BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two bombs exploded outside a Sunni Muslim mosque in the Iraqi city of Baquba as worshippers left Friday prayers, killing at least 43 people in one of the deadliest attacks in a month-long surge in sectarian violence. Attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques, security forces and tribal leaders have mounted since troops raided a Sunni protest camp near Kirkuk a month ago, and fears are intensifying of a return to all-out conflict. ...

By Darya Korsunskaya SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - France spelled out on Friday that it would oppose a peace conference for Syria if Bashar al-Assad's regional ally Iran is invited, clouding the prospect for a U.S.-Russian initiative to end the two-year-old war. No date has yet been agreed for the international meeting, which appears to face growing obstacles. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and said the conference should take place as soon as possible. U.N. ...

NEW YORK (AP) ? Ratings for the "American Idol" finale plunged to a record low for the 12-year-old show.

PARIS (AP) ? Thieves ripped a safe from the wall of a hotel room near the Cannes Film Festival and made off with around $1 million worth of jewelry, in a brazen late-night burglary just hours after the screening of a film about break-ins at the homes of Hollywood celebrities, French officials said Friday.

CANNES, France (AP) ? Before "Fruitvale Station," Michael B. Jordan was glimpsed sporadically in supporting roles on TV shows like "The Wire" and "Friday Night Lights," and in films like "Chronicle" and "Red Tails."

NEW YORK (AP) ? To find their Mr. Darcy, the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota has turned to a Mad Man.

By Leah Schnurr NEW YORK (Reuters) - Growth sectors led Wall Street's advance on Friday as encouraging economic data put major U.S. stock indexes on track to close out their fourth week of gains in a row. Data showed Americans felt better about their economic and financial prospects in early May, with consumer sentiment at its highest in nearly six years, while a gauge of future economic activity rose in April to a near five-year high. ...

By Leah Schnurr NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans felt better about their economic and financial prospects in early May as consumer sentiment rose to the highest level in nearly six years, an encouraging sign after other recent data had suggested broader U.S. growth is cooling. A gauge of future economic activity released on Friday also suggested the expected slowdown will be temporary, with the index rising in April to a near five-year high. Economists expect growth will likely slow in the second quarter from the 2. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unemployment rates dropped in 43 out of the 50 U.S. states and in the District of Columbia in April from a year before, according to Labor Department data released on Friday. A handful of states, including Illinois, Delaware, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi and New Hampshire saw their jobless rates rise over the year. Illinois' rate fell in April to 9.3 percent from 9.5 percent in March but rose from 8.8 percent a year before. "April data reflects the unevenness of this recovery," said the director of the Illinois employment department, Jay Rowell, in a statement. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Near-term deficits under President Barack Obama's latest budget plan would be higher than the most recent estimates by the Congressional Budget Office, but $1.1 trillion lower over the coming decade, CBO said on Friday. The non-partisan congressional budget referee agency said enactment of Obama's budget proposal would lead to a $669 billion deficit for fiscal 2013, $29 billion higher than CBO estimates based on current tax and spending laws. ...

Two earthquakes near the Ontario-Quebec border could be felt across both provinces this morning.

While Chris Hadfield was returning from the International Space Station on Monday night, another Canadian astronaut was offering his own unique play-by-play of the action as the Soyuz capsule plunged to Earth.

More than 80,000 people have applied for a Dutch non-profit organization's proposed one-way trip to Mars. Anna Maria Tremonti, host of The Current, spoke to four Canadians ? two Mars one applicants, a member of the Mars One team, and astronaut Julie Payette ? about whether it's a good idea.

Gros Morne National Park's status as a world heritage site may be in jeopardy due to plans for controversial oil exploration on Newfoundland's west coast, CBC News has learned. UNESCO is looking for answers about the proposed fracking near the site.

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) ? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he underwent secret weight-loss surgery because he had been feeling frustrated and angry over his inability to slim down.

By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn spoke out on Tuesday about her decade-long struggle with bulimia and alcohol abuse after her mother's death from breast cancer. "It was such a challenging time, and it was a time where everything was just bad," Quinn, the speaker of the New York City Council, told an audience at Barnard College. "I thought I was the only 16-year-old girl in the world who had no ability to deal with her mother dying. ...