Business  (top)

Japan Airlines Orders Boeing Jets for $1.8B
TOKYO - Japan Airlines is ordering 30 jets from Boeing Co. in a contract worth about $1.8 billion, the companies said Friday.

Many Retailers Report Solid January Sales
NEW YORK - Consumers lured by clearance sales and a fresh assortment of spring clothes gave many of the nation's retailers solid sales in January and hopes for even stronger business in the months ahead. Late-month snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast depressed results for some merchants, but didn't hurt the industry's overall performance.

Crude Oil Futures Edged Up
VIENNA, Austria - Crude futures edged up Friday as longer-term uncertainties _ primarily over the threat of OPEC production cuts _ kicked in.

New Evidence: Enron Scams Began Years Ago
EVERETT, Wash. - Fallen energy giant Enron Corp. was running scams to drive up the cost of power years before the 2000-01 West Coast energy crisis, according to audio transcripts and documents unveiled Thursday by a public utility north of Seattle.

Advertisers Turning to Longer-Format Ads
CINCINNATI - Large advertisers faced with technology that allows TV viewers more control than ever over what they watch are turning to longer ads than the traditional 30-second and 60-second commercials to attract consumers' attention.

Scrushy Jury Sees Video Worker Warning
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jurors at Richard Scrushy's trial watched video of the former HealthSouth CEO exhorting and warning hundreds of employees at a 1998 meeting as another former top executive was indicted in what prosecutors describe as a huge fraud at the corporation.

Currency Issues to Be Focus at G-7 Meeting
LONDON - The world's seven wealthiest nations are gathering for weekend talks that will be dominated by the United States' large trade and budget deficits and China's practice of keeping its currency tied to the dollar.

Amazon.com Shares Plunge on Earnings Miss
SEATTLE - Shares in Amazon.com sank more than 14 percent Thursday after the company reported a sharp jump in fourth-quarter earnings but still fell short of Wall Street expectations amid what analysts say is a market that is becoming increasingly ferocious for the Internet retailing giant.

Tokyo Stocks Slip, Dollar Up Against Yen
TOKYO - Tokyo stocks slipped Friday, led by banking issues following news reports that a major Japanese bank may book a group net loss this fiscal year to cover bad debts. The U.S. dollar was higher against the Japanese yen and the euro.

Entertainment  (top)

Jackson Says Celebrity Makes Him a Target
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson said in a television interview scheduled to air Saturday that many of the news reports about him are "fiction" and that his celebrity makes him a target.

Cute Beats Crude in 2005 Super Bowl Ads
NEW YORK - What a difference a year makes. If last year's Super Bowl ads were fueled by gross humor, this year's are running on nostalgia and cute cartoon characters. In a bid not to repeat the excesses of 2004, advertisers are employing a far safer stable of pitchmen, pitchwomen, and animated friends like the Jolly Green Giant and Miss Piggy.

MTV Relaunches Little Brother MTV2
NEW YORK - Inside the giant factory of cool known as MTV headquarters, a crew of hip twentysomethings has been hard at work creating a two-headed monster. This beast wants to be man's new best friend.

Phil Spector Sued for Wrongful Death
PASADENA, Calif. - Famed rock 'n' roll producer Phil Spector has been named in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the mother of a B-movie actress whom Spector is accused of killing in his home.

Ray Charles' Son Arrested on Drug Charge
LOS ANGELES - The son of the late singer Ray Charles was arrested Thursday for alleged drug possession and being under the influence of cocaine, authorities said.

Critics Enter Ring Against Eastwood
LOS ANGELES - Not everyone is in Clint Eastwood's corner as his acclaimed boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" heads into the Academy Awards.

Black Scholars Debate Influence of Hip-Hop
ATLANTA - Hip-hop music has created many opportunities for the black community, but is still unfairly blamed for a host of social problems, a panel of black scholars said Thursday.

Blake Defense Suggest Witness Was on Drugs
LOS ANGELES - With a former stuntman waiting to testify that Robert Blake solicited him to kill his wife, a defense lawyer suggested in court Thursday that the witness was using illegal drugs at the time he talked to police.

