Six In The Morning

Launch success for SpaceX mission

　California's SpaceX has launched on a mission to re-supply the space station - the first cargo delivery to the orbiting outpost by a private company.

By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News
The firm's Falcon rocket, topped by an unmanned Dragon freight capsule, lifted clear of its Florida pad at 03:44 EDT (07:44 GMT; 08:44 BST). The initial climb to an altitude some 340km above the Earth lasted a little under 10 minutes. Within moments of being ejected, Dragon opened its solar panels. It will take a couple of days to reach the station. The plan currently is for the vessel to demonstrate its guidance, control and communications systems on Thursday, at a distance of 2.5km from the International Space Station (ISS). If those practice proximity manoeuvres go well, Dragon will be allowed to drive to within 10m of the station on Friday. Astronauts inside the platform will then grab the ship with a robotic arm and berth it to the 400km-high structure.

Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim charged over defying protest ban
Opposition leader faces jail sentence after being charged with breaking law during Kuala Lumpur rally demanding fair elections

Associated Press in Kuala Lumpur guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 May 2012 07.39 BST
Prosecutors have charged the Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, and two of his allies with breaking the law during a massive street rally to demand fair elections. The men were charged in court with defying a ban against assembling at a public square in Kuala Lumpur last month and inciting demonstrators to breach a police barricade. The three men, who pleaded not guilty, face a maximum jail sentence of six months and fines totalling 12,000 ringgit (£2,400) if convicted. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing on 2 July to determine further trial dates.

Afghans face terror threat after Nato exit, Obama admits
President and British advisers acknowledge Afghans face tough future as West looks to open exit routes through Pakistan

Chicago Tuesday 22 May 2012
Barack Obama was joined by British officials in admitting that Afghanistan could be left unstable and vulnerable to terrorist activity once the Nato-led troops leave the country in less than two years. As the US President said that "bad moments" were likely to come in the course of the alliance's withdrawal, an unnamed UK official was quoted as saying that it was "unrealistic to assume that Afghanistan is going to be completely secure and there is no possibility of a terrorist threat re-emerging".

Why Greeks Will Vote for Tsipras
Greeks have spurned the politicians who represent the country's broken system, and many are now following rising star Alexis Tsipras. The radical left-wing politician has pledged to free Greece from painful austerity measures while keeping the euro, but no one knows how he plans to fulfill his promises.

By Julia Amalia Heyer
Alexis Tsipras, the man who will very likely emerge again as the winner of the upcoming Greek parliamentary election, is campaigning throughout the country primarily under one slogan: "We won't pay any more." He doesn't say what would replace the "barbarism of the austerity dictates," which he maintains that the European Union partners, above all German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have forced upon his country. He argues that the Europeans are only bluffing -- and he promises that they will continue to help, even if the Greeks no longer service their debts. He says: Elect me and all this misery will come to an end.

Congo fever for Vodacom
Vodacom says it will fight a court ruling that it must pay $21-million in consultancy fees or submit to the mandatory sale of its shares in its joint venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Reuters | 22 May, 2012 01:00
The company yesterday posted a modest 8% rise in full-year earnings, just short of expectations after a hefty tax bill and high capital expenditure. CEO Pieter Uys said Vodacom was appealing against the recent Congolese court ruling that it must pay a local firm, Namemco Energy, $21-million in consultancy fees or face the sale of some of its stake in its local business by June 3. "The bottom line is that we will not let that asset go," he said.

Robotic fish to patrol for pollution in harbours
In the shallow waters of Gijon harbour, in northern Spain, a large, yellow fish cuts through the waves.

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News, Gijon, Spain
But this swimmer stands apart from the marine life that usually inhabits this port: there's no flesh and blood here, just carbon fibre and metal. This is robo-fish - scientists' latest weapon in the war against pollution. This sea-faring machine works autonomously to hunt down contamination in the water, feeding this information back to the shore. Here in Spain, several are undergoing their first trials to see if they make the grade as future marine police.