2 in Tongan royal family killed in Calif. car crash

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Tongan prince known for promoting political reform in his South Pacific island nation died along with his wife in a crash with a teenager's car, authorities said. Prince Tu'ipelehake, 56, Princess Kaimana, 46, and their driver died Wednesday night, according to Senter Uhilamoelangi, a distant relative and longtime friend of the prince. The 18-year-old driver who hit their sport utility vehicle was traveling as fast as 100 mph in Menlo Park, about 30 miles south of San Francisco, highway patrol officer Ricky Franklin said. The woman survived the crash and faced arraignment Friday.

ACLU sues police, Secret Service over 2004 protest

MEDFORD, Ore. -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging the U.S. Secret Service and state and local police protecting President Bush during a 2004 campaign appearance discriminated against protesters when they cleared the streets outside where the president was eating dinner. The class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court contends that police acting on orders from the Secret Service used unreasonable force to move some 200 people peacefully protesting against the Iraq war in Jacksonville while allowing pro-Bush demonstrators to remain standing on sidewalks. On Oct. 16, 2004, President Bush made a campaign speech at the Jackson County fairgrounds and later had dinner on the patio of the Jacksonville Inn within earshot of protesters before spending the night at an inn cottage.

Jeffrey Skilling to attend private memorials for Lay

HOUSTON -- Family and friends, including co-defendant Jeffrey Skilling, will attend private memorial services for Kenneth Lay in Houston and in Aspen, Colo., where the Enron Corp. founder died suddenly on Wednesday awaiting sentencing for his role in one of the biggest business debacles ever. The 64-year-old executive faced spending decades in prison after he was convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges earlier this year by a federal jury in Houston. A small, private memorial service is set for Sunday afternoon at the Aspen Chapel just outside the northern city limits of Aspen, family spokeswoman Kelly Kimberly said in a statement. Lay died in the glitzy western Colorado ski resort town where he and his wife, Linda, were vacationing. A coroner said an autopsy showed severe coronary artery disease caused Lay's death. A second memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in downtown Houston.

Pavarotti recovering from cancer surgery

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer and is "recovering well," his manager said Friday. The 70-year-old singer was preparing to leave New York last week to resume his farewell world concert tour in Britain when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass, Terri Robson said from her London office. "Fortunately, the mass was able to be completely removed at surgery," she said in a statement. "Mr. Pavarotti is recovering well and his physicians are encouraged by the physical and emotional resilience of their patient." She said he underwent surgery within the past week at a hospital in New York that she declined to identify. She said he remained hospitalized Friday.

Spain confirms its first case of H5N1 bird flu

MADRID, Spain -- Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, discovered in a wild fowl in a marshland area near a northern city, the government said Friday. Officials are working to determine where the sick bird came from and if the virus is similar to the strain that has proven lethal to humans in Asia and elsewhere, Agriculture Minister Elena Espinosa told a news conference. She said a sample was sent to a British laboratory for DNA analysis, and a 2-mile protected zone area has been declared around the area outside the city of Vitoria where the bird -- a great crested grebe -- was found. As bird flu spread to several European countries late last year, officials said it was only a matter of time before the disease made it to Spain, which is on the route of birds migrating north from Africa.

-- From wire reports