NEWS IN BRIEF

INDIA TARGETS NEW MOON MISSION IN 2020

AFP, Bangalore, India

India plans to make a fresh attempt to land an unmanned mission on the moon in 2020 after a failed bid last year, the head of the country’s space programme said yestreday. Work is going “smoothly” on the Chandrayaan-3 mission to put a rover probe on the moon’s surface, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K. Sivan told a press conference. “We are targeting the launch for this year but it may spillover to next year,” Sivan said. Indian sources said authorities had set November as a provisional target for launch.

 

SOCIALIST SOMMARUGA TAKES OVER SWISS

presidency

AFP, Geneva

Cabinet member Simonetta Sommaruga of the Socialist Party took over the Swiss presidency yesterday, a largely ceremonial role that rotates between leading political parties. The 59-year-old Sommaruga is the minister for environment, transport, energy and communication in Switzerland’s seven member Federal Council, which is the executive branch in the wealthy Alpine nation.

 

9 DEAD AS JAKARTA HIT BY NEW YEAR FLOODING

AFP, Jakarta

Nine people died after Indonesia’s capital was hit by its deadliest flooding in years, authorities said yesterday, as torrential rains on New Year’s Eve left vast swathes of the megalopolis submerged. Electricity was switched off in hundreds of waterlogged neighbourhoods across greater Jakarta, home to about 30 million people, with some train lines and one of the city’s airports also shut. A 16-year-old was electrocuted by a power line, while three more people died of hypothermia said Jakarta disaster management agency head Subejo.

 

DOZENS OF MONKEYS DIE IN GERMAN ZOO FIRE

AFP, Berlin

Fire ripped through the monkey house at Krefeld zoo in northwestern Germany on New Year’s Eve killing dozens of animals, including orangutans, chimpanzees and marmosets, management said yesterday. “Our worst fears have been realised,” the zoo, which specialises in primates, announced on its Facebook page.

 

NEWS IN BRIEF

INDIA TARGETS NEW MOON MISSION IN 2020 AFP, Bangalore, India India plans to make a fresh attempt to land an unmanned mission on the moon in 2020 after a failed bid last year, the head of the countrys space programme said yestreday. Work is going smoothly on the Chandrayaan-3 mission to put a rover probe on the moons surface, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K. Sivan told a press conference. We are targeting the launch for this year but it may spillover to next year, Sivan said. Indian sources said authorities had set November as a provisional target for launch. SOCIALIST SOMMARUGA TAKES OVER SWISS presidency AFP, Geneva Cabinet member Simonetta Sommaruga of the Socialist Party took over the Swiss presidency yesterday, a largely ceremonial role that rotates between leading political parties. The 59-year-old Sommaruga is the minister for environment, transport, energy and communication in Switzerlands seven member Federal Council, which is the executive branch in the wealthy Alpine nation. 9 DEAD AS JAKARTA HIT BY NEW YEAR FLOODING AFP, Jakarta Nine people died after Indonesias capital was hit by its deadliest flooding in years, authorities said yesterday, as torrential rains on New Years Eve left vast swathes of the megalopolis submerged. Electricity was switched off in hundreds of waterlogged neighbourhoods across greater Jakarta, home to about 30 million people, with some train lines and one of the citys airports also shut. A 16-year-old was electrocuted by a power line, while three more people died of hypothermia said Jakarta disaster management agency head Subejo. DOZENS OF MONKEYS DIE IN GERMAN ZOO FIRE AFP, Berlin Fire ripped through the monkey house at Krefeld zoo in northwestern Germany on New Years Eve killing dozens of animals, including orangutans, chimpanzees and marmosets, management said yesterday. Our worst fears have been realised, the zoo, which specialises in primates, announced on its Facebook page.