Around the World 12/23 - Morn Ed

Reporter : ] NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery has successfully accomplished more than 100 flights during its 30 years of faithful service.
Its final flight before retirement was unfortunately postponed for some evaluation and perhaps some modification if deemed necessary.

The latest mission for NASA's most flown orbiter would have been its 134th and final flight, if things went on without any cause for concern during the recent tanking test.
Unfortunately due to the discovery of potential dangerous cracks and hydrogen leakage from the fuel tank it had to be brought back to the hangar.
Managers and engineers of the Shuttle Program will take x-ray scans beneath the foam insulation of the support beams on the Discovery's external fuel tank, remove sensors connected to the fuel tank and reapply foam to the area.
Hopefully the final flight of the Discovery will be given the green light before February, as the Space Shuttle Endeavor is set to take over from then on.

It may sound odd that Jordan, a country with a Muslim majority produces some of the finest red wines in the world.
Alcohol is forbidden in Islam, but for centuries the Christian minority has coexisted peacefully in the nation.
In an area known as Little Petra, archaeologists have discovered ruins of a wine presser, proving that the Middle Eastern country has deep roots in wine making history.
One wine company established in 1954 has been helping to place Jordanian wine on the map.
Omar Zumot carries on the wine making tradition of his family.

His father experimented on an array of French and Italian vines in an effort to perfect Jordanian wine.
The son helped upgrade the family business by relying on natural farming methods.

Water is irrigated from a pond rich with fish which helps add nitrate to the water, while sheep grazing on leaves help trim dead shoots and weeds, fertilize the soil and disinfect the land and vines.
Thanks to his dedicated efforts, Zumot's wines won more than 12 medals from competitions around the world and the demand for them continues to soar.

Measuring around 130 centimeters long and weighing around 60 kilograms for adults, capybaras are considered to be the world's largest and arguably the cutest rodents.
A family of capybaras in Saitama Children's Zoo, Japan delighted visitors while spoiling themselves in a specially prepared hot spring.

Capybara couple Hikomo and Yumari was richly rewarded for recently giving birth to 4 young ones.
Keeping with the Japanese tradition of bathing in citrus, zoo keepers added a bucket of lemon to provide the capybara family with an aromatic experience.

Visitors loved watching the cute animals relaxing and even dozing off.
The capybara hot spring has helped attract a greater number of vistors to the zoo compared to the same period last year.

And that is why the giant rodents will get to enjoy the exotic bath regularly until late March.

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