Science - AFP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AFP) - The weather has been anything but cooperative for the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, but NASA has promised a sixth attempt late Wednesday for the International Space Station mission.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Six volunteers from Russia and Europe Tuesday emerged from a capsule inside a Moscow research facility where they had been locked away for the last three months to simulate a mission to Mars.

FRANKFURT (AFP) - Far-sighted plans to energise Europe by tapping solar power from the sweltering Sahara desert offer bright prospects but must not overshadow renewable sources closer to home, experts say.

VIENNA (AFP) - They call them the "people in outer space". But besides stopping extra-terrestrial arms races, this tiny UN office has very down-to-earth goals: to help poor countries develop crops and help manage natural disasters.

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea will this month launch a satellite using its own rocket as part of a drive to join Asia's space race, officials said Tuesday.

TOKYO (AFP) - Police release a swarm of robot-moths to sniff out a distant drug stash. Rescue robot-bees dodge through earthquake rubble to find survivors.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Oil giant Exxon Mobil plans to announce a 600-million-dollar investment to produce liquid transportation fuel from algae, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

SINGAPORE (AFP) - China's insatiable demand for pangolins is threatening the survival of the vital pest eaters in Southeast Asia and governments must do more to protect them, experts and activists have warned.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian authorities were scrambling Tuesday to contain a major oil spill on the Volga River after a barge ran aground when its captain fell asleep.

GENEVA (AFP) - An international agreement against climate change could hinge around steps to ease the transfer of green technology to developing countries, a Brazilian official said on Monday.