ROYAL MARINE BASE CHIVENOR, England — With champagne bottles popping, a Royal Navy crew flew home Thursday after nearly two weeks in Iranian captivity to hugs from tearful relatives and relief in a Britain outraged the crew was used by Tehran for propaganda.

While much of the country rallied behind the crew's return, others criticized them for offering apologies where none was required — namely for appearing in videos in which they admitted and offered regrets for entering Iranian waters. Defense officials sought to quash the criticism.

Prime Minister Tony Blair was somber. He said that while the country celebrated the safe return — and praised the diplomacy that secured their release — the joy was diminished by the killing of four British soldiers in Iraq on Thursday.

"Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 service personnel, so today we are also grieving and mourning for the loss of our soldiers in Basra, who were killed as the result of a terrorist act," Blair said outside his office at 10 Downing St.

Iran's release of the eight sailors and seven marines raised hopes among some that Tehran might be open to compromise on other matters, particularly Western demands for a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program.

FBI AGENT KILLED IN N.J. SHOOTOUT

READINGTON, N.J. — An FBI agent was killed in a shootout with three bank robbery suspects Thursday in north central New Jersey, a law enforcement official said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agent's family had not been told of his death, said the agent was alive when brought to University Hospital in Newark by helicopter, but efforts to save him failed.

Other law enforcement officials, also speaking anonymously because the investigation was ongoing, said agents were investigating a string of recent bank robberies in central New Jersey when they came upon the suspects leaving a bank near Route 22 in Readington. A shootout ensued.

Two suspects were captured and one was being sought in nearby woods, officials said. State and local authorities are searching for the suspects with helicopters and dogs.

State police were coordinating the search for the third suspect, Capt. Al Della Fave said. Close to 100 officers fanned out in the area near a golf course.

FLORIDA FELONS TO REGAIN CIVIL RIGHTS A BIT FASTER

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Most Florida felons will regain voting and other civil rights more quickly after completing their sentences under changes approved Thursday by the governor and the state clemency board.

All but the most violent felons can now avoid waiting for a board hearing, a process that sometimes takes years.

Along with regaining the right to vote, felons can now more quickly serve on juries and get licensed for many occupations, a key concern of activists. The right to have a firearm still wouldn't be automatically restored.

Felon civil rights drew attention after the disputed 2000 presidential election, when many nonconvicts were purged from voter rolls because of rampant errors in the state's prison database.

Florida was one of three U.S. states along with Kentucky and Virginia that require ex-felons to take action to restore their civil rights no matter how long they've been out of prison. Other states have waiting periods before restoration; most restore rights automatically when felons complete their sentence.

PELOSI VISITS SAUDI ARABIA'S 'LEGISLATURE'

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Saudi Arabia's unelected advisory council Thursday, the closest thing in the kingdom to a legislature, where she tried out her counterpart's chair — a privilege no Saudi woman can have because women cannot become legislators.

Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, said she raised the issue of Saudi Arabia's lack of female politicians with Saudi government officials on the last stop of her Mideast tour, but she refrained from criticizing the kingdom over it.

"It's a nice view from here," Pelosi said as she sat in the chair, facing the ornate chamber with its deep blue and yellow chairs and gilded ironwork. "This chair is very comfortable."

U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who was traveling with Pelosi, looked at the gavel in front of her and quipped: "It's a small gavel, Madame Speaker. You may want to wield it."

Pelosi later sidestepped a question on how she felt about the absence of female Saudi council members, saying: "I am very pleased that after 200-plus years in the U.S. we finally have a speaker. It took us a long time."

SPRING SNOW BLANKETS UPPER NORTHEAST

CONCORD, N.H. — A spring storm brought more than a foot of snow to parts of the upper Northeast, closing schools, tangling traffic and knocking out power to more than 180,000 homes and businesses on Thursday.

At least one death was blamed on the wintry weather, which began late Wednesday and was expected to continue through the weekend.

The flakes fell at a rate of up to 2 inches per hour, and by early Thursday, areas of Maine already had nearly a foot and a half of wet, heavy snow, and central New Hampshire saw 16 inches in spots. Up to 24 inches fell in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as many as 13 inches in Vermont, and upstate New York had several inches as well.

The spring snow followed a winter that was often unusually warm.

"We had Easter on December 25th. People had crocuses coming out and blooms on bushes. And now we have Christmas, with all this snow," said meteorologist Butch Roberts of the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. "It's a little topsy-turvy sometimes."

CHANGES TO BE PROPOSED TO 911 SYSTEM

WASHINGTON — People make more 911 calls from cellular telephones than landlines these days, and police and firefighters increasingly worry about finding those callers in distress.

Contrary to what is portrayed on television crime shows, the accuracy of the technology that guides rescuers to cell phone callers can range from a few yards to several miles, even though federal law requires providers to guarantee that their callers can be located in emergencies.

Aiming to improve accuracy, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told The Associated Press this week that he will propose significant changes in the 911 system.

"This is something we always want to be improving on," Martin said. "We have to make sure public safety doesn't lose because we don't take advantage of the changes in technology."

Martin said he will support a request by an association of emergency responders to tighten requirements on how accuracy is measured. He also said he will open a new inquiry at the agency that may lead to significant changes in how cell phone companies manufacture handsets.

JACKSON FAMILY ITEMS SET FOR VEGAS AUCTION

LAS VEGAS — More than 1,100 Jackson family items are set for auction in Las Vegas next month, but a representative for Michael Jackson says the pop star is considering legal action to stop the sale.

"Mr. Jackson was not aware and he is extremely upset that his memorabilia was included amongst the memorabilia that is being auctioned off," said spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain.

The Jacksons Auction is scheduled May 30-31 at the Hard Rock hotel resort.

Guernsey's auction house said items include Michael Jackson's gold record for his "Thriller" album, handwritten lyrics for The Jackson Five hit "ABC" and a "Victory Tour" program signed by Jackson family members.