Far and Wide

Hubble captures two galaxies interacting

(AP Photo/NASA-ESA)

A pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 87 are shown in this photo released today by NASA and the European Space Agency. The Hubble Telescope captured the image of stars, gas and dust from the larger spiral galaxy on the right wrapping an arm around its smaller companion.

Arp 87 is located in the constellation of Leo, the Lion, and is about 300 million light-years away from Earth.  Arp 87 was first cataloged in the 1960s.

The images were taken in February 2007 with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 with an exposure time of 6.3 hours. This image is roughly 2.3 arcminutes (203,000 light-years or 62 kiloparsecs) wide.

--Paul Chavez

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/EyePress)
"No, this is not RoboCop."

That's how Michael Feldman, the AP's international photo editor, introduced this photo of a law enforcement officer in Zhengzhou, China. The officer was showing off body armor and a gun that shoots a net to catch dogs.

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles up the road, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. has some fun during a clinic he's conducting for kids in Beijing.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
See below for more of Feldman's top photo picks.

-- Eric Carvin

Astronauts open new space station addition

(AP Photo/NASA TV)

Astronauts floated into the newest addition to the international space station today and formally christened the sparkling white room known as Harmony.

Space station commander Peggy Whitson and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli -- shown above with an unidentified astronaut -- were the first ones in.

The chamber was named by schoolchildren in America and was made in Italy.

For more on the space station, read this report filed today by AP aerospace writer Marcia Dunn.

Chinese tech firm raises $1.5 billion in IPO

(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Chinese technology company Alibaba.com Ltd. reached its goal today of raising $1.5 billion in its initial public offering, sources told The Associated Press.

The  e-commerce portal, sold 858.9 million shares, or a 17 percent stake, at roughly $1.75 each, a source told Dow Jones Newswires on condition of anonymity. The shares will debut on the Hong Kong stock market on Nov. 6.

Interested investors are shown above receiving copies of the prospectus and brochures for the IPO.

For more on Alibaba.com, read this report filed today from Hong Kong.

--Paul Chavez

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

The latest reports on the California wildfires -- including an AP story on the impact of red tape on response times -- are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

NowPublic contributors are also debating the new route for the next Tour de France, and some are salivating over a new Honda motorcycle.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

NowPublic contributors are also debating the new route for the next Tour de France, and some are salivating over a new Honda motorcycle.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Arson in California, Turks and Armenians fighting in Belgium and the first passenger flight of the superjumbo A380 are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

More fires in California, and a citizen journalism experiment in Canada.

That's what's dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Wildfires in California, zombies in Seattle and safety in the air are all getting a lot of attention among contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Fly with nukes, get canned

Yeah, that's not something we want to repeat.

The Air Force is planning to fire at least five officers who flew cross-country in a B-52 bomber loaded with nuclear-armed missiles.

It was the worst known violation of nuclear security rules in decades. Tomorrow, the Air Force will brief Defense Secretary Robert Gates on its report about the incident.

--Ryan Pearson

The buzz at NowPublic

Tornadoes in the Midwest, You Tube blocked in China and a transit strike in France are the top items at NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -- especially photos and video -- into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.