Sharpton leads service for Scott
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Rev. Al Sharpton thanked the mayor and police chief in North Charleston on Sunday for their response to the fatal shooting of Walter Scott.
Sharpton gave the sermon at Charity Missionary Baptist Church, where Mayor Keith Summey and Police Chief Eddie Driggers were among those in the congregation. Later, he led a vigil for a small crowd in the grassy, fenced-in area where Scott, 50, was fatally shot after fleeing a traffic stop April 4.
Then-officer Michael Slager initially said Scott was shot after a tussle over his Taser, but witness video later surfaced showing Scott being shot as he ran away. Slager was fired and has been charged with murder.
Scott’s death was criticized as another police shooting of an unarmed black man by a white officer under questionable circumstances. In Sharpton’s commendation of the city’s response, he said the mayor and police chief’s swift action could set the tone for handling future questions of police misconduct across the country.
Saudi Arabia fights claims about Sept. 11
NEW YORK – Attorneys for Saudi Arabia say a judge should reject claims by families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks that new evidence – including an interview with the man who became known as the “20th hijacker” – shows agents of the kingdom “directly and knowingly” helped the hijackers.
In papers filed in Manhattan federal court late Friday, the lawyers said there is no evidence Saudi Arabia supported or caused the attacks.
They urged a judge to dismiss the claims against Saudi Arabia, saying the lawyers “have had enough chances to make their case.”
Saudi Arabia was among the countries, companies and organizations sued in 2002 and afterward by families who claimed they aided al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and other terrorist groups. The lawsuits sought billions of dollars in damages.
Espresso maker headed to space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The next space station grocery run will carry caffeine to a whole new level: Aboard the SpaceX supply ship is an authentic espresso machine straight from Italy.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch its unmanned rocket with the espresso maker – and 4,000 pounds of food, science research and other equipment – Monday afternoon.
The experimental espresso machine is intended for International Space Station astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. It was supposed to arrive in January, shortly after her arrival, so she could get some relief from the station’s instant coffee. But it ended up on the back burner after a station shipment from Virginia was lost in a launch explosion.
The espresso maker is dubbed ISSpresso – ISS standing for International Space Station. Italian coffee giant Lavazza joined forces with the Turin-based engineering company Argotec and the Italian Space Agency to provide a specially designed machine for use off the planet. NASA certified its safety.
Associated Press
