Houston, December 13
Two astronauts of space shuttle Discovery have stepped out into space completing the first of the three spacewalks aimed at extending and rewiring the International Space Station.

Mission Specialists US astronaut Robert Curbeam, a veteran spacewalker, and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesang added the P5 integrated truss structure to the station yesterday.

The P5 was attached to the P4 segment. Mission Specialist Joan Higginbotham used the station's robotic arm to move the new segment with only inches of clearance into its installation position.

Then, the spacewalkers guided Higginbotham with visual cues as the exacting operation was carried out. After the P5's attachment, Curbeam and Fuglesang finalised the installation with power, data and heater cable connections.

They also replaced a malfunctioning camera on the S1 truss. Since spacewalkers worked ahead for the timeline, Curbeam and Fuglesang were able to tackle some get-ahead tasks. Two more spacewalks are on tap for STS-116 to reconfigure and redistribute power on the station.

The seven-member crew also performed a thorough, over five-hour inspection of the tiles shuttle's heat shield tiles to look for damage from debris shed during liftoff.

During the inspection, Higginbotham and Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams used the station's 57-foot camera-equipped robotic arm to scan four reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels on the shuttle's wing. Preliminary analyses of the images reveal nothing of concern, NASA deputy space shuttle manager John Shannon said in a news briefing today.

While engineers have said further inspections are not necessary, experts are still reviewing data. It was damage in the craft that lead to the loss of Columbia and its seven astronauts during re-entry in 2003.

The astronauts began their day, waking up to the Beatles' song "Here Comes the Sun" beamed up by ground controllers in Houston.

"Good morning, Discovery, and a special good morning to you, Mark," NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid, serving as spacecraft communicator, greeted from the ground as she hailed the shuttle launch.

Led by commander Mark Polansky, the STS-116 crew will participate in three spacewalks over the next week to install a new $ 11 million Port 5 spacer segment to the ISS, switch on a thermal cooling system and rewire the orbital laboratory's electrical grid so it can draw power from a new set of solar panels arrays installed last month.

Discovery is expected to stay at the station until Monday, with another inspection of the heat shield planned after the shuttle undocks.

A return to earth is scheduled for December 21. NASA engineers are keen to have the ship and crew safely on the ground before New Year’s Day, as the shuttle's navigation software is not designed to handle the New Year roll over. — PTI

Ipswich, December 13
The red light district of the quiet English town of Ipswich was deserted overnight as the British police continued its probe into the murders of three prostitutes in the area today, after discovering two more bodies.

The new corpses, presumed to be those of women reported missing for several days, were confirmed by the police in the eastern port town, fuelling fears that a serial killer was at large.

All women are being warned to take care once darkness falls as the pre-Christmas party season warms up.

“The natural assumption is that these are the two missing women,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, who is leading the investigation. The first two murdered women, Gemma Adams (25) and Tania Nicol (19), went missing on November 15 and October 30, respectively.

The police yesterday confirmed the identify of a third woman, whose body was found in woods on Sunday, as Anneli Alderton, adding that she had been strangled.

And they admitted there was still no news of two other missing prostitutes: Paula Clennell (24), who has not been seen since Saturday, and Annette Nicholls (29), who has been missing since December 4. — AFP

Washington, December 13
Britain and France paid tributes to one of the greatest spies of the Second World War, a little-known Baltimore woman who organised resistance and sabotage behind Nazi lines despite a pre-war hunting mishap that left her with only one leg.

The tribute organised yesterday for Virginia Hall, who died in 1982 at age 76, was organised by the French and British Ambassadors after officials discovered she had never received a royal warrant meant to accompany the medal King George VI gave her in 1943 when he made her a member of the Order of the British Empire.

''Virginia Hall is a true hero of the French Resistance,'' French President Jacques Chirac said in a statement read at a ceremony at the French Ambassador's residence.

Lorna Catling, who received the royal certificate from British Ambassador David Manning on behalf of Hall's family, said: ''I am so glad that my aunt has finally ... become public.”

“She did ... so many wonderful things that she deserves to be known. And I am glad it has happened.'' Hall was fluent in French, Italian and German and as a young woman wanted a career in the US Foreign Service. While working as a clerk at the American Embassy in Warsaw, she lost her left leg in a hunting accident.

The Foreign Service would not take her because of her disability. Undeterred and with the Second World War looming, she joined the French army and worked as an ambulance driver.

''From my point of view and that of many of my colleagues, Virginia Hall can be considered the greatest wartime agent,'' Chirac's statement quoted one of her fellow agents as saying.

The discovery that Hall had never received the royal warrant to accompany her MBE came during background research for an oil painting of Hall. The painting is ultimately meant to hang in the CIA's museum, artist Jeff Bass said. — Reuters

Kuala Lumpur, December 13
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin was today sworn in as the 13th Malay King, becoming one of the youngest monarchs of the East Asian country.

Abidin (44), the sultan of oil-rich Terengganu state, is Malaysia’s second youngest monarch ever and a keen horse rider who has represented his country at international events.

He is to serve a five-year term in Kuala Lumpur after he was sworn in at a solemn ceremony at the king’s palace.

The country’s nine sultans take turns to be the King of the country for a period of five years each.

Abidin, clad in royal yellow and sporting a sparkling ethnic Malay head-dress and a knife called the keris, was flanked by Malay state rulers as he read and signed an oath of office vowing to be loyal to Malaysia’s laws and constitution. — PTI