AP - A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

AP - John McCain and the Republican National Committee started August with a hefty $96 million, financially flush and strongly positioned to compete with prolific fundraiser Barack Obama and the Democrats.

AP - No runner-up finish to her friend and rival this time. Nastia Liukin won the biggest prize of all. Liukin edged teammate Shawn Johnson for the all-around gold in women's gymnastics Friday in an intense matchup that lived up to its billing at the Beijing Games. Liukin finished with 63.325 points, a mere six-tenths ahead of Johnson, the reigning world champion who beat Liukin at the U.S. championships and Olympic trials only a few weeks ago.

AP - A judge ruled Friday that there's enough evidence for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to stand trial on two felony assault charges stemming from a confrontation with two investigators.

AP - A reluctant Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Friday he signed a cease-fire agreement with Russia and declared in the presence of the chief U.S. diplomat that the West had behaved in ways that invited the invasion.

AFP - Lawmakers in Nepal were expected Friday to elect Maoist leader Prachanda as the Himalayan country's new prime minister, ending months of deadlock following the abolition of the monarchy.

AFP - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headed for Georgia on Friday in a show of support for its pro-western government as it struggled to regain control of much of the country from Russian troops after a ceasefire.

Reuters - U.S. inflation hit a 17-year high last month, underscoring the pressure on Americans who face soaring gasoline and food costs while their job prospects dim and incomes shrink.

Reuters - American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp , knowingly flew planes that needed safety repairs, the U.S. government charged on Thursday in a letter that proposed a $7.1 million fine against the carrier.

Reuters - Thousands of protesters are expected to jam the streets of Denver and St. Paul at the Republican and Democratic conventions in a noisy counterpoint to the parties' carefully scripted speeches.

Reuters - Barack Obama's presidential campaign said on Thursday a potential hike in payroll taxes for wealthy Americans under an Obama administration would not occur for 10 years while taxes on dividends and capital gains would be capped at 20 percent.

Reuters - A Thai court sentenced Canadian "swirly face" pedophile Christopher Neil to 39 months in prison on Friday for abducting and molesting a 14-year-old boy and posting pornographic pictures on the Internet.

Reuters - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is ready to resign rather than face impeachment but is seeking immunity from prosecution for imposing emergency rule, a coalition government official said on Friday.

Reuters - Russian troops remain deep inside Georgian territory on Friday, hours before U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives to secure Tbilisi's signature to a peace deal with Moscow.

Reuters - Michael Phelps scorched to his sixth gold and his sixth world record of the Beijing Olympics on Friday in a great morning for the United States in the pool and the gymnastics arena.