News in Brief

China's lunar rover comes 'back to life'

Afp, Beijing
China's troubled Jade Rabbit lunar rover has survived a bitterly cold 14-day lunar night, officials said yesterday, prompting hopes it can be repaired after suffering a malfunction last month. The problem was a setback for Beijing's ambitious military-run space programme, which includes plans for a permanent orbiting station by 2020 and eventually sending a human to the moon.

Sudan-rebel peace talks begin

Afp, Khartoum
The UN yesterday urged the Sudanese government and rebels, meeting for their first peace talks in almost a year, to declare an immediate ceasefire so aid can reach more than one million civilians. Negotiations between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) were to open in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, later yesterday under African Union mediation.

Car blast kills 6 at Mogadishu airport

Afp, Mogadishu
At least six people were killed and many more wounded yesterday in a car bomb attack close to the entrance of Mogadishu's heavily-fortified international airport, police and witnesses said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore all the hallmarks of Shebab, who are fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed government.

Boston blasts trial set for November

Afp, Boston
A US judge has set a November trial date for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the chief suspect accused of bombing last year's Boston marathon, killing three people and wounding 260 others. The trial, which is likely to attract global media interest, will begin on November 3 and could last several months, US District Judge George O'Toole ruled Wednesday.

Afghan insider attack kills 2 US troops

Afp, Kabul
Two Afghan men wearing military uniforms have shot dead two US soldiers, in the first suspected "insider attack" of the year as Nato troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting Taliban militants. Incidents in which Afghan forces turn their guns on their allies have killed scores of US-led troops.