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Fitch cuts Italy, Spain, other euro zone ratings (Reuters)

Reuters - Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded the sovereign credit ratings for Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Belgium and Cyprus indicating there is a 1-in-2 chance of further downgrades in the next two years.

US Embassy: US citizen kidnapped in Nigeria freed (AP)

AP - A U.S. citizen kidnapped by gunmen in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta has been freed after a week in captivity, the U.S. Embassy said Friday.

Fitch downgrades credit ratings for 5 EU nations (AP)

AP - U.S. ratings agency Fitch says it is downgrading the credit ratings for five European nations including leading economic heavyweights Italy and Spain.

EU, IMF press Greece on reforms, Rehn upbeat on debt (Reuters)

Reuters - The European Union and IMF want Greece to push through more budget cuts and implement a series of long-agreed austerity reforms before they sign off on a new bailout the country needs to avert bankruptcy, a report obtained by Reuters shows.

Summary Box: North America props up Ford in 4Q (AP)

AP - FORD EARNINGS: Ford Motor Co. earned $1.1 billion in the first quarter, excluding a big accounting gain. North American profits jumped 33 percent. They fell elsewhere because of the European debt crisis and slower sales in China.

GOP seeks limits on new Colo. child-care rules (AP)

AP - Republicans are introducing legislation to limit how Colorado regulates child care businesses after uproar last summer over proposed rules setting guidelines for crayons per box and the color of dolls made available to kids.

French Afghan troops to leave Kapisa in March (Reuters)

Reuters - French troops will start handing over security to the Afghan army in March and focus on training until pulling out of Afghanistan completely at the end of 2013, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday.

Finance chiefs reassure CEOs over European crisis (AP)

AP - Leading finance chiefs sought to reassure anxious global business leaders on Friday that Europe is on track to solve its crippling debt crisis before it drags the world's economies down. Europe's top banker said investors, burned after trusting the region's governments too much, now trust them too little.

PEN writers condemn attacks on Mexico journalists (AP)

AP - Several Nobel prize laureates are joining the PEN International writers group in condemning attacks on journalists in Mexico.

NYPD boss won't talk about son's sex-assault case (AP)

AP - Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly faced the media Friday for the first time since reports surfaced that a woman had accused his son of rape, refusing to discuss the headline-grabbing case and referring questions to Manhattan prosecutors.

Connecticut killer sentenced to die for "unimaginable horror" (Reuters)

Reuters - A judge formally sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky to death for the murders of a mother and her two daughters during a brutal home invasion in Connecticut, saying he committed a crime of "unimaginable horror."

AP Exclusive: Barrier proposed as Israel border (AP)

AP - Israel is proposing to essentially turn its West Bank separation barrier into the border with a future state of Palestine, two Palestinian officials said Friday, based on their interpretation of principles Israel presented in talks this week.

North America boosts Ford in 4Q (AP)

AP - For Ford, there's no place like home.

Friend says on 911 call Demi Moore was convulsing (AP)

AP - Demi Moore smoked something before she was rushed to the hospital on Monday night and was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a caller on a 911 recording released Friday by Los Angeles fire officials.

Syria: Are Captured Iranians Military Men or Engineers? (Time.com)

Time.com - The revolt against President Assad has long alleged that Iran has sent soldiers to prop up the regime. Their latest proof, however, may not quite satisfy doubts about the claim

An Introduction to Messi: An Outsider's Take (Time.com)

Time.com - The man everyone wants to know is someone who doesn't want to give out -- or doesn't have -- any real personal information. Is he just a sports machine?

Occupy protesters barred from camping in DC park (Reuters)

Reuters - Protesters from the Occupy movement will be barred from camping in Washington's McPherson Square starting at noon on Monday, the National Park Service said on Friday.

Obama pushes colleges to keep tuition under control (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, appearing before thousands of cheering students at the University of Michigan, touted his plan on Friday to reward colleges that keep their tuition under control with more federal aid as he makes school affordability a top election-year priority.

Justice unit to probe mortgage-backed securities (AP)

AP - Federal and state law enforcement officials announced Friday that they have launched a fraud-fighting initiative to root out wrongdoing in the market for residential mortgage-backed securities.

Justice unit to probe mortgage-backed securities (AP)

AP - Federal and state law enforcement officials announced Friday that they have launched a fraud-fighting initiative to root out wrongdoing in the market for residential mortgage-backed securities.

