Dark, finger-like features that appear and extend down some Martian slopes during the warmest months of the year on Mars may show activity of salty water there. They fade in winter, then recur the next spring. The observations are tantalizing but tentative signs that Mars could have conditions necessary to support life.

Residents of the Syrian city of Hama are bracing for another day of shelling and shooting as the regime continues its military crackdown on the first Friday of Ramadan. Hama residents say they're trapped in their houses, often without electricity or water.

It's the end of a turbulent week that started with the U.S. government narrowly averting a failure to pay its bills. A market selloff that began some days before has continued all week. The Dow lost 512 points Thursday alone. European stock markets were down Friday. Asian markets fell, too.

Italy is the latest country to be in the cross hairs of investors alarmed by Europe's growing debt crisis. In many ways, Italy's financial situation is quite healthy. But it is being harmed by severe debt problems in neighboring countries and by the inability of European policymakers to act forcefully and in unison.

San Diego city leaders who want to eliminate pensions for most new city employees are trying to get a measure on next year's municipal ballot. Such measures require thousands of voters to sign a petition saying they want to vote on the matter. But a labor-backed group is fighting the effort with a radio ad that links signing the petition to the possibility of identity theft.

Congress and the Obama administration found a way out of the stalemate that forced a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration. The temporary fix means a return to work for thousands of FAA workers and contractors idled by the shutdown. But the underlying issues that prevented agreement on a multi-year FAA bill remain unresolved.

It didn't take very long for James "Jay" McKnight to know that the teenage girl watching him sing with his buddies on a Brooklyn street corner more than 50 years ago would one day become his wife.

McKnight was almost 19. The girl, Andrea, was 14. "I looked at a friend of mine who I was singing with, and I said, 'I'm going to marry her,' " Jay says. "You know what he told me? 'You're going to jail. She's too young.' "

One day when Andrea was by herself, Jay approached her and in a deep voice meant to impress, he asked her how she was doing.

Dog lovers in China and elsewhere can sleep easier tonight, after officials in Jiangmen withdrew a proposed ban on dogs in the city. The near-total ban, which would have resulted in thousands of dogs being either killed or transported to rural areas, was prompted by fears of rabies in the city of 3.8 million.

There are myriad reasons why it's hard to follow a healthy diet in this day and age, and the formidable obesity epidemic in this country is a testament to the fact that too many of us simply can't do it.

An unlikely story has emerged from the world of the NFL, which until recently exported only tales of internecine warfare among millionaires. But first: If you're a football fan — but love to hate the Pittsburgh Steelers — you may want to just click away now. Because what happened recently may diminish your ability to despise the Steel Curtain.

The day before Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton left to become the Arizona Cardinals' defensive coordinator, he stopped by the team complex for some final farewells.