BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday said it was sending an envoy to the United States to try to ease trade frictions as its currency regime comes under fire, but cautioned that pressure from U.S. legislators would complicate talks.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sarah Palin is closer to landing a deal for a reality show.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand banker defrauded clients of $13 million to fund a lavish lifestyle of prostitutes, property and wine, local media reported on Friday.

AP - Pakistan's recent arrests of top Taliban leaders have halted the United Nation's secret talks with the insurgency, the U.N.'s former envoy to Afghanistan said.

AP - A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to marry a suspected terrorist and kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims cooperated with authorities, a congressman said.

AP - From No. 1 to one and done: Ishmael Smith's last shot meant one more collapse for Texas.

AP - The opening day of the first round of the NCAA tournament shocked the Big East — three teams lost and another won in overtime, thrilled double-digit seeds — three of them won and wore out fans with three games going overtime, including BYU's 99-92 double-overtime win against Florida.

Reuters - China on Friday said it was sending an envoy to the United States to try to ease trade frictions as its currency regime comes under fire, but cautioned that pressure from U.S. legislators would complicate talks.

Reuters - Sarah Palin is closer to landing a deal for a reality show.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Middle East mediators from Europe, the United States, Russia and the U.N. met on Friday seeking to defuse the latest crisis in peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

ATHENS (Reuters) - A makeshift bomb damaged the office of a far-right group in central Athens early on Friday but no one was hurt, police said.

AP - Slowly but steadily, support is building behind President Barack Obama's health care legislation in the House, the result of intense lobbying and politically targeted changes aimed at reassuring waverers and winning over critics.

AP - President Barack Obama promised to make overhauling the immigration system a top priority in his first year as president. He's now in Year Two, and the odds that he'll get to sign a bill before the November midterm elections appear long.

AP - If the woman dubbed 'Jihad Jane' goes on trial, she would become just the second American woman tried on U.S. soil on terrorism charges — and the first accused of directly working toward a Muslim holy war.

AP - The opening day of the first round of the NCAA tournament shocked the Big East — three teams lost and another won in overtime, thrilled double-digit seeds — three of them won and wore out fans with three games going overtime, including BYU's 99-92 double-overtime win against Florida.

Reuters - Middle East mediators from Europe, the United States, Russia and the U.N. met on Friday seeking to defuse the latest crisis in peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Reuters - A makeshift bomb damaged the office of a far-right group in central Athens early on Friday but no one was hurt, police said.

AFP - The international Quartet for the Middle East met Friday in Moscow in a bid to revive the peace process despite tensions after Israel's announcement of new settler homes and a deadly rocket attack.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Middle East mediators condemned for the second time in a week on Friday Israeli plans to build new settlements in disputed East Jerusalem, but the United States suggested Israel was moving to address the issue.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of opposition activists in Thailand vowed on Friday to press ahead with anti-government protests, preparing for a new drive to win over Bangkok's politically powerful middle classes.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Global miner Rio Tinto signed a $2.9 billion pact with Chinese metals group Chinalco to jointly develop an African iron ore project, amid tense iron ore price talks with China's steel mills and just ahead of a trial of four Rio employees.

KABUL (Reuters) - Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, who banned television and barred women from appearing in public without an all-enveloping burqa, the Afghan government is fighting a losing battle to keep female flesh off TV.

AP - Top international diplomats on Friday called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months. They reiterated their condemnation of Israel's latest move to add Jewish housing in disputed east Jerusalem but did not escalate criticism of the Jewish state.

AP - School districts have imposed all sorts of drastic cuts to save money during the down economy, canceling field trips and making parents pay for everything from tissues to sports transportation.

AP - Police in this picturesque city in rural Riverside County have been on edge in recent weeks. Someone is trying to kill them.

AP - Sandra Bullock reached the pinnacle of her profession on March 7, when she won an Academy Award. Her husband, Jesse James, was by her side. He even teared up when she went on stage to accept the Oscar.

AP - Twenty-one years ago, Georgetown pulled into Providence as the top seed and nearly exited as a victim of the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history.

