AP - A Japanese businessman accused of conspiring to have his wife killed 27 years ago was returned to Southern California on Friday to face trial.

AP - Did stocks "crash"?

AP - O.J. Simpson's lawyers cited judicial errors and insufficient evidence Friday in seeking a new trial for the former football star, who was convicted of kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a casino hotel room.

AP - A sharply divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to get married, saying legislators did not go far enough when they approved same-sex civil unions that were identical to marriages in virtually every respect except the name.

AP - Matthew Shepard's mother still mourns lost opportunities to battle hate crimes and promote a greater tolerance of gays in the 10 years since her 21-year-old son was beaten, tied to a wooden fence and left for dead in a frigid Wyoming pasture.

AP - The museum exhibits are taken from the Old Testament, but the special effects are pure Hollywood: a state-of-the-art planetarium, animatronics and a massive model of Noah's Ark, all intended to explain the origins of the universe from a biblical viewpoint.

AP - Spirals of alkaline dust swirl across the hardpan where a century ago 300 black Americans planted alfalfa and corn hoping racial tolerance would take root.

AP - For centuries, hospitality to weary travelers has been part of the Uighur culture. The Uighur land in what is now the far western province of China carried merchants traversing the famed Silk Road.

AP - Atlantic City gambling floors will go smoke-free for seven days before allowing visitors to light up again because the city can't legally stop a smoking ban from taking effect, the city council president said Friday.

AP - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that he's optimistic that California will be able to secure $4 billion in short-term loans to keep the state running.

AP - A balloon slammed into power lines during Albuquerque's annual hot air balloon fiesta Friday, setting off an explosion that sent burning debris flying as the apparatus disintegrated, authorities and witnesses said. One man was killed and another was critically injured.