HOUSTON: Discovery shuttle astronauts entered the International Space Station on Sunday to deliver some two tonnes of equipment for the first crew to live aboard the orbital complex next spring, NASA's control centre here said. Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and his American colleague Tamara Jernigan opened the last hatch separating the two spacecraft on Monday. Over the next four days, the Discovery astronauts are to install some 750 items into the space station, including computers, clothes, water and spare parts, to prepare ISS for its first occupants -- two Russians and an American due to move in next spring.

King Birendra appoints new cabinet headed by Bhattarai

KATHMANDU: Nepal's King Birendra on Monday formally appointed a 16-member cabinet headed by new Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, state radio announced. Bhattarai, 75, will also hold the defence, royal palace, foreign, home, women's welfare and social servicesportfolios. All members of the council of ministers are from the Nepali Congress party, which swept to an overall majority in elections this month. The outright victory raised hopes for political stability in a country which has seen six governments since 1994. The cabinet is expected to be expanded in a couple of weeks, sources close to the premier said. Bhattarai was appointed Thursday for his second term as premier. He had held the post following the re-establishment of a multi-party system in this Himalayan kingdom, after a 1990 revolt cost scores of lives.

Sri Lankan man gets voice back in road accident

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan man who had lost his voice as a child suddenly got it back when he was thrown out a vehicle as it tumbled on the road, news reports said on Monday. All seven occupants of the crowded van were injured Saturday when it skid on the wet road and rolled over in Warakapola, 80 km north-east of Colombo, the Island reported. The other passengers, who knew of the man's speechproblem, were surprised to hear him fire away instructions to rescuers. The newspaper said the man, whose name was not reported, had visited many doctors to cure his problem. He was heading to yet another hospital when the accident occurred.