Virgin space tourists could be launched by 2015

LONDON - A Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Scotland could be launching tourists into space by 2015.

Japanese space probe returns to Earth after 7-year journey to collect asteroid material

Space probe returns to Earth from trip to asteroid

NGO to plant one crore seeds along Maharashtra highway

THANE - One crore seeds of various trees will be planted during a three-day drive along a 350 km stretch of National Highway No.3 (Agra-Mumbai) between Maharashtra’s Thane and Dhule districts, an NGO said Sunday.

Monsoon hits Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - The monsoon Sunday hit Orissa, bringing rains to 11 of the 30 districts in the state, an official said.

Dust storm, light rain in parts of Delhi (Second Lead)

NEW DELHI - Some parts of the capital experienced a dust storm followed by light showers Sunday afternoon, the weatherman said, adding that the city recorded a maximum temperature of 43 degrees Celsius which was three notches above the average.

Bihar, Tripura zoos to exchange rare animals

AGARTALA - Bihar’s Patna Zoo and Tripura’s Sepahijala Zoo will soon exchange rare animals, officials said here Sunday.

Dust storm, light rain in parts of Delhi

NEW DELHI - Some parts of the capital experienced a dust storm followed by light showers Sunday afternoon, the weatherman said.

Now, voice-based stress detector to tell who will perform under pressure

LONDON - Scientists in Australia have developed a voice-based stress detector that they claim can help identify which job candidates will perform better under pressure.

Facebook wants info about Australia’s registered sex offenders

MELBOURNE - Social networking site Facebook wants all the information about Australia’s registered sex offenders.

Success of hepatitis C treatment may depend on genetic variant

WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that a small genetic change can help predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease.

Puberty for girls begins at 9 now

LONDON - A large number of girls are now reaching puberty before the age of 10, say scientists who believe the phenomenon could be linked to obesity or exposure to chemicals in the food chain.

Russian rocket in place at Central Asia launching pad for space station mission

Russian rocket primed for space station mission

‘Natural’ new pill could boost women’s sex drive

SYDNEY - Australian institutions are taking part in a worldwide trial to find out whether a new contraceptive pill - the first to contain a natural form of oestrogen - can also boost women’s sex drive.

‘Saturated’ human brain incapable of uncovering greatest mysteries of universe

LONDON - The human brain is incapable of resolving some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, says Lord Rees, the president of the UK’s Royal Society.

Melting Himalayan glaciers to have varying impact on river basins

LONDON - The melting of glaciers in the Himalayas will have varying impact on the waters of the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Yellow rivers, according to a new Dutch research.

A hot day ahead for Delhiites

NEW DELHI - Delhiites will experience a hot day Sunday with the weather office predicting rise in the maximum temperature — but the capital can look forward to rain in the next few days.

Study shows IVF doubles risk of abnormal babies

LONDON - Here’s a piece of information for people seeking fertility treatments: Babies conceived through IVF (In vitro fertilisation) are at sharply increased risk of serious congenital malformations.