AFP - Talks between French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and trade unions ended in deadlock after Villepin refused to withdraw his contested youth jobs contract.

AP - Authorities are examining a surveillance tape that shows an elderly woman wandering Skid Row in a hospital gown and slippers as they investigate the practice of hospitals and police agencies dumping homeless people downtown.

Reuters - Wall Street looked set for a mixed opening on Friday but technology shares were expected to rise after Google Inc. jumped after-hours as Standard & Poor's said it would be added to its benchmark S&P 500 Index.

AP - Clara Petrakos knows this much: the baby was born on the floor of a clandestine detention center during Argentina's Dirty War. Now, 29 years later, Petrakos is searching for the sister she never knew.

Reuters - A bomb planted near the entrance to a Sunni mosque in a town northeast of Baghdad exploded as worshippers were leaving midday prayers on Friday, and police said casualties were feared.

Reuters - The decidedly retro cast of Daryl Hannah, Roy Scheider, Eric Roberts and Sean Young are on their way to "Dark Honeymoon," an indie thriller scheduled to begin shooting in May.

AFP - Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Canberra amid a furore over Australia's decision to grant temporary visas to 42 asylum seekers from restive Papua province.

AP - A federal judge rejected a request to revive the lawsuit at the heart of the University of Colorado recruiting scandal, saying Thursday that two women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by athletes had not proven their claim against the school was valid.

A fire broke out on the Jamaica-bound Star Princess cruise ship, and one person died of a heart attack, according to cruise line officials. Two people suffered significant smoke inhalation and nine others had "minor complications from smoke inhalation," said a statement from Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corp. The Star Princess, with 3,813 passengers and crew, was en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, after departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, the cruise line said.

AFP - Australia, stung by Indonesian outrage over Canberra's decision to grant asylum to refugees from Papua, has insisted that it remained opposed to independence for the restive Indonesian province.

AP - No need for LSU and Big Baby to cry in this NCAA tournament. Glen "Big Baby" Davis, a shot-blocking freshman and the rest of the Tigers are one win away from the Final Four after J.J. Redick and top-seeded Duke stumbled again in the round of 16.

Reuters - Belarussian police on Friday broke up a five-day-old opposition rally mounted in protest against President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election, detaining about 200 demonstrators.

AP - Now that March Madness is in full swing, AP sportswriters will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports from the NCAA tournament:

AP - A fire apparently started by a cigarette broke out aboard a giant cruise ship early Thursday as it sailed through the moonlit Caribbean, leaving one passenger dead, 11 people injured and at least 100 rooms scorched.

AFP - The father of Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks will attend an address to Canberra's parliament by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in hopes of gaining his backing for the release of his son, officials said.

AP - The Toronto Raptors waived Antonio Davis on Thursday, effectively ending a season in which the center was suspended for five games for climbing into the stands after his wife got into a confrontation with a fan in Chicago.

A fire broke out on the Jamaica-bound Star Princess cruise ship, and one person died of a heart attack, according to cruise line officials. Two people suffered significant smoke inhalation and nine others had "minor complications from smoke inhalation," said a statement from Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corp. The Star Princess, with 3,813 passengers and crew, was en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, after departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, the cruise line said.

A fire broke out today on the Jamaica-bound Star Princess cruise ship, and one person died of a heart attack, according to cruise line officials. Two people suffered significant smoke inhalation and nine others had "minor complications from smoke inhalation," said a statement from Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corp. The Star Princess, with 3,813 passengers and crew, was en route to Montego Bay, Jamaica, after departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, the cruise line said. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

AP - AP correspondent Burt Herman is covering the effects of Cyclone Larry in Australia.

AP - Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Eric Cairns was suspended for three games by the NHL Thursday for his conduct during a loss to Ottawa earlier this week.