GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Australian David Hicks must explain under oath exactly what he did in Afghanistan with al Qaeda before he learns his sentence from the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal, the chief prosecutor said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials withdrew the Parkinson's disease drug pergolide from the market on Thursday, citing a history of safety concerns that include potentially fatal heart valve damage.

AP - A massive spring storm spawned dozens of tornadoes from the Rockies to the Plains, killing at least four people in three states, including a woman who was flung into a tree by a twister as wide as two football fields.

Reuters - Australian David Hicks must explain under oath exactly what he did in Afghanistan with al Qaeda before he learns his sentence from the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal, the chief prosecutor said.

Reuters - U.S. health officials withdrew the Parkinson's disease drug pergolide from the market on Thursday, citing a history of safety concerns that include potentially fatal heart valve damage.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain was seriously considering on Friday a note from Iran about 15 British sailors and marines detained in the Gulf after London failed to secure tough international condemnation of the seizure last week.

AP - A plane hijacked while flying from Libya to Sudan has landed at Khartoum airport where authorities are negotiating with the hijacker, a Sudan Airways official at the airport said Friday.

AP - Rudy Giuliani's White House aspirations are inescapably tied to Sept. 11, 2001 — for better and for worse.

AP - As if you needed reminding: It's dangerous out there. And if your parents' warnings that the world is full of malevolent people and mishap-prone places didn't stick, the State Department is ready to fill the void.

AP - Celesta Powell buys four gallons of milk every week for her four children, and even with milk prices expected to rise, she says she has no plans to cut back.

AP - Pornographic Web sites could have a virtual red-light district if the Internet's key oversight agency agrees Friday to a proposal that would create a '.xxx' Internet address aimed at making clear what content is adults only.

Reuters - Britain was seriously considering on Friday a note from Iran about 15 British sailors and marines detained in the Gulf after London failed to secure tough international condemnation of the seizure last week.

AFP - Six Islamic militant leaders convicted of murdering two judges and accused of masterminding a wave of bomb attacks were executed in Bangladesh Friday, officials said.

AP - Iran's official Arabic-language TV channel said Friday it would broadcast a confession by one of the 15 British sailors and marines detained last week in what Tehran insists were its territorial waters.

AP - An Ethiopian helicopter attacking insurgent positions in Somalia's capital was shot down Friday as government and allied troops battled hundreds of gunmen in the streets, witnesses said.

AP - The agency that sets the Internet addressing guidelines influencing how people navigate the Web defeated a proposal Friday to give adult Web sites their own '.xxx' domain.

AP - In the most serious admission yet of the extent of Dell Inc.'s financial woes, the company's internal audit committee said it has found a number of accounting errors and evidence of misconduct in its months-long review of previous earnings statements.

AP - Overshadowed by bigger names on the U.S. men's team, Ryan Lochte emerged in his own right with a stunning victory in the 200-meter backstroke at the world swimming championships Friday night.

Reuters - An official Iranian news agency said on Friday one man among the 15 British sailors and marines seized in the Gulf last week had admitted to entering Iranian waters illegally and apologized to the Iranian people.

AFP - Iran said it will air an interview on Friday showing one of 15 captive British sailors confessing that they had entered Iranian waters, as the diplomatic row entered its second week.

LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian television broadcast footage of three of 15 captured British sailors and marines on Friday and said one had confessed to entering Iranian waters illegally and had apologized to the Iranian people.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea closed in on a major trade pact on Friday after nearly a year of negotiations amid a chorus of protest from lobby groups on both sides.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was to lead his party on Friday in endorsing 2008 elections which will likely see the 83-year-old leader stand for another term after regional leaders backed his hardline rule.

AP - One of the 15 British service members held captive in Iran appeared Friday on the government's Arabic-language TV and apologized for entering Iranian waters 'without permission.'

AP - U.S. and Iraqi forces detained a suspect linked to networks bringing sophisticated roadside bombs into Iraq during a raid Friday in the main Shiite district in Baghdad.

AP - Michael Phelps set another world record in the pool Friday night. This time, he needed help from his American teammates, including Ryan Lochte, who outdid Phelps with two world records at the world championships.

Reuters - Iranian television broadcast footage of three of 15 captured British sailors and marines on Friday and said one had confessed to entering Iranian waters illegally and had apologized to the Iranian people.

Reuters - The United States and South Korea closed in on a major trade pact on Friday after nearly a year of negotiations amid a chorus of protest from lobby groups on both sides.

