they really are, a criminal organization," Kedikoglou said.

The government ordered an investigation into Golden Dawn's activities after the death of rapper Pavlos Fyssas on Sept. 18 sparked outrage across Greece. The suspect arrested over his death admitted to police that he had stabbed the 34-year-old and identified himself as a supporter of Golden Dawn. Police investigated his cellphone records and those of over 300 persons connected to Golden Dawn.

Investigations have extended to the police, which have been accused in the past of turning a blind eye to Golden Dawn violence and of mistreating immigrants. A police officer was also arrested on Saturday.

The case is being handled by Greece's Supreme Court and anti-terrorist squad under organized crime laws. Despite the arrests, the party's lawmakers retain their parliamentary seats unless they are convicted of a crime. Golden Dawn holds 18 of Parliament's 300 seats, after winning nearly 7 percent of the vote in general elections last year.

The party has vehemently denied any role in the killing, but the killing has appeared to dent its appeal among Greeks. As calls for a crackdown mounted, the party hinted its deputies might resign to provoke elections in 15 multi-party constituencies.

"There will be no elections, certainly no general elections," Kedikoglou said. Asked about the likelihood of partial elections if Golden Dawn deputies were to resign, he said "there are ways to deal with that, as well".

"Justice, stability, no elections," said prime minister Antonis Samaras, as he hurried from his office to the Athens airport on his way to a 6-day trip to the United States. Samaras was briefed on the arrests by two ministers during a break in his talks with representatives of Greece's creditors.

Golden Dawn expressed outrage at the arrests in a text message to journalists. "We call upon everyone to support our moral and just struggle against the corrupt system! Everyone come to our offices!," it said.

A later text message called for supporters to head to police headquarters "with calm and order." A group of about 100 people, including several deputies, gathered, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the building.

A formerly marginal organization with neo-Nazi roots, Golden Dawn entered Parliament for the first time in May 2012, capitalizing on Greece's deep financial crisis, rising crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

The party's members and supporters have frequently been suspected of carrying out violent attacks, mainly against immigrants. Despite its reputation for violence, the party had enjoyed growing popularity.

Associated Press writer Elena Becatoros contributed to this report.