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Donald Trump's Miss USA pageant is keeping up with the Kardashians. Pageant officials announced Thursday that Rob Kardashian, a former "Dancing with the Stars" competitor and the brother from the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reality show, will be among the celebrity judges at the 61st annual pageant June 3 in Las Vegas. Former "Bachelorette" Ali Fedotowsky, pop star Joe Jonas and "Fashion Police" host George Kotsiopoulos also will help name the next Miss USA. The winner goes on to compete...

Viola Davis addressed graduating seniors Thursday at the high school in the struggling Rhode Island city where she grew up, urging them to treasure "hard times and joyous moments" and telling them that the "privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." The Oscar-nominated actress from the film "The Help" spoke to Central Falls High School's class of 2012, student actors and members of student government and other alumni nearly 30 years after receiving her own diploma there. She was also inducted...

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has signed a new three-year deal with the Serie A champion that will keep him with the club until 2015. Conte, a former Juventus captain, took over last summer from Luigi Delneri, who failed to take Juventus into the Europa League with a seventh-place finish in the Italian league. The 42-year-old Conte led Juventus to the league title this season and reached the Italian Cup final. Juventus was unbeaten in the league, but lost to Napoli in the cup. "It's obviously...

Elton John is canceling three Las Vegas performances on doctors' orders after being hospitalized with a respiratory infection. Officials with Caesars Entertainment say the Thursday, Saturday and Sunday performances of "The Million Dollar Piano" are being cancelled. Show officials say Elton John came down with the infection last weekend and was admitted Wednesday to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Doctors have recommended he not perform for a week and take antibiotics. He was later released. The...

British detectives have been given permission to travel to Libya to investigate the killing of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot from inside the Libyan Embassy in London during a demonstration in 1984, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Thursday. Fletcher was policing a protest against Libya's then-ruler Col. Moammar Gadhafi when an unidentified shooter sprayed the crowd with bullets, killing her and wounding 10 Libyan demonstrators. The incident poisoned relations between Britain...

A formal proposal to oust United States official Chuck Blazer from the FIFA executive committee can't be heard on Friday because it was sent too late. Countries from CONCACAF voted at a heated meeting on Wednesday to ask for FIFA's help in removing their former general secretary Blazer at a Congress of 208 nations. He denies financial mismanagement allegations. CONCACAF spokesman Scott Gleba tells The Associated Press: "We've been alerted that the deadline has passed." FIFA rules require two...

Not all that long ago, E L James was Snowqueens Icedragon, cranking out her sexed-up "Twilight" fan fiction online. Well, faster than you can shriek your safe word, her kinky "Fifty Shades of Grey" bondage erotica trilogy has fan fiction of its own, in the same place where she first serialized her story under a different title. "I'm immensely flattered, and it's humbling to know my work is inspiring others to write," the London mother and TV producer said in a statement less than three months...

The new government in the heavily indebted Bahamas is planning to modernize the tax code to generate new revenue. The Progressive Liberal Party says it will consider introducing a value-added tax or levying fees on certain services, but specifics are few. The party returned to power earlier this month after dominating elections. State Minister of Finance Michael Halkitis said Thursdays a council of economic advisors will develop a tax reform plan. He says the current system "does not provide...

Facts and figures of the 96th Indianapolis 500-mile race on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: EVENT _ The 96th Indianapolis 500. DISTANCE _ 500 miles (805 kilometers); 200 laps around the asphalt-on-brick Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) rectangular oval. SANCTIONING BODY _ IndyCar. RACE CARS _ Open-cockpit, open-wheel and single-seat, with 2.2-liter, 550-700 horsepower turbocharged V-6 engines. ENGINE MANUFACTURERS _ Chevrolet, Honda, Lotus. CHASSIS _...

Sade Adu may have appeared confident when she hit the stage on her massive U.S. tour last year in her all-black ensemble, svelte look, high heels and red lips. But the 53-year-old singer was nervous. So nervous, she gave someone backstage a tattoo. "It was giving me something to divert me from the chaos of getting ready psychologically to go out there," Adu said in a recent interview. "I think I was more stressed about giving that tattoo than I was (doing) the show that night." But Adu had reason...

Second-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy was hardly troubled as she beat Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-0, 6-3 to reach the Strasbourg International semifinals on Thursday, but three-time champion Anabel Medina Garrigues lost. Schiavone dropped serve once in the second set but the former French Open champion recovered. She next plays Sloane Stephens of the United states, who beat Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-3, 6-4. Alize Cornet clinched her 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory against Medina Garrigues on her...

Profiles of the 33 drivers in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, in starting order with car number in parentheses, age, hometown, engine, race team, and biographical information (w-former winner; r-rookie): ROW 1 1. (2) Ryan Briscoe, 30, Sydney; Chevrolet, Team Penske. Won first pole of season by narrowest margin in 500 history _ 9.168 inches (23.29 centimeters. Has been among top six in points in each of past four years but never won title. Career-best finish at Indy was fifth in 2007 driving for Roger...

A nationwide sex trafficking ring used the advertising website Backpage.com to solicit customers for prostitutes as young as 17, promoting the women as "smokin' hot babes," according to a recently unsealed U.S. federal indictment. A indictment alleges a New Jersey man forced women between 17 and 21 to act as his sex workers between November 2009 and June 2011, when investigators broke up the ring during a sting operation at a hotel in Nebraska. Johnelle L. Bell, 27, has pleaded not guilty to...