Reuters - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was to lead his party on Friday in endorsing 2008 elections which will likely see the 83-year-old leader stand for another term after regional leaders backed his hardline rule.

AFP - Iran aired television footage on Friday of a British sailor "confessing" to trespassing in Iranian waters, further escalating the diplomatic crisis over Tehran's capture of 15 navy personnel.

AFP - Insurgents shot down an Ethiopian military helicopter Friday as unrest in the Somali capital which claimed dozens of lives in a few hours escalated.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran broadcast video on Friday of a captured British sailor who said he and 14 colleagues had entered Iranian waters illegally, ramping up tension over the week-long crisis.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Australian Guantanamo prisoner David Hicks signed a plea agreement that limits his sentence for supporting terrorism against the United States to seven years in prison, the military tribunal judge said on Friday.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Rebels shot down a helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday in a second day of battles as Ethiopian and Somali forces sought to crush an insurgency by Islamists and clan militia.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - A French Catholic nun who said her Parkinson's disease disappeared after she prayed to the late Pope John Paul declined to call her restored health a miracle on Friday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Trade talks between the United States and South Korea stumbled on Friday just hours before a deadline, with the White House saying they could fail.

AP - Consumers spent more in February while construction spending rose by the largest amount in 11 months, the government said Friday, in reports that should dispel some of the concerns about the health of the economy.

AP - The prison sentence of an Australian detainee who pleaded guilty to providing material support for terrorism would be limited to seven years under terms of a plea bargain, a military judge at Guantanamo Bay said Friday.

AP - Government testing found a chemical used to make plastics in recalled pet food linked to the deaths of dogs and cats, officials said Friday.

AP - Insurgents shot down a helicopter gunship in Somalia's capital and mortar shells slammed into a hospital Friday in the worst fighting seen in this beleaguered capital in more than 15 years.

AP - The Internet's key oversight agency voted Friday not to give adult Web sites their own '.xxx' domain, the third time it has rejected the idea.

AP - A 16-year-old girl who caught a cold during a school trip to New York was kicked off her flight home because she was coughing.

Reuters - Iran broadcast video on Friday of a captured British sailor who said he and 14 colleagues had entered Iranian waters illegally, ramping up tension over the week-long crisis.

Reuters - Australian Guantanamo prisoner David Hicks signed a plea agreement that limits his sentence for supporting terrorism against the United States to seven years in prison, the military tribunal judge said on Friday.

Reuters - Rebels shot down a helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday in a second day of battles as Ethiopian and Somali forces sought to crush an insurgency by Islamists and clan militia.

Reuters - A French Catholic nun who said her Parkinson's disease disappeared after she prayed to the late Pope John Paul declined to call her restored health a miracle on Friday.

Reuters - Trade talks between the United States and South Korea stumbled on Friday just hours before a deadline, with the White House saying they could fail.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran displayed three detained British naval personnel on television on Friday and released a letter from one saying she was being held because of 'oppressive' British and U.S. behavior in Iraq.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Friday that melamine, a chemical found in fertilizers in Asia and which should not be in pet food in any amounts, has been detected in the wheat gluten used by Canada-based Menu Foods.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo formally convicted Australian David Hicks on Friday on a charge of providing material support for terrorism.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French architect said on Friday he had cracked a 4,500-year-old mystery surrounding Egypt's Great Pyramid, saying it was built from the inside out.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe called for ruling party unity on Friday as he rallied support for 2008 elections which will likely see him stand for another term as leader of the crumbling country.

AP - Despite a sluggish economy, consumers spent more in February as their incomes showed strong gains. Underlying inflation pressures rose at the fastest pace in six months, however.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Friday that melamine, a chemical used in fertilizers in Asia and forbidden in pet food, has been detected in the wheat gluten used by Canada-based Menu Foods.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Rebels shot down a helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday and Ethiopia said its forces had killed 200 insurgents in a two-day joint offensive with Somali troops against Islamists and clan militia.

LISBON (Reuters) - The U.S.-based Internet governing body rejected a proposal on Friday to create an adults-only zone on the internet, or a .XXX domain.

GENEVA (Reuters) - 'Transplant tourism' is on the rise because organ donations are not keeping up with growing demand, especially for kidneys, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

AP - One of the 15 British service members held captive in Iran appeared Friday on state television and said he apologized 'deeply' for entering Iranian waters, and the country released a third letter supposedly from the one woman in the crew saying she has been 'sacrificed' by Britain.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, amid a growing clamor for his resignation, acknowledged Friday confusion about of his role in firing eight U.S. attorneys but said he doesn't 'recall being involved in deliberations' over which prosecutors were to be ousted.