Hearing for Culkin Delayed Until April
OKLAHOMA CITY - A court hearing for actor Macaulay Culkin has been delayed so that attorneys can work on a plea bargain in his drug possession case, court officials said.

Playboy Founder Visits Disney World
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - At first, the contrast was laughable: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, accompanied by a bevy of bunnies, visiting Walt Disney World. But Thursday afternoon, it was one American icon paying homage to another _ Walt Disney.

Headlines  (top)

Rice Meets With Blair in London
LONDON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thanked British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the United States' closest ally in Iraq, as she held her first meeting Friday with a foreign leader since taking over from Colin Powell as the top American diplomat.

GOP Express Doubt on Bush Soc. Sec. Plan
WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans are expressing doubt that President Bush's plan for personal accounts in Social Security can win approval, saying lawmakers fear the political consequences of voting major change to the popular retirement program.

Head of Oil-For-Food Program Disciplined
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations vowed to discipline two officials implicated in a report that detailed conflicts of interest and flawed management in the U.N. oil-for-food program, while the man leading the investigation warned that more revelations were forthcoming.

NATO Searching for Missing Afghan Jet
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and NATO forces launched a ground and air search operation Friday for an Afghan passenger jet carrying 104 people that disappeared from radar screens during a snowstorm near the mountain-ringed capital. Three Americans were thought to have been on board.

Shiite Leads Iraq Vote; 3 Marines Killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials Thursday released the first partial returns from national elections, showing a commanding lead by candidates backed by the Shiite Muslim clergy. Sunni insurgents unleashed a wave of attacks, killing at least 30 people, including three U.S. Marines and a dozen Iraqi army recruits.

Fears Ease As Pope's Health Improves
ROME - Pope John Paul II is breathing more easily and could be fit enough by Sunday to make his weekly address to the faithful over an audio hookup from the Rome hospital treating him for the flu and respiratory troubles, the Vatican said.

Rumsfeld Says He Offered to Resign Twice
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld says he submitted his resignation twice to President Bush during last year's Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

Japan Airlines Orders Boeing Jets for $1.8B
TOKYO - Japan Airlines is ordering 30 jets from Boeing Co. in a contract worth about $1.8 billion, the companies said Friday.

Jackson Says Celebrity Makes Him a Target
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson said in a television interview scheduled to air Saturday that many of the news reports about him are "fiction" and that his celebrity makes him a target.

Spurs Beat Lakers With Injured Duncan
LOS ANGELES - Tim Duncan was on the floor, grabbing his left knee with both hands and writhing in obvious pain.

HiTech  (top)

Sony to Release PlayStation Portable
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sony Corp. said Thursday it will release the PlayStation Portable in North America on March 24 and have 1 million units ready for sale in the first week.

French Criticize Music Download Crackdown
PARIS - Dozens of French musicians, intellectuals and politicians are criticizing what they call a "repressive" crackdown against those who download music illegally over the Internet.

FBI Urged to Scrap $170M Computer Project
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers criticized FBI Director Robert Mueller on Thursday for continued problems with a costly computer project that was supposed to dramatically improve management of terrorism and other criminal cases.

REVIEW: Streets & Trips Provides More Info
With Web sites like Yahoo and MapQuest giving away maps and driving directions it seems like a waste of money to buy a standalone program that basically does the same thing. To survive, software publishers need to offer a lot more than the online freebies. Microsoft Corp.'s Streets & Trips 2005 does just that.

Prototype E-Vote Printer Fails to Satisfy
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Three months after the presidential election, one of the nation's biggest makers of touch-screen voting machines has created a companion printer that spits out paper records.

Rebel Web Sites Useful, Prone to Hoaxes
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - When an Arabic-language Web site carried a photo this week of a toy soldier with a gun to its head, many people were briefly tricked into believing a U.S. infantryman was in Iraqi rebel hands.

Rivals Hope to Sink IPod With Rented Music
LOS ANGELES - Is music something you own or something you rent?

