AP - Abdellilah Meddich's childhood memories of the famous palm grove of Marrakech are of a "magical" place, a lush desert oasis of flowers, animals and farmers who tended tree-shaded plots.

AP - The first sample of Martian dirt dumped onto the opening of the Phoenix lander's tiny testing oven failed to reach the instrument and scientists said Saturday they will devote a few days to trying to determine the cause.

AP - Final outfitting of the international space station's new lab, replacing an empty nitrogen gas tank and retrieving some debris off of a solar wing rotating joint were the tasks Sunday for the final spacewalk of space shuttle Discovery's crew.

Reuters - Energy officials from five top consumer nations urged producers to step up investment on Saturday, a day after crude's biggest surge ever, but they offered no new ideas on how to deal with record prices and remained divided on fuel subsidies.

AFP - Five European divers battled a komodo dragon during 36 hours stranded on an Indonesian island reserve for the deadly reptiles after getting caught in strong currents.

AP - Severe thunderstorms were expected in the Great Lakes region on Saturday, with heavy rain, strong winds and hail likely.

AP - Federal officials have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo.

AP - Astronauts tried out the international space station's newest piece of equipment Saturday, but it was a very limited test.

AP - The first sample of Martian dirt dumped onto the opening of the Phoenix lander's tiny testing oven failed to reach the instrument and scientists said Saturday they will devote a few days to trying to determine the cause.

AP - University of Utah geneticist Mario Capecchi got a bonus after winning the Nobel Prize for medicine last fall: He learned he has a younger sister.

AFP - The United States and Asia's four largest powers voiced concern on Saturday after a record spike in oil price as worries grew that energy costs may derail the global economy.

AFP - A French tourist told Saturday how he and four other European divers spent two nights on a deserted Indonesian island eating shellfish and watching for komodo dragons as they awaited rescue.