AFP - Zoran Planinic, a Bosnian guard who was a first-round pick in the 2003 National Basketball Association Draft, was released by the New Jersey Nets.

AP - Mario Williams professes to not pay attention to the media hype surrounding him since the Houston Texans made him the first pick in the draft.

AP - England may never again rely on David Beckham's bending free kicks. Coach Steve McClaren on Friday left him off the squad that will face European champion Greece on Wednesday in an exhibition game.

AP - Scientists say the oxygen-starved "dead zone" along the Pacific Coast that is causing massive crab and fish die-offs is worse than initially thought.

AP - It's a bust of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton — in more ways than one. Cast in resin and bearing ample cleavage, a bust of the New York Democrat was unveiled this week at the Museum of Sex in Manhattan.

AP - Fresh off their first victory over a Republican incumbent, GOP conservatives seeking party purity on taxes and spending are focused on ousting moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.

AP - Michelle Jorgenson thought it was odd that her 8-year-old daughter Cheyenne — conceived with sperm from a mystery man known to Jorgenson only as Donor 3066 — was extremely sensitive to sound and walked on her toes.

Reuters - Random bag searches by New York police at subway stations are constitutional and an effective means of combating terrorism, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.

E! Online - Lindsay Lohan has reached another important milestone in her celebrity career--her very first (alleged) stalker.

E! Online - We ain't saying she's a gold digger, but Kanye West is far from broke.

AFP - Indonesia granted a reprieve to three Christians found guilty in 2001 of violence against Muslims in Central Sulawesi, apparently minutes before they were to be shot by a firing squad.

AP - It was supposed to be the ultimate tribute, several days of parties and concerts to mark Fidel Castro's 80th birthday. But instead of listening to folk music and attending conferences on his legacy, Castro is expected to spend his birthday Sunday in bed, recovering from surgery for intestinal bleeding.

AP - Near the heart of the war zone, the Dana Hotel — once a weekend getaway from the hubbub of Beirut — was empty, both swimming pools drained and not even a caretaker around.

AP - Former No. 2 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. executive Thomas Coughlin, who pleaded guilty to stealing money, merchandise and gift cards from the retailer, was sentenced Friday in federal court to 27 months of home detention and five years probation.

Reuters - Tom Coughlin, the former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. vice chairman who admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the company, was sentenced on Friday to 27 months of home confinement.

Reuters - The mayor of Tyre said the port city could run out of food in two days and humanitarian agencies tried to get aid to an estimated 100,000 people trapped in southern Lebanon on Friday.

Reuters - Leftist demonstrators claiming electoral fraud blocked access to Mexico's main tax office on Friday, hitting the government in the pocket for backing conservative presidential vote winner Felipe Calderon.

Reuters - President George W. Bush condemned on Friday a suicide bomber's attempt to blow up one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines, which he called a symbol of peace throughout the world.

AP - AP Correspondent Robert H. Reid covers Iraq events from Baghdad. AP Correspondent Rebecca Santana is embedded with the New Jersey National Guard at Camp Anaconda, Iraq. Antonio Castaneda is embedded with the U.S. Marines, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Regiment.

AP - A moderate earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday, causing skyscrapers to sway and frightening residents, but emergency officials said no major damage or injuries were reported.