U.S. bank earnings rose in the first three months of the year to the highest level in nearly five years and the number of troubled banks fell for the fourth straight quarter. The mostly positive first-quarter earnings released Thursday illustrate how far the banking industry has come since the 2008 financial crisis. Still, the report noted that many banks remain cautious about lending, a necessary driver of economic growth. The report is "broadly in line with what we've seen in the economy as...

Results Thursday from the Strasbourg International, a $220,000 WTA clay-court event at the Tennis Club (seedings in parentheses): Singles Quarterfinals Alize Cornet, France, def. Anabel Medina Garrigues (4), Spain, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5). Sloane Stephens, United States, def. Ayumi Morita, Japan, 6-3, 6-4. Francesca Schiavone (2), Italy, def. Johanna Larsson, Sweden, 6-0, 6-3. Pauline Parmentier, France, def. Alexandra Panova, Russia, 6-3, 6-3.

Andrea Guardini edged out favorite Mark Cavendish in a bunch sprint to win the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday as Joaquin Rodriguez kept his grip on the overall lead. Guardini, who finished last in the previous stage, timed his sprint to perfection to win in 3 hours, 52 seconds. Roberto Ferrari was third. Cavendish could not keep up with the Italian at the end of the mainly flat and descending 149-kilometer (93-mile) route from San Vito di Cadore to Vedelago. "It's a great day, I...

A look at the French Open, the year's second Grand Slam tennis tournament: Site: Roland Garros in Paris. Surface: Clay. Schedule: The 15-day tournament begins on Sunday. The women's singles final is June 9; the men's singles final is June 10. 2011 Men's Singles Champion: Rafael Nadal of Spain. 2011 Women's Singles Champion: Li Na of China. Last Year: Nadal beat Roger Federer of Switzerland 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1 for his sixth French Open championship and 10th Grand Slam title overall. Federer...

A European Union envoy held talks Thursday with top Serbian officials, just days after a pro-Russian nationalist beat the incumbent pro-EU candidate to the presidency in a vote that plunged the Balkan country into political uncertainty. Neither candidate's parties won enough votes in separate parliamentary elections and are clamoring to form governing coalitions which the EU hopes will continue former President Boris Tadic's EU candidacy bid. Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak on Thursday...

Last year's uprisings in the Middle East have motivated people around the world to demand more rights and could inspire closed societies like Iran and North Korea to do the same, the U.S. State Department said Thursday. After years of denouncing rights abuses in Myanmar, the United States singled out the Asian nation _ also known as Burma _ saying it is moving toward allowing greater liberties. "From the revolutions in the Middle East to the reforms in Burma, they began with human rights, with...

Jenson Button posted the fastest time in a rainy second practice at the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday, and French rookie Romain Grosjean impressed again for Lotus while Felipe Massa found some much-needed form. With the track slippery after a downpour briefly interrupted the second session, drivers switched to intermediate tires. But Button had already clocked 1 minute, 15.746 seconds for McLaren on dry tires and that marker was never going to be beaten in the rain. "We tried something different...

Sparta Prague has to play two Czech league matches behind closed doors as punishment for crowd trouble. The Czech Republic Football Association's disciplinary committee also fined Sparta 300,000 koruna ($14,850) on Thursday. The last league match against Ceske Budejovice on May 12 had to be interrupted because fireworks and flares landed on the field. After the game, fans invaded the pitch, demanding the resignation of Sparta sports director Jaroslav Hrebik who they blamed for the failure to...

Guadalajara Chivas coach John Van't Ship started his new job on Thursday, hoping to restore the fortunes of one of Mexico's most popular teams. The Dutchman was named to the job in April by club adviser Johan Cruyff, who was appointed by owner Jorge Vergara to revamp the slumping club and its youth system. Van't Ship replaced Ignacio Ambriz, who left the club after failing to get a new contract. Chivas has won the most league titles in Mexico, but finished near the bottom of the just-completed...

Results Thursday at a shooting World Cup: Men's 50m Pistol 1. Jin Jong-oh, South Korea, 659.4 (562, 97.4) 2. Damir Mikec, Serbia, 658.4 (563, 95.4) 3. Vladimir Isakov, Russia, 658.3 (564, 94.3) 4. Leonid Ekimov, Russia, 657.7 (562, 95.7) 5. Florian Schmidt, Germany, 657.2 (570, 87.2) 6. Jakkrit Panichpatikum, Thailand, 656 (566, 90) 7. Andrei Kazak, Belarus, 655.4 (569, 86.4) 8. Norayr Bakhtamyan, Armenia, 652.6 (563, 89.6) Women's 25m Pistol 1. Chen Ying, China, 791.4 (583, 208.4)...

Human rights conditions have deteriorated in China with a "closing of space" for activists and lawyers, while Vietnam also continues to severely restrict freedom of expression, the U.S. State Department said Thursday. The judgments were made in the department's annual assessment of human rights in countries around the world, that also took aim in Asia at post civil-war Sri Lanka and vast penal labor camps in North Korea. But the U.S. hailed "remarkable" improvements in military-dominated Myanmar,...

