Fish join latest US-Russian mission to Space Station

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ A Soyuz rocket has blasted off from Kazakhstan, launching the latest human mission into orbit to join the International Space Station.

The two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut are accompanied by 32 fish.

The fish are going to play the role of guinea pigs to see how they adapt to the lack of gravity.

They will be kept inside a space age fish tank called the Aquatic Habitat.

Also on board is a toy hippopotamus, a gift from the daughter of one of the cosmonauts. It is being used to indicate the point when the rocket reaches the weightlessness of space.

The launch was to have taken place last week but was put back for technical reasons.

The mission is scheduled to last five months. The rocket is due to dock with the ISS and its existing three crew members on Thursday.

Airbus opens A350 plant

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by Euronews

http://www.euronews.com/ With the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on hand for the ceremony, European planemaker Airbus has inaugurated a factory to build its new A350 jetliner, which is due to take to the skies next summer and go into service one year later.

The plane is Airbus' response to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Like the Dreamliner it is constructed using mainly carbon-fibre which is stronger and lighter than aluminium.

That does cut airline's fuel bills, but carbon fibre is costlier to produce and neither the A350 nor the 787 is expected to make a profit for years.

Built at a cost of 140 million euros, the new 74,000-square metre plant at Toulouse in south east France will eventually turn out 10 of the wide-bodied jets each month.

The factory ceremony comes as competition intensifies for the sales of jets to Asia and other fast-growing markets.

Europe Day Ahead: Even Germans get the blues (1:52)

Oct. 23 - Even Germany's blue-chip exporters may be starting to feel the effects of a global slowdown, with VW forecast to post its biggest drop in earnings since 2009

3XSQ: The global slowdown (3:37)

Oct 23 - U.S. industrials are suffering from reduced demand overseas and a stronger dollar.

Trading at Noon: U.S. stocks plunge after weak earnings (5:47)

Oct 23 - Lacklustre results from a host of global companies including United Tech, DuPont and 3M are leading Wall Street lower today.