AP - Iran, in a confidential letter posted Friday on an internal Web site of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said its fear of attack from the U.S. and Israel has prompted it to decide to withhold information from the agency.

AP - Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers underwent successful left shoulder surgery Friday that removed a blood clot and repaired some arteries.

Reuters - U.S. officials said on Friday that melamine, a chemical used in fertilizers in Asia and forbidden in pet food, has been detected in the wheat gluten used by Canada-based Menu Foods.

Reuters - Rebels shot down a helicopter gunship in Mogadishu on Friday and Ethiopia said its forces had killed 200 insurgents in a two-day joint offensive with Somali troops against Islamists and clan militia.

Reuters - A U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo convicted Australian al Qaeda trainee David Hicks on Friday of providing material support for terrorism, the first conviction of one of the hundreds of suspects held for years at the controversial detention center.

Reuters - A French architect said on Friday he had cracked a 4,500-year-old mystery surrounding Egypt's Great Pyramid, saying it was built from the inside out.

Reuters - The U.S.-based Internet governing body rejected a proposal on Friday to create an adults-only zone on the internet, or a .XXX domain.

Reuters - "Transplant tourism" is on the rise because organ donations are not keeping up with growing demand, especially for kidneys, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

AFP - Rebels shot down an Ethiopian helicopter gunship over Mogadishu on Friday as the worst fighting in the Somali capital for more than 15 years left dozens of civilians dead.

BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under pressure to resign, said on Friday he did not recall being involved in talks on dismissing individual federal prosecutors, disputing testimony by his former chief of staff.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Friday condemned plans by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Syria and possibly meet its president, who the United States has accused of helping destabilize the region.

AP - Iran, in a confidential letter posted Friday on an internal Web site of the U.N. nuclear monitor, said its fear of attack from the U.S. and Israel prompted its decision to withhold information from the agency. In the letter, Iran said the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency had repeatedly allowed confidential information crucial to the country's security to be leaked.

AP - Six Muslim men removed from a plane last fall after being accused of suspicious behavior are suing not only the airline but the passengers who complained — a move some fear could discourage travelers from speaking up when they see something unusual.

AP - Recalled pet foods contained a chemical used to make plastics, but government tests failed to confirm the presence of rat poison, federal officials said Friday.

AP - Sean Lennon is accustomed to people recognizing him because of his famous parents, but one incident really caught him off-guard. 'When I was 15, a cabdriver asked me if I was Paul McCartney's daughter,' the 31-year-old singer told AP Radio in a recent interview. 'That really blew my mind.'

AP - Stocks rose, dropped and then recovered Friday — just as they did over the course of the first quarter, as Wall Street showed nervousness about rising inflation and dollar weakness but took solace from resilient consumer spending and slow but steady economic growth.

Reuters - U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under pressure to resign, said on Friday he did not recall being involved in talks on dismissing individual federal prosecutors, disputing testimony by his former chief of staff.

Reuters - The Bush administration on Friday condemned plans by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Syria and possibly meet its president, who the United States has accused of helping destabilize the region.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush apologized to wounded U.S. troops who endured dilapidated conditions and bureaucratic delays as he toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the flagship military hospital.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's decision to stop giving early notice of nuclear development plans to the U.N. watchdog was prompted by fear the information would be used for a U.S. or Israeli attack, Tehran has told the monitoring agency.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A brush fire in the foothills above Los Angeles sent dark plumes of smoke over the famed Hollywood sign on Friday and threatened an apartment building.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An al Qaeda suspect at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison said he was tortured until he confessed to involvement in the USS Cole attack and other plans, according to a hearing transcript released on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Friday condemned plans by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Syria and possibly meet its president, who the United States has accused of helping destabilize the region.

AP - Just seven days after Pat Tillman's death, a top general warned there were strong indications that it was friendly fire and President Bush might embarrass himself if he said the NFL star-turned-soldier died in an ambush, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

AP - President Bush apologized to troops face to face on Friday for shoddy conditions they have endured at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He shook the artificial hand of a lieutenant and cradled a newborn whose daddy is nursing his remaining, severely injured leg back to health.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales vowed Friday to remain on the job, digging in even as lawmakers questioned whether he could effectively run the Justice Department with no letup in the controversy over the firings of prosecutors.

AP - Federal testing of recalled pet foods turned up a chemical used to make plastics but failed to confirm the presence of a cancer drug also used as rat poison. The recall expanded Friday to include the first dry pet food.

AP - A captive Royal Marine was shown in new TV footage Friday apologizing for being in Iranian waters, and Tehran made public a third letter supposedly written by the only woman prisoner among 15 Britons seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

AP - A Saudi terror suspect says U.S. interrogators tortured him for five years and he confessed to involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole just to satisfy them and 'make the people happy,' according to a Pentagon transcript of a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay.

AP - A French architect claimed Friday to have uncovered the mystery about how Egypt's Great Pyramid of Khufu was built — with use of a spiral ramp to hoist huge stone blocks into place.

AP - Stocks rose, dropped and then recovered Friday — just as they did over the course of the first quarter, as Wall Street showed nervousness about rising inflation and dollar weakness but took solace in resilient consumer spending and slow economic growth.

AP - Kenny Rogers had surgery Friday to remove a blood clot from his left shoulder and repair arteries, and the Detroit Tigers pitcher likely will be sidelined for the first half of the season.

Reuters - President George W. Bush apologized to wounded U.S. troops who endured dilapidated conditions and bureaucratic delays as he toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the flagship military hospital.

Reuters - Iran's decision to stop giving early notice of nuclear development plans to the U.N. watchdog was prompted by fear the information would be used for a U.S. or Israeli attack, Tehran has told the monitoring agency.

Reuters - A brush fire in the foothills above Los Angeles sent dark plumes of smoke over the famed Hollywood sign on Friday and threatened an apartment building.

Reuters - An al Qaeda suspect at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military prison said he was tortured until he confessed to involvement in the USS Cole attack and other plans, according to a hearing transcript released on Friday.

Reuters - The Bush administration on Friday condemned plans by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Syria and possibly meet its president, who the United States has accused of helping destabilize the region.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Defense Department has doubled its planned investment in new weapons from $750 billion in 2001 to $1.5 trillion this year, but it is not getting enough bang for its buck, congressional investigators said on Friday.

AP - A Rider University freshman died of alcohol poisoning at a hospital Friday, more than a day after he drank excessively at a party at his fraternity house, authorities said.

AP - Lorena Ochoa was in the rough on the left, under the trees on the right and not always sure where the next shot was headed. When a demanding day ended at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she was right where she wanted to be.

Reuters - The Defense Department has doubled its planned investment in new weapons from $750 billion in 2001 to $1.5 trillion this year, but it is not getting enough bang for its buck, congressional investigators said on Friday.

AP - Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani said Friday his wife will not be a member of his Cabinet or attend most high-level meetings as he sought to clarify his previous statements suggesting she would play a significant role in his administration.

AP - Marie Osmond and husband Brian Blosil are divorcing after 20 years of marriage, the pair announced Friday. Osmond, 47, and Blosil, a record producer, have eight children, some of whom are adopted. The two married in a Mormon ceremony in October 1986, and briefly separated in 2000.

AP - Major League Baseball began an effort to emphasize its place in the history of America's struggle for racial equality just one day after a study said only 8.4 percent of its players last season were black, the lowest level in at least two decades.

AFP - The crisis over Iran's seizure of 15 British naval personnel escalated Saturday after Iran aired television footage of another British sailor "confessing" to trespassing in its waters.

AFP - A US military tribunal Friday handed down a nine-month prison sentence to Australian David Hicks for training with Al-Qaeda in a plea deal that will see him free by the new year.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Australian al Qaeda foot soldier David Hicks was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday but will only serve nine months, a U.S. military tribunal said.

AP - The body of a woman who was apparently shot to death lay in a driveway for hours Friday as officers exchanged fire with her son, who had holed up in her house, police said.

AP - Dirk Nowitzki took care of the personal milestone with his first shot. After his final surge, the Dallas Mavericks got their record. Nowitzki scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, with nine straight in the final 1:56, as the Mavericks beat the New York Knicks 105-103 Friday night for their franchise-record 61st victory.

Reuters - Australian al Qaeda foot soldier David Hicks was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday but will only serve nine months, a U.S. military tribunal said.

AFP - A US military tribunal gave Australian David Hicks a nine-month prison sentence in a plea deal that will see him free by the end of the year after admitting to training with Al-Qaeda.