AP - Russia had a military intelligence unit operating in Iraq up through the 2003 U.S. invasion and fall of Baghdad, a Russian analyst said Friday. A Pentagon report said Russia provided Saddam Hussein with intelligence on U.S. military movements and plans.

AP - Pressed by Congress, the American Red Cross said Friday it is investigating claims that volunteers engaged in widespread theft in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Macworld.com - Long time Macintosh audio developer BIAS on Friday said that Intel-native versions of its audio applications would be released in Q2 2006. In early testing with the Intel versions, BIAS is reporting substantial speed increases over its PowerPC version.

The wife of a slain minister confessed to shooting him at their church parsonage, then fleeing to Alabama, where she was found the following night with their three daughters, authorities said. Mary Winkler told investigators she shot her husband, Matthew, on Wednesday.

An Afghan man possibly facing execution for converting from Islam to Christianity is expected "to be released in the coming days," a source with detailed knowledge of the case said Friday.

Reuters - One thing can be said about the Environmental Film Festival: it's not Cannes or Sundance. It may not even be Missoula. But it is part of a U.S. trend to feature movies about nature and the assaults on it.

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.

The wife of a slain minister has confessed to killing him, police in Selmer, Tennessee, said today. Police said the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, which is taking part in questioning Mary Winkler, informed them of the confession. Winkler, 32, faces a charge of first-degree murder for the death of her husband, Matthew Winkler, 31. Church member Pam Killingsworth described Mary Winkler as always seeming like "the perfect mother, the perfect wife," with very loving children.

AP - An Internet marketing company that offered free movie tickets in exchange for friends' e-mail addresses agreed to pay a $900,000 fine to settle charges it violated federal anti-spam laws, authorities said Friday.

The Motley Fool - Ring, ring! Will somebody please pick up the phone? It's Mobile Telesystems (NYSE: MBT - News) on the line, calling with its Q4 and full-year 2005 earnings news. Problem is, I'm a late sleeper, and the news is due out at 6 a.m. EST on Monday. So I'm happy to go over where the company's been and where it seems to be headed right now ... but on Monday, like I said, will somebody else please get the phone?

AFP - Jaroslava Moserova, a former doctor and novelist who in 2003 became the Czech Republic's first female presidential candidate, died Thursday night aged 76, a family friend said.

AFP - An Afghan Christian facing possible execution for converting from Islam was likely to be released from jail "soon," a senior government official said following huge Western pressure over the case.

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 Supreme Court said Friday that it would hear arguments a second time before ruling on the constitutionality of a Kansas death penalty law, apparently so new Justice Samuel Alito can break a tie.

AFP - More than 15,000 activists gathered to open the World Social Forum, where anti-globalization and peace and security issues will be discussed over the next six days.

AP - Three days after saying it will delay the consumer version of its new Windows Vista operating system, Microsoft Corp. said Friday that the update to its Office business software suite also won't appear in stores until January.

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.

The wife of a slain minister confessed to shooting him at their church parsonage, then fleeing to Alabama, where she was found the following night with their three daughters, authorities said. Mary Winkler told investigators she shot her husband, Matthew, on Wednesday.

Reuters - NASA lifted its ban on spacewalks from the International Space Station following ground tests of suspect safety equipment, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

AP - Larry Bigbie, among the contenders for the St. Louis Cardinals' vacant left field job, said Friday he'll be sidelined two to three weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot.