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Space shuttle Endeavour was built to replace the Challenger ship which was lost on launch in 1986

The American shuttle Endeavour will try again on Monday to launch to the International Space Station (ISS).

Engineers believe they have fixed a heater problem in the aft of the ship that kept the orbiter from making an ascent two weeks ago.

Endeavour is undertaking its final mission before retirement to a Los Angeles museum.

It will carry to the ISS a $2bn particle physics experiment known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS).

Also in the shuttle’s payload bay will be a tray of critical spare parts for the station.

“Endeavour is pretty close to my heart as it’s the first space shuttle I flew on in 2001,” said shuttle commander Mark Kelly. “So I’m glad it’s the one I’m going to fly in last.

“It’s the baby of the fleet; it’s coming up on 19 years in service – the 25th flight. Twenty-five is a good round number to end on.”

Lift-off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is timed for 0856 local time (1256 GMT; 1356 BST).

Local police say they expect perhaps half a million people to gather around the spaceport to try to get a good view of the orbiter climbing into the morning sky.

Among those expected to attend is Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.

On the ship’s return, the only active orbiter left in the US space agency’s (Nasa) shuttle fleet will be Atlantis.

It should make a final sortie sometime in July.

Endeavour’s last flight will be historic on many fronts, not just because it is the orbiter’s swansong:

Its cargo will be the single most expensive science experiment to be delivered to the ISSThe mission is expected to see a shuttle crew make a spacewalk for the last timeItalian crewmember Roberto Vitorri will be the last non-American to fly aboard a shuttleAnd it will see mission specialist Mike Finke become the most experienced American astronaut in history. On his return, Finke’s cumulative time spent in orbit will be 381 days, passing that of Peggy Whitson.

SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR

Endeavour was the last orbiter to be built and flew its maiden voyage on 7 May, 1992It is named after the ship commanded by the British explorer James Cook from 1769 to 1771Total space time to date: 280 days; Total Earth orbits: 4,429; Individual crew members: 133Made the first American ISS construction flight, delivering the Unity ModuleCarried out the mission to correct the Hubble Space Telescope’s flawed visionIts radar map of the planet is one of the most used Earth-observation data-sets ever acquired

The delayed arrival at the station means the sleep patterns of the shuttle’s crew members and those of the station’s residents will be slightly misaligned.

The daily routine for the Endeavour crew will begin roughly four hours before that of the ISS team.

Three of the six station astronauts will actually depart in a Soyuz capsule while Endeavour is present and return to Earth. It will be the first time some of the “hosts” have left while “guests” are still in the “house”.

It will mean just nine astronauts are left aboard the platform to accomplish all the tasks set out for Endeavour’s visit.

But Nasa managers have extended the mission from 14 days to 16 days to make sure nothing gets lost from the schedule.

The key objective is the delivery of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a highly sensitive machine that will carry out a comprehensive survey of cosmic rays. These are the high-energy particles that our accelerated in Earth’s direction from all corners of the cosmos.

Scientists hope it can help them to address similar sorts of questions to those pursued in particle accelerators in Earth laboratories – how did the Universe come into being and how it is constructed?

But AMS principal investigator Professor Sam Ting said his space experiment could explore domains beyond the reach of ground technology.

“The highest energy particles are from the cosmos,” he told BBC News. “No matter how large the accelerator you build on Earth, you cannot compete with cosmic rays.” These particles are absorbed by the atmosphere and the only way to study them properly is to get into orbit, he added.

$2bn machine to ‘probe the unknown’

The AMS machine, built by a collaboration of 16 nations, will:

look for clues to the nature of “dark matter”, the material that shapes galaxies and makes up most of the mass of the Universehunt for evidence of the existence of antimatter, the mirror of the material from which stars and planets are madetry to catch strangelets, or strange matter, which is built from a slightly different mix of sub-atomic particles to that of normal mattercharacterise the space radiation environment so that the dangers for astronauts and satellites of being in space is fully comprehended

Endeavour’s late lift-off has had a knock-on delay to the final flight of Atlantis. It had been scheduled to launch on 28 June, but Nasa thinks it will now be early July before the ship can attempt its ascent.

On completion of the 30-year shuttle programme, America will use Russian Soyuz capsule to fly its astronauts to the ISS.

A number of US national commercial carriers should enter into service around the middle of the decade.

Nasa will then buy seats in these astronaut “taxis”. The arrangement will represent a major change in the way the agency does business. No longer will it own the vehicles it uses to go to low-Earth orbit.

