Washington Times Front Page

BOSTON , Police in Brazil seized passports belonging to a mother and her 6-year-old daughter, stranding them in South America amid an international child custody dispute with the child's father, the woman says.

SANFORD, Fla. , A Florida judge has denied a request from George Zimmerman's defense attorney to acquit the neighborhood watch volunteer of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara argued for acquittal Friday after prosecutors rested their case.

CAIRO , Enraged Islamists pushed back against the toppling of President Mohammed Morsi, as tens of thousands of his supporters marched in Cairo on Friday to demand his reinstatement and attacked his opponents. Nighttime clashes raged with stone-throwing, firecrackers and gunfire, and military armored vehicles raced across a Nile River bridge in a counterassault on Morsi's supporters.

BEIRUT , Syrian government troops unleashed a major artillery barrage on the city of Homs on Friday, hitting buildings near a 13th century mosque as they pressed an assault on rebel-held areas in the country's strategic heartland.

MILWAUKEE , Clergy sex abuse victims have long accused the Archdiocese of Milwaukee of spending more money on lawyers to protect itself than to care for those who suffered at the hands of abusive priests.

A person familiar with negotiations has confirmed the Phoenix Coyotes have agreed to sign free-agent forward Mike Ribeiro to a four-year, $22 million contract. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity on Friday because the team has not announced the deal. ESPN.com first reported the agreement earlier in the day.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a bill on Friday that would have criminalized the enforcement of some federal gun laws in the state. The bill also would have handed out jail time for reporters who published the names of gun owners, The Associated Press reported.

MADRID , Spain on Friday said it had been warned along with other European countries that former U.S. intelligence worker Edward Snowden was aboard the Bolivian presidential plane this week, an acknowledgement that the manhunt for the fugitive leaker had something to do with the plane's unexpected diversion to Austria.

Nearly every firework display that's blown up in the United States has the "Made in China" stamp, a new study found. The American Pyrotechnics Association reported that 93 percent of all the fireworks that are set off in America were made in China. And 99 percent of all fireworks that are available to U.S.

LONDON , Novak Djokovic might win Wimbledon this year. Juan Martin del Potro will not. No matter how it ends, both men will always have their spot in one of the most memorable matches in the storied history of the All England Club.

South African authorities have gone on the defensive about the health of Nelson Mandela, disputing a court filing that labeled the former president as completely vegetative. The court documents were filed on June 27 as part of a legal matter about Mandela family graves. The papers claim that physician statements were forthcoming that would show Mr.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center said Thursday it will petition the U.S. Supreme Court to abolish the law that lets the National Security Agency collect data on Americans' telephone calls. The Domestic Surveillance Project, an arm of the EPIC, will file the petition on Monday, Raw Story reported.

Israel is in quiet, behind-the-scenes talks with top-level officials in the United States and in Egypt, aimed at coordinating strategies in case of spillover violence from the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Thursday with Secretary of State John Kerry on the telephone about possible policies.

Egypt's military opened fire Friday on scores of Mohammed Morsi supporters who had gathered near the Republican Guard headquarters to protest the president's ouster. Mr. Morsi, who was removed from power Wednesday by the nation's military, is believed to be under house arrest in the facility, according to the Associated Press.

LONDON , One semifinalist is rebounding from a taxing five-set comeback. Another was so overwhelmed to reach the final four, he sat on the court and wept. One more has a knee that's being kept in action through the miracles of ice baths, athletic tape and painkillers. And then there's Novak Djokovic.