World Briefs May 17, 2010
Shuttle Atlantis arrives at space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday for what could be its last visit, delivering fresh batteries and other equipment to help keep the outpost running long after the shuttle program ends.
For now, Atlantis' dance card is empty after this flight, and NASA has just two missions remaining. But there's a push to keep the space shuttles flying until next June and to give Atlantis one last hurrah.
Shuttle commander Kenneth Ham was visibly moved as he floated into the space station. He grabbed two of the station astronauts in a tight embrace.
The rendezvous by Atlantis was accompanied by considerably more picture-taking than usual, to make up for a curtailed safety survey the day before.
Three of the six space station residents snapped a total of 398 pictures using zoom lenses as Atlantis made its final approach. The shuttle performed a slow backflip so all its surfaces could be photographed. An hour later, it docked flawlessly with the station, 220 miles above the South Pacific.
Thai gov't rejects talks, defends crackdown
BANGKOK - Anti-government unrest boiling over in downtown Bangkok spread to other areas of the capital and Thailand on Sunday as the military defended its use of force in a crackdown that has left 30 civilians dead in four days. Thai leaders flatly rejected protesters' demands that the United Nations intercede to end the chaos.
Towering plumes of black smoke hung over city streets where protesters set fire to tires, fired homemade rockets and threw gasoline bombs at soldiers who used rubber bullets and live ammunition to pick off rioters who approached their lines. Army sharpshooters crouched behind sandbags carefully taking aim and firing to keep attackers at bay.
Leaders of the protesters, who have dubbed themselves Red Shirts, said they wanted talks mediated by the United Nations, provided the government agreed to an immediate cease-fire and pulled its troops back.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, however, said a pause was unnecessary since troops were "not using weapons to crack down on civilians." The government maintains it is targeting only armed "terrorists" among the demonstrators.
Volcanic ash closes Heathrow airport
LONDON - Europe's busiest airport was closed early this morning as a dense crowd of volcanic ash drifts across England from Iceland, aviation authorities said.
The airspace over London's Heathrow Airport was closed at 1 a.m. today ( 4 p.m. PDT), Britain's National Air Traffic Service said in a statement.
The restrictions affecting Heathrow - as well as Gatwick, Stansted, and London City airports - will be in place until at least early this morning, the aviation authority said.
Airports across Britain and Ireland were closed for much of Sunday because of the drifting ash. The shifting of the no-fly zone southward will allow airports in northern England - including the key cities of Manchester and Liverpool - to reopen after 1 a.m.
- The Associated Press