CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Discovery‘s crew of seven — five men and two women — includes three rookies. But their commander, Steve Lindsey, is an old hand at space flight, having flown three previous missions. One of the crew, Thomas Reiter of Germany, is with the European Space Agency, and …

WASHINGTON – A widely watched gauge of economic activity increased slightly in June, suggesting continued economic growth, though at a slow to moderate rate for the time being, a research group said on Thursday. The Conference Board, an industry-backed research group based in New York, said its Index of Leading …

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Warplanes on Sunday hit a minibus carrying Lebanese from border villages they were told by the Israeli military to flee, killing three and wounding 13, Lebanese security forces said. Hezbollah guerrillas fired rockets into northern Israel, killing at least two people. Israeli troops continued to hold a …

BAGHDAD, Iraq – In the aftermath of last month’s air strike that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his cell phone included the phone numbers of several senior Iraqi officials. Click here to visit FOXNews.com’s Iraq center. An Iraqi lawmaker did not identify the officials. But he says they included ministry employees …

MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Vice President Dick Cheney ahead of this weekend’s G-8 summit, calling his recent criticisms of Russia “an unsuccessful hunting shot,” according to a television interview being broadcast Wednesday. The remark, from an interview with NBC, referred to the shotgun blast by Cheney …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Britain said Monday it was sending 900 more soldiers to southern Afghanistan to combat resistance from a resurgent Taliban. Britain has around 5,000 troops in Afghanistan — about 3,600 in volatile Helmand province, 1,200 in the Afghan capital Kabul and the remainder in the southern city of …

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration said Sunday it verified that an audio message posted on the Internet is in Usama bin Laden‘s voice. The Al Qaeda head is heard endorsing the terrorist network’s new leader in Iraq and warning Shiites there against collaborating with the United States against Sunni insurgents. …

The government’s recommendation for kids’ daily exercise may be too low for optimal heart health, a new study shows. The report, published in The Lancet, suggests kids may need 90 minutes of daily physical activity to help avoid a cluster of heart disease risk factors. That’s 30 minutes longer than …

MEXICO CITY – Leftist presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador filed a criminal complaint against top Mexican election officials, his latest challenge to the July 2 vote he apparently lost by a hair to the conservative candidate Felipe Calderon. The complaint, filed with the Federal Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday, …

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – President Bush brought a straightforward message Friday to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and world leaders gathering for a weekend summit: when possible, speak with a single voice in combating crises such as the flare-up in the Middle East. Followed by a host of global troubles, Bush …