This servicing plan should free up resources for Nasa to build an astronaut Space Launch System capable of travelling beyond the station, to the Moon, asteroids and to Mars.

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The proposals aim to make it easier for parents to share childcare

Business Secretary Vince Cable has launched a consultation on plans to increase the amount leave for new parents in England, Scotland and Wales.

The proposals would extend parental leave by four weeks and enable the mother and father to split it between them in a number of blocks.

Currently mothers can take 52 weeks, some of which can be shared by fathers, who can also take two weeks themselves.

Business leaders have expressed concerns about the potential costs.

Six of the 52 weeks currently offered are paid at 90% of the parent’s salary. Another 33 are paid at a standard rate of £128.73, which also applies to the additional two weeks offered to fathers.

Since April 2011, fathers and mothers have been able to share some of the 52 weeks’ leave, with the father able to take up to six months beginning after the baby is 20 weeks old.

However, this can only be taken as a single block – as can the leave the mother takes.

Under the the proposed scheme, which the government says would begin in 2015 at the earliest, the mother would be allowed to take up to 18 weeks straight after the birth, but a following 30 weeks could be split between the parents, and, at their request, broken down into smaller blocks of a few weeks or months.

Of these 30 weeks, 17 would be paid at the standard rate.

However, employers would retain the right to demand the leave was taken in a continuous block, “depending on business needs”, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said.

In addition, both parents would be entitled to an additional four weeks’ leave each, and the father would still be offered two weeks’ paternity leave straight after the birth, as now.

“These measures are fairer for fathers and maintain the existing entitlements for mothers – but crucially give parents much greater choice over how to balance their work and family commitments,” said Mr Cable.

He said the need to minimise costs and bureaucracy had been “at the forefront” of his mind when developing the plans.

“But I’m also confident that we have a good case to make on the wider benefits to business – not least from a motivated and flexible workforce,” he said.

Katja Hall, policy director of the Confederation of British Industry, said the organisation was “concerned” about the total increase in parental leave, “given the UK already offers some of the most generous provisions in the world”.

The Federation of Small Businesses said the changes would hit small companies “hard” and make administration of parental leave more complicated.

However, Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber welcomed the reforms.

“The extra month of parental leave for dads only builds on reforms brought in by the last government and will encourage more fathers to take time off,” he said.

Parental leave is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland.

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More than 80% of chewing tobacco products sold in England do not comply with legislation, according to a report.

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Police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have filed preliminary charges against two women accused of killing their daughters.

The women, who were neighbours and are both Muslim, were reportedly furious with their daughters for eloping with Hindu men, police told the BBC.

Zahida, 19, and Husna, 26, were strangled last week after they returned home to make peace with their families.

The two mothers are yet to make an official response to the accusations.

One of the accused is quoted by the Indian Express newspaper as saying after being arrested, “How could they elope with Hindus? They deserved to die. We have no remorse.”

Police say they are still trying to ascertain if the women assisted each other.

Zahida and Husna fell in love with two Hindu construction workers and eloped and got married before returning home to the town of Baghpat last week. Their mothers were arrested by police on Friday.

Correspondents say that marriages between Hindus and Muslims are not common in India. In rural areas especially they are frowned upon by both communities.

Last week India’s Supreme Court ruled that people convicted of so-called honour killings should face the death penalty.

“It is time to stamp out these barbaric, feudal practices which are a slur on our nation,” the court said.

According to one recent study, hundreds of people are killed each year in India for falling in love or marrying against their families’ wishes.

Convictions for so-called honour killings usually carry life sentences.

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The US shuttle Endeavour has launched on its final mission, which will see it haul a $2bn particle physics experiment to the International Space Station.

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Kenyans ask if money caused Sammy Wanjiru’s demise

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Nokia is to stop using the Ovi brand to sell music, games and mobile apps, opting to return to the Nokia name instead.

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West Ham hope to appoint a new manager in the next two to three weeks after parting company with Avram Grant, BBC Sport understands.

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Sofyen was chased to the ticket hall where he was stabbed repeatedly

Five teenagers have been convicted of killing a 15-year-old boy at Victoria station in central London.

Sofyen Belamouadden, from Acton, west London, was chased and stabbed in the ticket hall of the Tube station on 25 March 2010.

Two teenagers have been found guilty of his murder. Three others have been convicted of manslaughter.

The trial heard that the rush-hour attack was planned on the social network site Facebook.

