Space shuttle Discovery lands in California

HOUSTON: NASA's space shuttle Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California at 5:53 pm local time (0053 GMT) on Friday.
The shuttle successfully made the steep descent -- at an angle seven times more acute than a commercial jet -- through thin cloud to runway 22 at the desert base.
Shortly after touchdown, NASA deployed teams of white-suited inspectors to scour the outside of the space craft to make sure it was undamaged and the astronauts could disembark safely.

World’s first floating wind turbine opens in Norway

OSLO: This is an important step towards creating a new Norwegian energy industry at sea. The project illustrates how we may benefit from the knowledge we have gained from our petroleum industry, to develop innovative technology concerning renewable resources.
Norway can play an important role in the utilization of renewable resources and more environmental friendly energy production in the years to come.
The turbine is fastened to the seabed 10 kilometres southwest of Karmøy. The project is a pilot of the StatoilHydro-developed concept – Hywind. StatoilHydro will test the Hywind pilot over a two-year period. The project opens up for the wind industry to capture wind energy within deep-water environments.
Offshore wind could develop into becoming a new Norwegian industry. The Government have proposed a new legislation on offshore renewable energy in June this year.
In addition to this we have through Enova and the Research Council of Norway, increased the allocations to development of new and innovative technology, says the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Terje Riis-Johansen.
In the National Budget for 2009, the Government strengthened its emphasis on resource and development regarding renewable energy and carbon capture- and storage, by NOK 300 mill.

Fight terrorism jointly: Al-Sudais

MAKKAH/MADINAH: More than three million Muslim faithful attended juma, taraweeh and Qiyamullail prayers at the Two Holy Mosques on Friday as the imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah called for joint efforts to combat terrorism.
The Haram in Makkah overflowed with worshippers as tens of thousands of faithful had come to perform Umrah and attend special prayers seeking Lailat Al-Qadr, the night of power.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, accompanied by senior princes, ministers and officials, is in Makkah to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in the vicinity of Haram.
The king has instructed government departments to mobilize their resources in the service of the guests of God who have come from different parts of the world to perform Umrah and spend the blessed days of Ramadan at the Two Holy Mosques.
Security and traffic departments have deployed more officers around the Two Holy Mosques to maintain law and order and ensure smooth flow of pilgrims. The Health Ministry has made precautionary measures to protect the health of pilgrims from contagious diseases such as swine flu.
Delivering his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam of the Grand Mosque, urged the faithful to fear God in all walks of their lives. He also urged Muslims to make use of the blessings in the last 10 days of Ramadan by engaging in worship and righteous deeds. “It’s a great blessing of God that we have another opportunity to live in these most blessed days and nights of the year,” he said. “We have to thank God for this blessing by doing good deeds. Are we ready to do that?” the imam asked.
He explained how the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions spent the last 10 days of Ramadan. The Prophet used to stay inside the mosque throughout the last 10 days of the holy month, seeking Lailat Al-Qadr. “This night is called Lailat Al-Qadr considering its importance and greatness. It’s better than a thousand months.”
Al-Sudais also spoke about the importance of paying Zakah, the compulsory payment of a specific portion of a person’s wealth. Most Muslims pay their Zakah during Ramadan to maximize their reward.

Israel hits back at Lebanon after rocket fire

Israel fires back with 15 rockets at Lebanese village
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LEBANON: At least 15 Israeli rockets hit the southern Lebanese village of al-Qlaileh on Friday shortly after two rockets were fired from it towards Israel, a security official said.
Residents of northern Israel said they heard explosions but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
"Debris from at least one Katyusha rocket fired from south Lebanon were found in the area of the city of Nahariya and Kibbutz Gesher Aziv," a police official told AFP.
Public radio said the Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire against the Lebanese village from which the rockets were fired.
In Lebanon, ambulances were rushed to the village from the port city of Tyre, nine kilometres (five miles) away.
It was the first time since February that rockets had been fired from Lebanon into Israel, raising tensions along a border that remains volatile three years after a war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah Islamist guerrillas in Lebanon.
Occasional salvoes since then have been blamed by Israeli, Lebanese and U.N. peacekeeping forces in the area largely on fringe militant groups rather than on Hezbollah, the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Shi'ite movement which remains a powerful force in Lebanon, especially in the south.
During Israel's offensive against Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip in January, Hezbollah denied responsibility for several rockets fired from Lebanon. Security officials have said small groups active among Palestinian refugees or with links to al Qaeda were more likely to have mounted the attacks.

Is sleeping in the same bed harming your relationship? How ’bout your health?

Have you ever been rudely awakened at 3 a.m. when your bed mate takes all the covers or rolls on top of you? How about trying to fall asleep while your partner snores like an asthmatic hog? According to sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley, couples should sleep separately for the good of their health and their relationship.
Dr. Stanley is quick to point out that couples suffer 50% more sleep disturbances when they share a bed and that historically, people are not actually meant to sleep beside one another.
The tradition of couples sharing a bed didn’t arise until the industrial revolution, when overcrowding and lack of space made it a necessity. According to Dr. Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, the marital bed was intended for sex, not sleep. He suggests more people consider this arrangement.
“We all know what it’s like to have a cuddle and then say ‘I’m going to sleep now’ and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?”
According to the Stanley, who created Britain’s premier sleep laboratory at the University of Surrey, poor sleep that comes of bed sharing is linked to depression, strokes, lung disorders, heart disease, car accidents and even divorce.
A study conducted by Dr. Robert Meadows, of the University of Surrey, found that when couples share a bed and one of the partners moves, there is a 50% chance that the other will be disturbed as a result.
“People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise,” says Dr. Meadows.
Despite these findings, couples remain reluctant to sleep separately, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in different rooms. Perhaps separate beds in the same room might be a better idea, though even that may be a foreign concept in modern relationships.
“It’s about what makes you happy,” says Dr. Stanley. “If you’ve been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don’t change, but don’t be afraid to do something different.”