Tuesday, April 22, 2008

A Scary Return to Earth

· South Korean astronaut Yi So-yeon said she was "really scared" when she saw flames swirling around the Russian space capsule that brought her and two others back from the international space station.

A technical glitch caused a sharper-than-usual descent to Earth on Saturday, subjecting the crew to severe gravitational forces. At a news conference yesterday, U.S. crew member Peggy Whitson needed help to walk.

· Although more Afghan children are going to school than ever before, about half of the country's children are not, United Nations officials said yesterday.

The majority of those not getting an education are girls. Under the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, girls were banned from schools.

Now they can attend, but an estimated 1.2 million don't, said Catherine Mbengue of the United Nations Children's Fund. Many Afghan girls work to support their families or marry young, she said.

Correction: Last week we reported that several thousand healthy Tasmanian devils have been set aside in zoos and wildlife parks in an attempt to save the species from a deadly facial cancer. Actually, the number is about 100.