A top aide to former US president George W. Bush has defended the use of harsh interrogation techniques, insisting he is "proud" of the methods and they had helped prevent terrorist attacks.

Karl Rove also told the BBC in an interview broadcast Thursday that he did not believe waterboarding -- a simulated drowning method -- amounted to torture.

"I'm proud that we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists and gave us valuable information that allowed us to foil plots," he said.

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on Friday said she never granted an interview to a journalist who quoted her in a British newspaper as saying her ex-husband Nelson Mandela had "let down" the blacks.

"I did not give Naipaul an interview. It is therefore not necessary for me to respond in any detail to the contents of a fabricated interview," Madikizela-Mandela said in a statement, referring to Nadira Naipaul, the wife of acclaimed novelist V.S. Naipaul.

Oil rose close to 83 dollars a barrel on Friday as the International Energy Agency reported unexpectedly strong growth in world energy demand, led by China.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, added 49 cents to 82.60 dollars a barrel.

Brent North Sea crude for April gained 48 cents to 80.76 dollars per barrel in midday London trading.

"The continued economic optimism buoyed the oil price above the mark of 82 dollars per barrel," said Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg.

British Airways cabin crew will strike for seven days later this month after failing to reach agreement in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions, union officials said on Friday.

The Unite union said in a statement that staff would spread the stoppages between March 20 and March 30 and warned that further walkouts may occur after mid-April.

"Strikes are planned for March 20, 21 and 22 and further on March 27, 28, 29 and 30," senior Unite official Len McCluskey said in the release.

Queen Elizabeth II's gaffe-prone husband Prince Philip proved that at 88 he is as undiplomatic as ever, when he asked a young sea cadet if she worked in a strip club, newspapers reported Friday.

The former naval officer, infamous for his colourful off-hand remarks, was visiting cadets in Exeter, southwest England, when he put the question to Elizabeth Rendle.

The 24-year-old, who works as a barmaid in a nightclub, was asked what she did for a living.

Yemeni authorities have seized the transmission gear of Arab satellite news channels over their coverage of deadly unrest in the south of the country.

"The SNG (satellite news gathering) equipment used by the Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya channels without being declared to the information ministry has been seized," the ministry said late on Thursday.

The seizure was "legal," with the Sanaa offices of the two channels given advance warning, it said in a statement carried by the official news agency Saba, and the gear would be returned to their head offices.

British Airways cabin crew will strike for seven days later this month after failing to reach agreement in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions, union officials said on Friday.

The Unite union said in a statement that staff would spread the stoppages between March 20 and March 30 and warned that further walkouts may occur after mid-April.

"Strikes are planned for March 20, 21 and 22 and further on March 27, 28, 29 and 30," senior Unite official Len McCluskey said in the release.

The dollar traded mixed on Friday before the publication of official US economic data, while the yen was also in focus after Japan's leader called for "firm steps" against the currency's recent rise.

In late morning deals here, the European single currency rose to 1.3778 dollars from 1.3678 dollars late in New York on Thursday.

Against the Japanese currency, the dollar fell to 90.36 yen from 90.48 yen on Thursday.

Market were braced for February US retail sales data due Friday, a key gauge of consumer sentiment and the health of the world's biggest economy.

Europe's main stock markets rose Friday as investors awaited crucial economic data and tracked US attempts to rein in the banking sector, dealers said.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.32 percent to 5,636.72 points, in Paris the CAC 40 was up 0.58 percent to 3,951.86 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 rose 0.67 percent to 5,968.58 points.

The Stoxx 50 index of top eurozone shares won 0.70 percent to 2,916.27 points.

Markets were bracing for February US retail sales data due later in the day, a key gauge of consumer sentiment and the health of the US economy.

AP - Top Democrats say they are resolving disputes over President Barack Obama's health overhaul plan, but they face decisions on subsidizing coverage and are still hunting votes to push the vast package through Congress.

AP - A pair of suicide bombers targeting army vehicles detonated explosives within seconds of each other Friday, killing at least 39 people in this eastern city and wounding nearly 100, police said. It was the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week, indicating Islamist militants are stepping up violence after a period of relative calm.

AP - Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans — maybe even President Barack Obama — are being overtreated.

AP - President Barack Obama's intense juggling of domestic issues reflects all the realities he faces: a vast agenda, a smaller window for results this year and a need to keep promises to constituencies that will have a huge say in the fall congressional elections.

AP - A settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to more than 10,000 ground zero rescue and recovery workers sickened by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center goes before a judge Friday, and he has said he favored a settlement but planned to analyze it carefully to make sure it was fair.

AP - Sharif Mobley had strong Muslim views as early as high school. But his old friend Roman Castro knew he had radicalized when he saw him about four years ago.

AP - A lesbian student who wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom is asking a federal judge to force her Mississippi school district to reinstate the dance it canceled

AP - Twitter can now let the world automatically know your whereabouts as well as your thoughts and activities.

AP - Teen power won out on "American Idol" as Katie Stevens claimed a place in the top 12 while a more experienced singer got the ax.

AP - Tiger Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters, two people with knowledge of his plans told The Associated Press.

Obama campaigns for health care reform, while Sam Bee captures the tense mood at Fox News headquarters. Joe Biden punishes Israel for building more settlements, and Eamon Javers exposes the world of corporate espionage.

Learn what Kelly’s life was like before People's Revolution and Skinner walks out. Go to Part 4

The senior staff is back in the office, Kelly works on a book, and Kelly shops for toys. Go to Part 3

It’s the last day in London and Kelly and her team work London Fashion Week. Go to Part 2

This week: A wife who keeps her late husband’s prosthetic leg on display, an overbearing mother-in-law, a husband jealous of his wife's iguana, a wife willing to trade affection for a clean house.