Study: Cell Phone Use Ups Accident Risk
SALT LAKE CITY - Talking on a cell phone makes you drive like a retiree _ even if you're only a teen, a new study shows. A report from the University of Utah says when motorists between 18 and 25 talk on cell phones, they drive like elderly people _ moving and reacting more slowly and increasing their risk of accidents.

Report: PDA Shipments Drop for Third Year
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants declined for the third straight year, according to a new report.

Deleting Spam Costs Billions, Study Finds
NEW YORK - Time wasted deleting junk e-mail costs American businesses nearly $22 billion a year, according to a new study from the University of Maryland.

Sports  (top)

Spurs Beat Lakers With Injured Duncan
LOS ANGELES - Tim Duncan was on the floor, grabbing his left knee with both hands and writhing in obvious pain.

Smith Retires As NFL Career Rushing Leader
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Emmitt Smith decided to stop running. There was nothing left to prove, no records left to chase.

LeBron Set to Become 2nd-Youngest All Star
MIAMI - LeBron James has already had his share of accomplishments in his young NBA career.

Poteat, Thomason Take Fast Track to Bowl
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - They play for millions of dollars in a sport where every move is analyzed and scrutinized by owners, general managers, coaches and scouts.

German Boxing Legend Max Schmeling Dies
FRANKFURT, Germany - German boxing legend Max Schmeling, one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, has died at age 99.

NHL, Players' Association Talks to Resume
NEW YORK - There appears to be one more chance to save the hockey season, and the NHL and the players' association are taking it.

Montgomerie, Lonard Share Heineken Lead
MELBOURNE, Australia - Scotland's Colin Montgomerie shot a 6-under-par 65 Friday to share the second-round lead with Australia's Peter Lonard at the Heineken Classic.

Neal Goes From Wrestling to Super Bowl
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - In the back of Stephen Neal's mind, this is a temp job.

Hart Takes Early Lead at Windy FBR Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Golfers adept at slamming line drives had a definite advantage in the howling wind of the FBR Open _ none more so than Dudley Hart.

Pruett to Start From Pole in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - To describe Scott Pruett as an all-around racer would be a bit of an understatement.

Business  (top)

Japan Airlines Orders Boeing Jets for $1.8B
TOKYO - Japan Airlines is ordering 30 jets from Boeing Co. in a contract worth about $1.8 billion, the companies said Friday.

Many Retailers Report Solid January Sales
NEW YORK - Consumers lured by clearance sales and a fresh assortment of spring clothes gave many of the nation's retailers solid sales in January and hopes for even stronger business in the months ahead. Late-month snowstorms in the Midwest and Northeast depressed results for some merchants, but didn't hurt the industry's overall performance.

Crude Oil Futures Edged Up
VIENNA, Austria - Crude futures edged up Friday as longer-term uncertainties _ primarily over the threat of OPEC production cuts _ kicked in.

New Evidence: Enron Scams Began Years Ago
EVERETT, Wash. - Fallen energy giant Enron Corp. was running scams to drive up the cost of power years before the 2000-01 West Coast energy crisis, according to audio transcripts and documents unveiled Thursday by a public utility north of Seattle.

Advertisers Turning to Longer-Format Ads
CINCINNATI - Large advertisers faced with technology that allows TV viewers more control than ever over what they watch are turning to longer ads than the traditional 30-second and 60-second commercials to attract consumers' attention.

Scrushy Jury Sees Video Worker Warning
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jurors at Richard Scrushy's trial watched video of the former HealthSouth CEO exhorting and warning hundreds of employees at a 1998 meeting as another former top executive was indicted in what prosecutors describe as a huge fraud at the corporation.

Currency Issues to Be Focus at G-7 Meeting
LONDON - The world's seven wealthiest nations are gathering for weekend talks that will be dominated by the United States' large trade and budget deficits and China's practice of keeping its currency tied to the dollar.

Amazon.com Shares Plunge on Earnings Miss
SEATTLE - Shares in Amazon.com sank more than 14 percent Thursday after the company reported a sharp jump in fourth-quarter earnings but still fell short of Wall Street expectations amid what analysts say is a market that is becoming increasingly ferocious for the Internet retailing giant.

