AP - The stunning collapse in oil markets accelerated Friday, sending a barrel of crude plunging below $78 as investors grow more pessimistic about resolving a mushrooming global economic crisis.

AP - Wall Street capped its worst week ever with a wild session Friday that saw the Dow Jones industrials rocket within a 1,000 point range before closing with a relatively mild loss and the Nasdaq composite index actually end with a modest advance. Investors were still agonizing over frozen credit markets, but seven days of massive losses made many stocks tempting for traders looking for bargains.

Reuters - Wall Street titans buckled under the weight of a global stock market panic on Friday as the finance chiefs of the world's major economies gathered in Washington to confront the inescapable financial crisis.

AP - A woman accused of stalking John Cusack accepted a plea deal Friday that will allow her to avoid state prison. Emily Leatherman pleaded no contest to a felony count of stalking Cusack. A judge immediately sentenced her to five years' probation and mandatory psychiatric counseling.