NASA's Phoenix Flies Off to Mars

A robotic dirt and ice digger is rocketing toward Mars, beginning a 422 million-mile journey that NASA hopes will culminate next spring in the first ever landing within the red planet's Arctic Circle.

AP Top Stories for Aug. 4

Here's the latest news for Aug. 4: New surveillance video for collapsed bridge; Federal lawmakers agree on funding for rebuilding bridge; Oakland police recover gun linked to journalist killing; Ford recalling millions of vehicles

China tunes up for Olympics

The unveiling of the song 'We are ready' is the latest step in China's preparations for the 2008 games which open next August in Beijing.

Foot and mouth disease crackdown

An emergency operation to contain the outbreak has swung into action in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the 2001 epidemic that left the UK farming and tourism industries in crisis. The new outbreak on a farm at Guildford in Surrey, south of London.

Beleaguered Belugas

Biologists study the Beluga whale in Russia's White Sea region as a way of preserving one of its unique breeding grounds. The project to study the whales receives aid from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). It aims to protect natural habitat as Russia plans to develop energy reserves in the Barents Sea. The IFAW hope the Solevetsky Island will be declared a UNESCO heritage site.

Lipizzaner refugees

Concerns are raised about the health of the remainder of a herd of white Lipizzaner horses which became war refugees in 1991. Recent pictures of eight Lipizzaner horses at a farm near the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, have alarmed officials and animal lovers. Lipizzaners are famous for their dressage performances at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The breed originated from a stud in the 1580s in what was Austria's Habsburg Empire, present day Slovenia.

'The Trials of Law School' Trailer

See the trailer for "The Trials of Law School," an independent feature documentary.
The Trials of Law School is a fascinating film that follows seven students, with different backgrounds and expectations, through their grueling first year of law school as they encounter a new curriculum, a new language and a new way of life. The film captures the stress and emotion, both inside the classroom and out, as they try to juggle family and relationships with school commitments. The pressure builds as their grades come down to one final exam at the end of the semester, which for many students, determines their immediate career future.

visit the official site.

Girl group 'not like Britney Spears'

It's a been a whirlwind year for the New Young Pony Club as they take the UK summer festival scene by storm. The group has brought avant-pop back in vogue, citing influences like the Talking Heads, Prince and Blondie.

Stevie Wonder Announces First Tour in 20 Years

Stevie Wonder's going on tour for the first time in 20 years. Starting August 23rd - the dates include Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Baltimore.

Heidi Klum: How a Model Mom Stays in Shape

Model Heidi Klum talks about the challenges of being a mother of three while trying to stay in shape. She and fellow model Marisa Miller spoke while promoting the launch of a new Victoria's Secret bra.

X Games Off to a Flying Start

Highlights from the opening night of the 2007 ESPN Summer X Games. BMX freestyle champion, Allan Cooke, discusses the games, endorsements and dangers with Kelsey Hubbard.

visit the official X Games site

Defected Cuban boxers arrested

Two members of Cuba's boxing team, who defected recently during the Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro, have been arrested. Olympic and world bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, and welterweight world champion Erislandy Lara failed to appear for their quarter-final bouts in the Games, only to surface in Hamburg where they signed contracts with Arena Box-Promotion.

Brazilian authorities said Rigondeaux's and Lara's visas only permitted them to stay in Brazil for the duration of the Panamerican Games.

For Cuban boxers, coming to Germany enables them to drastically increase their earning power by taking part in professional fights.

Alternative iTunes

EMusic CEO David Pakman talks about his company's indepedent music buying customer base.
visit emusic.com

What's Real Reality TV?

The creators of "LonelyGirl15" are back with another fictional heroine in "Kate Modern," a British pseudo-reality show.

Making Your Own Hybrid

WSJ's Joe White tests a Toyota Prius modified by a lithium-ion battery pack to see if it can operate for 40 miles almost entirely on electric power.

Children Buy False Promises

Love & Money columnist Jeff Opdyke promised his son he would buy him a cellphone, but then he reneged. How will he restore his son's trust?

Van Gogh master 'a fake'

The painting titled Head of a Man has been in the possession of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne since 1940 but a series of tests by art experts have exposed differences in style to Gogh's work.

Whirlpool therapy is dogtastic

Dirty dogs and pampered pooches can get clean this summer in their very own dogs whirlpool in Munich. Germans are renowned for their orderliness and cleanliness, so it must come as no surprise to know that they also demand the same standards from their furry friends: what the manufacturers claim is the first dog whirlpool has opened in the fashionable southern German city of Munich.

visit Munich online