The trial at the Old Bailey heard he was killed after tensions between pupils from two west London schools, some of whom saw the station as “home territory”.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, said the “merciless” knife attack on the schoolboy took place in “broad daylight” in front of hundreds of commuters.

Sofyen was confronted by a group with a sword at Victoria station before being chased into the Tube station where he was stabbed nine times, including to the lung and chest.

Mr Heywood said: “He was given no chance of life.

“So brazen and confident were his killers that they openly carried the various weapons that they used with them as they ran towards him and together hunted him down.”

One member of the gang, Samuel Roberts, told the court that he joined in the violence – captured on CCTV – simply because “everyone else was doing it”.

Obi Nwokeh, 18, of Bermondsey, south-east London, and a 17-year-old were convicted of murder by unanimous jury verdicts.

Roberts, of Camberwell, south-east London, Adonis Akra, of Stockwell, of south London, both 18, and another 17-year-old were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.

Enoch Amoah, 18, of Camberwell, was cleared of both charges but convicted of violent disorder.

All six defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

A number of other youths are due to face separate trials over the killing.

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Diego Maradona is set to be appointed as the new manager of United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl.

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The government’s terror laws watchdog has said six men arrested during Pope Benedict’s visit last September were never involved in a plot.

But David Anderson QC said police had used their powers “lawfully and appropriately”.

The six men, all Westminster street cleaners, were seized after allegedly being heard discussing an attack.

They were later released without charge amid unconfirmed reports that a canteen joke had been misunderstood.

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Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain co-star in Malick’s long-awaited drama

Brad Pitt has launched Terrence Malick’s long-awaited drama The Tree of Life at the Cannes Film Festival.

The publicity-shy director was nowhere to be seen after the film’s debut press screening on Monday was greeted with a mixture of boos and applause.

The film, set in 1950s America, revolves around the relationship between a father and son. It also stars Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain.

The Tree of Life is one of 20 films in the running for the Palme d’Or prize.

The secrecy surrounding Malick’s film – and the director’s own aversion to interviews – has made The Tree of Life one of the most talked about films at the festival.

Malick did not attend the post-screening press conference, leaving Pitt and co-star Chastain to face reporters.

Producer Sarah Green said Malick was “very shy” and Pitt defended his absence saying an “an artist should not have to be a salesman”.

Pitt plays a loving but stern father, with Penn the grown-up son Jack reflecting on the people and moments that shape his life.

A short trailer, released in December, featured a number of mysterious cosmic images alongside scenes from 1950s Texas.

It is Malick’s fifth feature as a director. The 67-year-old American famously took 20 years between making his second film Days of Heaven in 1978 and The Thin Red Line in 1998.

Malick’s last film was The New World (2005) starring Colin Farrell.

Cannes organisers had hoped to debut the The Tree of Life a year ago, but it was withdrawn by the film-maker at the last minute.

Monday’s screening also marks the halfway point of this year’s festival.

Last week, Pitt’s partner Angelina Jolie was in the Cannes spotlight when she was in town to support her new animated film Kung Fu Panda 2, which is not in competition.

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Mr Huhne has denied the allegations about a speeding offence in 2003

No-one could accuse Chris Huhne of lacking ambition.

Within months of arriving in Parliament in 2005, the Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh was challenging for the leadership of his party, after the resignation of Charles Kennedy.

He lost out on that occasion to Sir Menzies Campbell – but he went on to challenge Nick Clegg for the top job two years later, missing out by the slenderest of margins.

He now finds himself in the unusual position of being both the favourite at the bookmakers to be the next Lib Dem leader – and to be the next cabinet minister to leave government.

He shot to the top of the leadership betting after a series of outspoken attacks on the Conservatives in the run-up to the referendum on changing the voting system.

Like many senior Lib Dems, he was angry about what he saw as underhand tactics by the No campaign, whom he accused of spreading lies about the cost of changing to the alternative vote system and smears against Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.

He threatened legal action and accused Conservative Party Chairman Baroness Warsi of using “Goebbels-like” propaganda, after she said the alternative vote would benefit extremist parties.

The attacks culminated in a showdown at cabinet, with Mr Huhne reportedly slapping two No campaign leaflets containing attacks on Mr Clegg on the table and challenging Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne to sack any Conservative activists involved in producing them.

Mr Osborne is said to have told him cabinet was no place for “sub-Jeremy-Paxman” interrogations.

No-one doubted Mr Huhne’s anger about the No campaign’s tactics, but many suspected he was also quietly positioning himself for another tilt at the party leadership if and when the coalition falls apart.

