The study by Bigelow Aerospace, commissioned by NASA, shows “a lot of excitement and interest from various companies” for such ventures, Daily Mail quoted Robert Bigelow, founder and president of the Las Vegas-based firm, as saying.

The projects range from pharmaceutical research aboard Earth-orbiting habitats, to missions to the Moon’s surface, he said Thursday, citing a draft of the report due to be released in a few weeks.

NASA intends to follow the International Space Station programme with astronaut visits to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars about a decade later.

“The most serious reaction to such things is not the introduction of new administrative bans, but a sharp condemnation by society,” said Olga Batalina, head of the Russian parliament’s committee on family issues.

“This would be the most serious weapon, one in the hands of each of us.”

A group of LGBT activists handed out condoms Sunday next to the eternal flame in memory of the unknonw soldier in the central Russia city of Togliatti in an attempt to raise AIDS and HIV awareness.

They also placed portraits of famous people who had died of AIDS, including former Queen singer Freddie Mercury, next to the monument.

Over 69,000 new cases of HIV were recorded in Russia last year, the country’s top public health official said in March.

–IANS/RIA Novosti

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India have lost their previous two matches against Myanmar and Chinese Taipei, respectively, but have in no way embarrassed themselves.

In the last match India fought bravely only to be thwarted in the final minutes of the game, losing 1-2 Thursday.

Though Palestine sit at the bottom of the table of Group D conceding 15 goals in two matches, India coach Anadi Barua is not keen on taking them lightly. Rather the Coach wants to sign off on a high.

“No team can be taken lightly. They have lost two matches and will come hard at us. We have played well and want to end things on a high. We aim to finish on a good note.”

Taipei’s Yu Hsiu Chin and Lai Li Chin scored in each half to cancel out Sasmita’s Malik gem of a free kick in the 53rd minute.

Chinese Taipei coach Yen Shih Kai despite winning the match showered lavish praise on India.

“India played good football. The goal scored from the set-piece was amazing. They are a very good team. They read the game well too. We could hardly make any inroads in the first half,” Kai admitted post-match.

“It’s just that we capitalised on the two chances we got. It was indeed a hard fought win,” he added

While India coach said, “I still can’t believe we lost. It may sound stereotype but deep down inside I know that we played good football.”

“But at the same time football is all about goals. When you play good football, dominate your opponent but don’t score you are bound to lose. Both Myanmar and Taipei capitalised on the opportunities and then played clever football,” he opined.

The kick-off against Palestine Saturday is at IST 7.30 p.m.

“The first meeting will be in Lough Erne (Northern Ireland) on the sidelines of the G8 Summit and then (during) Obama’s visit [to Russia] in September, early September,” Putin aide Yury Ushakov said.

Obama’s visit will take place before the G20 summit that will be held either in Moscow or St. Petersburg, he added.

Putin and Obama will discuss missile defence among other issues in June, but any agreements on the issue are unlikely, Ushakov said.

–IANS/RIA Novosti

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Robinson said he was sorry for using the phrase, which “was both liable to be misinterpreted and to cause offence”, during the BBC News at Six broadcast Thursday.

The corporation received dozens of complaints after using the comment just hours after British soldier Lee Rigby, 25, was brutally murdered in the street.

Robinson Friday apologised on his BBC blog for using the phrase.

Michael Adebolajo, a 28-year-old Londoner of Nigerian descent, is one of the two suspects who hacked to death a British soldier. The vicious attack on the soldier took place Wednesday in Woolwich district, southeast London.

The denial came after a query by an opposition lawmaker, who wanted to know if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had not yet moved into his official residence, five months after coming to power, because of rumours that the building was haunted by the ghosts of young military officers who died there in a failed 1936 military coup.

“We are not aware” of any ghosts, the government said, in a written response to the enquiry by Ken Kagaya, an upper house member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

“It is true that there are many rumours,” chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

–IANS/RIA Novosti

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The PIA plane was diverted from Manchester to Stansted airport, reported BBC, citing a Manchester airport spokesperson Friday.

The plane, flight number PK709, carrying 297 passengers, had reportedly left Lahore at 09.35 a.m. and was due in at Manchester at 2.00 p.m. (British Standard Time).

An Essex police spokeswoman said: “An incident has occurred on an aircraft. Police and partners are responding.”

Police were expected to meet the plane at the airport.

The defence ministry said RAF Typhoon jets have been launched to “investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft within UK airspace”.

She was arrested Thursday night.

A building official called police after spotting Bynes in the lobby with a joint, acting erratically and talking to herself, said law enforcement sources.

Bynes let the policemen in when they knocked at her door, and when the police saw the bong, she quickly tossed it out of the window.

Bynes, wearing a platinum blonde wig, was placed under arrest. She reportedly went ballistic, and yelled at the police, asking: “Don’t you know who I am?”

She was booked for criminal possession of pot as well as reckless endangerment and felony tampering with evidence, as per the tmz.com report.

Law enforcement sources also revealed that the actress was briefly taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation and then taken to the station for booking.

She was then taken to the night court just before the clock struck midnight.

Fifteenth-ranked Pallikal squandered a great start to go down 11-7, 10-12, 9-11, 6-11 against the World No.2 amid cold and wet conditions surrounding the glass court at the KC Stadium here Thursday night.

Her loss ended India’s challenge in the competition. Pallikal had lost to Egyptian Raneem El Weleily at the same stage in the 2012 edition of the world’s oldest tournament.

In the men’s category, Saurav Ghosal Wednesday fell short against Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in the round of 16.

The 45-minute contest Thursday saw Pallikal taking control of the first two games until her more experienced opponent staged a remarkable comeback. The Indian was 8-3 up in the second game and had four game balls before Massaro turned the contest around.

Talking about that game, Massaro said: “I wasn’t even thinking about the score, I didn’t realise I was that far behind in the second.”

“It’s such tough conditions out there, I just had to concentrate on each point, and it might have seemed a bit excessive but I needed to keep on geeing myself up and that was the only way to do it.”

The English player takes on 14th seed Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt in the quarterfinals Friday.

“Omneya and I came through juniors together so it should be an interesting match,” said Massaro.

The first blast took place at around 4.10 p.m. in Afghanistan’s Shahrara area, reported Xinhua citing the source.

The source said the obvious target of the attack might have been the Public Protection Police Force headquarter and the nearby UN office.

While the gunfight was on in the area, the source said, a building in the area caught fire.

Citing initial reports, the source said several people were killed and injured in the attack.

A witness said the first explosion was a suicide car bombing targeting the police department.

Meanwhile, the Indian External Affairs ministry in New Delhi, said the serial bombings did not take place near the Indian embassy.

“The blasts are near the old chancery in Kabul, which we had left years ago,” Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.