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CAPE CANAVERAL: The US space shuttle Endeavour docked on schedule Wednesday with the orbiting International Space Station, NASA announced. The shuttle docked with the ISS, orbiting 346 kilometers above Earth over the Atlantic ocean west of Portugal at 0506 GMT, NASA TV said, showing live images of the maneuver. The Endeavouor crew blasted off Monday carrying a seven-windowed dome observation deck for the ISS. Built for NASA by the European group Thales Alenia Space in their Turin factory, the cupola will provide unparalleled panoramic views of Earth and space. Endeavour astronauts on Tuesday finished routine inspection of the thermal protection system on the orbiter's wing leading edges and nose, NASA said.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 MELBOURNE: Australian researchers Wednesday said a new study supported the use of lap-band surgery for severely overweight teenagers after it found the procedure helped them lose 80 percent of their excess fat. The study, conducted at Monash University and the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, showed dramatically better results among adolescents who had the surgery, compared with those on a strict diet and exercise regime. It found that after two years, teens who underwent the appetite-reducing procedure lost an average of 79 percent of their excess weight, while those who stuck to the rigorous lifestyle shed just 13 percent. "While this study confirms that some adolescents can achieve substantial weight loss and health improvements through diet and exercise, gastric banding should be considered for those severely obese adolescents who find primary weight loss methods unsuccessful," study author Professor Paul O'Brien said. ...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 NEW DELHI: India is the biggest victim of financial crisis-induced poverty, according to data obtained by an Indian newspaper from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (UNDESA). The UNDESA data estimates that the number of India's poor was 33.6 million higher in 2009 than would have been the case if the growth rates of the years from 2004 to 2007 had been maintained. In 2009 alone, an estimated 13.6 million more people in India became poor or remained in poverty than would have been the case at 2008 growth rates. In other words, while a dip from the 8.8% growth in GDP averaged from 2004-05 to 2006-07 to the 6.7% estimated for 2008-09 may be nothing like the recession faced by the West, its human consequences for India were probably worse. The 2.1% decline in India's GDP growth rate has effectively translated into a 2.8% increase in the incidence of poverty. According to the UNDESA's World Economic Situation a...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 DHAKA: The South Asian Games concluded in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, with India on top of the medal list. India won 90 out of the 157 gold medals. Pakistan finished second on the medal tally with 19 golds while host Bangladesh grabbed 18. Sri Lanka won 16 while Nepal and Afghanistan both earned 7 golds. Bhutan and Maldives didn't win any gold medal. At the closing ceremony held in Dhaka Bangabandhu National Stadium, General Abdul Mobin, Bangladesh Olympic Association President, handed over the South Asian Games flame to Suresh Kalmadi, president of Olympic Association of India, the next host country of the games. Bangladeshi President Zillur Rahman said at the closing ceremony he believed the South Asian Games created an opportunity for closer relations among the people of the region and deepened their fraternity. Major Masood Haider said Pakistan athletics team with 100-meter champion Naseem Hameed will reach Karachi on Thursday afternoo...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 MUMBAI: Adnan Sami and his German-Afghan girl friend Roya Faryabi had a secret nikaah ceremony at Adnan's residence in Mumbai on Friday, January 30, a day before the wedding cards announced the wedding in Munich. Only close family members of Adnan were present at this nikaah. A source close to Adnan said that the wedding in Munich had to be cancelled because the courts did not allow Adnan to leave the country. There are serious charges of domestic violence against him. Rather than cancelling the wedding, Adnan decided to have a flash ceremony in Mumbai. Adnan's son Azaan made all the arrangements. At first Adnan was reluctant to confirm the development, but finally admitted that they got married last Friday in a secret nikaah. And they're loving it. Speaking from Munich, Adnan's third wife Roya Faryadi said that Adnan is the perfect man for her. She loves not just the man but also his mother and son.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 KABUL: At least 28 people have died and more than 70 were injured after vehicles were trapped overnight by avalanches in a mountain tunnel in Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The avalanches, after days of heavy snow, blocked the entrances to the 2.6 km (1.6 mile) long Salang tunnel, the main route connecting Kabul to north Afghanistan through a treacherous pass at 3,400 metres (11,000 feet) in the Hindu Kush mountains.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 KABUL: Avalanches in a mountain pass north of Kabul have killed at least 15 people, injured more than 50 and left hundreds stranded on blocked roads, Afghan officials said Tuesday. The avalanches took place Monday following heavy snows in the Salang Pass that links the Afghan capital with the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif and rescuers worked through the night to save more than 200 people, said Gen. Abdul Rahman Sayedkhail, Parwan provincial police chief. He said 54 people were injured. "It's very heavy snow. We're cleaning the roads. So far, we have found 15 bodies, including women and children, he said. "There's still danger from avalanches there so that's why our work is a little slow," Rahman said. About 100 Afghan soldiers were mobilized to join police and others in the rescue efforts, along with four helicopters, several ambulances and several bulldozers, Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 BEIJING: At least one person died and 11 others were feared drowned in eastern China after their ship collided with another vessel and sank in the Yangtze River, local maritime authorities said Tuesday. Rescuers expanded their search for the 11 missing people to dry land after trawling the waters near the scene of the sinking late Monday, said Ma Changhong, a maritime official in Jiangsu province.