Helicopters fire missiles at Rafah refugee camp

Helicopters fire missilesat Rafah refugee camp
RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip -- Israeli helicopters fired three missiles toward the Rafah refugee camp today, wounding six people, hospital officials said.
The officials initially said that no one was hurt, but later said six people were admitted with shrapnel wounds.
Israel has been operating in the camp since Wednesday, when a home-made Palestinian rocket fired from Rafah hit an Israeli armored personnel carrier, killing five soldiers inside.
Israeli soldiers had been bulldozing houses and shops today in the camp.
Earlier today, a Palestinian was killed trying to plant a bomb near a Rafah-area Jewish settlement. The army said the bomb exploded prematurely.
South Korean courtreinstates president
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun regained power today in a historic court ruling that overturned an impeachment vote, giving him a fresh mandate as he tries to revive the economy and defuse a nuclear crisis with the communist North.
The nine-judge Constitutional Court panel ruled that Roh had violated an election law but that the infraction was not serious enough to justify ousting him after one year in office.
The legislature's March 12 impeachment vote suspended Roh's executive powers, forcing him to sit idle in his official residence. The verdict released him from that political limbo.
The ruling, handed down during a televised court session watched by millions, followed April parliamentary elections in which South Korean voters punished the opposition for what many felt were flimsy charges against Roh.
The court's ruling bolsters Roh's push for reconciliation with the North and his call for more balanced relations with traditional ally the United States.
The policies are backed by a new, liberal parliament dominated by Roh supporters.
Private, manned rocketreaches new heights
MOJAVE, Calif. -- A privately developed manned rocket soared to 211,400 feet over California on Thursday, marking the third and highest powered flight of the reusable launch vehicle, the builders said.
The SpaceShipOne is among contenders for the $10 million X Prize, which will go to the first successful private effort to launch a manned craft to an altitude of 63 miles twice in the span of two weeks.
The craft must carry at least one person but be capable of carrying three.
The altitude reported Thursday was about 40 miles.
SpaceShipOne, piloted by Mike Melvill, was carried aloft by a plane and released at an altitude of 46,000 feet. The rocket motor ignited 10 seconds later and boosted the craft to 150,000 feet and Mach 2.5. The vehicle then coasted to an apogee of 211,400 feet.
Results of the latest flight were posted on the Web site of Scaled Composites LLC, the Mojave Airport-based company of aerospace designer Burt Rutan.
He is developing the SpaceShipOne rocket and White Knight carrier aircraft with funding from Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and chief executive officer of Vulcan Inc.
During part of the boost phase, a system called the flight director display was inoperative, but the pilot was able to continue the planned trajectory, Scaled said.
The onboard avionics system was rebooted and the vehicle made a smooth landing at Mojave, the company said.
Associated Press