A Russian spacecraft surged into clear skies over the Central Asian steppe Tuesday, carrying a three-man crew on their way to the International Space Station.

The engines of the Soyuz TMA-06M sent a powerful roar across the tinder-dry countryside of southern Kazakhstan as scheduled in the afternoon to deliver NASA astronaut Kevin Ford and Russians Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin to the orbiting laboratory.

In Facebook's second quarter as a publicly traded company, the world's largest social media site is juggling the challenge of growing its advertising revenue while maintaining the loyalty of more than 1 billion users.

Facebook is expected to report earnings of 11 cents per share on revenue of $1.23 billion after the market closes Tuesday, according to FactSet. The Menlo Park, Calif., company has not provided investors with any financial guidance.

An Austrian artist has installed a one-way mirror in a Vienna cafe that allows men to peek from their restroom into the ladies room.

Alexander Riegler told the daily Heute newspaper Monday that the mirror is an attempt to "stir people into a discussion of voyeurism and surveillance," in an era when almost everyone is being watched.

Britney Spears' former self-styled manager is set to take the stand in his lawsuit against the superstar's parents as he goes after a share of her millions in earnings.

Sam Lutfi was expected to testify when court resumes Tuesday in his acrimonious defamation suit against her parents.

Hollywood warmed up for its awards season with a love fest that recognized top actors and directors for films that haven't been released yet.

Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, director David O. Russell and writer-director Quentin Tarantino were among the honorees Monday at the 16th annual Hollywood Film Awards, which bills itself as "the official launch of awards season." The event recognizes films that are likely positioned as awards contenders, such as Tarantino's anticipated "Django Unchained."

A U.S. astronaut departing this week for the International Space Station said Monday that the bulk of the scientific benefits from the orbiting laboratory will be seen over the coming decade, amid questions on whether the estimated $100 billion spent in last 12 years is worth the effort.

"The first ten years were really intensive in the construction side of it, bringing all the pieces together and really getting the science enabled," said NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, who will blast off on a Soyuz craft from the Russian-leased Baikonur spacer center in Kazakhstan on Tuesday together with Russian colleagues Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin.

She dreamed a dream, and it came true. But what happened next for Susan Boyle?

The middle-aged church volunteer from a small town in Scotland became an instant global celebrity in 2009 with her heart-stopping rendition of the "Les Miserables" number "I Dreamed a Dream" on a TV talent show.

Jane Lynch and John Leguizamo are joining a lineup that includes Jimmy Kimmel and Kristin Chenoweth to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the nation's top humor prize in Washington.

The Kennedy Center is awarding DeGeneres the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Monday night. The show will be broadcast Oct. 30 on PBS stations.

Testimony is set to begin in a defamation suit by Britney Spears' ex-manager against her parents.

Lawyers for Sam Lutfi declined to say whether he would be the first witness at Monday's trial in Los Angeles.

National Geographic Society has chronicled scientific expeditions, explorations, archaeology, wildlife and world cultures for more than 100 years, amassing a collection of 11.5 million photos and original illustrations.

A small selection of that massive archive — 240 pieces spanning from the late 1800s to the present — will be sold at Christie's in December at an auction expected to bring about $3 million, the first time any of the institution's collection has been sold.