AFP - The European spacecraft Mars Express is to make a daring flyby of the Martian moon Phobos in the hope of gaining insights into its enigmatic surface, temperature and geological past, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday.

AFP - Two Russian cosmonauts on board the International Space Station made a new space walk to finish off work begun during an earlier operation last week, the Russian space centre said.

AP - The space station's two Russian astronauts stepped outside for the second time in less than a week Tuesday, taking a spacewalk that proved to be tame compared to last week's work with explosives.

AFP - French researchers on Tuesday said that gene therapy, tested on lab animals, showed promise in combatting the tragic neurogenerative disease known as Huntington's.

AP - Fire crews battling nearly 300 blazes burning across California are getting help from a pilotless plane that transmits real-time images of hot spots and flare-ups to commanders in the field.

AP - Tropical Storm Bertha headed back out over open ocean and away from the U.S. mainland Tuesday after it battered Bermuda, knocking out electricity to thousands on the Atlantic tourist island.