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NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, a crew member on the upcoming STS-133 Space Shuttle mission, who was injured over the weekend in a bicycle accident, has been replaced. Astronaut Steve Bowen will be taking his place. Kopra's duties of lead spacewalker on the crew of STS-133 will be transmitted to Bowen, veteran of two previous spaceflights, STS-126 and STS-132. Peggy Whitson, chief of NASA'S Astronaut Office, expressed her confidence in Bowen saying, "[Steve] has performed five prior spacewalks. That extensive experience, coupled with some adjustment

Sargent Shriver, the 21st US Ambassador to France, died Tuesday at the age of 95 in Maryland, of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He served as the ambassador to France under US Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. Shriver was born Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr. on November 9, 1915 in Westminster, Maryland. He also served in the US Navy during World War II. Shriver was a candidate for Vice President of the United States with former US Senator George McGovern in 1972 when McGovern's first pick, Thomas Eagleton resigned from the De

NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, a crew member on the upcoming STS-133 Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS), sustained an injury in a bicycle accident over the weekend, possibly breaking his hip. His injury could create difficulties for him, the lead space-walker on the STS-133 mission, and the rest of the crew in their training for the mission. The mission is currently scheduled to launch on February 24. Although Kopra is expected to make a full recovery from his injury, NASA says there is a possibility that his duties on t

Two students were shot yesterday at Gardena High School when a student brought a gun on campus. The shooting was probably reported by the school, which is located at 1301 West 182nd Street in Los Angeles, California, at 1830 UTC (1030 PST). A Los Angeles Unified School District official said that the shooting was accidental. The student had brought the gun in his backpack, when it fell out onto the ground and then discharged, hitting two victims, one of whom, a 15-year old female, is reported in critical condition at hospital. The other victim

In Northern Ireland, a two-year-old boy has died after contracting the H1N1 virus. Hours later, it emerged that another boy, aged ten months, had also died after contracting the virus. The second boy had underlying health difficulties. It is unknown if the first had other problems with his health. Since the start of the flu season in the United Kingdom, the total number of deaths in Northern Ireland as a result of contracting the H1N1 virus has now increased to 19. At least two of those 19 dead had other underlying health issues. Michael McGi

Steve Jobs, the chief executive officer of Apple Inc., announced Monday in an internal memo that he would be on medical leave for an undetermined period of time. The statement caused a sharp decrease of Apple share prices in foreign markets, while US markets were closed in honor of Martin Luther King. Monday's email announcement marked the third time in the past decade that Jobs, aged 55, has taken medical leave. He fought pancreatic cancer in 2004 and took six months off in early 2009, later revealing he had undergone a liver transplant. Jobs

After weeks of chaos, Prime Minister of Tunisia Mohammed Ghannouchi has stated that he is taking power of the country. Recent violence has caused the country to shut down its airspace, lead the United States State Department to advise against visiting the country, and forced a state of emergency to be declared. "I can confirm that the army is at the airport. Armoured vehicles are surrounding the airport," an official source stated. Rumors of attempts to flee by the President’s staff have been reported as well. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

An amphibious vehicle belonging to the United States Marines capsized and sank to the floor of the Del Mar boat basin, California at 1130 PST (1930 UTC) resulting in one death and three injures. Three instructors and three students were conducting driver training when the vehicle capsized and sank, trapping them inside. Three injured individuals were transported to hospital and two were uninjured. The deceased Marine was rescued at around 1415 PST and was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1447 PST. Oxygen was being pumped

Citizens from Punta Arenas, Chile, the world's southernmost city and capital of the Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region, remained on strike Wednesday after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced an increase in natural gas prices by 16.8 percent, in that region. Citizens from Punta Arenas and politicians are demanding that Piñera maintain subsidies on natural gas. "We want dialogue, to continue talking in a serious and responsible way about the future of Magallanes," Ena von Baer, the government spokeswoman, said on Wednesday morning.

Over the course of the last week, fifteen people who have suffered from influenza have died in Wales, as reported to the Welsh Assembly Government. The total amount of flu-related deaths in Wales since October 2010 has now increased to 27. On Tuesday, 49 people were being treated in critical care beds in hospitals around Wales, according to health officials. With twelve reported admissions, Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board had the highest amount of critical care patients in Wales. Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board has the second hi

Jared Loughner, a 22-year-old former college student, has appeared in federal court following the shooting on Saturday at a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. The shooting killed five people including John Roll, a federal judge, and injured 19 including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Loughner has been charged in federal court with attempted assassination of a member of Congress, first-degree murder and attempting to kill employees of the federal government. Prosecutors for the State of Arizona are trying to determine whether they can bring cha

In a Tuesday media event, Verizon Wireless announced it had reached an agreement with Apple Inc. and would begin selling a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 beginning early February. The move means the end of rival company AT&T's status as the only official US carrier of the iPhone, a status it held since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. The press conference, held in New York City, was hosted by Verizon's president, Lowell McAdam, Apple's chief operating officer, Tim Cook, and Verizon Wireless' chief executive officer, Dan Mead. Neither Verizon Co