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Supplies Arrive for Space Station Crew

An unmanned Russian cargo vessel brought a fresh supply of food, fuel and oxygen this past weekend for the six-strong crew of the International Space Station, a Russian space official said.

The M-09M Progress vessel’s automatic docking was successfully completed on Sunday, the Russian Federal Space Agency said in a statement.

The vessel brought more that 2.6 metric tons of supplies and scientific equipment for the international crew, which is home to three Russians, two US astronauts and an Italian.

Progress also brought a small artificial satellite called Kedr (Cedar), which two Russians will put into orbit during a Feb. 16 spacewalk honoring the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight, officials said. AFP

African Strategy to Rescue Ivory Coast

African Union leaders sought a common strategy on Sunday to resolve Ivory Coast’s political crisis and address other hot spots at a summit also awaiting the birth of a new state of south Sudan.

The leaders homed in on the continent’s trouble spots and praised its successes, notably the peaceful handover of power in Guinea and the conduct of the independence poll in southern Sudan.

Close to 99 percent of southern Sudanese chose to secede from the north in a landmark Jan. 9-15 referendum, according to the first complete preliminary results announced on Sunday.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon told the two dozen heads of state assembled at the meeting to “confront common challenges.” 

AFP

Candlelight Vigil for Mandela in S. Africa

South Africans lit candles and prayed for Nelson Mandela at church services around the country on Sunday as officials said the anti-apartheid hero was in a stable condition and resting at home.

A national campaign promoted by a group of media organizations encouraged South Africans to “Light a Candle of Hope” for Mandela’s recovery from an acute respiratory infection.

Officials said Mandela, 92, was still in a stable condition at his home in Johannesburg after being discharged following a two-day hospital stay that had the world on edge over his health.

At the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Soweto, provincial governor Nomvula Mokonyane led a candle-lighting ceremony and thanked Madiba — the clan name by which Mandela is affectionately known — for his sacrifices for the country. AFP

Clinton to Lend Hand in Haitian Crisis

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is flying to Haiti to mediate in a political crisis there while other administration officials are keeping watch on violent protests halfway across the world in Egypt.

Clinton will meet on Sunday with President Rene Preval and the three candidates vying to succeed him during her visit. She will also visit a treatment center for the cholera epidemic that has killed almost 4,000 people.

Haiti’s political crisis stems from a first-round presidential election in November that was marred by fraud.

The United States wants Preval’s preferred candidate, Jude Celestin, to bow out because the Organization of American States says he had the least support. The United States has warned that continued aid for Haiti’s reconstruction from last year’s earthquake is at stake. AP