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AP Top News at 5:38 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) 20 killed in Syria despite Assad's pledge to UNBEIRUT (AP) _ Syrian security forces killed at least 20 protesters Friday despite promises by President Bashar Assad that the military operations against the 5-month-old uprising are over. The killings, which came as thousands poured into the streets across Syria, suggest the autocratic leader is either unwilling to stop the violence _ or not fully in control of his own regime. 3 men convicted in 1993 Cub Scout slayings go freeJONESBORO, Ark. (AP) _ Three men convicted in the nightmarish slayings of three Cub Scouts went free Friday, nearly two decades after they were sent to prison in a case so gruesome it raised suspicions the children had been sacrificed in a Satanic ritual. Doubts about the evidence against the trio had persisted for years and threatened to force prosecutors to put on a second trial in 2012. Stocks fall as traders worry over weekendNEW YORK (AP) _ A growing belief that the country is headed toward recession gave the stock market its fourth straight week of losses. The anxiety in the market was obvious Friday as the major indexes went from modest gains early in the day to another sharp loss. The Dow Jones industrial average had its 10th move of more than 100 points this month. Taliban storm British compound in Kabul; 8 deadKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) _ Taliban suicide bombers stormed a British compound in an upscale Kabul neighborhood shortly after dawn Friday, killing eight people during an eight-hour firefight as two English language teachers and their bodyguard hid in a locked panic room. The assault came on the 92nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from Britain, and the Taliban described it as a warning to outsiders in the nearly decade-long war. The insurgents also hope to show that they remain a potent force despite taking heavy casualties from last year's buildup of U.S. and NATO troops. Liberals complain about Obama; will it cost votes?WASHINGTON (AP) _ Liberals argue that he caved on the debt ceiling. Unions are upset over his handling of unemployment and labor issues. Hispanics brought the immigration debate directly to his campaign doorstep. President Barack Obama's summer of discontent has been marked by rumblings within his Democratic political base over his willingness to fight congressional Republicans and his approach to fixing the economy. Libyan rebels say Gadhafi's ex-No. 2 has defectedBENGHAZI, Libya (AP) _ Libyan rebels say a close Moammar Gadhafi associate who was once the No. 2 top regime official has defected in another blow to the increasingly isolated Libyan leader. Abdel Salam Jalloud helped Gadhafi stage the 1969 coup that propelled him to power and transformed Libya from a monarchy to a republic. He was Gadhafi's most trusted deputy for two decades but began to clash with the leader starting in the 1990s. Prosecutors say Clemens should face second trialWASHINGTON (AP) _ Prosecutors in the Roger Clemens perjury case said Friday they had made an honest mistake in showing jurors inadmissible evidence and that shouldn't save the baseball star from facing a new trial. The prosecutors filed arguments disputing Clemens' position that a second trial would violate his constitutional protection against double jeopardy by making him face the same charges twice. AP: Firms propose trip for protesting Pa. studentsHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ Companies involved in employing foreign students who walked off their jobs in protest at a plant that serves the Hershey chocolate manufacturer have developed a plan to send the students on a trip to see some of the United States' cultural and historical landmarks, although a spokesman for the students reacted coolly to the idea. Rick Anaya, chief executive of the Council for Educational Travel USA, the nonprofit that helped bring the students to the U.S., said the plan emerged Friday after a two-hour conference call with representatives of the other three companies involved in their employment at a chocolate distribution center just outside Hershey. Hewlett-Packard overhaul exposes underdog statusSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Hewlett-Packard, one of the world's largest technology companies, finds itself the underdog as it ditches most of its consumer businesses to become more like the well-oiled, corporate-focused machines of rivals IBM and Oracle. HP will no longer make smartphones and tablet computers and wants to leave the PC business after spending a decade assembling itself into a technology conglomerate by buying such companies as computer maker Compaq Computer for $19 billion in 2002 and smartphone pioneer Palm for $1.8 billion last year. Retweet, sexting enter Oxford English DictionaryLONDON (AP) _ Woot! The online expression of enthusiasm is now in the dictionary. So are textspeak, sexting _ and, less happily, cyberbullying. They are among 400 new entries in the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, published this month. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |