PARIS (Reuters) - The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday.

AP - Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis died doing what he loved and what he did best — flying high with his fellow U.S. Navy Blue Angels, a Catholic priest told mourners at a memorial Mass Thursday.

AP - Indie rocker Eric Monterrosa checks his ElHood.com Web page at least three times a day, answering fans, surfing for other new Latin artists and keeping in touch with friends from his native Colombia.

AP - The Lakers are back in their series against the Phoenix Suns thanks to another big game from Kobe Bryant and, believe it or not, Kwame Brown. And Lamar Odom pitched in as well. After falling behind by 17 points in the first quarter and drawing boos from the home crowd, the Lakers battled back and beat the Suns 95-89 Thursday night to cut Phoenix's lead to 2-1 in the first-round playoff series.

Reuters - The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday.

AFP - President George W. Bush and the Democratic-led Congress were on a major collision course after lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to start withdrawing US troops from Iraq in October.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China deported five American tourists after they demonstrated for a free Tibet and protested against the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the base of Mount Everest, and said it had urged Washington to prevent a recurrence.

AP - Immigration-related felony cases are swamping federal courts along the Southwest border, forcing judges to handle hundreds more cases than their peers elsewhere.

AP - Storms with high winds rushed across four states Thursday, spawning tornadoes in Tennessee and Illinois and tossing a patrol car over a 3-foot-high fence in Indiana. At least seven people were injured.

AP - Banning baseball caps during tests was obvious — students were writing the answers under the brim. Then, schools started banning cell phones, realizing students could text message the answers to each other. Now, schools across the country are targeting digital media players as a potential cheating device.

AP - Nintendo's president acknowledged Friday that the shortage of the hit Wii game machine was 'abnormal,' and promised production was being boosted to increase deliveries by next month.

Reuters - China deported five American tourists after they demonstrated for a free Tibet and protested against the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the base of Mount Everest, and said it had urged Washington to prevent a recurrence.

AFP - US President George W. Bush welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the first time at the White House Thursday, with baseball and golf coming up in their conversation at dinner.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of developing world charities, unions and nonprofit groups urged U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Thursday to withdraw their support for world trade talks, which they say could deepen global poverty.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe share a love of baseball, a common interest that may help along a friendship both leaders are keen to nurture amid deepening security ties between their countries.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A year ago, Iraq's Anbar was the most dangerous province for U.S. troops. Al Qaeda had dug in across the vast desert region. Iraqis were afraid to leave their homes in the local capital Ramadi, where insurgents held sway.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Seoul will permit the first shipment of U.S. beef into the country for sale since December 2003, South Korean officials said on Friday, after a U.S. senator said a rejection could scuttle a bilateral trade deal.

PARIS (Reuters) - Defeated centrist presidential candidate Francois Bayrou accused rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday of putting pressure on broadcasters to scrap a TV debate between him and Socialist challenger Segolene Royal.

AP - Storms with high winds rushed across four states Thursday, spawning tornadoes in Tennessee and Illinois and tossing a patrol car over a 3-foot-high fence in Indiana. At least seven people were injured.

AP - Mstislav Rostropovich, the ebullient master cellist who fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents and later triumphantly played Bach suites below the crumbling Berlin Wall, has died, his spokeswoman said. He was 80.

AP - Kobe Bryant said it was simply a matter of effort. The Phoenix Suns agreed. Bryant scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Kwame Brown added a career playoff-high 19 points, and the Lakers rallied to beat the Suns 95-89 Thursday night, cutting Phoenix's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Reuters - A group of developing world charities, unions and nonprofit groups urged U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Thursday to withdraw their support for world trade talks, which they say could deepen global poverty.

Reuters - President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe share a love of baseball, a common interest that may help along a friendship both leaders are keen to nurture amid deepening security ties between their countries.

Reuters - Seoul will permit the first shipment of U.S. beef into the country for sale since December 2003, South Korean officials said on Friday, after a U.S. senator said a rejection could scuttle a bilateral trade deal.

Reuters - Defeated centrist presidential candidate Francois Bayrou accused rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday of putting pressure on broadcasters to scrap a TV debate between him and Socialist challenger Segolene Royal.

AFP - Estonian authorities moved a Soviet war monument from its spot in central Tallinn to a secret location as rioting overnight about the statue left one person dead and scores injured, officials said Friday.

AFP - US President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were set for their first summit on Friday, with North Korea and Tokyo's expanding global role expected high on the agenda.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - ChemNutra on Friday raised the possibility that it was not the only company to supply Menu Foods with wheat gluten, an ingredient linked to a U.S. pet food recall that includes more than 100 brands.

PARIS (Reuters) - France's rightwing presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy was embroiled in a free speech row on Friday after a defeated candidate accused him of stifling a televised election debate.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least seventeen people died when a military helicopter with troops on board was shot down in Russia's volatile province of Chechnya on Friday, Russian news agencies and the military said.

AP - A Russian military helicopter crashed in Chechnya on Friday, killing all 18 people aboard, emergency officials said. There were conflicting reports about whether the craft was shot down.

AP - A bloom of ocean algae that produces a toxic acid has sickened and killed hundreds of birds, sea lions and dolphins in California, environmentalists said.

AP - Wall Street was poised to open lower Thursday ahead of the government's estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product and more earnings reports.

AP - Mstislav Rostropovich, the ebullient master cellist who courageously fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents and later triumphantly played Bach suites below the crumbling Berlin Wall, has died. He was 80.

AP - Kobe Bryant said it was simply a matter of effort. The Phoenix Suns agreed. Bryant scored 15 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Kwame Brown added a career playoff-high 19 points, and the Lakers rallied to beat the Suns 95-89 Thursday night, cutting Phoenix's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Reuters - A year ago, Iraq's Anbar was the most dangerous province for U.S. troops. Al Qaeda had dug in across the vast desert region. Iraqis were afraid to leave their homes in the local capital Ramadi, where insurgents held sway.

Reuters - ChemNutra on Friday raised the possibility that it was not the only company to supply Menu Foods with wheat gluten, an ingredient linked to a U.S. pet food recall that includes more than 100 brands.

Reuters - France's rightwing presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy was embroiled in a free speech row on Friday after a defeated candidate accused him of stifling a televised election debate.

AFP - Estonian authorities removed a Soviet war memorial under the cover of darkness Friday after riots left one dead, triggering a furious response from Moscow.

AFP - An aide to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Friday accused the Democratic US lawmakers who voted for a timed withdrawal of US troops of playing politics with the future of Iraq.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis are glad U.S. soldiers could soon depart but fearful of what they might leave behind, after the U.S. Congress approved a bill linking troop withdrawals to war funding.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Elements of the proposed U.S. missile shield to be based in Poland and the Czech Rebublic will be used to track Russian military activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday.

GROZNY (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed when their troop-carrying helicopter was shot down in Russia's volatile province of Chechnya on Friday, Russian news agencies and the military said.

AP - U.S.-led forces detained nine suspected insurgents in raids aimed at al-Qaida in Iraq, the military said Friday, including five in a region that has seen a recent rise in violence as militants fled there to escape a crackdown in Baghdad.

AP - Taliban militants seized control of a district in eastern Afghanistan after hours of fighting that killed five people, including the local mayor and his police chief, a senior official said Friday.

AP - Economic growth slowed to a near crawl of 1.3 percent in the first three months of 2007, the worst performance in four years. The main culprit: the housing slump.

AP - A senior White House counselor on Friday dismissed former CIA Director's George Tenet portrait of a Bush administration that rushed to war in Iraq without serious debate. 'The president did wrestle with those very serious questions,' Dan Bartlett said.

AP - Mstislav Rostropovich, the ebullient master cellist who courageously fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents and later triumphantly played Bach suites below the crumbling Berlin Wall, has died. He was 80.

AP - A dead passenger traveled unnoticed for at least half a day on an executive passenger train, an Indonesian newspaper reported Friday.

Reuters - Iraqis are glad U.S. soldiers could soon depart but fearful of what they might leave behind, after the U.S. Congress approved a bill linking troop withdrawals to war funding.

AFP - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that a US anti-missile system planned for deployment in eastern Europe would greatly heighten the risk of mutual destruction, a news agency reported.

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are willing to allow North Korea some leeway in meeting its commitments on nuclear disarmament, President George W. Bush said on Friday, but he warned patience would eventually run out.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An al Qaeda member accused of assassination plots against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and U.N. officials has been captured by the CIA and is in U.S. military custody, the Pentagon said on Friday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday renewed criticism of U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Eastern Europe, saying Russia would take 'appropriate measures' to counter the system.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gov. Eliot Spitzer plans to introduce a bill on Friday that would legalize same-sex marriage, even though he expects the bill to be rejected by the legislature.

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Friday it foiled an al Qaeda-linked plot to attack oil facilities and military bases, arresting more than 170 suspects, including some trainee pilots preparing for suicide operations.

AP - Police arrested 172 Islamic militants, some of whom had trained abroad as pilots so they could fly aircraft in attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil fields, the Interior Ministry said Friday. A spokesman said all that remained in the plot 'was to set the zero hour.'

