At least 30 people in Georgia have contracted anthrax this year, prompting authorities to step up safety measures, medical officials said Friday.

Georgia's Center for Infectious Diseases said that by year's end the ex-Soviet nation is expected to roughly match last year's total of 59 cases. That would represent a marked increase from the 28 anthrax cases the Caucasus Mountains country had in 2010.

Electric car maker Tesla's first mass-market sedans took to the road Friday, but it's not certain whether their debut will make or break the fledgling company.

Ten of the sedans, called the Model S, rolled out the door at the company's Fremont factory during a ceremony that had the feel of a pep rally.

Turkey searched for a missing fighter-jet and held an emergency security summit Friday, as the prime minister backed off reported comments suggesting Syria had downed the aircraft.

The military plane -- reportedly an F-4 Phantom with two pilots aboard -- lost radio contact and vanished off radar screens around 0900 GMT over the eastern Mediterranean, near the border with Syria.

Six-time champion Boca Juniors is through to another Copa Libertadores final after holding Universidad de Chile to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, winning the semifinal 2-0 on aggregate.

The Argentine club had won the first leg 2-0 last week at home and managed the scoreless result in Chile to clinch its 10th final in Latin America's premier competition.

A federal appeals court has upheld Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton's conviction on cocaine conspiracy and trafficking charges.

Banton's attorney, David O. Markus, argued that a government informant had improperly entrapped the Grammy-winning singer.

Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. has upgraded its 3DS handheld to sport a screen nearly twice as big as the previous model amid hot competition against smartphones and tablets that are wooing people away from dedicated gaming machines.

The Kyoto-based maker of the Super Mario games and Wii home console said Friday the Nintendo 3DS LL, called 3DS XL in overseas markets, goes on sale in Japan and Europe July 28, and in the U.S. from Aug. 19.

Major hotel brands are bending over backward to cater to the needs of the world's most sought-after traveler: the Chinese tourist.

Now arriving on American shores in unprecedented numbers thanks to a streamlined visa process and a rising Chinese middle class, Chinese tourists are being treated to the comforts of home when they check in at the front desk. That means hot tea in their rooms, congee for breakfast and Mandarin-speaking hotel employees at their disposal.

Since Oprah Winfrey packed up the couch that Tom Cruise jumped on and ended her daytime talk show last year, no one has truly filled her role as the top go-to person in television for major celebrity and news interviews.

Now someone is trying to claim that spot — and would you believe it's Oprah again?

The man who once was among the world's most eligible bachelors has turned 30 — but things are not so bad for Prince William as he celebrates his birthday with family and friends.

Palace officials say William will mark the milestone in private with his wife, the former Kate Middleton, and perhaps some close friends. They say a low key celebration is planned.

Heavily armed Taliban insurgents killed 18 people — most of them civilians — in an attack Friday on a lakeside hotel just north of Kabul, Afghan officials said

Insurgents first killed the security guards at the hotel, then stormed inside it and began firing at guests who were dining. Some of the guests escaped while others were held hostage as the attackers battled Afghan security forces who rushed to the scene for the next 12 hours. Kabul police said all five attackers had been shot and killed by midday Friday, ending the standoff.