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 KABUL: Deaths of three soldiers over two days took the British toll in Afghanistan since 2001 to 256, one more than the number killed in the Falklands. Two soldiers, from the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed by an explosion in Sangin in Helmand Province on Sunday. "They were on a foot patrol bringing security to local people when the explosion caught them. Two of our comrades have been cruelly taken from us, but their bravery and fortitude will not be forgotten," said a spokesman. On Monday a bomb disposal expert, from 36 Engineer Regiment, was killed by a blast as he cleared a path in Helmand. The news is a new blow to Brown, who recently pledged 500 extra troops and hosted a London conference on Afghanistan, but is struggling to avoid defeat to the main opposition Conservatives in elections due by June.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 SANTO DOMINGO: Screen star Angelina Jolie visited Haitian children being treated in the neighboring Dominican Republic after the devastating earthquake in their homeland killed more than 200,000 people. Oscar-winner Jolie toured the pediatric wing of Dario Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo, a leading local trauma hospital, with its director Hector Quezada, the hospital said. Jolie, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF, was also joined by Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, a son of Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. The actress and her partner, actor Brad Pitt, donated a million dollars to Doctors without Borders in Haiti following the January 12 quake, the worst natural disaster on record in the Americas.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 CARACAS: President Hugo Chavez signed a decree declaring an energy emergency in Venezuela to facilitate his government's efforts to ease severe energy shortages. ``We've been working on this because it's a necessity. The truth is, it's an emergency,'' Chavez said Monday. Under the decree, Venezuelans who use more than 500kilowatt-hours of electricity per month _ an estimated 24 percent of all residential consumers _ must reduce their consumption by 10percent or be required to pay a 75 percent price increase. Those who increase consumption by 10 percent will be slapped with a 100 percent price increase. If they boost usage by 20 percent, the price hike rises to 200 percent. Venezuela imposed electricity and water rationing in December to prevent a collapse of the electricity grid as water levels behind the Guri Dam fell to critical lows. The dam supplies most of Venezuela's electricity.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 WASHINGTON: A Chinese-born engineer convicted of espionage and other federal charges in California has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. Dongfan "Greg" Chung was sentenced yesterday in Santa Ana after a judge ruled in July he hoarded sensitive information about the US space shuttle and a booster rocket with the intent to pass it to China. It was the United States' first trial on economic espionage charges. The government believes Chung, 74, began spying for the Chinese in the late 1970s. Prosecutors say the stress analyst used his 30-year career at Boeing Co. and Rockwell International to collect 300,000 pages of sensitive documents. Chung has been in custody since he was convicted of economic espionage, acting as a foreign agent, conspiracy and lying to federal agents.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 CANBERRA: Australian immigration laws were changed to attract people working in higher-skilled jobs, the Australian Immigration Minister said. Immigration Minister Chris Evans suggested that Australia had enough cooks and hairdressers and that the country needed immigrants with other skills. "When we came into government, we were taking hairdressers from overseas in front of doctors and nurses, it didn't make any sense," he said Evans said the ministry had cancelled some 20,000 applications that were filled in before 2007. The applicants would have their fees refunded, he added. The new job list will focus on higher skilled jobs such as engineers, doctors and nurses, Evans said. "We don't want people coming in and adding to the unemployed queue, we want people who will have the skills to get a job in the skilled area that we are looking for," he said. Studying in Australia used to give an opportunity for many foreign ...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 ZHANGJIAJIE: The huge box-office success of "Avatar", which last week beat "Titanic" to become the biggest movie of all time in the United States and Canada, is bringing inspiration to a Chinese province. A craggy peak in a scenic part of southern China's Hunan province has been renamed after floating mountains featured in the Hollywood blockbuster, with hopes to cash in on the movie's massive success. The "Southern Sky Column" in Zhangjiajie in southern Hunan province formally had its named changed to "Hallelujah Mountain" in a ceremony in late January, according to the Zhangjiajie government's official website. The local government said the floating "Hallelujah Mountains" in the movie were inspired by the "Southern Sky Column," as a Hollywood photographer spent time shooting there in 2008. "Avatar" has also proved a success in China, recently becoming the country...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 LUCKNOW: A police official says at least 23 people were killed and 12 others injured when a vehicle overturned in northern India. Senior police official Amitabh Yash says the accident took place late Monday night in Sitapur town, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of state capital Lucknow. Yash says about 70 people were packed into a wagon pulled by a tractor when the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to overtake another vehicle. He says the dead include 14 children. The injured, four of whom are in critical condition, are being treated at a local hospital.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka will face a court martial for "military offences", an official said Tuesday. Fonseka, who was arrested by military police at his campaign office on Monday night, has been moved to an undisclosed military establishment ahead of court martial proceedings, the military official said. "He will face a court martial even though he is not a serving officer," said the official, who declined to be named. "The military law applies up to six months from the date of retirement of any officer." Fonseka was taken into custody "in connection with certain fraudulent acts and other military offences committed by him", the defence ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 SAN FRANCISCO: Vitamin D Video on Monday released a finished version of software that detects people in surveillance footage recorded by common Web cameras. While using "webcams" to keep watch is nothing new, the California-based start-up has eliminated the need to sift through hours or days of video for portions containing folks whose activities or lack thereof may be of interest. Surveillance webcam software that detected motion routinely vexed users with emails or alerts triggered by any motion, be it a passing bird or swaying branch. Vitamin D is crafted to recognize people. "Say goodbye to the dark ages of video analytics," Vitamin D said at its website. "Our approach to object recognition paves the way for powerful new applications in security, advertising, entertainment and video search." Vitamin D said it uses artificial intelligence to help computers discern between objects such as clouds, planes, and people in...