U.S. shuttle Endeavor heads for space station

FLORIDA: Shuttle Endeavor lifted off on trip to space station, 14 Nov 2008 The U.S. space shuttle Endeavor is on its way to the International Space Station, after a successful night-time launch.The shuttle took off late Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in the U.S. state of Florida, carrying seven astronauts and components to increase living space on the space station.The U.S. space agency, NASA, planned to double the size of the space station crew from three members to six next year. So as part of their 15-day mission, the astronauts on Endeavor, will deliver two new sleeping units, a bathroom, a kitchenette and exercise equipment. They will also install a new system to recycle wastewater into safe drinking water.Endeavor is also delivering a new member of the space station crew. American Sandra Magnus will replace U.S. astronaut Gregory Chamitoff.Spacewalks are also scheduled during the mission to repair a broken solar panel array on the space station. The array has not been rotating properly because its joint is clogged with metal shavings.The Endeavour mission is the last U.S. shuttle flight scheduled for this year. A mission scheduled for last month to conduct repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope has been postponed until May, 2009. Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on November 29.NASA plans to retire the shuttle fleet in 2010.

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India's swine flu death rate is increasing

Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...

Tennis: Clijsters wins US Open, second time

NEW YORK: Kim Clijsters of Belgium won the US Open on Sunday by defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-5, 6-3 in the final.She is the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong in 1980, the victory coming just five weeks after she returned to the sport following a 27-month retirement. She was the first wildcard, man or woman, to win a US Open title in the history of the tournament.

42 killed in wave of Iraq bombings

BAGHDAD: At least 42 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded in a spate of bomb attacks near the restive northern Iraqi city of Mosul and in the capital Baghdad on Monday, police said. In the deadliest single attack, two booby-trapped lorries exploded before dawn in the village of Khaznah, east of Mosul, leaving 25 people dead and 70 others wounded. Thirty-five houses were destroyed in the village, which is home to members of the tiny Shabak community, a sect of Kurdish origin. In Baghdad, two car bombs went off as day labourers were gathering in the early morning hours looking for jobs.The first bomb exploded at Hay al-Amel, in the west of the capital, killing nine people and injuring 46. The second bomb attack in Shurta Arbaa in the north of the city killed seven people and wounded 35 others.

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