AFP - Hezbollah fighters seized control of rival pro-government strongholds in Beirut on Friday as gunbattles rocked the Lebanese capital for a third day, propelling the nation dangerously close to all-out civil war.

AFP - Myanmar said Friday it was not ready to let in foreign aid workers, rejecting international pressure to allow experts into the isolated nation where disease and starvation are stalking cyclone survivors.

AP - A judge reduced the bond of an apocalyptic-sect leader accused of sex crimes against girls who were part of his church, but she rejected his request Thursday to be released on his own recognizance.

AP - Since they first walked the planet, humans have either buried or burned their dead. Now a new option is generating interest — dissolving bodies in lye and flushing the brownish, syrupy residue down the drain.

AFP - The Australian military Friday said it was investigating allegations that its troops mistreated suspected insurgents in Afghanistan, shortly after a special forces soldier was killed there.

AFP - Nepal's Maoists and mainstream political parties held a first round of talks Friday to set up a new government following the former insurgents' stunning win in landmark polls, officials said.

AFP - Ireland's new premier Brian Cowen vowed Wednesday to make winning a crunch EU referendum next month his first priority, immediately after being elected to succeed veteran leader Bertie Ahern.

Reuters - British music and books retailer HMV Group Plc said it was confident full-year profits would be towards the top end of market expectations, driven by strong demand for computer games.

Reuters - Activision Inc posted a quarterly profit on Thursday that blew past expectations as demand for its "Guitar Hero 3" and "Call of Duty 4" video games made up for a complete lack of new releases.

AFP - MySpace announced Thursday it is opening the gates of its popular online community by letting users automatically transfer profile information to other social-networking websites.

AP - The booming drives were there, but more often than not, Michelle Wie didn't know where they were going in her first round on the LPGA Tour since February.

AFP - The Hopman Cup 2009 got a significant early boost on Friday, with tournament organiser Paul McNamee announcing that Australian star Lleyton Hewitt will spearhead the home team's challenge.

Reuters - Young designers competing to get noticed by fashion labels can now launch their careers online through the fashion world's answer to the social networking Web site MySpace.com.

AP - Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they're planted in.

AP - A former Alaska legislator convicted of taking bribes to push legislation for a major natural gas pipeline was sentenced Thursday to 3 1/2 years in federal prison.