NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Globe
Space launch: India successfully launched its first space observatory and six satellites into orbit Monday, officials said, the latest step forward for a country looking to become a major player in the lucrative space market. The observatory, named Astrosat, was launched from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said the Indian Space and Research Organization, or ISRO. Astrosat will attempt a deeper study of the universe, especially star systems. Last September, India joined an elite club when it successfully guided its Mars Orbiter Mission, called Mangalyaan, into orbit around the Red Planet. Only the United States, the former Soviet Union and the European Space Agency had done that before.
Drowning deaths: Ten fishermen died and three were missing after the crew of a fishing trawler abandoned their vessel in rough seas off the South African coast, rescuers said Monday. Another eight fishermen from the trawler survived the disaster, which happened Sunday south of Hangklip, Western Cape province, the National Sea Rescue Institute said. Two sea rescue vessels and a South African air force helicopter responded to a distress call from the trawler after it took on water in swells as high as 20 feet, the rescue service said.
Nazi train: The Polish military on Monday deployed chemical, radiation and explosives experts to a site in southwestern Poland where a Nazi train allegedly missing since World War II may be located. Tomasz Smolarz, the governor of Lower Silesia, said the aim of the work in the town of Walbrzych is to exclude any danger for residents. The efforts come after two explorers claimed to have found a Nazi train trapped in a tunnel that they say could contain both armaments and precious minerals. The claim has sparked hopes it could be a Nazi train laden with treasure that local legend says went missing at the end of World War II. The train was reportedly booby-trapped with weapons.
Gay rights: A report released Monday by Human Rights Watch and a local rights watchdog says mobs in Kenya’s coastal region have repeatedly attacked people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, although the police have not arrested anyone for carrying out or inciting the attacks. The report cites at least six incidents since 2008 in which mobs attacked or threatened lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people or health workers serving the LGBT community. Gay sex is a crime in Kenya.
Yemen fighting: Air strikes by a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition killed at least 70 people early Monday at a wedding celebration in a village on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, according to two local officials. The aerial attack in Wahija was at least the third in the last 10 days in which large numbers of civilians were killed by Saudi-led coalition forces. Abdullah al-Fadhli, a local council official, said bombs struck two wedding tents. The coalition has been trying to beat back the advance of the Houthis, a rebel group that took control of the capital and drove the Yemeni government into exile.