Picture News

last SG · 2005-07-13T23:59:44+00:00

i like these, they look so ben ben and cute cute

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Sweden's representative at the annual Santa Claus World Convention, being held in Copenhagen, enjoys a swim.

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AFP - Mon Jul 25, 3:55 PM ET
Grazing on Son Kul Plateau : A horse grazes as a rainbow appears in the sky on the Son-Kul plateau, 3013 metres above sea level located on the ancient Great Silk Road from Kashgar to Bishkek. (AFP/Vyacheslav Oseledko)

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Reuters - Tue Jul 26, 5:32 AM ET

Wal-Mart associate Jana Cotton water plants inside a solar-powered greenhouse at an environmentally-friendly Wal-Mart concept store in McKinney, Texas, July 19, 2005. The retail giant is planning two experimental stores in the U.S. that uses the latest 'green' technologies to reduce the amount of energy and natural resources used to operate the stores. The Texas location gets eight percent of its energy from wind and solar power. (Jeff Mitchell/Reuters)

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Reuters - Tue Jul 26, 7:33 AM ET

Space shuttle Discovery is spotlighted on the pad as the sun comes up on launch day for Mission STS-114 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida July 26, 2005. Discovery cleared a critical countdown hurdle when a suspect sensor performed well during fueling, clearing the way for the first shuttle launch since the 2003 Columbia disaster. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)

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In Spain, a forest fire apparently started by a barbecue claims the lives of 11 volunteer firefighters.

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A woman and her two-year-old son inside their home in Sialmari village, Bangladesh, surrounded by floodwaters.

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FIRED UP: Fireworks lit up the sky in Yishun on Monday, a preview of the National Day display in the neighbourhood. -- ABDUL AZIZ HUSSIN

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wah seh Laughing

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UNDER WATER: The heaviest rains ever in India closed Mumbai's airports and financial hub on Wednesday, leaving many people stranded. -- AP

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ONCE IN A LIFETIME: Skydiving over Marina Bay will not be possible when construction for the integrated resorts begins. -- ARIEL TRENDZ

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Australian metalsmith artist Robert Foster stands besides his work titled 'Flame Beneath the Sea'.

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The view from the Space Shuttle Discovery, currently in orbit around the Earth.

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Greenpeace activists launch a protest at a coal depot in Newcastle, Australia.

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Launch day for space shuttle Discovery

Lift off

Space shuttle Discovery blasted off on its 12-day mission at 1039 local time (1539 BST) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It is Nasa's first orbiter flight since the Columbia disaster of February 2003.

It is crucial that Discovery's mission is a success for Nasa, to prove that manned space missions can continue into the future.

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Up at dawn

As a deep red glow marked the dawn of launch day, shuttle Discovery sat silently poised for lift-off.

Tuesday 26 July was the second attempt at re-launching Nasa's orbiter programme.

The earlier launch attempt of 13 July had to be scrubbed because of a fault with a fuel sensor.

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Keeping watch

Even before the sun was up, spectators gathered in anticipation.

Space enthusiasts had been looking forward to this day for months, hoping to catch the power and majesty of shuttles race into the sky.

Early arrival ensured the best positions to view the spectacle.

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Team photo

The crew of Discovery, which is led by Commander Eileen Collins, were photographed together as they headed for the launch pad.

During their 12-day mission, they will deliver parts and supplies to the International Space Station.

They will also test new safety features on the shuttle brought in following the loss of Columbia.

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Waving goodbye

Nasa employees bid the Discovery crew a warm farewell as they took a short bus ride to the launch pad.

Among the people watching the orbiters launch were the families of those who lost their lives on Columbia.

Doug Brown, the brother of Columbia astronaut David Brown, said it would be "a moment of closure".

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Farewell message

Many of the astronauts held up messages to their loved ones as they entered the shuttle.

Charles Camarda reminded his son to be good for his mother, while Soichi Noguchi, the Japanese member of the crew, seen here, took a more humorous approach to the final farewell.

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Strapped in

All seven astronauts were strapped securely into their seats on Discovery's flight-deck.

They took up their positions over three hours before lift-off.

On 13 July, they had got this far only to be stood down when the fuel sensor started to play up.

This time the launch countdown proceeded without a hitch.

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