World Briefs February 5, 2011

Giffords' husband will fly shuttle in April

HOUSTON - The astronaut husband of wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said his wife would be "very comfortable" with his decision to go back into space and he expects her to be at his launch in April.

Space shuttle commander Mark Kelly wouldn't go into details about her condition during a news conference Friday, and deflected questions about how he knows she supports his choice to fly.

"I know her very well and she would be very comfortable with the decision that I made," he said.

Kelly took a leave from training after Giffords was gunned down in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 8. NASA announced earlier Friday he would resume training for space shuttle Endeavour's two-week mission, which is targeted for liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 19.

When asked if Giffords might be well enough to attend his launch, Kelly said: "Absolutely. I have every intention that she'll be there for the launch. I've already talked to her doctors about it."

Re-energized protesters rally in Cairo

CAIRO - A new rally Friday by nearly 100,000 protesters in Cairo and behind-the-scenes diplomacy from the Obama administration piled more pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to make a swift exit and allow a temporary government to embark on an immediate path toward democracy.

Two days of wild clashes between protesters and regime supporters that killed 11 people this week seemed to have pushed the United States to the conclusion that an Egypt with Mubarak at the helm is potentially more unstable than one without him.

For the first time in the 11-day wave of protests, varying scenarios were being put forward by two opposing camps in Egypt and by the United States on how to usher the country into a post-Mubarak era after nearly 30 years of his authoritarian rule.

President Barack Obama said that discussions have begun in Egypt on a turnover of the government and he called for "a transition period that begins now."

- The Associated Press