AP - Despite a second-half collapse that ruined a shot at the playoffs, the Atlanta Falcons gave coach Jim Mora a three-year contract extension Friday that runs through 2009.

AP - John David Booty, the leading contender to succeed quarterback Matt Leinart at Southern California, might miss the rest of spring practice with back spasms and could need surgery.

Reuters - Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Games Inc. said on Friday it plans to release a PC video game based on the wildly popular television show "Desperate Housewives" this fall.

AP - L.A. Fashion Week, its focus on fall 2006, came to a glamorous close with the debut of Collection bebe, the new couture offering from the casual California clothier.

AP - The day the trial opened, the woman who accuses a former South African deputy president of rape was hustled in under heavy guard, her face hidden under a cloth. The politician's supporters have burned photographs of her outside the courtroom — even though her identity was meant to be a secret — and depicted her as a traitor and a tramp.

AP - It's considered bad luck to ask a Yoruba how many children the family has. Asking a herdsman about his cows or camels likely will get you shown the door. And what is a male census worker to do when Muslim women are home alone?

AP - The United Nations appealed Tuesday for nearly $327 million in aid to help starving people in southern Somalia, which is suffering its worst drought in a decade.

AP - Silicon Valley's historic orchards have virtually disappeared but one notable fruit still stands: Apple.

AP - The Russian government provided Saddam Hussein with intelligence on U.S. military movements and plans during the opening days of the war in 2003, according to a Pentagon report released Friday.

Reuters - People in Houston welcomed tens of thousands of New Orleans evacuees in the days after Hurricane Katrina but now sound as if they would like to see the newcomers go home, according to a poll published on Friday.

Reuters - There is growing evidence of a link between global warming and natural disasters such as droughts and flooding, the head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.

AFP - Chelsea will cross swords with Liverpool once more after the two biggest clubs left in the FA Cup were drawn to face each other in the semi-finals.

AP - The prime minister said Friday that if the government confirms that the Basque separatist group ETA's permanent cease-fire is authentic, he will push for peace talks in a matter of months.

AFP - Internet giant Google, which became a publicly quoted company in 2004, will join the broad Standard and Poor's 500 index after the stock market closes on March 31, SP 500 revealed.

Reuters - New orders for U.S.-made durable goods rose 2.6 percent in February, twice market expectations, as civilian aircraft orders bounced back from a January decline, a government report showed on Friday.

AP - Hawaii could almost change its state motto to "Help Wanted." "Now hiring" signs decorate storefront windows. Some companies entice with flexible scheduling. First Hawaiian Bank has doubled its hiring bonus to $500 besides offering gym memberships, tuition reimbursements and medical spending programs.

The Christian Science Monitor - South Africa, it seems, is having an Anita Hill moment.

USATODAY.com - If you think you know all about the women of Wisteria Lane, wait until you become one of them - virtually, that is. Friday, Buena Vista Games will announce a computer game based on ABC's mega-popular Desperate Housewives. Due in September for Windows XP computers, Housewives turns a player into the newest housewife to move onto Wisteria Lane.

AP - Bob Huggins led Cincinnati to 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, sometimes with the help of Mick Cronin and sometimes with Andy Kennedy. All three got new jobs within hours of each other Thursday.

Reuters - A ceasefire declared by Basque guerrilla group ETA came into force on Friday, spreading hope that four decades of violence and fear might finally have come to an end.