AP - President Bush declared Friday that the patience of the United States and other allies toward North Korea 'is not unlimited.' He spoke after discussing efforts to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program with Japan's prime minister.

AP - The Pentagon announced Friday the capture of one of al-Qaida's most senior and most experienced operatives, an Iraqi who was trying to return to his native country when he was captured.

AP - The Food and Drug Administration rejected Merck & Co.'s request to market a successor to its withdrawn arthritis drug Vioxx in the United States, the drugmaker said Friday.

AP - Economic growth slowed to a near crawl of 1.3 percent in the first three months of 2007, the worst performance in four years. The main culprit: the housing slump.

Reuters - The CIA captured a suspected senior al Qaeda operative who U.S. officials accuse of commanding the group's paramilitary operations in Afghanistan and launching attacks on U.S. forces from Pakistan, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Reuters - Saudi Arabia said on Friday it foiled an al Qaeda-linked plot to attack oil facilities and military bases, arresting more than 170 suspects, including some trainee pilots preparing for suicide operations.

Reuters - Elements of the proposed U.S. missile shield to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic will be used to track Russian military activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday.

AFP - The United States has taken into custody a top al-Qaeda operative who plotted to assassinate Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and other officials, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraqi al Qaeda member accused of assassination plots against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other attacks was transferred by the CIA to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo this week, the Pentagon said on Friday.

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged on Friday to take a tougher stance toward North Korea if it fails to follow through on commitments toward nuclear disarmament.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush pledged on Friday to veto legislation that includes a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq but Democrats urged him to 'heed the call of the American people' and sign it.

AP - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

AP - Police arrested 172 Islamic militants, some of whom had trained abroad as pilots so they could fly aircraft in attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil fields, the Interior Ministry said Friday. A spokesman said all that remained in the plot 'was to set the zero hour.'

AP - Democratic presidential contender John Edwards on Friday challenged his rivals and former Senate colleagues to stand up to President Bush if he vetoes legislation to begin a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

AP - A Bahamian court cleared the way Friday for Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend to leave the island chain with their infant daughter, rejecting an appeal by the mother of the former reality TV star.

AP - A woman pulled into her driveway and spotted something big inside her garage. That something turned out to be a bull. And an angry bull at that.

AP - WNBA player Deanna Jackson was arrested on an assault charge after slugging an opposing player in a parking lot following a game, and will not be allowed to leave Israel until after the Chicago Sky's preseason opener.

Reuters - An Iraqi al Qaeda member accused of assassination plots against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other attacks was transferred by the CIA to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo this week, the Pentagon said on Friday.

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged on Friday to take a tougher stance toward North Korea if it fails to follow through on commitments toward nuclear disarmament.

Reuters - President George W. Bush pledged on Friday to veto legislation that includes a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq but Democrats urged him to "heed the call of the American people" and sign it.

Reuters - President Vladimir Putin on Friday renewed criticism of U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Eastern Europe, saying Russia would take "appropriate measures" to counter the system.

Reuters - Gov. Eliot Spitzer plans to introduce a bill on Friday that would legalize same-sex marriage, even though he expects the bill to be rejected by the legislature.

AFP - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that US plans to deploy an anti-missile system in eastern Europe sharply increase the danger of mutual destruction.

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned North Korea on Friday that they would take a tougher stance toward the communist nation if it does not honor its commitments on nuclear disarmament.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) - The eight Democratic White House contenders campaigned across South Carolina on Friday after a first debate that produced no winners or losers but gave some lesser-known candidates a share of the national spotlight.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and India next week will make another attempt at salvaging their controversial nuclear cooperation agreement but U.S. officials, with little room to maneuver, are cautious about the likelihood of progress.

HAVANA (Reuters) - Political rallies in Cuba these days end with chants of 'Long Live Fidel! Long Live Raul!' but which of the Castro brothers is running the country is anyone's guess.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama plants trees and changes lightbulbs, Hillary Clinton wants alternative energy research and John McCain is keen to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- all signs of this season's political must-have: an environmental policy.

AP - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

AP - The Pentagon announced Friday the capture of one of al-Qaida's most senior and most experienced operatives, an Iraqi who was trying to return to his native country when he was captured.

AP - A Bahamian court cleared the way Friday for Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend to leave with their baby daughter, rejecting an appeal by the mother of the former reality TV star.

AP - Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby was voted the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year on Friday after leading the league in blocked shots for the third time. Camby averaged 3.3 blocks to go with 11.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.

