Reuters - A roadside bomb struck a minibus packed with pilgrims bound for Iraq's holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala on Friday even as authorities deployed over 40,000 police and soldiers to avert new violence in the annual rite.

Reuters - An accused al Qaeda videographer abandoned his hearing in the U.S. war crimes court at Guantanamo on Friday, setting up what could be a fast trial with no defendant and no defense.

Reuters - Usain Bolt delivered a stunning demonstration of his sprinting talent when he clocked 9.92 seconds to reach the Olympic 100 meters semi-finals while barely breaking sweat on Friday.

Reuters - The United States demanded on Friday that Russian troops end their occupation of Georgia immediately after Georgia signed a ceasefire agreement.

AP - Nils Olav already has medals for good conduct and long service. He made honorary colonel-in-chief of the elite Norwegian King's Guard in 2005. And on Friday he was knighted. Not bad for a 3-foot tall penguin — actually, three of them.

AP - Legendary record producer Jerry Wexler, who helped shape R&B music with influential recordings of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, and later made key recordings with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, said his son, Paul. He was 91.

AP - Poor Ian Crocker.

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.