World’s biggest rocket soars toward Mars

The world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, blasted off* on February 6 on its maiden* test flight, carrying CEO Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla Roadster toward an orbit* near Mars.

Screams and cheers erupted at the mission control in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States, as the massive rocket fired its 27 engines and rumbled into the blue sky over the same NASA launchpad* that served as a base for the U.S. missions to the Moon four decades ago.

Loaded with Musk’s red Tesla and a mannequin* in a spacesuit, the monster rocket’s historic test voyage captured the world’s imagination.

N. Korea cheering squad arrives in S. Korea

A 229-member strong, all-female North Korean cheering squad* arrived in Gapyeong, South Korea, on February 7 for the Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics.

It’s the first time a cheering squad from the North has attended in 13 years.

Policemen killed in U.S.

Two U.S. police officers were shot responding to a potential domestic situation in Ohio on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The shooting suspect was wounded in the incident.

The shooting took place around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in Westerville, Ohio. Officers were responding to a 911 call at the address, and were fired upon when they arrived at the scene.

Hostages handed over Boko Haram* freed 13 hostages, Nigeria’s president said on Saturday, after authorities negotiated their release with the Islamist militants.

The kidnappings were part of a campaign of attacks last year by the jihadist group* whose bid to create an Islamic state in the northeast has killed at least 20,000 people and forced some 2.7 million to flee their homes since 2009.

Russian plane crash

Emergency workers in Russia searched snow-covered fields outside Moscow on Monday, looking for body fragments* and clues after a fatal plane crash a day earlier killed all 71 people on board.

Russian investigators started to investigate what caused the AN-148 plane operated by Saratov Airlines to crash outside Moscow shortly after taking off for the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region.

Among the possible causes investigators are looking into are weather conditions, human error and the plane’s technical condition. The plane’s crew did not send any distress signals*.(SD-Agencies)