St. Louis hosts 1st big parade on Iraq War's end (AP)

AP - Since the Iraq War ended there has been little fanfare for the veterans returning home. No ticker-tape parades. No massive, flag-waving public celebrations.

Conn. home invasion killer is sentenced to death (AP)

AP - A Connecticut man expressed regret but steadfastly blamed his accomplice as he was sentenced to die Friday for a deadly home invasion that unsettled suburbia and halted momentum to abolish the state's death penalty. The sole survivor of the attack called the loss of his wife and two daughters a "personal holocaust" as the final chapter closed on the case.

Wall St edges lower after GDP data (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks slipped on Friday as data showed the U.S. economy grew less than expected in the fourth quarter, while some disappointing earnings added pressure to the market.

Costa Cruises offers compensation to rescued passengers (Reuters)

Reuters - Costa Cruises has offered 11,000 euros ($14,500) in compensation to each of the more than 3,000 passengers aboard its liner that ran aground and capsized two weeks ago, Italian consumer groups said on Friday.

Kidnapped Norwegian freed in Yemen (Reuters)

Reuters - A Norwegian working for the United Nations was freed on Friday, nearly two weeks after being kidnapped in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the Interior Ministry said.

Army chief lays out Army cuts in Europe (AP)

AP - Gen. Raymond Odierno (oh-dee-EHR'-noh), the Army chief of staff, says the Pentagon will take two heavy armor brigades out of Europe in 2013 and 2014 and eliminate them.

Assets on tax forms missing on Romney financial disclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - A handful of financial holdings reported by U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on his tax returns was not declared in earlier government financial disclosures, his campaign acknowledged on Thursday.

Cruise crew member sues over Italy disaster (AP)

AP - A crew member from the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia has filed a lawsuit in Chicago federal court against Carnival Cruise Lines and its Costa subsidiary.

Obama decries rising cost of college education (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama called Friday for an overhaul of the higher education financial aid system, warning that colleges and universities that fail to control spiraling tuition costs could lose federal funds.

Paterno's son: 'Dad, you won. You can go home now' (AP)

AP - Jay Paterno leaned over his dying father, gave him a kiss, and whispered in his ear.

Chevron 4Q profit down 3 pct. on refinery decline (AP)

AP - Chevron Corp. said Friday that its profit slipped by 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter as its refineries struggled to pass on the higher cost of crude oil.

Building site collapse injures 13 in Cincinnati (Reuters)

Reuters - A partial collapse at a Horseshoe casino construction site in Cincinnati injured at least 13 people on Friday, none of them critically, and all were accounted for, officials said.

U.S. growth quickens, but speed bumps ahead (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in 1-1/2 years in the fourth quarter of 2011, but a strong rebuilding of stocks by businesses and a slower pace of business spending hinted at softer growth early this year.

Russia bars liberal candidate from presidential election (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who's been a presidential candidate three times before, will not be allowed to run against Vladimir Putin in the upcoming March 4 presidential polls, Russia's official electoral commission announced today.

Coach honed debating skills of young Newt Gingrich (AP)

AP - As a young college professor running for Congress, Newt Gingrich wanted to sharpen his debating skills.

Experts cast doubt on Japan nuclear power plant stress tests (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - Advisers to Japan's nuclear safety agency have condemned stress tests being conducted at nuclear power plants around the country as the government seeks international support for the early resumption of dozens of idle reactors.

US cybersecurity efforts trigger privacy concerns (AP)

AP - The federal government's plan to expand computer security protections into critical parts of private industry is raising concerns that the move will threaten Americans' civil liberties.

Report: Electronic health records still need work (AP)

AP - America may be a technology-driven nation, but the health care system's conversion from paper to computerized records needs lots of work to get the bugs out, according to experts who spent months studying the issue.

Chevron profit falls as refineries, output suffer (Reuters)

Reuters - Chevron Corp reported lower quarterly earnings on Friday, missing Wall Street forecasts, as rising spending on oil and gas projects and losses at its U.S. refinery business offset gains from higher crude oil prices.

Obama officials back bill to hit China subsidies (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama's administration is pressing Congress to restore an important weapon in the U.S. arsenal against subsidized imports from China by quickly passing legislation to undo a recent federal appellate court ruling.