Even robots like to have fun. NASA's rover on Mars showed off its playful side by snapping a photo of its own shadow. It's the latest self-portrait since the rover, named Opportunity, landed on the red planet in 2004. The photo was taken in March, and the U.S. space agency released it this week. The solar-powered rover was at the rim of a massive crater. The late afternoon sun set the crater aglow, and Opportunity waited for just the right lighting to send a postcard back to Earth. After nearly...

Sergio Perez has dismissed talk linking him with a midseason move to Ferrari and committed himself to Sauber for at least the rest of the Formula One season. Felipe Massa's struggles with Ferrari have increased speculation that Perez could replace him, but the Mexican driver says he would not move now, even if there was an offer. "Should that situation really come about I would reject it, as I would not want to make a switch in the middle of a season," Perez said. "I think all this hype about...

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says a pharmaceutical drug wholesaler will pay $77,500 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit by employees on Guam. Two women working at MD Wholesale's Taminung facility claimed sexual harassment by a male supervisor since at least 2008. As part of the settlement announced Thursday, MD Wholesale will revise its sexual harassment policy and complaint procedure. An EEOC coordinator will ensure all staff are trained on their rights regarding discrimination,...

Graeme McDowell was left to bemoan the sometimes obscure rules of golf after he was docked two shots on the last hole in a "freak" scenario at the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday. The former U.S. Open champion was on course to break par in his opening round at Wentworth when he approached the ball after hitting his drive into the bushes to the right of the fairway. The ball, which was lying on a bed of branches, moved slightly _ costing him a shot _ and because he didn't replace it, he was handed...

The Dow Jones industrial average and other stock indexes drifted lower Thursday after a meeting of European leaders resulted in no new concrete action to ease the region's debt crisis. The Dow dropped 45 points to 12,449 shortly after noon Eastern (1600 GMT). Fears that Europe's troubles could turn into a worldwide financial crisis has pushed the 30-stock average down 6 percent this month, erasing most of its gains for the year. U.S economic news offered little encouragement. Orders for long-lasting...

Naval vessels ranging from a U.S. amphibious assault ship to a Finnish minelayer are participating in New York City's Fleet Week. The organization Operation Sail says around 20 tall ships from around the world will be in the city. The large vessels are rigged with traditional sails. Military flyovers also are part of the festivities. This year's event marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Military ships from Japan, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom are docked around the city. The...

Head of Turkey's Olympic Committee says Istanbul has the best chance to win the 2020 Olympics after the IOC shortlisted the city along with Tokyo and Madrid. Ugur Erdener says Istanbul is the city "closest to winning the hosting rights to 2020 Olympics and Paralympics." The International Olympic Committee eliminated Doha of Qatar and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, from bidding process. The decision on Wednesday set off a 17-month race between three cities for the event. The IOC will pick the...

China got the final it wanted and a shot at revenge when South Korea defeated Japan 3-0 in Uber Cup badminton on Thursday. China was stunned and humbled when it lost to the the first-time champion Koreans in the final two years ago, China's first defeat since 1996. That team of mostly Uber- Cup newcomers vowed there wouldn't be a repeat, and they beat Thailand 3-0 in their semifinal on Thursday to sweep into the final without dropping a match in front of a raucous home crowd. Wang Yihan and Wang...

Three bandits were foiled in Britain when their attempt to pry open a stolen cash box ran up against a new security system that slathered the bills with glue. Baffour Amponsah, 25, Brian Ocaya, 28, and Daniel Collins, also 28, were part of a gang that ambushed a cash delivery man working for security company G4S in south London on Jan. 16, 2011. The group stole his cash box but ran into trouble when they retreated to a parking lot to try to open it. Gavin Windsor, a G4S director, said the company's...

The Defense Department and the Swiss company that supplies U.S. troops in Afghanistan with food and water are locked in a billion-dollar billing dispute that illustrates the flawed management of contracts for battlefield support, according to documents released Thursday by a House oversight subcommittee investigating the arrangement. The Defense Logistics Agency, which supervises the food supply contract, is demanding that Supreme Foodservice of Ziegelbrucke, Switzerland, return more than $750...

Josh Brolin thought he was just being goofy when he launched into a Tommy Lee Jones impersonation on a night out with the Coen brothers and their friend Barry Sonnenfeld. Turns out, Brolin was on an audition of sorts. Four years later, Brolin shows his Jones act to the world in Sonnenfeld's "Men in Black 3," playing a young version of Jones' Agent K opposite Will Smith's Agent J as the sci-fi comedy franchise returns after a 10-year break. After the Directors Guild Awards in 2008, Brolin went...

David Smith was a large-living and influential figure in Jamaica before courts in two countries knocked him down as a fraud artist. He splurged on luxury cars and mansions, flew in a Learjet and sponsored concerts and athletic events. Now court documents say he also was spreading his Ponzi-scheme wealth to the country's politicians. A confiscation order by the Turks and Caicos Islands' Supreme Court alleges that Smith contributed nearly $9 million in tainted money to both of the island's major...

A United Nations official says that people in Haiti are dying from cholera because funding to stem the disease is drying up. John Ging of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there is an urgent need for new ways to tackle the disease and for aid donors. The U.N. says that 13,000 people have been treated for cholera so far this year and 132 have died. The numbers are expected to increase because of budget cuts. Health officials say the waterborne illness has killed...