Reuters - Middle East mediators condemned for the second time in a week on Friday Israeli plans to build new settlements in disputed East Jerusalem, but the United States suggested Israel was moving to address the issue.

Reuters - Tens of thousands of opposition activists in Thailand vowed on Friday to press ahead with anti-government protests, preparing for a new drive to win over Bangkok's politically powerful middle classes.

Reuters - Global miner Rio Tinto signed a $2.9 billion pact with Chinese metals group Chinalco to jointly develop an African iron ore project, amid tense iron ore price talks with China's steel mills and just ahead of a trial of four Rio employees.

Reuters - Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, who banned television and barred women from appearing in public without an all-enveloping burqa, the Afghan government is fighting a losing battle to keep female flesh off TV.

AFP - The Quartet for the Middle East on Friday urged Israel to stop building settlements and set a target for a final deal with the Palestinians within two years.

AFP - US President Barack Obama is leading his Democratic allies in an all-out campaign to win over wavering lawmakers ahead of a cliffhanger Sunday vote on his historic health care overhaul.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The international 'quartet' of Middle East mediators suggested on Friday that stalled indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be unblocked in coming days.

CANBERRA/SYDNEY (Reuters) - China has told Australian diplomats they will not be given access to part of the trial of an Australian employee of Rio Tinto charged with commercial spying, Canberra said on Friday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An al Qaeda-linked militant group that claimed responsibility for recent bombings in Baghdad has declared a new military campaign against Iraqi political parties, according to a group that monitors insurgents' communications.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Google Inc may make an announcement next Monday about whether it will pull out from China, the China Business News reported on Friday, quoting an unnamed Google employee.

Reuters - China has told Australian diplomats they will not be given access to part of the trial of an Australian employee of Rio Tinto charged with commercial spying, Canberra said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Friday that Democrats would have the support necessary to pass the healthcare reform bill in a vote expected on Sunday.

BARVIKHA, Russia (Reuters) - Russia on Friday said that Iran was letting the opportunity for dialogue with the international community slip away and warned that the Islamic Republic could face new sanctions.

AP - Top international diplomats on Friday called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations with a goal of reaching a final settlement that would create an independent Palestinian state within 24 months. They reiterated their condemnation of Israel's latest move to add Jewish housing in disputed east Jerusalem but did not escalate criticism of the Jewish state.

AP - Talks between British Airways and the union representing its cabin crew have collapsed.

AP - Actresses Demi Moore and Nia Vardalos were linked to an online chain of Twitter posts that ultimately led to Florida authorities intervening Friday when a young man threatened to commit suicide.

Reuters - Two members of the international quartet of Middle East mediators suggested on Friday that stalled indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians may be unblocked in coming days.

Reuters - House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Friday that Democrats would have the support necessary to pass the healthcare reform bill in a vote expected on Sunday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An al Qaeda-linked militant group that claimed responsibility for recent bombings in Baghdad has declared a new military campaign against Iraqi political parties, according to a group that monitors insurgents' communications.

AP - President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders lobbied intensely for historic health care legislation Friday, gaining momentum and another precious 'yes' 48 hours ahead of a climactic vote.

AP - President Barack Obama described the stakes of this weekend's health care vote in stark terms Friday, using words uttered so rarely out of the White House that they seem all but banned: 'If this vote fails.'

AP - Almost seven years after the first bombs in the war to oust Saddam Hussein, Iraqis went about their business Friday with little observance of the anniversary, looking to the future with a mixture of trepidation and hope.

AP - The Dutch prime minister Friday denounced as 'irresponsible' a claim by a retired U.S. general that gay Dutch soldiers were partly to blame for allowing Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

AP - One of the heaviest rainfalls since Haiti's Jan. 12 earthquake swamped homeless camps Friday, sweeping screaming residents into eddies of water, overflowing latrines and panicking thousands.

AP - A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travellers is set to start at midnight Friday after last-ditch talks between the airline's management and union leaders collapsed.

AP - Morgan State has scored the first 10 points against the Mountaineers, bringing up the question: Can the Big East really lose another first-round game?