Tokyo Stocks Slip, Dollar Up Against Yen
TOKYO - Tokyo stocks slipped Friday, led by banking issues following news reports that a major Japanese bank may book a group net loss this fiscal year to cover bad debts. The U.S. dollar was higher against the Japanese yen and the euro.

Entertainment  (top)

Jackson Says Celebrity Makes Him a Target
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson said in a television interview scheduled to air Saturday that many of the news reports about him are "fiction" and that his celebrity makes him a target.

Cute Beats Crude in 2005 Super Bowl Ads
NEW YORK - What a difference a year makes. If last year's Super Bowl ads were fueled by gross humor, this year's are running on nostalgia and cute cartoon characters. In a bid not to repeat the excesses of 2004, advertisers are employing a far safer stable of pitchmen, pitchwomen, and animated friends like the Jolly Green Giant and Miss Piggy.

MTV Relaunches Little Brother MTV2
NEW YORK - Inside the giant factory of cool known as MTV headquarters, a crew of hip twentysomethings has been hard at work creating a two-headed monster. This beast wants to be man's new best friend.

Phil Spector Sued for Wrongful Death
PASADENA, Calif. - Famed rock 'n' roll producer Phil Spector has been named in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the mother of a B-movie actress whom Spector is accused of killing in his home.

Ray Charles' Son Arrested on Drug Charge
LOS ANGELES - The son of the late singer Ray Charles was arrested Thursday for alleged drug possession and being under the influence of cocaine, authorities said.

Critics Enter Ring Against Eastwood
LOS ANGELES - Not everyone is in Clint Eastwood's corner as his acclaimed boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" heads into the Academy Awards.

Black Scholars Debate Influence of Hip-Hop
ATLANTA - Hip-hop music has created many opportunities for the black community, but is still unfairly blamed for a host of social problems, a panel of black scholars said Thursday.

Blake Defense Suggest Witness Was on Drugs
LOS ANGELES - With a former stuntman waiting to testify that Robert Blake solicited him to kill his wife, a defense lawyer suggested in court Thursday that the witness was using illegal drugs at the time he talked to police.

Hearing for Culkin Delayed Until April
OKLAHOMA CITY - A court hearing for actor Macaulay Culkin has been delayed so that attorneys can work on a plea bargain in his drug possession case, court officials said.

Playboy Founder Visits Disney World
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - At first, the contrast was laughable: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, accompanied by a bevy of bunnies, visiting Walt Disney World. But Thursday afternoon, it was one American icon paying homage to another _ Walt Disney.

Headlines  (top)

Rice Meets With Blair in London
LONDON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thanked British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the United States' closest ally in Iraq, as she held her first meeting Friday with a foreign leader since taking over from Colin Powell as the top American diplomat.

GOP Express Doubt on Bush Soc. Sec. Plan
WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans are expressing doubt that President Bush's plan for personal accounts in Social Security can win approval, saying lawmakers fear the political consequences of voting major change to the popular retirement program.

Head of Oil-For-Food Program Disciplined
UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations vowed to discipline two officials implicated in a report that detailed conflicts of interest and flawed management in the U.N. oil-for-food program, while the man leading the investigation warned that more revelations were forthcoming.

NATO Searching for Missing Afghan Jet
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and NATO forces launched a ground and air search operation Friday for an Afghan passenger jet carrying 104 people that disappeared from radar screens during a snowstorm near the mountain-ringed capital. Three Americans were thought to have been on board.

Shiite Leads Iraq Vote; 3 Marines Killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi officials Thursday released the first partial returns from national elections, showing a commanding lead by candidates backed by the Shiite Muslim clergy. Sunni insurgents unleashed a wave of attacks, killing at least 30 people, including three U.S. Marines and a dozen Iraqi army recruits.

Fears Ease As Pope's Health Improves
ROME - Pope John Paul II is breathing more easily and could be fit enough by Sunday to make his weekly address to the faithful over an audio hookup from the Rome hospital treating him for the flu and respiratory troubles, the Vatican said.