Transport officials in London will be paying compensation to hundreds of people stranded on a subway line that is critical to the upcoming London Olympics. Some 770 people had to get off their trains and walk through the tunnels Wednesday evening because of troubles on the Jubilee Line. The line is a critical artery for the Olympics, which start July 27 and end Aug. 12. Officials said Thursday that passengers affected by the chaos caused by a stranded train will receive 40 pounds ($62) in compensation....

Practice results Thursday for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix at the 3.34-kilometer (2-mile) street circuit with driver, country, car, leader's fastest lap time and laps completed: First Practice Session 1. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Ferrari, 1 minute, 16.265 seconds, 22 laps. 2. Romain Grosjean, France, Lotus, 1:16.630, 17. 3. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Sauber, 1:16.711, 19. 4. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren, 1:16.747, 12. 5. Pastor Maldonado, Venezuela, Williams, 1:16.760, 20. 6. Felipe Massa, Brazil,...

Kylie Minogue dazzled in Dolce & Gabbana gold on the Cannes red carpet. There was one problem _ she didn't have any pockets. The Australian singer attended the world premiere of "Holy Motors" Wednesday _ a surreal movie that sees her return to acting. Minogue walked up the famous Palais steps in a glittering floor length metallic gown. The former soap star loved the experience, but missed being able to contact her friends and family. Minogue says: "I would have liked to have had my phone...

Orders for long-lasting U.S. factory goods edged up slightly in April. But a measure of tracks business investment spending fell for a second straight month. Durable goods orders increased 0.2 percent last month after a 3.7 percent decline in March, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Gains in volatile commercial aircraft orders and more demand for autos and parts drove the modest increase. So-called core capital goods orders, which are considered a proxy for business investment plans, fell...

Will President Barack Obama win re-election? Will the world end Dec. 21, as some say the Mayan calendar predicts? Will the economy ever improve? If you ask the 1,500 astrologers contemplating planetary alignments this week in New Orleans, the answers are yes, no and yes. The astrologers, representing 30 countries, are in the city's famed French Quarter for the United Astrology conference held every four years. They say their work goes beyond the entertainment of horoscopes, tarot cards and palm...

The Montreal Impact have signed Marco Di Vaio, making the former Italy forward their first designated player. The 35-year-old Di Vaio will be available once the transfer window officially opens on June 27. He is to arrive in Montreal with his family on Sunday. Di Vaio has spent the last four seasons with Bologna. He also has played with Lazio, Bari, Salernitana, Parma, Juventus and Genoa. He has 142 goals in 342 games in the Serie A. The tag of designated player means only a portion of his...

Police in Haiti are investigating the killing of a Swiss woman whose beaten body turned up in the back seat of a Jeep in northern Haiti. Michel Martin of the United Nations police department says the body of the 45-year-old woman was found Tuesday near the town of Grande Riviere du Nord. She had been tied up and had a wound to her head. She had been working for a Zurich-based nonprofit named the Black Rain Group, which operates an orphanage and home for the aged. A group spokeswoman confirmed...

Results Thursday from the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 149-kilometer (93-mile) route from San Vito di Cadore to Vedelago: 1. Andrea Guardini, Italy, Farnese Vini, 3 hours, 52 seconds. 2. Mark Cavendish, Britain, Sky Procycling, same time. 3. Roberto Ferrari, Italy, Androni Giocattoli, same time. 4. Robert Hunter, South Africa, Garmin-Barracuda, same time. 5. Lucas Sebastian Haedo, Argentina,Saxo Bank, same time. 6. Giacomo Nizzolo, Italy, Radioshack, same time. 7. Alexander Kristoff,...

Chaos is part of Bangkok's charm. But the savvy traveler quickly learns how to navigate Bangkok's legendary traffic jams and discover its soul, a mix of urban jungle and Buddhist serenity where shopping and eating are national pastimes. Despite the weak dollar, Bangkok remains one of the best deals in Asia. Some of the world's tastiest street food sells for as little as 25 baht (80 cents) a plate. Beat traffic by zipping down side streets in a tuk-tuk or cruising up the Chao Praya on public express...

Former France prop Pieter de Villiers and ex-South Africa flyhalf Louis Koen have joined the Springboks' coaching staff. The South African Rugby Union said on Thursday the two former internationals would be consultants for the upcoming season. South Africa-born De Villiers, who played 70 tests for France, will be the Boks' scrum consultant. Koen will be a kicking coach. South Africa head coach Heyneke Meyer, who is finalizing his staff ahead of a three-test home series against England next month,...

Uncertainty over Greece's future in the eurozone is battering the country's financial markets, with investors unconvinced by European leaders' pledge to keep the country in the euro bloc. Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange hit a new 22-year low Thursday, closing down 4.5 percent at 502.52, despite gains made elsewhere in Europe. EU leaders on Wednesday expressed backing for Greece's place in the eurozone but announced no new measures to avoid its exit from the17-country currency union. Bailed-out...