AFP - The Middle East Quartet on Friday urged Israel to stop building settlements and set a bold target for a final deal with the Palestinians by 2012 as it tried to kickstart the stalled peace process.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives pushed undecided members for support and voiced growing confidence on Friday they will win a close vote on final passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul.

FREETOWN (Reuters) - At least 200 people were killed when a trench collapsed at an unofficial gold mine in Sierra Leone, the West African country's Ministry of Mineral Resources said on Friday.

AP - International diplomats on Friday called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to peace negotiations with the goal of creating an independent Palestinian state within two years. They reiterated their condemnation of Israel's latest move to add Jewish housing in disputed east Jerusalem but did not escalate criticism of the Jewish state.

AP - The arrests of top Taliban figures in Pakistan abruptly halted secret U.N. contacts with the insurgency at a time when the efforts were gathering momentum, the U.N.'s former envoy to Afghanistan said Friday.

AP - West Virginia has beaten Morgan State 77-50, keeping its late-season surge going. The Mountaineers lost to Dayton in the first round of last year's tournament, but will now play Clemson or Missouri on Sunday.

Reuters - Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives pushed undecided members for support and voiced growing confidence on Friday they will win a close vote on final passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul.

Reuters - At least 200 people were killed when a trench collapsed at an unofficial gold mine in Sierra Leone, the West African country's Ministry of Mineral Resources said on Friday.

AFP - President Barack Obama declared Friday Democrats were on the cusp of history after a century struggling for health reform, amid cresting excitement in Congress ahead of a fateful weekend vote.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a significant victory for news media, a federal appeals court said the Federal Reserve must disclose records on emergency lending programs to banks bailed out by the government in the financial crisis.

FREETOWN (Reuters) - At least 200 people were killed when a trench collapsed at an unofficial gold mine in Sierra Leone, the West African country's Ministry of Mineral Resources said on Friday.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan rejected on Friday a suggestion from the former head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan that the arrest of senior Afghan Taliban members in Pakistan may have disrupted talks with U.N. representatives.

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Police running scared from drug gangs in one of Mexico's deadliest cities are using bizarre rituals involving animal sacrifice and spirit tattoos to seek protection from raging violence on the U.S. border.

AP - President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders lobbied intensively for historic health care legislation Friday, striving to resolve a last-minute dispute over Medicare while gaining another precious 'yes' 48 hours ahead of a climactic vote.

AP - It was a bold response to skyrocketing health insurance premiums. President Barack Obama would give federal authorities the power to block unreasonable rate hikes.

AP - It's the financial equivalent of a high medal count at the Olympics or a seat on the U.N. Security Council — a triple-A credit rating, the seal of approval that lets investors know a country's bonds are safe.

AP - Call them the Final Four: The four large cities that have made it through the Great Recession with the smallest increases in unemployment.

AP - A federal appeals court says Anna Nicole Smith's estate will receive none of the more than $300 million that she claimed her late billionaire husband had promised her.

AP - Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman could be kicked out of her Southern California home.

AP - Edwin Ubiles is leading Siena on a big comeback in Spokane, Wash. He scored six straight points during an 8-0 run that has the Saints within 66-59 with 2:27 remaining.

Reuters - In a significant victory for news media, a federal appeals court said the Federal Reserve must disclose records on emergency lending programs to banks bailed out by the government in the financial crisis.

Reuters - At least 200 people were killed when a trench collapsed at an unofficial gold mine in Sierra Leone, the West African country's Ministry of Mineral Resources said on Friday.

Reuters - Pakistan rejected on Friday a suggestion from the former head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan that the arrest of senior Afghan Taliban members in Pakistan may have disrupted talks with U.N. representatives.

AFP - President Barack Obama declared Friday Democrats were on the cusp of history after a century struggling for health reform, amid cresting excitement in Congress ahead of a weekend vote.

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's minister of mineral resources Alpha Kanu denied on Friday that at least 200 people were killed when a mine collapsed, contradicting an earlier statement from his own ministry.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday delayed a $657.5 million settlement for workers who suffered health problems after the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying the process must be transparent and lawyers fees should not be drawn from the funds.

