Olympics-2008

(L to R) U.S. actors Jeremy Renner, Brian Geraghty, director Kathryn Bigelow and actor Antony Mackie pose during a photocall at Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. "The Hurt Locker" by director Bigelow is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.


U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow poses during a photocall at the Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. "The Hurt Locker" by director Bigelow is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.


U.S. actor Jeremy Renner poses during a photocall at Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. Renner stars in "The hurt locker" movie by U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow which is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival


U.S. actors Jeremy Renner (R) and Antony Mackie pose during a photocall at Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. Both the actors star in "The Hurt Locker" by U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow which is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.


(L to R) U.S. actors Antony Mackie, Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty pose during a photocall at the Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. Renner stars in "The Hurt Locker" by U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow which is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.


U.S. actor Brian Geraghty poses during a photocall at Venice Film Festival September 4, 2008. Renner stars in "The hurt locker" movie by U.S. director Kathryn Bigelow which is shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

U.S. actors Brad Pitt (L) and George Clooney pose on the red carpet at the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt and Clooney star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


U.S. actor George Clooney poses on the red carpet at the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Clooney stars in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


U.S. actors Brad Pitt (L) and George Clooney (R) pose with British actress Tilda Swinton as they arrive at the red carpet of the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt, Clooney and Swinton star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


Ethan Cohen (L to R), Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Joel Cohen, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney pose at the red carpet of the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt, Clooney and Swinton star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


U.S. actors Brad Pitt (L) and George Clooney pose on the red carpet at the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt and Clooney star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


U.S. actor Brad Pitt (L) signs autographs next to George Clooney before a screening in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt and Clooney star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


U.S. actors Brad Pitt (L) and George Clooney pose on the red carpet at the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. Pitt and Clooney star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]


Italian actress Claudia Cardinale poses on the red carpet of the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. [Agencies]


U.S. director John Landis and his wife Deborah pose on the red carpet at the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008.[Agencies]


U.S. directors Joel (L) and Ethan Cohen pose as they arrive for the red carpet of the Film Festival in Venice August 27, 2008. U.S. actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney star in Ethan and Joel Coen's movie "Burn After Reading" which is opening this year's Venice Film Festival. [Agencies]

NAGOYA, Japan, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Italy and the United States emerged as the luck birds here on Thursday when both teams secured their berths at the Beijing Olympics with the last round to go at the women's volleyball World Cup.

    Playing without injured captain Eleonora Lo Bianco but with former Cuba star Taismary Aguero in the line-up, the European champions Italy landed their tenth victory in a row with a 27-25, 25-19 and 25-16 win over Cuba to seal a top-three finish.

    "I think we played a good match. We have improved day by day," said Italy coach Massimo Barbolini. "This year we played very well and we are very, very happy because it is the first time that the Italian team obtained qualification for the Olympic Games in the first round."

    With superb points win-loss ratio in hands and only the United States to conquer in the 12-team round-robin tournament, the Italians were in a great position to win their first World Cup title.

    "Tomorrow we play the United States and we have to try to win the World Cup," Barbolini added.

    The hard-fought first set proved to be decisive in the big match. Cuba erased a 22-17 deficit to pull off 24-22 and went on to take the lead at 25-24, but Simona Gioli then came up with two big plays, saving a Cuban set point with a stylish winner before blocking Kenia Carcaces to bring up Italy's fourth set point at 26-25. A net touch gave Italy the opener 27-25.

    The last two sets were dominated by the Italians, who reaped a total of 24 points through Cuban errors.

    U.S. coach Lang Ping from China made sure she would make her third trip to the Olympics after leading the United States to a 25-17, 25-14 and 25-20 rout of Japan Thursday evening.

    Having dropped only one match in 10 tries, the Americans will still have a tiny hope of winning the trophy if they can beat Italy with big margins on Friday.

    "I felt relieved," said Lang Ping. "We have only four days together to prepare for the tournament and some of our players have been playing with old injuries, but they worked really hard and I am proud of them."

    "China is a great team and I am a Chinese, I think the Chinese people will be very proud of me because I will bring another great team back to my home," added Lang, who had won a gold in the Los Angeles Games in 1984 as a player and a silver in the Atlanta Games in 1996 as coach of the Chinese team.

    Earlier on Thursday, Brazil produced an outstanding performance to demolish Serbia 3-0, moving one step closer to the other Olympic ticket on offer.

    Obviously motivated by their heavy loss to Italy the previous day, the South American champions sent shell-shocked Serbia spinning to a straight-sets defeat 25-13, 25-14 and 25-21.

    The Brazilians, who improved to an 8-2 record, can secure its qualification with a win over Japan on Friday.

    Serbia and Cuba, who will clash with each other on Friday, still have a chance to win the third place on condition that Brazil loses to Japan.

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Space station Commander Peggy Whitson , left, welcomes space shuttle Discovery commander Pamela Melroy aboard the international space station Thursday, Oct. 25. 2007.(Xinhua Photo)

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station at 8:40 a.m. EDT (1240GMT) on Thursday, ending a nearly-two-day chase, NASA TV reported.

    The smooth linkup of the two vehicles brought the two astronaut crews together more than 320 kilometers above the Earth.

In this photo released by NASA, space shuttle Discovery's crew cabin is featured in this close-up image photographed by an Expedition 16 crew member during a back-flip maneuver performed by the approaching visitors to the International Space Station on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    It marked the first time females have been in command of both the space shuttle and the station at the same time, with Peggy Whitson currently serving as the station's commander and Pamela Melroy serving as the second woman to command a shuttle.

    Discovery's seven-member STS-120 crew and the station's three-member Expedition 16 crew are now checking the connection for a leak, a process that is expected to last about 90 minutes. The Discovery crew will then enter the orbital outpost nearly two hours after the rendezvous.

    The shuttle delivered a critical component Node 2, known as Harmony module, to the station. The Harmony module will provide attachment points for European and Japanese laboratory modules, tobe installed later this year and early next year, respectively.

    About an hour before docking, Melroy and pilot George Zamka guided the shuttle through a back flip maneuver to allow the station astronauts to collect digital images of its heat shield. The images will be sent to NASA mission control for analysis.