Shuttle Atlantis fueled for launch, readies for last Hubble repair mission; weather looks good

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis was fueled Monday for one last flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, an extraordinarily ambitious repair mission that NASA hopes will lift the celebrated observatory to new scientific heights.

Wills, Kate return to the public eye at polo tournament

LONDON - Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton were spotted together in public at a polo tournament following a brief separation.

Private eyes keep track of rival moves in polls

NEW DELHI - Moles, dossiers, big money…may sound like the perfect ingredients of a spy thriller, but these have actually become vital to political intelligence gathering in India - a phenomenon seen like never before in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Atlantis on last mission to repair Hubble telescope

WASHINGTON - For nearly 20 years the Hubble Space Telescope has kept its orbiting eye trained on the universe, and with the launch of space shuttle Atlantis to repair the ageing instrument, scientists hope it will continue to provide important discoveries.

Threat-spotting cameras raise question: Is surveillance better when Big Brother is a computer?

The surveillance cameras at Big Y, a Massachusetts grocery chain, are not just passively recording customers and staff. They’re studying checkout lines for signs of “sweethearting.”

Hubble telescope, Earth’s once-blurry but now brilliant spy on the universe, gets a final fix

WASHINGTON — Using the power of pictures, the Hubble Space Telescope has snapped away at the mystery of the universe.

Braves beat Phillies 6-2 behind strong pitching from Vazquez, homers by Escobar and McCann

PHILADELPHIA — Javier Vazquez pitched neatly into the eighth inning, Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann hit two-run homers and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Saturday.

Treading where the state does not, Brazil’s evangelical preachers target drug lords

RIO DE JANEIRO — It is the scene of an old-time revival, with Pastor Andre Assis laying hands on the young man and diving deep into a religious chant.

Talat Mahmood’s daughter pays homage to him in Poland

WARSAW - It was on this day 10 years ago that legendary singer Talat Mahmood died. At that time his daughter Sabina, who lives in Poland, had not been able to reach Mumbai to see her father’s body.

Famous bust of Queen Nefertiti could be a fake

LONDON - An art historian has claimed that the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti believed to be 3,400 years old could be a fake.

Cole Hamels goes 6 strong, gets first win in Phillies’ 10-6 victory over Braves

PHILADELPHIA — Cole Hamels pitched six impressive innings to earn his first win since the World Series, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 10-6 on Friday night.

Maybe they should stop this one: Cavaliers on a record roll, while Hawks are all banged up

ATLANTA — If this was a heavyweight fight, the referee might have already stepped in to stop it.

A day in a life: A girl and her parents go homeless and hope better times are ahead

PORTLAND, Ore. — At first, 9-year-old Brehanna didn’t seem to understand.

Despite leadership change, Pac-10 conference appears likely to remain pro-BCS

PHOENIX — The coming change of commissioners in the Pac-10 provided a glimmer of hope for advocates of a college football playoff.

Meltdown 101: Should I consider the stress tests results when I decide where to do my banking?

NEW YORK — Now that the highly anticipated results of the stress tests are finally out, what kind of service changes can you expect from your bank?

Red Sox players say they don’t know if Ramirez used banned substances while with the team

BOSTON — Manny Ramirez hit cleanup on the Red Sox’s two championship teams this decade. Some of his teammates on those clubs say his suspension for using a banned substance won’t tarnish those titles.

To shave or not to shave? Mayor’s mustache mired in middle of fight over its fate

MURRAY, Utah — The mayor of the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray said he has little choice but to shave his nearly foot-long handlebar mustache for a children’s charity. Dan Snarr is putting the decision to a vote of residents and said his fashion statement is “getting creamed.”

Bernanke calls for holistic approach to banking oversight to prevent future financial crises

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday called for a holistic approach to strengthening oversight of the banking system and said information gleaned from big bank “stress tests” should pave the way for improvements on that front.

To shave or not to shave? Mayor’s mustache mired in middle of fight over its fate

MURRAY, Utah — The mayor of the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray says he has little choice but to shave his nearly foot-long handlebar mustache for charity. Dan Snarr is putting the decision to a vote of residents and says his fashion statement is “getting creamed.” ”People are voting ’shave.’ It’s a way to get back at an elected official,” said Snarr, who has sported the waxed mustache for three years but now is resigned to shaving.

Wyoming, Idaho governors slam federal brucellosis plan, ask Vilsack to withhold action

BILLINGS, Mont. — The governors of Wyoming and Idaho say a federal plan to create a special livestock disease management zone in the Yellowstone region would “taint” the area’s cattle industry but do nothing to eliminate the disease.

Gecko-inspired multifocal contact lenses, cameras on the anvil

WASHINGTON - Scientists are all set to harness the mechanism behind nocturnal geckos’ unique ability to see colours at night, in making multifocal contact lenses and better cameras.

‘Election contests are like marketing new products’

CHENNAI - The Mumbai terror attacks may not have prodded Mumbaikars to stir out and vote in large numbers in the Lok Sabha polls but prompted E. Sarath Babu, who was raised in a slum and went to the Indian Institute of Management, to enter the electoral fray in Tamil Nadu.

Mumbai Indians hoping to bounce back against Daredevils

EAST LONDON - After suffering two consecutive defeats, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to bounce against table toppers Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Buffalo Park here Friday.

Ballesteros says his brain tumor made him suffer like a dog

MADRID - Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros says his brain tumor left him suffering like a dog.

The legendary golfer will start his fifth session of chemotherapy this week, but after fighting through four operations, a bout of depression and fears of going blind, Ballesteros says he is 90 per cent recovered - and even playing golf again.

Slack security makes Mumbai suspects housing jail soft target for terror strikes

RAWALPINDI - Inadequate security arrangements in and around the Adiala jail, where certain high profile under trials, including the Mumbai terror attack suspects have been kept, has increased its vulnerability to terror attacks, The Daily Times reports.

Residents defy boycott call to cast votes in Kashmir

SRINAGAR - Defying the boycott call given by the separatists, residents came out in large numbers to cast their votes in Kashmir on Thursday.

Physicists create world’s smallest incandescent lamp

WASHINGTON - A team from the UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) Department of Physics and Astronomy has created the world’s smallest incandescent lamp.

Longtime Madoff secretary says she think’s he’s been silent to protect others

NEW YORK — Bernard Madoff’s longtime secretary said Wednesday that she believes the disgraced financier is not cooperating with authorities in order to protect others, and that he was a flirtatious boss who frequented massage parlors.

Ponzi king Madoff’s secretary reveals his lust for ladies and money

NEW YORK - Ponzi king Bernie Madoff’s long time secretary, Eleanor Squillari, has revealed that her boss enjoyed “frequent massages” during work, hurled vicious insults at underlings and physically fell to pieces as his scheme unraveled.

A-Rod hits 2 homers and plays 7 innings of defense for the 2nd straight day at extended spring

TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez homered twice and played seven innings in the field for the second straight day in an extended spring training game on Tuesday.