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 OAXACA CITY: magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Oaxaca in southern Mexico on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was located 14 miles (23 km) southeast of the town of Miahuatlan in Oaxaca, Mexico, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS initially reported it as a 5.9 magnitude quake. Quakes of magnitude 5 and above are considered moderate and capable of causing considerable damage. Residents in the city of Oaxaca were calm but standing outside buildings in the street. "No, when we went out (of the building) it was stopping. It was soft and then stronger," said resident Susana Lopez, a cook at a local restaurant. Civil protection officials in this city said there were no reports of damage at the moment. Oaxaca state is popular with U.S. tourists for its ruins, churches, beaches and Mexican cuisine.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 VANCOUVER: Global warming is starting to worry the International Olympic Committee, with concern mounting over how it might affect future Games. IOC president Jacques Rogge said it was an issue discussed in meetings on Monday ahead of the Winter Olympics here, with the issue of Cypress Mountain, just outside of Vancouver, highlighting the problem. The mountain is the site for the freestyle and snowboard events but has been plagued by a drastic lack of snow caused by the warm temperatures which have seen Vancouver enjoying unseasonal highs of around 10C (50F). Lorry loads of snow have been carted in to the venue and media banned from visiting in an effort to get it ready in time. "Global warming of course is a worry, it is a worry for the entire world," Rogge said. "It might affect, in the long-term, the staging of Winter Games but I can tell you that today in the evaluation committee meeting we asked for statistics. "It is ve...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 DUBAI: The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks. Electrical problems are at least partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform — the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building — including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's more than 160 floors — was affected by the shutdown. The indefinite closure, which began Sunday, comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health. The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot (828-meter) Burj Khalifa would be a major tourist draw. Du...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 PORT-AU-PRINCE: The struggling aid effort in Haiti was hit by another setback Monday as the UN halted deliveries to some 10,000 quake survivors after discovering that fake coupons were in operation. An agitated crowd of around 100 people continued to wait well into the afternoon at the drop-off site close to the town hall in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville as others clamored to get tickets valid for Tuesday. "We need food!" one old lady shouted at a guard charged with manning the steel bars blocking the entrance to the town hall offices. Others simply pointed to their mouths and stomachs. UN World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman David Orr said the suspension would affect around 10,000 survivors of the massive January 12 earthquake that killed over 212,000 people and left an estimated one million people homeless. The United Nations agency has set up 16 food distribution points across the city, handing out 25-kilogram (55-pound) sack...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty here Monday after being charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop superstar's death from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs. Conrad Murray, 56, appeared before a packed courtroom to deny a single charge of causing Jackson's death, the culmination of a painstaking seven-month probe which involved local and federal investigators. Murray's defense attorney Ed Chernoff entered the not guilty plea before the physician was ordered to surrender his passport and post bail of 75,000 dollars ahead of a hearing on April 5. Murray, the last person to see Jackson alive, has admitted administering drugs to the singer to help him sleep shortly before his death at a rented mansion in Los Angeles on June 25 last year. The doctor, who could face up to four years in prison if convicted, has acknowledged giving the anesthetic propofol to Jackson following the singer...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 SYDNEY: An Australian performance artist has set a Guinness world record by swallowing 18 swords at the same time. Chayne Hultgren, also known as the Space Cowboy, beat his own 2008 record by swallowing the swords, each 72cm (28.35in) long, at an event in Sydney. He said that while the stunt was not dangerous, he had spent many hours training for it. After setting the record, Hultgren, 31, described it as definitely one of his greatest achievements so far. "Wow, I did it, it feels good, thank you very much, it feels really good actually," he said. Hultgren started practising with swords at the age of 16 and says he has used different methods to perfect the art. "I stretch my throat with hoses and use a few different techniques to basically enable me to do what, until now, has been impossible". "I don't just straightaway grab 18 blades and shove them down my throat - you've got to practise a lot and build up to ...

Tuesday, February 09, 2010 LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson's doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the pop singer's death. Prosecutors announced the charge against Dr Conrad Murray, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died on June 25. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Murray will plead not guilty, said his lawyer Ed Chernoff. Jackson hired Murray to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous series of comeback performances in London. Officials said the singer died in Los Angeles after Murray administered the powerful general anaesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep. Murray is accused of acting "unlawfully and without malice" in bringing about Jackson's death, according to a complaint filed by prosecutors. The complaint said Murray acted "without the caution and circumspection required" when he administered a powerful sedative to Jackson in...