AP - Stephen Ames took on Sawgrass at full strength and finished a grueling afternoon with a rare smile, surviving with a 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead Saturday in The Players Championship.

AP - Sealers took to the thawing ice floes off the Atlantic Ocean on the first day of Canada's contentious seal hunt Saturday, sparking confrontations with animal rights activists who claim the annual cull is cruel.

Reuters - Belarus riot police took up positions at entrances to Minsk's October Square on Saturday, ahead of a rally called to denounce the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, which the opposition says was rigged.

AP - They scrapped their vaunted four-guard attack in the opening minutes of the game after seeing it was no match for the taller, heftier Boston College. Allan Ray had one of his more miserable nights, and the rest of Villanova's offense wasn't much better. It took almost 38 minutes for the Wildcats to get their first lead, and even then it was fleeting.

AP - Personal bankruptcies soared 30 percent to a record high last year as financially strained people rushed to file before new restrictions took effect Oct. 17.

The number of Americans filing for bankruptcy jumped 30 percent last year to the highest on record as debtors rushed to file petitions before new restrictions took effect, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

AP - Randy Walker swears he would have died from his diabetes after Hurricane Katrina had a sheriff not seized two FEMA trucks filled with ice and distributed it to residents, many of whom had to keep their insulin cold.

AP - It took two multiplatinum albums, several hits and a few Grammy nominations for people to realize that the Black Eyed Peas weren't just a silly, poppy, hip-hop gimmick (and to be fair, some people still aren't convinced).

AP - It doesn't take much to make Dick Cheney at home on the road: Diet Sprite, a pot of coffee — both sans caffeine — and a TV tuned to Fox News Channel.

AFP - Violence erupted in central Paris again as rioters took over a protest march over a controversial labour law, hurling rocks and bottles at police and lighting cars and shops ablaze.

AP - Former Cincinnati assistant Mick Cronin took over the Bearcats' program Thursday night, shortly after the team's 65-62 loss to South Carolina in the NIT quarterfinals and on the same day that former coach Bob Huggins landed a job.

Reuters - Forget satin, silk and cashmere. Denim took center stage at this year's Los Angeles Fashion Week in a reminder to fashion watchers that premium jeans mean big business.

AP - Fashion waits for no one — unless they're celebrities like Jack Nicholson. Wearing his signature shades and a grin, the 68-year-old actor arrived an hour late for daughter Jennifer's packed show at Culver City's Smashbox Studios. When he took his seat on the front row, the show began.

AP - Computer-savvy Philippine protesters took civil disobedience to cyberspace Thursday, launching a "virtual sit-in" campaign that urged online activists to overwhelm the police Web site with numerous hits.

Reuters - Sony Computer Entertainment's (6758.T) adventure video game "Shadow of the Colossus" took home best game honors at the Game Developers Choice Awards announced late on Wednesday in San Jose, California.

More people than ever before took part in a survey of Britain's birdlife, the RSPB says.

AP - For Spoon frontman Britt Daniel, rock 'n' roll is serious business.

AP - The Vatican took the unusual step Wednesday of explaining its decision to renounce a title popes have used for nearly 1,500 years, saying the omission of "patriarch of the West" should benefit relations with the Orthodox Church, not hinder them.

AP - It took two multiplatinum albums, several hits and a few Grammy nominations for people to realize that the Black Eyed Peas weren't just a silly, poppy, hip-hop gimmick (and to be fair, some people still aren't convinced).

AFP - Ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada took the stand for the first time in his five-year-long corruption trial, rejecting allegations he stole 80 million dollars while in office.