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• Pope apologizes for clergy sex abuse in Australia

  Pope Benedict XVI used some of the strongest language yet in his apology Saturday for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy, but his words were just more of the same for the victims.

• Bush agrees to time 'horizon' on Iraq troop cuts

  President Bush and Iraq's prime minister have agreed to set a "general time horizon" for bringing more U.S. troops home from the war, a dramatic shift from the administration's once-ironclad unwillingness to talk about any kind of deadline or timetable.

  
• Magnitude 6.6 quake hits eastern Japan

  A strong earthquake with a preliminary 6.6 magnitude struck off of Japan's eastern coast Saturday, the country's meteorological agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

• McCain adviser Gramm quits after 'whiners' remarks

  Former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm resigned Friday from his role as GOP presidential candidate John McCain's campaign co-chairman, hoping to quiet the uproar that followed his comments that the United States had become a "nation of whiners" whose constant complaints about the U.S. economy show they are in a "mental recession."

  
• Pro soccer team helps subdue nude man on American flight

  The flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped naked and later tried to open an emergency exit door, the FBI said.

• Judge restores protection for Rockies wolves

  A federal judge has restored endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, derailing plans by three states to hold public wolf hunts this fall.

• McCain pledges to help auto industry rebuild

  Republican presidential candidate John McCain pledged Friday to help auto workers rebuild their industry and in the process jump-start the entire U.S. economy.

  
• Freddie Mac takes step toward issuing stock

  Mortgage financier Freddie Mac took a step toward issuing common and preferred stock to help bolster its balance sheet Friday when the Securities and Exchange Commission accepted its registration statement filed earlier in the day.

• Iraq crackdown focuses on arms smuggling from Iran

  With al-Qaida falling away, U.S. forces in Iraq are turning their attention to another front: the Iranian border. They aim to crack down on weapon smuggling from Iran by tightening the frontier with Iraq's neighbor to the east, a U.S. commander told The Associated Press on Friday.

• McCain, Obama hedge on costly new Marine One

  John McCain and Barack Obama vow to reform the nation's defense procurement if elected president, yet each is unwilling to take a firm stand against the skyrocketing cost of a plum White House perk: the new Marine One helicopter.

• Mandela beams at grandchildren's 'Happy Birthday'

  Nelson Mandela sat beaming in a yellow armchair, his legs propped up on a large stool and covered with a pale yellow blanket. Ten grandchildren crowded around to serenade him with "Happy Birthday" and then smothered him with hugs and kisses.

• Tomato scare ending; fears linger for many people

  The tomato scare may be over, but it has taken a toll - it's cost the industry an estimated $100 million and left millions of people with a new wariness about the safety of everyday foods.

• China issues anti-terror guide for Olympic games

  Remain calm, don't fight back and try to send a text message to the police. That's how Chinese police have advised people to respond if captured by terrorists during next month's Olympic Games, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.

• Poll: McCain backers' excitement lags Obama voters

  John McCain is facing an excitement deficit.

• Iraqi army patrols Sadr City

  Iraqi troops deployed in large numbers during Friday prayers in the Baghdad district of Sadr City, where Shiite militiamen used to control the streets. There were no reports of violence.

• Report: Danger from electrical work in Iraq severe

  Inferior electrical work by private contractors on U.S. military bases in Iraq is more widespread than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to a published report.

• Wall Street heads to higher open on mixed earnings

  Wall Street headed for a higher open Friday after Citigroup Inc. issued a better-than-expected earnings report, offsetting disappointing results from several other big comapnies.

• Iran calls nuclear talks positive

  Iran's Foreign Minister said Friday that forthcoming nuclear talks in Geneva and the participation of a U.S. diplomat for the first time look positive and he expects progress.

• FDA declares it's OK to eat tomatoes again

  It's OK to eat all kinds of tomatoes again, the U.S. government declared Thursday - lifting its salmonella warning on the summer favorites amid signs that the record outbreak, while not over, may finally be slowing.

  
• Obama's trip: 1st high-profile step on world stage

  Sen. Barack Obama 's trip to the Middle East and Europe marks his first high-profile step onto the international stage, a campaign-season audition of sorts for a presidential hopeful pledging a new era in diplomacy and an end to the U.S. combat role in Iraq.