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Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a commercial spaceflight company better known as SpaceX, has received Federal Aviation Administration certification for its Dragon spacecraft. This certification, the first of its kind granted by the FAA, serves as a commercial license to re-enter a spacecraft from earth orbit. According to NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, "With this license in hand, SpaceX can proceed with its launch of the Dragon capsule. The flight of Dragon will be an important step toward commercial cargo delivery to the Internation

The North Korean military has fired over 200 rounds of artillery shells at South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island, injuring at least 14 soldiers and 4 civilians. There are reports of deaths, though the exact number is unclear. At least one S. Korean soldier is reported to be among those killed. Exact estimates on damage are currently unknown, but smoke plumes can be seen rising from the island, according the witnesses at the scene. The attack occurred just after 2:30 p.m. local time (5:30am UTC). In response, South Korea has fired at least 80 rounds

A Grenadian cabinet Minister has resigned after he boycotted his own swearing-in ceremony. Michael Church handed his resignation to Tillman Thomas, the Prime Minister of Grenada yesterday. Church boycotted the ceremony after he was demoted from Minister of Labour, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs. He was then given the post of Junior Minister in the Ministry of Works, Physical Development and Public Utilities. Church was demoted after he made a visit to Italy with a former trade advisor without the government's consent. He then boyco

Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2010 Ford 400 held yesterday at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Jimmie Johnson claimed the championship after finishing second — his fifth championship in a row. Throughout the course of the race there were 10 cautions and 25 lead changes among 9 different drivers. Afterward, Edwards commented, "To finish like this is unreal. It’s just these guys didn’t give up. It’s just a great way to end the season." Kevin Harvick came in third for Richard Childress Ra

The Serbian Pilots Association has defended the actions of the Serbian pilot aboard the Air India Express jet that crashed earlier this year, killing 158 of the 166 on board. Investigators have suggested he had failed to follow procedure and reacted slowly to trouble. The Court of Inquiry found that captain Zlatko Glusica was sleeping through much of the three-hour Dubai–Mangalore flight and "disorientated" as the Boeing 737-800 came in to land; it overshot the clifftop runway on May 22 and ran over the edge. In the immediate aftermath of the

Riots in the town of Salt in Jordan have ended. The violence followed the shooting of a man at a police roadblock; 34 have been arrested over the riots, as has the policeman who pulled the trigger. 25-year-old Suleiman Khreisat was shot in the head on Wednesday and remains in critical condition; according to police, his car appeared suspicious, as it had no licence plates and broken windows. A police major gave chase after Khreisat allegedly failed to stop and shot him; he is now detained for use of excessive force against a civilian. "Salt r

The Beatles' song Hey Jude became the best-selling song of the band on iTunes, since their songs became available there earlier this week. Hey Jude was released as single by the band on August 26, 1968, and was composed and written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It reached number one in both the UK Singles Chart (September 11–18, 1968) and the US' Billboard Hot 100 (September 28–November 23, 1968). Hey Jude was also the number-one single of the year in the United States. According to The Daily Record, Hey Jude is followed by Twist and Sho

Dominican comedian Freddy Beras-Goico has died at the age of 69 in the United States. Beras died at the Mount Sinai Medical Center on Thursday in New York. Admitted to the hospital on November 5, the comedian died on Thursday, three days before his 70th birthday, of pancreatic cancer. Beras, who started his career as a cameraman in the 1960s, was also an actor and television presenter. As a child Beras fled Colombia with his family due to the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. During the 1950s and 60s he became a political activist and was jaile

All flights in and out of Birmingham Airport have been diverted or suspended until at least noon local time after a business jet carrying an organ for transplantation crashed on approach to the airport in Birmingham, England, during heavy fog. Two people were injured in the accident, one seriously. A spokesperson for the airport said: "We can confirm that an incident has occurred involving a private Cessna aircraft. The incident occurred on arrival into the airport and the emergency services are in attendance." West Midlands Police Chief Inspe

An officer with London's Metropolitan Police ('the Met') has been fired for raping a woman, despite the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declining to prosecute after saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the offence. The CPS would have to back the case up beyond reasonable doubt before a court, but the Met's internal hearing considered only the balance of probabilities. The policeman, whose name was not released as he has not been charged, met the woman — who is in her early twenties — after she became unwell following a night drinkin

After allegedly robbing a convenience store yesterday morning in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States, a man fled the scene on a riding lawnmower. Police apprehended the suspect near the scene. According to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, Ricky New entered the store carrying a large stick, demanded money, assaulted the clerk with the stick, and left with an undisclosed amount of money. He then tried to make his getaway on a Craftsman mower. His face was concealed by a towel, but Ricky New lives nearby and the clerk identified him

Liverpool Crown Court jailed an ex-policeman who led a double life as a senior figure in a Preston, England drugs gang. Salim Razaq, described by his Assistant Chief Constable Andy Cooke of Lancashire Constabulary as "nothing short of a criminal in a police uniform", received eleven-and-a-half years imprisonment on Tuesday after being caught during a 'turf war' with a rival gang. The 33-year-old spoke to his brother over the phone while the latter was in jail on remand for kidnap and assault. Hafiz 'The Enforcer' 'Big Haf' Razaq was involved i