New Delhi - India on Wednesday launched its first mission to the moon with a "perfect" lift-off of the unmanned Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, placing the country among a select group of nations that have sent lunar missions.

The 44-metre tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket carrying the Chandrayaan probe lifted off at 0622 local time (0052 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 80 kilometres north of the southern Chennai city.

The Union Govt. will file an additional affidavit in connection with the Kandhamal violence. The Supreme Court has permitted center's plea in this regard. Meanwhile the court will hear today the petition demanding CBI probe into the rape and humiliation of a Christian Nun.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices P Sathasivam and P M Panchal adjourned the hearing for a day on 21st of October. The archbishop of Cuttack Raphel Cheenath has filed the petition seeking CBI enquiry and compensation of three crores for the damaged churches of Orissa. He filed the petition on 12th of this month.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell by 0.31 dollars Tuesday, even though cartel members have indicated they might cut production at their meeting on Friday in Vienna.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude stood at 64.32 dollars Tuesday, down from 64.63 dollars on the previous day.

Analysts expect OPEC to lower production by at least 1 million barrels per day on Friday, as slowing demand has dragged down oil prices.

Heart throb of millions, the pop icon ‘Madonna’ decided not to bid adieu to Britain even when she has broken up with her husband, British Director, Guy Ritchie. Madonna who is presently 50 years old, married the director(40), in December 2000 at Skebi Castle in the Scottish highlands.

Madonna who was supposed to leave for New York with her kids as soon as she gets divorce from Ritchie, now changes her mind as the British director admitted that it was in best of interests for the kids to remain in Britain.

Peshawar - At least five security personnel and seven rebels were killed when Taliban rebels ambushed a troop convoy in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley, police said Wednesday.

The caravan of several vehicles of paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and police carrying supplies for the troops came under attack in Sarsinai area of sub-district Kabal Tuesday afternoon.

"Four FC soldiers and a policeman were martyred (killed) in the attack, while security forces killed seven militants in the clashes that lasted for several hours," said Swat police chief Dilawar Khan Bangash.

Washington, Oct 22 : Astronomers from the University of Florida (UF) and University of California-Santa Cruz have discovered the onset of a huge flow of gas from a quasar, or the super-bright core of an extremely remote young galaxy still being formed.

The gas was expelled from the quasar and its enormous black hole sometime in the space of four years around 10 billion years ago – an extremely brief and ancient blip noticed by the unlikely convergence of two separate observational efforts.

“It was completely serendipitous,” said Fred Hamann, a UF astronomy professor. “In fact, the only way it could have happened is through serendipity,” he added.