Los Angeles - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that California was fully prepared to deal with the outbreak of swine flu, while a health official said the number of cases in the state could jump from seven to 15. Some 40 cases have so far been confirmed in the United States - 28 of them in New York. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, confirmed seven cases in California.

"Our state agencies have taken several critical steps," Schwarzenegger said. "We have experts deployed and are tracking patients statewide. The bottom line is that we are prepared."

Santa Barbara (California, US), Apr. 25 : Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has praised American democracy and thinks President Obama is realistic and open.

In an exclusive interview with FOX News during his five-city tour of the United States, the Dalai Lama said: "I think basically America is a champion of freedom, democracy, liberty." ] "Occasionally the administration neglects these principles, but overall, I think these principles are very much alive in this country," he added.

For hundreds of years, we've known that “Laughter is the best form of medicine.”

It makes people feel good for a reason, and the physiological effects on the health are miraculous.

And, now a study claimed that by laughing 30 minutes daily, people can keep their hearts healthy.

The study was conducted by the researchers of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.

San Francisco  - Californians could soon be powering their homes, and no doubt their hot tubs, from a space-based solar electricity program.

The plan by the state's massive energy company PG&E calls for the generation of 200 megawatts over 15 years to be collected by space-based solar arrays and beamed down to earth via radio frequency.

PG&E hopes to have the system running by 2016 and is seeking permission from regulators to contract with a company called Solaren to put the system in place.

San Francisco  - Six people, including three children, were killed in a family shooting at an upscale housing development in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, police said Monday.

The suspected gunman was believed to be among the dead inside the modern home, said Santa Clara police Lieutenant Phil Cooke.

"We do believe this appears to be a family-on-family murder- suicide," Cooke said in a televised news conference.

Indian Wells, California  - Andy Murray bids for his third title of the season after setting up a final with world number 1 Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells Masters on Saturday.

Murray stunned error-prone second seed Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6- 1, marking his fourth consecutive victory over the former dominator of the sport since losing to the Swiss in the US Open final six months ago.