AFP - South Korea is to provide 10 billion won (10.4 million dollars) to civic groups working to help repair flood damage in North Korea, officials said.

AP - A report released Thursday describes Orleans Parish prisoners trapped in flooded cells, deprived of food and water for days, and calls the scene at the jail "some of the worst horrors of Hurricane Katrina."

AP - Phil McGraw, who brought his "Dr. Phil" show to New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina, returned this week to tape follow-up episodes that will air in the coming weeks.

AP - A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction barring Wisconsin from killing gray wolves, siding with animal welfare and environmental groups that argue the killing violates the Endangered Species Act.

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AP - Like many other New Orleanians nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina, John McCusker was experiencing the overwhelming stress of rebuilding his life.

AP - The most powerful typhoon to hit China in five decades raged across its southeastern coast Thursday, capsizing ships and destroying homes after 1.5 million people evacuated. At least 30 people were killed and dozens were injured.

AP - A federal law governing protection of American Indian graves would be amended to allow scientific study of ancient remains discovered on federal lands if the remains have not been tied to a current tribe, under a bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings.

AP - City and utility officials throughout Southern California are eyeing a new system that relies on ice to store energy for air conditioners as a possible way to cut peak commercial consumption and reduce the threat of crippling blackouts.

AP - General Motors Corp. has achieved a milestone in its quest to bring a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle to market, announcing that it now has a drivable version of its Sequel concept car.

AP - To battle one invasive species, Maryland biologists are turning to another. The state Department of Natural Resources planned to release about 5,500 European leaf beetles Thursday near Preston in Caroline County. The beetles are thought to help stamp out an invasive plant species that is smothering wetlands.

AP - A dry spell has lowered the water level dramatically in the Okefenokee Swamp, hindering motor boats and canoes, raising the danger of wildfires and forcing alligators to crowd into the deeper pools in search of fish.

AP - Paleontologists have created detailed three-dimensional images of evolution's first multicellular creatures in their embryonic stages, some so detailed that they reveal more about the development of long-extinct creatures than scientists know about their modern counterparts.

Reuters - Leaders of the U.S. Congress on Thursday called for hearings and probes into oil giant BP Plc.'s decision to begin shutting down the Prudhoe Bay oilfield in Alaska, the nation's biggest.

SPACE.com / LiveScience.com - A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.

AP - A federal law governing protection of American Indian graves would be amended to allow scientific study of ancient remains discovered on federal lands if the remains have not been tied to a current tribe, under a bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings.

AP - City and utility officials throughout Southern California are eyeing a new system that relies on ice to store energy for air conditioners as a possible way to cut peak commercial consumption and reduce the threat of crippling blackouts.

AP - General Motors Corp. has achieved a milestone in its quest to bring a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle to market, announcing that it now has a drivable version of its Sequel concept car.

AFP - British energy giant BP said it was still producing 120,000 barrels of oil a day from its stricken Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska and hoped to keep some output operational.

AP - A report released Thursday describes Orleans Parish prisoners trapped in flooded cells, deprived of food and water for days, and calls the scene at the jail "some of the worst horrors of Hurricane Katrina."