SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's office said on Thursday it did not expect federal prosecutors to bring charges in a legal probe that led him to withdraw his nomination for a post in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

AP - Wildfires erupted up and down California on Thursday, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes as a late summer siege of heat and low humidity levels made conditions ripe for conflagrations.

AP - North and South Korea agreed Friday to hold a new round of reunions next month for families long separated by the Korean War in the latest sign of easing tensions on the divided peninsula. The planned reunions will be the first in nearly two years.

Reuters - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's office said on Thursday it did not expect federal prosecutors to bring charges in a legal probe that led him to withdraw his nomination for a post in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

AFP - Huge crowds flocked to view Edward Kennedy's flag-draped coffin in a stirring send-off at the oceanside Boston library the senator built to honor his slain brother.

AP - A little girl snatched on her way to school was kept hidden from the world behind a series of fences, sheds and tents for nearly two decades, even giving birth to her suspected abductor's children in the suburban backyard compound less than 200 miles from the home where she was taken.

AP - Many of the people who took time out to pay their respects to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy say they did so because he had made time for them at some point during his 47 years in office.

AP - Wildfires chewed through tinder-dry brush up and down California on Friday, forcing thousands to flee ritzy seaside neighborhoods, comfortable foothill suburbs and tiny farming communities.

AP - After two-plus hours of practice, Pleasure Ridge Park football coach David Jason Stinson had seen enough of players goofing off.

AFP - Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a Saudi royal family member who heads the kingdom's anti-terror fight, escaped little harmed from a suicide bomb attack in Jeddah, official news agency SPA said on Friday.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command on Friday accused the United States of leading a crusade to turn Pakistan into a divided nation and urged Pakistanis to join in a jihad to resist.

AP - Wildfires chewed through tinder-dry brush up and down California on Friday, forcing hundreds to flee ritzy seaside neighborhoods, comfortable foothill suburbs and tiny farming communities.

AP - North and South Korea agreed Friday to hold a new round of reunions for families long separated by the Korean War — the first in nearly two years — in the latest sign of easing tensions on the divided peninsula.

AP - Overwhelmed by a positive reaction, Michael Vick tried too hard to please the fans.

Reuters - A California girl who was kidnapped at the age of 11 in 1991 has been found alive, having spent 18 years living in sheds and tents behind the home of her accused abductor, a convicted rapist who fathered two children with her, police said on Thursday.

Reuters - Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is launching a campaign of legal action against media in Italy and abroad, including Britain, France and Spain, for libel in their coverage of his private life, his lawyer said on Friday.

Reuters - Al Qaeda's second-in-command on Friday accused the United States of leading a crusade to turn Pakistan into a divided nation and urged Pakistanis to join in a jihad to resist.

AFP - A woman kidnapped when she was only 11 has been reunited with her family after an 18-year ordeal during which she was kept in a hidden backyard and had two children with her abductor.

AFP - Iran's hardline President Mamoud Ahmadinejad called for the first time on Friday for the punishment of opposition leaders over the unrest unleashed by his disputed re-election.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California girl who was kidnapped at the age of 11 in 1991 has been found alive, having spent 18 years living in sheds and tents behind the home of her accused abductor, a convicted rapist who fathered two children with her, police said on Thursday.

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Silvio Berlusconi is launching a campaign of legal action against media in Italy and abroad, including Britain, France and Spain, for libel in their coverage of his private life, his lawyer said on Friday.

AP - Sen. Edward Kennedy was there for his constituents for nearly five decades, now they are repaying that loyalty by the tens of thousands.

AP - A Dutch court ordered authorities to take temporary guardianship of a 13-year-old girl on Friday, delaying her plan to sail solo around the world until psychologists can assess her capacity to undertake such a risky voyage.

AP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday called for the leaders of the opposition to be prosecuted over Iran's postelection turmoil, stepping up pressure against the pro-reform movement that says he won the election by fraud.

Reuters - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is launching legal actions against media in Italy and abroad, including Britain, France and Spain, for libel in their coverage of his private life, his lawyer said on Friday.

Reuters - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's office said on Thursday it did not expect federal prosecutors to bring charges in a legal probe that led him to withdraw his nomination for a post in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

Reuters - A Pakistani judge ruled on Friday that nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan should be allowed freedom of movement more than five years after being put under house arrest for his role in a nuclear proliferation scandal.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has received more than 2,000 complaints of fraud or abuse in last week's disputed presidential election, with 270 now listed as serious enough to affect the result, it said on Friday.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is launching legal actions against media in Italy and abroad, including Britain, France and Spain, for libel in their coverage of his private life, his lawyer said on Friday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The rival Koreas reached a deal on Friday to resume from September reunions of families torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War, as the isolated North reaches out to its foes after being hit by U.N. sanctions.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani judge ruled on Friday that nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan should be allowed freedom of movement more than five years after being put under house arrest for his role in a nuclear proliferation scandal.

AP - The last time Ginger Romano saw Sen. Ted Kennedy, she wasn't at her best.

Reuters - Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has received more than 2,000 complaints of fraud or abuse in last week's disputed presidential election, with 270 now listed as serious enough to affect the result, it said on Friday.

Reuters - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is launching legal actions against media in Italy and abroad, including Britain, France and Spain, for libel in their coverage of his private life, his lawyer said on Friday.

Reuters - The rival Koreas reached a deal on Friday to resume from September reunions of families torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War, as the isolated North reaches out to its foes after being hit by U.N. sanctions.

AFP - Snatched as an 11-year-old on her way to school, Jaycee Lee Dugard was held captive for 18 years shut off from the world in a secret backyard and bore two girls with her abductor, police said.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats came together on Friday to honor Senator Edward Kennedy, the standard-bearer for liberal Democrats and patriarch of America's fabled political dynasty, at a private memorial service.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thousands of residents were evacuated from million-dollar homes in exclusive Los Angeles communities as four wildfires burned on Friday in the mountains and coastal areas around the city.

AP - Tens of thousands of people are paying tribute today to Sen. Edward Kennedy, who lay in repose for a second day in a flag-draped casket at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Members of the Kennedy family, including his daughter Kara Kennedy Allen, nephew Tim Shriver and 81-year-old Jean Kennedy Smith, the senator's sister and the last surviving Kennedy sibling, greeted visitors.

AP - A man suspected of snatching an 11-year-old girl and hiding her for nearly two decades in his backyard faced a Friday court appearance, as the woman's family reunited with their daughter and met the two children fathered by her alleged abductor.

AP - Wildfires threatened hundreds of homes in the seaside hills and foothill canyons near Los Angeles early Friday, feeding on bone-dry brush in the midst of a heat wave expected to drive temperatures into triple digits.

AP - An American service member died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Friday, making August the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. forces.

AP - A northern New Jersey mayor is going to court to stop renovation work at the mansion where Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi wants to stay next month when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

AP - Aides to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy are sending updates about his memorial services through a Twitter account.

AP - Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall, openly unhappy with the Denver Broncos, was suspended by the team Friday for unspecified 'detrimental' conduct. The club did not say in its 15-word statement how long the suspension would last.

Reuters - Republicans and Democrats came together on Friday to honor Senator Edward Kennedy, the standard-bearer for liberal Democrats and patriarch of America's fabled political dynasty, at a private memorial service.

AFP - North Korea agreed Friday to restart a reunion programme with South Korea for separated families and pledged to free four fishermen, in new moves to ease tensions after more than a year of hostility.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has slightly reduced the scale of its nuclear fuel production work and has fulfilled demands for more effective monitoring of its Natanz uranium enrichment site, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Scots are divided over the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber on humanitarian grounds, a poll by Ipsos MORI Scotland for Thomson Reuters showed.

AP - Household income in the U.S. is essentially stagnant, raising doubts about whether consumers already hurt by job losses can sustain an economic recovery.

AP - The father of a man suspected of kidnapping a girl 18 years ago and hiding her in his backyard says his son is 'absolutely out of his mind.'

AP - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Monterey counties as wildfires burn large areas and threaten homes.

AP - Tim McGraw isn't looking for trouble at his concerts, but there are certain things he just won't ignore.

