World’s oldest man, British WWI veteran dies aged 113

AFP, London

Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and oldest World War I veteran, died Saturday at the age of 113, the nursing home in Britain where he spent his last years said.
"Everybody at St Dunstan's is saddened by Henry's loss and our sympathy goes out to his family," said Robert Leader, chief executive of St Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean, near Brighton on the south England coast.
He had become the world's oldest man last month, Guinness World Records confirmed, after the previous holder, Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, died aged 113.Allingham had marked his 113th birthday on June 6. Leader said Allingham was "very active right up to his final days." "As well as possessing a great spirit of fun, he represented the last of a generation who gave a very great deal for us," he said. "Henry made many friends among the residents and staff at St Dunstan's. He was a great character and will be missed." A funeral will take place later this month in Brighton. "I am greatly saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham," said Britain's Veterans Minister Kevan Jones.
"For one of his age, his vigour for life was extraordinary.
"I was humbled to meet somebody who had led such an amazing life and we owe such a huge debt of gratitude to him and his generation. My thoughts are with his family."n
Allingham had five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, described Allingham as "one of our nation's historic treasures" in the foreword to the veteran's 2008 autobiography, "Kitchener's Last Volunteer".
"He does not want modern society to forget what his generation gave for our futures but, equally, the message of peace and reconciliation is one that he desires to convey above all else," Charles wrote.
"We should all be humbled by this quiet, genial man and his desire to extol peace and friendship to the world, despite all the horrors he witnessed at such a young and impressionable age."

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Astronauts prepare for first space walk of mission

AFP, Washington

Astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour prepared for their first spacewalk of the mission Saturday aimed at completing a Japanese space laboratory at the International Space Station.
During their first full day in space, the Endeavour crew inspected the spacesuits that they will use during the five spacewalks planned during the mission.
The seven-person crew, including six Americans and one Canadian also tested rendezvous equipment, installed a camera for the orbiter docking system and extended the docking ring that sits on top the system.
The Endeavour mission aims to help fulfill "Japan's hope for an out-of-this-world space laboratory," as the shuttle delivers state-of-the-art equipment to conduct experiments in the vacuum of space, according to NASA.
Earlier Friday the shuttle successfully docked at the space station amid questions about the integrity of the shuttle's heat shield.
During the delicate docking maneuver the two space vehicles approached each other at 28,000 kilometers (17,398 miles) per hour, giving Commander Mark Polansky a margin of error of 4.5 centimeters (1.8 inches) to complete the procedure, NASA said.
The entry of Endeavour's crew aboard the ISS brought the number of astronauts inside the orbiting space station to a record 13.
As the shuttle approached the ISS, Polansky photographed the underside of the Endeavour to discover whether Wednesday's takeoff caused any damage to the shuttle's heat shield.
During the launch, which came after five failed take off attempts since June 13, debris could be seen peeling away from the shuttle external rocket booster and then striking the spacecraft.

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