AP - One by one, Democratic fence-sitters began choosing sides Friday, and the long, turbulent struggle over landmark health care legislation tilted unmistakably in President Barack Obama's direction.

AP - Pope Benedict XVI addresses Ireland on Saturday in a letter apologizing for the sex abuse scandal here — a message being watched closely by Catholics from Boston to Berlin to see if it also acknowledges decades of Vatican-approved cover-ups.

AP - Cheesecake in hand, the police commissioner personally apologized Friday for the 50 or so mistaken, door-pounding visits that police have made to the home of a bewildered elderly Brooklyn couple in the past eight years.

AP - Halftime of the only game going on Friday at 6 p.m. allows time to relay a story to consider when the second round tips off on Saturday.

Reuters - Sierra Leone's minister of mineral resources Alpha Kanu denied on Friday that at least 200 people were killed when a mine collapsed, contradicting an earlier statement from his own ministry.

Reuters - A U.S. federal judge on Friday delayed a $657.5 million settlement for workers who suffered health problems after the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying the process must be transparent and lawyers fees should not be drawn from the funds.

PHOENIX (Reuters) - The U.S. pay czar will slash the number of top General Motors Co executives who will receive base salaries of more than $500,000 this year.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The race for New York governor heated up on Friday when a local Democratic official joined the campaign and switched parties, saying his views mesh best with Republicans and whose primary election is seen easier to win.

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Armed men likely linked to drug gangs blocked highways with trucks and buses in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Friday in an apparent attempt to hamper army operations near the U.S. border.

AP - Cheesecake in hand, the police commissioner personally apologized Friday for the 50 or so mistaken, door-pounding visits that police have made to the home of a bewildered elderly Brooklyn couple in the past eight years.

AP - Mike Krzyzewski looks like he'll be adding to his win total of 71 in the NCAA tournament, with the Blue Devils comfortably ahead of Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

Reuters - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered hints he could support the United States on two key issues -- an arms pact and Iran -- after a meeting on Friday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Reuters - The U.S. pay czar will slash the number of top General Motors Co executives who will receive base salaries of more than $500,000 this year.

Reuters - The race for New York governor heated up on Friday when a local Democratic official joined the campaign and switched parties, saying his views mesh best with Republicans and whose primary election is seen easier to win.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered hints he could support the United States on two key issues -- an arms pact and Iran -- after a meeting on Friday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways said it would fly more than 60 percent of passengers with flights booked for this weekend despite a three-day cabin crew strike that risks hurting the Labor government weeks before an election.

AP - A woman gardening wearing only a yellow thong and pink gloves has brought neighborhood complaints and new rules from a housing authority in Colorado.

AP - Cal and Louisville finally started after a broken shot clock delayed things in Jacksonville, Fla. It's an important game for Cal and especially Patrick Christopher, who has designs on playing professionally but needs a good showing in the NCAA tournament.

Reuters - British Airways said it would fly more than 60 percent of passengers with flights booked for this weekend despite a three-day cabin crew strike that risks hurting the Labor government weeks before an election.

Reuters - Armed men likely linked to drug gangs blocked highways with trucks and buses in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Friday in an apparent attempt to hamper army operations near the U.S. border.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. liberal grass-roots group ACORN is on the brink of bankruptcy and its leaders will hold a teleconference this weekend to discuss the group's future, The New York Times reported on its website on Friday.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of opposition activists prepared to fan out across Thailand's capital on Saturday in a bid to win the hearts of Bangkok's middle classes and recruit them for their anti-government campaign.

AP - In a fresh appeal directly to the Iranian people, President Barack Obama says in an online video that the United States wants more educational and cultural exchanges for their students and better access to the Internet to give them a more hopeful future.

AP - Confident, relaxed and definitely on their game.

AP - Quite the three-headed monster that sent Cal to a 77-62 victory over Louisville and into a second-round game against top-seeded Duke on Sunday. Theo Robertson scored 21 points, Jerome Randle had 19 and Patrick Christopher had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Bears.

Reuters - The U.S. liberal grass-roots group ACORN is on the brink of bankruptcy and its leaders will hold a teleconference this weekend to discuss the group's future, The New York Times reported on its website on Friday.