Reuters - Republicans and Democrats were to come together at a private memorial service on Friday to honor Senator Edward Kennedy, the standard-bearer for liberal Democrats and patriarch of an American political dynasty.

Reuters - Iran has slowed its nuclear expansion and met some demands for better monitoring but allegations of covert atom bomb research look credible and Tehran must address them, the U.N atomic watchdog said.

Reuters - Scots are divided over the decision to free the Lockerbie bomber on humanitarian grounds, a poll by Ipsos MORI Scotland for Thomson Reuters showed.

AFP - Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the first time on Friday for the punishment of opposition leaders over the street unrest unleashed by his disputed re-election in June.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats were to come together at a private memorial service on Friday to honor Senator Edward Kennedy, the standard-bearer for liberal Democrats and patriarch of an American political dynasty.

BOSTON (Reuters) - The man accused of masterminding the largest identity theft in U.S. history agreed to plead guilty to related charges, according to court papers filed in Boston federal court on Friday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide from an overdose of propofol and other drugs, and police will refer the case to prosecutors for possible criminal charges, officials said on Friday.

AP - The last time Ginger Romano saw Sen. Edward Kennedy, she wasn't at her best.

AP - The lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor is criticizing authorities for withholding the full results of the singer's autopsy.

AP - The Contra Costa County sheriff says a neighbor reported a backyard encampment at the home of a man suspected of holding a kidnapped girl captive for 18 years, but the investigating officer dismissed it as a routine code violation.

AP - A northern New Jersey mayor said he's going to court Friday to stop renovation work at the mansion where Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi wants to stay next month when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

AP - A 12-year-old boy has gone missing in rough surf along North Carolina's coast caused by the approaching Tropical Storm Danny.

Reuters - Cerberus Capital Management has been swamped with redemption requests with the Wall Street Journal reporting that investors are asking to pull out $5.5 billion or 71 percent of assets from its hedge funds.

Reuters - Iran has slowed its pace of nuclear expansion and met some demands for better monitoring but allegations of covert atom bomb research look credible and Tehran must address them, the U.N atomic watchdog said.

Reuters - The man accused of masterminding the largest identity theft in U.S. history agreed to plead guilty to related charges, according to court papers filed in Boston federal court on Friday.

Reuters - Pop star Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide from an overdose of propofol and other drugs, and police will refer the case to prosecutors for possible criminal charges, officials said on Friday.

Reuters - U.N. inspectors are analyzing further evidence taken from a nuclear research plant in Syria's capital Damascus where unexplained uranium traces were found, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Friday.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Senator Edward Kennedy's Democratic party sought to avoid turning his memorial events into a liberal political rally and to guarantee instead a solemn tribute to the fallen statesman.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Cerberus Capital Management has been swamped with redemption requests with the Wall Street Journal reporting that investors are asking to pull out $5.5 billion or 71 percent of assets from its hedge funds.

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has slowed its expansion of uranium enrichment and met some demands for transparency but allegations it researched how to build atom bombs look credible and Tehran must address them, the U.N atomic watchdog said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Worries over high unemployment pushed U.S. consumer confidence to a four-month low in August, while spending rose modestly in July, indicating the economy's recovery from recession would be lethargic.

AP - Now that the public has said goodbye to Sen. Edward Kennedy, a who's who of politics is converging on Boston for a private service featuring music, laughter and, in all likelihood, calls to grant Kennedy's last political wish — health coverage for all Americans.

AP - Michael Jackson's death was a homicide caused primarily by the powerful anesthetic propofol and another sedative, the coroner announced Friday in a highly anticipated ruling increasing the likelihood of criminal charges against the pop star's doctor.

AP - People along the Carolina coast braced for approaching Tropical Storm Danny, which reinforced the dangers of even a weakening storm after a young boy went missing Friday in rough surf.

AP - The twisted kidnapping case of a woman held captive for 18 years in a secluded backyard compound took another disturbing turn Friday as authorities searched the home of her alleged captor for evidence in the murders of several prostitutes and new evidence surfaced of missed opportunities to arrest him years ago.

AP - U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman says he's been assured Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi won't stay in Englewood, N.J., when he visits the United States next month to address the U.N. General Assembly.

Reuters - Senator Edward Kennedy's Democratic party sought to avoid turning his memorial events into a liberal political rally and to guarantee instead a solemn tribute to the fallen statesman.

Reuters - Iran has slowed its expansion of uranium enrichment and met some demands for transparency but allegations it researched how to build atom bombs look credible and Tehran must address them, the U.N atomic watchdog said.

Reuters - Worries over high unemployment pushed U.S. consumer confidence to a four-month low in August, while spending rose modestly in July, indicating the economy's recovery from recession would be lethargic.

AFP - The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship carrying North Korean weapons to Iran, marking the first time a nation has acted on UN sanctions to stop the communist state's proliferation, a diplomat said Friday.

AFP - A Californian couple denied Friday kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her a sex slave for 18 years, as questions mounted over how their alleged crimes went undetected for so long.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats and Republicans united on Friday to pay tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy, the powerful liberal from America's pre-eminent political dynasty whose death has been treated like the passing of royalty.

(Corrects second last paragraph to reflect that Garrido, not Dugard, was arrested)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson's death was ruled a homicide from drug overdose on Friday, fueling speculation his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, may soon be charged with manslaughter or another crime.

AP - Republican rival and longtime friend John McCain says Senator Edward Kennedy was 'the best ally you could have' when they agreed on issues.

AP - The United Arab Emirates has seized a cargo ship earlier this month bound for Iran with a cache of banned arms from North Korea, the first such seizure since sanctions against North Korea were ramped up, diplomats and officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

AP - A law enforcement official says the celebrity disc jockey known as DJ AM has been found dead in his New York City apartment, which had drug paraphernalia in it.

AP - Police in Michigan say a first date went from bad to worse when a Detroit man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date's car.

AP - Jerry Jones can keep his video boards right where they are, at least for this season.

Reuters - Top Democrats and Republicans united on Friday to pay tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy, the powerful liberal from America's pre-eminent political dynasty whose death has been treated like the passing of royalty.

Reuters - The couple accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her hidden in their backyard for 18 years pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges on Friday as police searched their home for evidence related to murders of prostitutes in the 1990s.

Reuters - Pop star Michael Jackson's death was ruled a homicide from drug overdose on Friday, fueling speculation his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, may soon be charged with manslaughter or another crime.

AFP - A Californian couple denied kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her as a sex slave for 18 years, as questions mounted over how their alleged crimes went undetected for so long.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The couple accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her hidden in their backyard for 18 years pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges on Friday as police searched their home for evidence related to murders of prostitutes in the 1990s.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Firefighters battling four wildfires around Los Angeles saved hundreds of homes in an affluent coastal community but struggled against a larger fire coming down the mountains toward another exclusive suburb.

AP - Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg says traveling in her uncle's memorial motorcade from Cape Cod to Boston reminded her of the many family history trips he would organize for the Kennedy kids.

AP - In death as in life, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy on Friday brought together political rivals — this time to celebrate his ferocious sense of humor and unwavering dedication to family and country.

AP - Space shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts blazed into orbit Saturday on a spectacular midnight flight to the international space station, hauling up a treadmill named after a TV funnyman and thousands of pounds of more solemn supplies.

AP - An American service member died Friday when his vehicle struck a bomb in eastern Afghanistan, making August the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nearly eight-year war.

AP - People on the East Coast warily eyed the approaching Tropical Storm Danny, which reinforced the dangers of even a weakening storm after a young boy went missing Friday in rough surf.

AP - DJ AM, the sought-after disc jockey who became a celebrity in his own right with high-profile romances and a glamorous lifestyle and survived a plane crash just months ago, was found dead in his apartment Friday. He had a history of drug problems.

AP - The United Arab Emirates has seized a cargo ship earlier this month bound for Iran with a cache of banned arms from North Korea, the first such seizure since sanctions against North Korea were ramped up, diplomats and officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

AP - Scott Kazmir was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night, giving the AL West leaders a major boost to their unsteady rotation.

AFP - South American presidents attacked plans for US bases in Colombia at a summit on Friday, and issued a statement warning 'foreign military forces' against threatening national sovereignty.