After a years-long delay, an Earth-observing satellite blasted into space early Friday on a dual mission to improve weather forecasts and monitor climate change.

A Delta 2 rocket carrying the NASA satellite lifted off shortly before 3 a.m. from the central California coast. The satellite separated from the rocket about an hour after launching, unfurled its solar panels and headed toward an orbit 500 miles above Earth.

A prominent physicist and skeptic of global warming spent two years trying to find out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. In the end, he determined they were right: Temperatures really are rising rapidly.

The study of the world's surface temperatures by Richard Muller was partially bankrolled by a foundation connected to global warming deniers. He pursued long-held skeptic theories in analyzing the data. He was spurred to action because of "Climategate," a British scandal involving hacked emails of scientists.

Honda's quarterly profit tumbled 56 percent, battered by the strong yen and production disruptions from the March tsunami disaster that are likely to be compounded by flooding in Thailand.

The automaker, which makes the Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan, said Monday that net profit for the July-September fiscal second quarter fell to 60.4 billion yen ($788 million).

The "Shrek" spinoff "Puss in Boots" landed on all fours, opening with an estimated $34 million to lead the box office.

The DreamWorks 3D animated film, distributed by Paramount Pictures, proved the popular character voiced by Antonio Banderas was a big enough draw outside the "Shrek" franchise.

Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch are nowhere in sight. But there's Elmo. And new creatures too, like Baily, a kindly donkey who loves to sing, and Haseen O Jameel, a vain crocodile who lives at the bottom of a well.

Sesame Street is coming to Pakistan but not as generations of Americans know it.

Japanese entertainment and electronics giant Sony Corp. is expected to post another quarterly loss when it reports results Wednesday as a strong yen and its struggling TV business drag on its bottomline.

It's been a tough year for Japanese exporters such as Sony, and the latest quarter is likely to reflect ongoing currency-related woes. The yen has hit multiple record highs against the dollar, which has faltered along with the U.S. economy.

The organizers of the India’s first Formula One Grand Prix plan to capitalize on the success of the inaugural race by holding local championships to popularize motor racing in the country.

The track at Buddh International Circuit was praised by officials and drivers after Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won Sunday’s race in front of a huge crowd of more than 90,000 spectators.

Two bodies have been recovered and 30 other people were feared drowned after a footbridge spanning a river in northeast India collapsed, police said Sunday.

Police and paramilitary forces rescued at least 31 villagers from the river following Saturday's accident, senior police officer Kyle Ayasaid. One later died in a hospital.

A gas explosion at a coal mine in central China has killed 29 workers, Chinese authorities said Sunday.

Six other miners survived Saturday evening's blast at a state-owned coal mine in Hengyang city in Hunan province, China's State Administration of Work Safety said in a statement on its website.

A Miami police officer is accused of driving 120 mph on a turnpike because he was late for his off-duty job working security at a school.

The Florida Highway Patrol says Officer Fausto Lopez was arrested at gunpoint after leading police on a brief high-speed chase.