Reuters - U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned North Korea on Friday that they would take a tougher stance toward the communist nation if it does not honor its commitments on nuclear disarmament.

Reuters - The eight Democratic White House contenders campaigned across South Carolina on Friday after a first debate that produced no winners or losers but gave some lesser-known candidates a share of the national spotlight.

Reuters - The United States and India next week will make another attempt at salvaging their controversial nuclear cooperation agreement but U.S. officials, with little room to maneuver, are cautious about the likelihood of progress.

Reuters - Political rallies in Cuba these days end with chants of "Long Live Fidel! Long Live Raul!" but which of the Castro brothers is running the country is anyone's guess.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush pledged on Friday to veto -- and go on vetoing -- legislation that includes a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq but Democrats urged him to sign it.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged the United States on Friday to speak directly to Iran over its disputed nuclear program, saying he was sure Tehran was ready for such talks.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore offered on Friday to work closely with the United Nations in furthering programs on global warming, the U.N. secretary-general said.

ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed legalizing same-sex marriage on Friday even though he expects the bill to be rejected by the legislature.

AP - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

AP - A congressional committee on Friday requested documents from the White House and Pentagon describing how and when the Bush administration learned the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death.

AP - Friendly fire apparently killed a New York state trooper as he searched a farmhouse for a suspect in the shooting of a colleague, officials said Friday.

AP - Saudi Arabia announced Friday that an anti-terrorism sweep netted 172 Islamic extremists and stopped plans to mount air attacks on the kingdom's oil refineries, break militants out of jail and send suicide attackers to kill government officials.

AP - The worst economic growth in four years is raising concern that troubles in the U.S. housing market will spread and throw the country into a recession before the year is out.

Reuters - President George W. Bush pledged on Friday to veto -- and go on vetoing -- legislation that includes a timetable for pulling U.S. troops from Iraq but Democrats urged him to sign it.

Reuters - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged the United States on Friday to speak directly to Iran over its disputed nuclear program, saying he was sure Tehran was ready for such talks.

Reuters - Former Vice President Al Gore offered on Friday to work closely with the United Nations in furthering programs on global warming, the U.N. secretary-general said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraqi from al Qaeda's top leadership in South Asia has been captured trying to enter Iraq and turned over to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, U.S. officials said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and his bank-employed girlfriend will appear before a special panel on Monday to discuss a promotion and raise he arranged for her that has sparked calls for his resignation.

AP - Saint Louis hired Rick Majerus on Friday, a move that signals the school's intentions of becoming a Top 50 national program. Father Lawrence Biondi, the school president, announced the hiring in a statement. Majerus, an analyst for ESPN the last three years, has a career record of 422-147 with 15 postseason appearances.

Reuters - An Iraqi from al Qaeda's top leadership in South Asia has been captured trying to enter Iraq and turned over to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, U.S. officials said on Friday.

Reuters - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and his bank-employed girlfriend will appear before a special panel on Monday to discuss a promotion and raise he arranged for her that has sparked calls for his resignation.

AP - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

AP - The top EU foreign policy official urged the United States Friday to engage Iran in direct negotiations about its nuclear program and other issues to try to stabilize the Middle East.

AP - A hometown celebration of Kurt Vonnegut's life and literary prowess was highlighted Friday night with the last thing the author wrote — a speech he had planned to deliver himself at Butler University.

AP - Sammy Sosa hit his 595th career home run in the third inning of the Texas Rangers' game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Sosa followed Mark Teixeira's two-run drive with a shot to center against Blue Jays starter Josh Towers. It was the seventh home run of the season for Sosa and his first hit in 11 career at-bats against Towers.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged the United States on Friday to speak directly to Iran over its disputed nuclear program, saying he was sure Tehran was ready for such talks.

AP - Randall Tobias, head of the Bush administration's foreign aid programs, abruptly resigned Friday after his name surfaced in an investigation into a high-priced call-girl ring, said two people in a position to know the circumstances of his departure.

AP - Chicago is one win away from sending the defending NBA champions home for the summer — in stunning style. Ben Gordon scored 27 points, Luol Deng added 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Bulls used a 15-2 fourth-quarter run to seize control of a 104-96 victory in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night.

Reuters - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged the United States on Friday to speak directly to Iran over its disputed nuclear program, saying he was sure Tehran was ready for such talks.

AFP - The United States revealed Friday the capture of a senior-level Al-Qaeda commander and his transfer to its Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention center for "war on terror" suspects.

AFP - Despite growing criticism of US policy in Iraq, President George W. Bush warned Democrats Friday not to "test my will" after he vetoes a bill withdrawing US troops from Iraq.