Soldiers arrest Mali PM, force him to quit

BAMAKO, Mali -- Soldiers arrested Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra and forced him to resign Tuesday.

The ouster of Diarra comes as the UN was considering backing a military intervention in Mali, now in constant turmoil.

Diarra, 60, a NASA astrophysicist, has contributed to numerous space exploration missions, including the Magellan probe to Venus and the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter.

He was under house arrest, a junta spokesman said. The government was technically under the control of interim president Dioncounda Traore. -- AP