Throngs view space shuttle Discovery's last launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time Thursday, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

The six astronauts on board, all experienced space fliers, were thrilled to be on their way after a delay of nearly four months for fuel tank repairs. But it puts Discovery on the cusp of retirement when it returns in 11 days and eventually heads to a museum.

Discovery is the oldest of NASA's three surviving space shuttles and the first to be decommissioned this year. Two missions remain, first by Atlantis and then Endeavour, to end the 30-year program.

hat Purchaser ought Cognise About Newport Beach Homes?

They are a dream of a lot of Peoples to own up a Newport Beach Home, because we all Cognise Newport Beach is among the world's fullest and gilded urban center to domicile. Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, United States 10 miles (16 km) south of Downtown Santa Ana. Newport Beach is one of the cities with lowest population density as its total population stands out to be 86,252. The city is currently one of the wealthiest communities in the United States and has even been ranked first in some categories. Areas of Newport Beach include Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, Newport Coast, San Joaquin Hills, and Balboa Peninsula.

UN Security Council Links Security to Development

The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously issued a statement pointing out a close link between international security and economic development.

The 15-member Security Council heard repeated references to the linkage between poverty and conflict throughout the world. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking to the Council, said evidence abounds that peace, security and development are interdependent.

"Nine of the 10 countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators have experienced conflict in the last 20 years. Countries facing stark inequality and weak institutions are at increased risk of conflict."

Kelsey Grammer Gets His Divorce From Wife Camille

A judge has granted Kelsey Grammer a divorce, clearing the way for the actor to remarry later this month.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson agreed Thursday to grant Kelsey and Camille Grammer a divorce and settle financial issues at a later date.

Camille Grammer has estimated in court filings that the former couple's shared property may be worth $20 million.

Kelsey and Camille Grammer were married in 1997 and have two young children together.

Attorneys for the former "Frasier" star and Camille Grammer, who appears on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," told Nelson they will set aside $2.3 million while financial arrangements are handled.

The 55-year-old actor has told David Letterman last month that he plans to marry Kayte Walsh sometime in February.

Associated Press

Educating our Children: Students Switching to Charter Schools

From experimental to mainstream, more and more students are switching from conventional public schools to charters.

Last year, the publicly funded, privately run schools grew almost 10 percent nationwide to more than 1.7 million students, as parents watched many urban schools lose students and money, while labor rules and pension costs prevented reforms.

California leads the nation with almost 1,000 campuses and an estimated 350,000 students.

Niger Presidential Race Heading for Run-Off Vote

Provisional results from Niger's presidential election show there will be a second-round run-off between the main opposition candidate and an ally of the president who was deposed in last February's military coup.

Niger went to the polls Monday to choose a new leader, nearly one year after soldiers ousted president Mamadou Tandja, who had grown increasingly unpopular after changing the constitution to expand his powers and extend his mandate.

According to provisional results announced Friday afternoon, veteran anti-Tandja opposition leader, Mahamadou Issoufou, led the first round with 36 percent of votes, followed by the former prime minister and candidate for the ex-president's party, Seini Oumarou, who won 23 percent of votes.

RNC Chairman: Party Debt Is Worse Than Numbers Sheet Shows

WASHINGTON -- Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus took the job with $23 million in debt and cut a third of the staff he inherited from his predecessor, the controversial and gaffe-prone Michael Steele.

In year-end federal finance reports on Monday, the GOP central committee showed that $2 million of its debt came during Steele's final two weeks as he sought to keep hold of his chairmanship. The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, reported a continued fraction of that debt but had enough cash in the bank to pay off the loans immediately.

Passengers' trauma lingers long after flight

Scott Bruni says he thought he was going to die as he ducked his head, squeezed the seat in front of him and was told to "brace for impact" during an emergency landing in September at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport.

When the right wing of the Delta Connection jet he was on struck the runway, Bruni says, images of the plane cartwheeling down the runway, fire and explosion flashed through his mind. The jet - bound for New York's Westchester County Airport before it was diverted to JFK with a landing gear problem - safely came to a halt, and the pilot ordered Bruni and other passengers to evacuate.