Rover drills into rock on Mars

Rover drills into rock on Mars

LOS ANGELES

In a Mars first, the Curiosity rover drilled into a rock and prepared to dump an aspirin-sized pinch of powder into its onboard laboratories for closer inspection.

The feat marked yet another milestone for the car-size rover, which landed last summer to much fanfare on an ambitious hunt to determine whether environmental conditions were favorable for microbes.

Using the drill at the end of its 7-foot-long robotic arm, Curiosity on Friday chipped away at a flat, veined rock bearing numerous signs of past water flow. After nearly seven minutes of pounding, the result was a drill hole 21/2-inches deep.

Tunisian PM: New Cabinet needed

TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisia’s Islamist prime minister said Saturday that he will resign if his proposal to appoint a nonpolitical Cabinet by midweek is rejected.

Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali first called for that change Wednesday after Tunisia was thrown into a crisis when a prominent opposition politician was shot and killed in Tunis, touching off violent protests.

Jebali’s moderate Islamist Ennahda party already has rejected his proposal. But he didn’t flinch, saying in an interview with the France-24 TV channel that to change the situation, government ministers must be replaced by ones without a political affiliation, notably technocrats.

Magnitude-6.9 quake hits Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia

A powerful but deep earthquake shook a broad swath of Colombia and Ecuador on Saturday, sending frightened people fleeing into the streets, but no serious injuries or major damage were reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 9:16 a.m. quake had a magnitude of 6.9. It was centered about seven miles from the Colombian town of Pasto and 92 miles below the surface.

The quake was felt in the Colombian capital of Bogota, some 340 miles to the northeast, and across much of neighboring Ecuador.

6 die in rocket attack on refugee camp

BAGHDAD

Rockets and mortar rounds struck a refugee camp for Iranian exiles next to Baghdad’s international airport before dawn Saturday, killing six people and wounding about 40, police and U.N. officials said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack. He urged Iraqi officials to investigate and bring the attackers to justice, noting that the government is responsible for the safety of the camp residents.

The State Department also condemned the rocket and mortar attack.

Seagal, sheriff train armed school guards

PHOENIX

The self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” joined forces this weekend with action-movie star Steven Seagal to train volunteer armed posse members to defend Phoenix-area schools against gunmen.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced the controversial plan in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting that left 27 people dead, including the gunman and 20 first-graders.

The exercise took place Saturday at a closed school site in suburban Fountain Hills, where sheriff’s SWAT members acted as shooters and teenagers played the part of students during mock scenarios involving up to three gunmen.

Seagal, best known for his roles in movies such as “Above the Law” and “Under Siege,” planned to lead training on hand-to-hand defense tactics, among other techniques, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

Associated Press