Faking injuries on the pitch could jeopardize treatment for players, who suffer cardiac arrest and other life threatening conditions, World Cup final referee Howard Webb told a FIFA medical conference. Webb's quick reaction when Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field in March helped the Bolton midfielder get treatment which saved his life. Referees' responses could be affected if players "cry wolf" too often, Webb said on Thursday. Players who are not seriously injured sometimes seek a tactical...

The U.N. Yugoslav tribunal says the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic will resume June 25th, about a month later than initially planned. The trial was put on hold shortly after it began this month after defense attorneys said prosecutors had failed to disclose all case documents. Judges agreed, saying the disclosure failures by prosecutors were significant enough to warrant a delay. But on Thursday the judges rejected a defense request for a six-month halt, saying a shorter...

As the credits rolled on the first Cannes Film Festival screening of Mexican director Carlos Reygadas' new film, someone in the audience shouted out "Viva Bunuel!" The reference to surrealist cinema icon Luis Bunuel was apt. Reygadas' "Post Tenebras Lux" includes such incongruous elements as the devil, disturbing dream sequences and landscapes that look seethingly alive. But Reygadas insists he makes "very realistic films." "We (all) have images of the past, dreams, memories, fantasies, projected...

Dow Chemical has been awarded $2.16 billion in damages by an international arbitration court over a Kuwaiti joint venture that collapsed four years ago as the global recession took hold. Company shares rose nearly 3 percent, or 82 cents, to $31.34 in early trading Thursday. Dow put together a $17.4 billion joint venture with Petrochemical Industries Co., a subsidiary of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp., to produce plastics for consumer products, automotive parts and drug processing in 2008....

Albanian police say a bus accident in which 13 people died this week was caused by careless driving. A police statement said that the driver was going over the speed limit when the bus veered off a bend on a mountainous road and plunged off an 80-meter cliff. The driver died in Monday's crash, along with 11 students from a university in the city of Elbasan and the fianc?? of one of the students. The accident occurred near the town of Himare, 137 miles (220 kilometers) south of the capital Tirana....

In August of 1944, when the tough east London streets of his childhood lay smoking in bombed-out ruins, a Nazi German V1 rocket packed with one ton of high explosives "fell just where you're sitting," David Gold says coolly. Comfortably seated in the bar of the 117-year-old east London football club, West Ham, which he now co-owns, Gold is not trying to be melodramatic. He is simply making a point: This part of London has long had more than its share of foul luck; it was high time that changed;...

The daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro brought her fight for gay rights to a U.S. forum, stressing the need to secure social equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation. Mariela Castro was set to speak again Thursday on a panel on sexual diversity at the Latin American Studies Association. Speaking in Spanish through a translator on Wednesday, Castro addressed medical professionals and transgender advocates at San Francisco General Hospital. She has an international reputation as...

Denmark's central bank says it has lowered its key lending rate by 0.1 percentage points to 0.6 percent to keep the Danish krone stable against the euro. Thursday's rate cut brought the key interest rate to the lowest level ever in the bank's history. The change will take effect on Friday. Denmark is a member of the European Union, but is not one of the 17 countries that use the euro. It does, however, try to keep its currency stable against the euro by lowering or raising its interest rates....

FIFA medical advisers are opposing the current design of a headscarf for Muslim women players. Chairman of FIFA's medical committee Michel D'Hooghe says samples received from two designers "represented a danger" to players' health. D'Hooghe says a group of doctors tested the scarves and believes that wearing them while playing football could lead to head and neck injuries. There is also fear of overheating. Football's rule panel has said it will approve headscarves for female Muslim footballers...

Shirley Manson still remembers the words of wisdom Bono gave her about keeping a band intact for the long haul. "Split the money. You have to split the song writing so everyone is equal. (And) don't buy houses, so that you don't get consumed with decorating," he told her. It's worked for Garbage: The rockers are still together, and releasing their first album in seven years this week. Though they went on a hiatus, the band (which includes Steve Marker and Duke Erikson on guitars and keyboards...

Poland is putting hundreds of judges on stand-by and moving some 600 inmates out of prisons in cities hosting European championship games next month to prepare for law-breaking football fans, officials said Thursday. Justice Ministry spokeswoman Patrycja Loose said that no major disturbances are expected during Euro 2012, which Poland is co-hosting with neighboring Ukraine. She said European football championships do not have a reputation for violence but that the government would rather be safe...

Joining the battle to redefine Internet search, Yahoo is taking aim with a new browser enhancement it calls "Axis." It alters browsers made by other companies to display search results in a more convenient and visual format. The troubled Internet company Yahoo Inc. released Axis in Apple's app store late Wednesday. That version will work only on Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The software also can be installed as a plug-in on most major browsers used on desktop computers and laptops. Apps...

Russia coach Dick Advocaat on Thursday dropped defender Roman Shishkin from his 26-men preliminary squad for the European championship because of illness. Shishkin, who plays for Lokomotiv Moscow, has missed two practice sessions since Tuesday due to an unspecified stomach illness. He was taken to hospital for tests on Thursday. "Shishkin has quit the camp this morning because he still has pain in his stomach," Advocaat said. "He has lost weight, and prognosis was not very optimistic." Shishkin...

Just a month before its June release in the U.S., Paramount Pictures delayed the debut of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" by nine months after another movie based on a Hasbro toy was trounced at the box office by "The Avengers." Paramount on Wednesday pushed back the release of the "G.I. Joe" sequel from June 29 until March 29, 2013, in order to adapt the movie for 3-D screens, according to Paramount's executive vice president of publicity, Katie Martin Kelley. The move comes after "Battleship," based...

Everyone expected Phillip Phillips to win "American Idol" _ except Phillips himself. Shortly after cleaning the confetti out of his hair, the folksy, guitar-strumming crooner who bested vocal powerhouse Jessica Sanchez on Wednesday still seemed surprised that he'd actually won. "I can't really feel anything," Phillips said, sitting on a couch in his backstage dressing room. The 21-year-old received the winning share of the record-high 132 million viewer votes cast after Tuesday's final showdown...

Stock futures rose Thursday on more evidence of modest job growth in the U.S., though the landscape for the nation's factories appeared hazy. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 39 points to 12,505. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures added 5.8 points to 1,321.5. Nasdaq composite index futures rose 11.25 points to 2,551.75. The Labor Department reported that weekly unemployment benefit applications dipped by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 370,000. When applications drop below 375,000...

Ukraine's parliament has banned smoking in most public places ahead of the Euro 2012 football championship in June. Lawmakers on Thursday approved a law to make smoking in schools, colleges, hospitals, restaurants, museums, and public places such as buses illegal. Smoking in airports, hotels, dormitories and company offices will be allowed only in special smoking zones. President Viktor Yanukovych now has 10 days to either sign the bill into law or send it back to parliament. Smoking is rampant...

Police say a Montenegrin man allegedly organized trips to Pakistan for Bosnians willing to obtain new kidneys through illegal transplants. A police report said Thursday that investigators reported the suspect to the prosecutor's office after they found he acted as a mediator between three Bosnian patients and doctors in Lahore last year. The three patients allegedly each paid him (EURO)60,000 ($75,342) to travel to Pakistan and receive kidneys from unknown donors in facilities that did not appear...

Britain's justice secretary says that the press is in part to blame for Britain's crowded prisons and that he wishes authorities would push back against media pressure to keep locking people up. Britain has seen a doubling in the number of prisoners over the past 15 years, driven in part by tougher sentences and harsher penalties for breaching parole. Late last year, the U.K. prison population hit record highs. Ken Clarke told fellow lawmakers Wednesday that Britain's tough-on-crime popular press...

A new exhibit in Albrecht Duerer's hometown opened Thursday, bringing together works by the German Renaissance artist from a dozen countries with a focus on his formative early years. The Duerer exhibition at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum is the largest in Germany in 40 years, encompassing the artist's creative period until 1505, including self-portraits and portraits of family and friends, as well as his ambitious nature studies and drawings. "It made a lot of sense for us to focus on Duerer's...

A Kenyan player is being investigated by the ICC on suspicion of fixing in two international games, one of which was at last year's World Cup, the country's cricket boss said on Thursday. Cricket Kenya chief executive Tom Sears told The Associated Press that the player, who he would not name, has not been suspended but is under investigation by the sport's governing body. Sears indicated that the World Cup game in question was Kenya's heavy 205-run loss to Pakistan in Hambantota, Sri Lanka last...

Facebook's initial public offering is the subject of two congressional inquiries and mounting lawsuits as the social network enters its fifth day of public trading. The shares regained some ground Wednesday, rising $1, or 3.2 percent, to close at $32. They were up another 50 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $32.50 in early premarket trading Thursday. But they are still more than 14 percent below their $38 per share IPO price Friday. Investors are accusing the banks that arranged the IPO of sharing important...

Groningen striker Nicklas Pedersen and Jores Okore, a defender with FC Nordsjaelland, are the last two players to join Denmark squad for the European Championship. Coach Morten Olsen says Pedersen had been training with the Danish squad before he was officially picked Thursday. Olsen says he wanted to test Pedersen's physical fitness, and adds: "He has passed." Pedersen has seven caps and Okore played for Denmark twice. Last week, Olsen picked Anders Lindegaard of Manchester United as Denmark's...

Bayern Munich's coach Jupp Heynckes says he has no intention of stepping down before his contract expires at the end of the next season. Heynckes tells Kicker magazine he doesn't understand the discussion since "I have a contract until 2013." Bayern's president Uli Hoeness has told German media that Heynckes will stay "in any case." Bayern lost the Champions League final at home on Saturday against Chelsea and failed to win a domestic trophy for the second straight season. German media have...

Singapore has charged two Malaysians with conspiring to fix the result of a Malaysian Super League football game. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in a statement Thursday that referee Shokri Nor and former player Thana Segar agreed to receive a bribe of 15,000 ringgit ($4,770) each to fix the May 22 match between Singapore's Lions XII and Sarawak FA in Singapore. CPIB said Nor was scheduled to officiate the game but was arrested and replaced the day of the match when police learned...

Iraqi officials say mortar fire has killed one person and wounded eight people in Baghdad. A police official says a mortar shell hit near a downtown hotel around noon on Thursday, slightly damaging the building. A local medic at a nearby hospital confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The attack came as envoys from Iran and six world powers resumed talks in Baghdad about the Iranian nuclear program. The...

