Authorities say Hurricane Gordon has passed Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores Islands without causing major damage and is losing strength.

Gordon Will Move Over The Eastern Azores Monday As A Hurricane...

Hurricane Gordon heads toward eastern Azores... Tropical Storm Helene swiftly weakened into a tropical depression as it lumbered ashore on Mexico's Gulf Coast... NJ girl accused of fire attempt to kill family... Dallas area West Nile virus spraying interrupted... Idaho evacuations ordered; Wash. residents go home... Slain Texas constable remembered as humble, caring... Man arrested in parking lot shooting at Texas mall... Some suspects in deputy killings linked to extremists... Philly officer fatally shot after finishing shift... Body of missing Southern Calif. diver found... UA flight has engine 'issue,' lands safely in NJ... Sept. 11 group appeals NY decision on remains... Intrusion embarrasses 'Fort Knox of uranium'... Puerto Rico debates constitutional amendment vote...

Panetta prods Karzai on Afghan insider killings... Bomb hidden in cemetery kills 2 in Afghanistan... Syria's Assad makes rare public appearance... Pakistan: US missiles kill 7 militants in NW... Chinese politician's wife due to hear verdict... Japan activists land, raise flag on disputed isle... Ousted SAfrica leader blames police in mine deaths... Mexico investigates reports of missing journalist...

...small plane crashed into the sea while attempting an emergency landing...

Tropical Storm Gordon is nearing hurricane-strength in the Atlantic but it is expected to move away from the United States.

An official in northeast Congo says at least 60 people are dead following a landslide at a gold mine in a remote area.

Russian media report that an Aeroflot plane carrying 256 people from New York to Moscow has made an unscheduled landing in Iceland after a report of a bomb on board.

The eighth tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to strengthen on Thursday, but forecasters say it poses no threat to land.

Buckingham Palace says the queen's husband, Prince Philip, has been taken to a Scottish hospital as "a precautionary measure."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says Indian science and technology will take a giant leap forward under a plan to send a space mission to Mars next year.

The Olympic flag landed in Rio de Janeiro in the hands of mayor Eduardo Paes on Monday (August 13), marking the official start of the Brazilian city's preparations for the 2016 Games.

Tropical Storm Hector is slowly moving westward in the Pacific after weakening off the coast of Mexico.

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 7.3 earthquake has hit the waters off of far eastern Russia. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami was generated.

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says this week's failed space launch has dented the nation's prestige and those to blame must be held responsible.

Russia's federal space agency says an unmanned rocket and its payload of two communications satellites failed to reach orbit, the latest in a series of failures that has dogged Moscow's space program.

Defending Olympic 50K race walk champion Alex Schwazer has been caught doping and will miss the London Games.

Tropical Storm Ernesto, well south of the United States Gulf Coast, is expected to effect Honduras and the Yucatan Peninsula.

The sixth named storm of the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season has already weakened to a Tropical Depression.

Syrian state-run television says a bomb has ripped through the third floor of the state TV building in Damascus.

Afghan army still far from ready to go it alone... Egypt's President reassures tourists... Iran tests upgraded version of short-range missile... Clinton in Kenya to press democracy... Russians save bear cubs by keeping their distance... North Korea says nearly 170 died in recent floods... Flash floods in India leave 7 dead, 19 missing...

47 Iranians kidnapped as regime forces continue battling rebels... China blames West for failure on Syrian crisis... Syrian regime pleads with Russia for economic aid... UN General Assembly denounces Syrian crackdown...

Tropical Storm Ernesto has weakened slightly and is expected to begin moving over portions of the Windward Islands.

Michelle Obama has arrived at the London Games to lead the U.S. delegation, starting her Friday schedule by having breakfast with American Olympians.

There are the five, colorful Olympic rings. And in London on Friday, there were some 40 chimes of Olympic ringing coming from one of the capital's most recognizable landmarks.