AP, BEIJING: The Chinese authorities, bowing to criticism from Olympic officials, foreign journalists and Western political leaders, have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites at the Main Press Center for the Summer Games, although other politically sensitive sites remained inaccessible Friday.

REUTERS, SEOUL- A furious dispute with Japan over who owns a desolate cluster of rocks has turned into a marketing opportunity for South Korean business tapping into patriotic fervour.

REUTERS, BANGKOK- It has been a week Thaksin Shinawatra will probably want to forget.

REUTERS, TRIPOLI- In Tripoli's most deprived areas, Lebanon's lingering political troubles are being fought out in a sectarian conflict that threatens to cause more bloodshed.

REUTERS, TOKYO- Struggling Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda tapped a popular rival for a top party post and was tipped to axe his finance and economics ministers in a shake-up on Friday to boost his flagging support among voters.

Bribery, fraud charge

REUTERS, JERUSALEM- Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for a fourth time on Friday in their ongoing bribery and fraud investigation, two days after the Israeli leader said he would step down.

REUTERS, GAZA- Hamas security forces arrested Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's top Fatah representatives in the Gaza Strip on Friday, ratcheting up tensions between the rival factions.

A day earlier Abbas ordered his Fatah-dominated security services in the West Bank to release all pro-Hamas activists, according to the official Palestinian WAFA news agency. Hamas said the activists had not yet been freed.

REUTERS, BEIJING- Two aftershocks on Friday hit the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, the site of May's devastating earthquake, with the second felt strongly in the provincial capital Chengdu, Xinhua news agency said. More than 69,200 people have been confirmed dead and some 18,000 are still listed as missing after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan on May 12, the deadliest in the country since 1976.

AFP, THE HAGUE - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic claimed Friday the United States wanted him dead after reneging on a deal to shield him from trial by the UN war crimes court.

AFP, SINGAPORE - A despondent Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Beijing Olympics on Friday with a shoulder injury, depriving the Games of one of its biggest stars.

AFP, NUKU'ALOFA) - Tonga's Siaosi Tupou V was crowned king of his tiny South Pacific nation Friday in a lavish, pomp-filled ceremony attended by royalty from around the world alongside Tongans in traditional dress.

KUALA LUMPUR: Government censors in this majority Muslim nation uphold an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and ordering entertainers to avoid outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages - bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits.

REUTERS, WASHINGTON- The first object to brighten the dark, primordial universe after the Big Bang was the tiny seed of a star that rapidly grew into a behemoth 100 times more massive than the sun, scientists said on Thursday.

Arsenal were handed an intriguing tie against former England boss Steve McClaren's FC Twente in the Champions League third qualifying round, reports BBC.

AFP, HONG KONG - Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou said Friday a good performance in his side's final game in a pre-Olympic tournament in Hong Kong was vital going into next week's Beijing Games.

SW, GLASGOW  - Rangers have signed Algerian international defender Madjid Bougherra, paying a 2.5 million Pounds transfer fee to Charlton Athletic. Thursday's announcement puts to rest rumors that Charlton had agreed a 2 million transfer with West Brom.

The 25 year old has been capped 22 times by Algeria since his debut in 2004. He began his professional career in 2002 with Ligue 2's Guegnon before moving to England to play for Crew Alexandra, Sheffield Wednesday, and Charlton.

Aston Villa and Manchester City were handed ties against little-known opponents in the Uefa Cup second qualifying round draw on Friday, reports BBC.

Mexican star stays put

Sky Sports

Mexican giants America claim to have rejected an Everton bid for goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

REUTERS, LONDON- World stocks fell on Friday as investors focused on the latest US jobs data due later in the day while the dollar strengthened slightly.

AFP, WASHINGTON - US employers shed 51,000 nonfarm jobs in July marking a seventh straight month of job cuts as the economy struggles for momentum, a Labor Department survey showed Friday.