He now finds himself fighting for his political future after allegations he asked someone else to take his penalty points for a 2003 speeding offence.

He strenuously denies the allegations, made by his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce, and has received the backing of Mr Cameron, who is thought to be keen to avoid a cabinet reshuffle at this stage.

But his future could hang on whether Essex Police, who have assigned a senior detective to look into the allegations, decide to launch a full criminal investigation.

The allegation against Mr Huhne dates back to 2003 when he was a member of the European Parliament.

At the time he is thought to have had a number of penalty points on his licence and the alleged speeding offence, in Southend, Essex, would have meant an automatic ban.

In fact, Mr Huhne subsequently lost his licence after being caught using his mobile phone while driving.

Ms Pryce, who obtained a divorce from Mr Huhne in January on the grounds of his adultery, has declined to say who allegedly took the speeding points for him.

She made the allegation in a newspaper interview. She is writing a book about her relationship with the cabinet minister, reportedly entitled Thirty Minutes To Kill The Story, which that is what he is supposed to have said when he found out a tabloid newspaper planned to reveal details of an affair.

Mr Huhne left Ms Pryce, with whom he has three children, for Carina Trimingham, a media consultant who worked for him during his 2007 leadership campaign.

Ms Pryce, a former chief economist at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, is reported to be in a financial battle with Mr Huhne.

The couple owned several houses, some of which were let out as rental properties.

A former financial journalist, who went on to make a fortune in the City, Mr Huhne is thought to be a millionaire several times over.

But he has always been reluctant to talk about his investments, which at one time were reported to include a stake in an Egyptian gold mine.

Like Mr Clegg, the 56-year-old was educated at Westminster school, worked as a journalist and then a member of the European Parliament before becoming an MP in 2005.

Mr Huhne’s mother was the actress Ann Murray, who had a stage and film career in the 1950s.

His radical past came under scrutiny during the leadership campaign, including an article he wrote at Oxford, which appeared to advocate the use of LSD and other hard drugs.

He was also pictured during a demonstration brandishing a park bench as other students smashed their way into a building.

Mr Huhne, who was reportedly known as Christopher Paul-Huhne at Oxford, where he gained a first in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, laughed off such revelations by saying he was a “revolting student” in every sense of the word.

He is the author of four books, including titles on debt and the developing nations, and on European integration.

He ran a combative leadership campaign against Nick Clegg, although a briefing note entitled “Calamity Clegg” was put down to an “over-zealous researcher”.

Mr Huhne apologised over the incident but continued to accuse Mr Clegg of “flip-flopping” on issues like the NHS and education.

His differences with Mr Clegg apparently buried, Mr Huhne played a key role in the negotiating team that hammered out a coalition agreement with the Conservatives after last May’s general election ended in stalemate.

He was rewarded with a seat at the cabinet table as energy and climate change secretary – with the job of delivering on David Cameron’s promise of leading the “greenest” government in history.

He was also in charge of building a new generation of nuclear power stations, despite his party’s scepticism about the policy.

The future of his department was thought at one stage to be under threat thanks to the severity of the budget cuts it faced.

But it has survived and Mr Huhne has won a battle with Lib Dem cabinet colleague Vince Cable over climate-change targets, paving the way for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to 2027 and an overhaul of the way energy is produced.

But the achievement has been overshadowed by the allegations about his speeding fine.

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Officials said the car was attacked about 1km (half a mile) from the consulate

Gunmen have opened fire on a car belonging to the Saudi consulate in Karachi, killing one person, say Pakistani police.

Some reports say the victim was a consular official.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but al-Qaeda is known to be violently opposed to the Saudi government.

The attack comes two days after grenades were thrown at the consulate building, causing no injuries.

“Four people riding on two motorcycles opened fire at the car from two sides,” a police official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The driver’s nationality and his role at the consulate have not yet been confirmed.

A Saudi official told the AFP news agency the attack took place about 1km (half a mile) from the consular building.

Saudi ambassador Abdul Aziz al-Ghadeer condemned the attack. “No-one who carries out this kind of attack can be a Muslim,” he told Reuters.

Al-Qaeda has vowed to avenge the death of Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in a US raid in Pakistan earlier this month.

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A 12-year-old boy has died after falling from a scrambler bike in north Belfast.

The accident happened in the Mountcollyer Street area at about 2100 BST on Sunday evening.

The boy was taken to hospital where he died a short time later. It is thought he was a pillion passenger on one of two scrambler bikes being ridden in the area at the time.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

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