The future of the Austrian Open has been safeguarded after organizers announced a new sponsor that will bring in (EURO)3.5 million to the tournament over the next three years. Lyoness, a global cashback firm, will sponsor the event at a time when the European Tour is struggling to find backers. The Czech Open _ scheduled for August _ was canceled last week, the third tour event to be scrapped because of financial difficulties. Keith Waters, director of international policy of the European Tour,...

The advances made in U.N. climate talks last year appeared at risk Thursday as a rift between rich and poor countries reopened in negotiations aimed at crafting a global pact to stop the planet from overheating. The session in Bonn was meant to build on a deal struck in Durban, South Africa, in December, but the talks were faltering heading into the penultimate day amid disputes over what, exactly, was agreed on last year. Delegates were struggling to reach consensus on the agenda for future...

Heyneke Meyer included giant 20-year-old lock Eben Etzebeth in a 42-man squad on Thursday for a training camp this weekend, but there was still no indication from the Springboks coach on who his new captain would be. The 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Etzebeth, who was playing university rugby just last year, could be a surprise starter in Meyer's team to face England in the first test of three tests next month. The Stormers forward, who has been a strong performer in his first Super 15 rugby season,...

An experimental solar-powered airplane took off from Switzerland on its first transcontinental flight Thursday, aiming to reach North Africa next week. Pilot Andre Borschberg planned to take the jumbo jet-size Solar Impulse plane on its first leg to Madrid, Spain, by Friday. His colleague Bertrand Piccard will take the helm of the aircraft for the second stretch of its 2,500-kilometer (1,554-mile) journey to the Moroccan capital Rabat. Fog on the runaway at its home base in Payerne, Switzerland,...

One of Britain's leading racehorse trainers, who guided Best Mate to a trio of Cheltenham Gold Cup wins, has announced her retirement. Henrietta Knight, who ran more than 700 winners since 1989 from her base in Oxfordshire, England, says she is giving up her trainer's license to spend more time with her husband after he suffered a stroke last year. The 65-year-old Knight says "I have been incredibly lucky to have experienced some wonderful moments since I first began training in 1989." Best...

FIFA says referees could soon undergo testing for banned performance enhancing drugs. FIFA's chief medical officer Jiri Dvorake says referees are part of the game and should be treated like players. Dvorak tells FIFA's medical conference there is no indication of a doping problem among referees "but it's something we have to consider." FIFA also was asked to advise the World Anti-Doping Agency on when players serving doping bans should be allowed to return to training with teammates. Current...

Official figures show that Britain's economy contracted more than first estimated, shrinking by 0.3 percent in the first quarter from the previous three month period. The Office for National Statistics on Thursday revised its estimate from the 0.2 percent drop reported initially. The expectation in the markets was the decline would be unrevised. This was the second consecutive quarter of negative growth and puts Britain back in recession _ officially defined as two straight quarters of negative...

Sony Corp. is ending its joint venture with rival electronics maker Sharp Corp. to produce and sell large liquid-crystal displays for TVs _ part of its new strategy to buy panels rather than invest in manufacturing them. Sony said Thursday it will sell back to the joint venture Sharp Display Products Corp. all 7 percent of the stake it has held since 2009. Sony won't lose any money as it will receive 10 billion yen ($126 million), the same as what it paid for shares in the Sharp subsidiary, which...

Arsenal forward Ryo Miyaichi was among 12 European-based players named to Japan's 25-man squad for three final-round World Cup qualifiers against Oman, Jordan and Australia next month. The 19-year-old Miyaichi made his national team debut in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Azerbaijan and impressed Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni enough to make the cut for the three World Cup qualifiers. "Miyaichi's strengths are on the flanks and creating space going forward," Zaccheroni said. Miyaichi just returned...

Newcastle Jets youth league coach Arthur Papas says he has been appointed as coach of India's under-22 team. Papas told the AAP news agency Thursday he will join the team on June 1 at a training camp in Dubai. The 32-year-old Australian said he is eager about the prospects for the sport in India, saying: "With a huge population, FIFA is very keen to grow the game there... I'm very keen to show what I can offer." The India youth squad is training at the Al-Wasl club in the United Arab Emirates...

The New York Rangers played their best game of the postseason against the New Jersey Devils but unfortunately, it was a night that goalie Henrik Lundqvist played his worst. Call it bad timing. Bad bounces. Bad luck. Whatever. The bottom line is the regular season's best team in the Eastern Conference is on the brink of elimination in the conference finals. Lundqvist gave up a postseason-high four goals on only 16 shots and the Devils won 5-3 to move within a game of reaching the Stanley Cup finals...

From a teenager who was a month old when her parents were killed in Rwanda's genocide to a young man inspired to become a doctor, hundreds of orphans have found hope for the future in a special village outside the Rwandan capital. Now, the South African-born, New York woman who founded Agahozo Shalom hopes the village can be a model for orphans around Rwanda and the rest of the world. Anne Heyman brought five of the young people from the village to New York this week, where they helped raise money...

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Bud has formed off the southwestern coast of Mexico. The Miami-based agency said early Thursday the storm was packing sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was located in the Pacific Ocean about 385 miles (620 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Wind and storm conditions are expected to reach the southwestern coast of Mexico by late Friday. Mexico had issued the tropical storm watch on Wednesday night along the Pacific coast from...

A doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden has been convicted of conspiring against the state and sentenced to 33 years in prison, adding new strains to an already deeply troubled relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan. U.S. officials had urged Pakistan to release the doctor, who ran a vaccination program for the CIA to collect DNA and verify the al-Qaida leader's presence at the compound in the town of Abbottabad where U.S. commandos killed him in May 2011 in a unilateral...

The State Department has launched a different sort of raid against al-Qaida, engaging in a cat and mouse game to replace anti-American al-Qaida ads on Yemeni tribal websites. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that experts based at the State Department swapped al-Qaida ads on Yemeni websites bragging about killing Americans with ones showing the deadly impact of al-Qaida tactics on Yemenis themselves. "Our team plastered the same sites with altered versions of the ads...

The New York Red Bulls eked out their lead atop the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference standings to two points by drawing 1-1 at home against Chivas on Wednesday. Former Red Bulls star Juan Pablo Angel scored in the 47th minute for Chivas. Angel, who holds New York's all-time goal-scoring record (58), was playing against his former team for the first time. Kenny Cooper equalized for the hosts in the 56th minute. It was his 11th of the season, tying San Jose's Chris Wondolowski for the MLS...

President Barack Obama and his party are redoubling their fundraising efforts after robust hauls by Republican rival Mitt Romney and a slew of conservative-leaning independent groups that are raking in cash from the party faithful highly motivated to topple the Democrat. Obama still has a significant edge, but it's shrinking rapidly. That explains why the president, fresh off of back-to-back international summits, plunged back into his re-election race Wednesday with a series of fundraising events...

Aritz Aduriz scored in the 41st minute to give Valencia a 1-0 win over Portland Timbers in a friendly on Wednesday. It was the first time Valencia played in the United States. The trip includes a match against the Houston Dynamo on May 31. Pablo Piatti shot narrowly wide for Valencia in the 19th minute before Aduriz found the net from the top of the box 22 minutes later. Piatti had another opportunity from outside the box in the 50th minute but the shot was blocked. Portland, which rested...

The New Jersey Devils blew a three-goal lead before recovering to beat the New York Rangers 5-3 on Wednesday, taking a 3-2 lead in their NHL Eastern Conference finals series. The Devils, who led 3-0 before the first period was half over, can advance to face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup finals with a win at home on Friday. If the Rangers can stay alive then Game 7 would be back in Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Devils seemed primed for an easy win when Stephen Gionta and Patrik...

CONFERENCE FINALS Tuesday, May 22 Los Angeles 4, Phoenix 3, OT, Los Angeles wins series 4-1 Wednesday, May 23 New Jersey 5, NY Rangers 3, New Jersey leads series 3-2 Friday, May 25 NY Rangers at New Jersey

Kosta Barbarouses scored in the 64th minute to lift New Zealand to a 2-2 draw with El Salvador in a friendly on Wednesday. Rafael Burgos had twice put El Salvador ahead. His opener came in the 13th minute when he lobbed the goalkeeper from outside the area. Defender Ian Hogg equalized for the All Whites in the 28th minute, playing a one-two before driving a shot past the goalkeeper and just inside the far post. Burgos added a second in the 56th with a shot that went off New Zealand defender...

A tough and determined Philadelphia 76ers team beat the Boston Celtics 82-75 on Wednesday, squaring their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series at 3-3, setting up a deciding Game 7 in Boston. Jrue Holiday scored 20 points and Elton Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers as the pattern of the series continued with alternating wins. Boston's Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo could be playing their last game together Saturday if they can't find a way to hang onto...

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Sunday, May 20 Miami 101, Indiana 93 San Antonio 102, L.A. Clippers 99, San Antonio wins series 4-0 Monday, May 21 Boston 101, Philadelphia 85 Oklahoma City 106, L.A. Lakers 90, Oklahoma City wins series 4-1 Tuesday, May 22 Miami 115, Indiana 83, Miami leads series 3-2 Wednesday, May 23 Philadelphia 82, Boston 75, series tied 3-3 Thursday, May 24 Miami at Indiana Saturday, May 26 Philadelphia at Boston Indiana at Miami

A South African businessman who helped put a notorious Russian arms dealer known as The Merchant of Death behind bars for 25 years was rewarded on Wednesday with a five-year prison term for charges stemming from the same U.S. sting operation. The sentence means Andrew Smulian will be a free man within a few months, having been in custody continuously since his arrest in 2008. Before hearing his fate, Smulian told a judge in federal court in Manhattan that he regretted ever getting involved in...

Thousands of university students marched through central Mexico City on Wednesday to protest media coverage that they say favors the candidate of the former ruling party in upcoming presidential elections. The students say newspapers and television stations are tilting their coverage toward Enrique Pena Nieto, who is leading polls by double digits ahead of the July 1 vote. Many of the students were from the elite Iberoamerican University, where a May 11 appearance by Pena Nieto set off a rare...

Tampa Bay's Rich Thompson was hit by a pitch starting the 11th inning and then scored on B.J's Upton's double to give the Rays a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday Darren Oliver (0-2) threw the pitch that struck Thompson. Rays reliever Jake McGee (1-1) struck out two during a perfect 11th to take the win as the Rays completed a 15th successive home series victory over Toronto. Tampa Bay nearly won it in the ninth on Drew Sutton's two-out infield single, but Blue Jays veteran second...