Rumsfeld Says He Offered to Resign Twice
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld says he submitted his resignation twice to President Bush during last year's Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

Japan Airlines Orders Boeing Jets for $1.8B
TOKYO - Japan Airlines is ordering 30 jets from Boeing Co. in a contract worth about $1.8 billion, the companies said Friday.

Jackson Says Celebrity Makes Him a Target
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson said in a television interview scheduled to air Saturday that many of the news reports about him are "fiction" and that his celebrity makes him a target.

Spurs Beat Lakers With Injured Duncan
LOS ANGELES - Tim Duncan was on the floor, grabbing his left knee with both hands and writhing in obvious pain.

Hitech  (top)

Sony to Release PlayStation Portable
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sony Corp. said Thursday it will release the PlayStation Portable in North America on March 24 and have 1 million units ready for sale in the first week.

French Criticize Music Download Crackdown
PARIS - Dozens of French musicians, intellectuals and politicians are criticizing what they call a "repressive" crackdown against those who download music illegally over the Internet.

FBI Urged to Scrap $170M Computer Project
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers criticized FBI Director Robert Mueller on Thursday for continued problems with a costly computer project that was supposed to dramatically improve management of terrorism and other criminal cases.

REVIEW: Streets & Trips Provides More Info
With Web sites like Yahoo and MapQuest giving away maps and driving directions it seems like a waste of money to buy a standalone program that basically does the same thing. To survive, software publishers need to offer a lot more than the online freebies. Microsoft Corp.'s Streets & Trips 2005 does just that.

Prototype E-Vote Printer Fails to Satisfy
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Three months after the presidential election, one of the nation's biggest makers of touch-screen voting machines has created a companion printer that spits out paper records.

Rebel Web Sites Useful, Prone to Hoaxes
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - When an Arabic-language Web site carried a photo this week of a toy soldier with a gun to its head, many people were briefly tricked into believing a U.S. infantryman was in Iraqi rebel hands.

Rivals Hope to Sink IPod With Rented Music
LOS ANGELES - Is music something you own or something you rent?

Study: Cell Phone Use Ups Accident Risk
SALT LAKE CITY - Talking on a cell phone makes you drive like a retiree _ even if you're only a teen, a new study shows. A report from the University of Utah says when motorists between 18 and 25 talk on cell phones, they drive like elderly people _ moving and reacting more slowly and increasing their risk of accidents.

Report: PDA Shipments Drop for Third Year
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants declined for the third straight year, according to a new report.

Deleting Spam Costs Billions, Study Finds
NEW YORK - Time wasted deleting junk e-mail costs American businesses nearly $22 billion a year, according to a new study from the University of Maryland.

Sports  (top)

Spurs Beat Lakers With Injured Duncan
LOS ANGELES - Tim Duncan was on the floor, grabbing his left knee with both hands and writhing in obvious pain.

Smith Retires As NFL Career Rushing Leader
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Emmitt Smith decided to stop running. There was nothing left to prove, no records left to chase.

LeBron Set to Become 2nd-Youngest All Star
MIAMI - LeBron James has already had his share of accomplishments in his young NBA career.

Poteat, Thomason Take Fast Track to Bowl
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - They play for millions of dollars in a sport where every move is analyzed and scrutinized by owners, general managers, coaches and scouts.

German Boxing Legend Max Schmeling Dies
FRANKFURT, Germany - German boxing legend Max Schmeling, one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, has died at age 99.

NHL, Players' Association Talks to Resume
NEW YORK - There appears to be one more chance to save the hockey season, and the NHL and the players' association are taking it.

Montgomerie, Lonard Share Heineken Lead
MELBOURNE, Australia - Scotland's Colin Montgomerie shot a 6-under-par 65 Friday to share the second-round lead with Australia's Peter Lonard at the Heineken Classic.

Neal Goes From Wrestling to Super Bowl
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - In the back of Stephen Neal's mind, this is a temp job.

Hart Takes Early Lead at Windy FBR Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Golfers adept at slamming line drives had a definite advantage in the howling wind of the FBR Open _ none more so than Dudley Hart.

Pruett to Start From Pole in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - To describe Scott Pruett as an all-around racer would be a bit of an understatement.