Washington  - The captain of a US-operated ship who was abducted by Somalian pirates for several days returned home to the United States on Friday.

A smiling Richard Phillips was greeted by his family shortly after his plane touched down in Burlington, Vermont, his home state. After spending some moments alone with his wife, son, daughter and mother, Phillips addressed reporters.

"I just want to thank you for your prayers and support," Phillips, 53, said.

Washington  - World governments agreed Friday to limit tourism to the Antarctic in an effort to protect the region's fragile ecosystem, which participants warned has been feeling the effects of climate change more than any other part of the globe.

The 28 members of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting unanimously agreed to restrict to 100 the number of tourists that could be on the Antarctic's shores at any one time, as well as limiting cruise ships travelling to the region to 500 passengers each.

Los Angeles  - Hollywood's movie studios Friday reached a tentative pay agreement with the Screen Actors Guild, the largest actors' union, ten months after the previous contract expired.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the proposed contract contains some minor improvements over previous offers but is largely similar to the one studios presented to SAG nine months ago.

Recent study revealed that the number of U.S. women ages 16-25 screened for chlamydia has increased from 25 percent to 43 percent during 2000-2006. Research team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there are still far too few women being screened. 

Researchers wrote in the report that Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States, with more than 2.8 million new cases estimated to occur each year. 

A recent survey revealed that the number of people desirous of donating organs is far more than the number of registered donors. Most Americans harbor various misconceptions relating donation of organs which prevent them from becoming active donors.

Washington  - A pilot died after his small p