MOSCOW (AFP) ― Canada’s Patrick Chan claimed his first world title as German pair Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy took their third gold on a record-breaking day at the world figure skating championships on Thursday.The 20-year-old Chan finally stood on top of the podium after being runner-up for the past two years landing two quadruple jumps on his way to world records in the free skate and ov

AVONDALE, Louisiana (AP) ― Australia’s Matt Jones chipped in from 57 feet on his final hole for a 6-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead with Bubba Watson on Thursday in the Zurich Classic.Watson, the winner at Torrey Pines in late January, two-putted from 32 feet for eagle on the par-5 11th and had six birdies and two bogeys at TPC Louisiana.He entered the tournament as a favor to his mot

MOBILE, Alabama (AP) ― Grace Park and Song-Hee Kim shot 5-under 67s in windy conditions Thursday to share the first-round lead in the Avnet LPGA Classic, the tour’s only event in a six-week stretch.Park eagled the par-5 13th and had had five birdies and two bogeys on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex. She won the last of her six LPGA Tour titles in

 

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (AP) -- Fierce storms obliterated large swathsof land from Mississippi to Georgia, wiping out homes and businesses, causing a nuclear power plant to use backup generators and even forcing the evacuation of a National Weather Service office.The death toll was staggering _ at least 85 people killed in five states, including 61 in Alabama alone, a number that was likely to increas

WASHINGTON (AP) ― President Barack Obama has produced his detailed birth certificate from Hawaii, hoping to clamp off a resurrection of claims he was born outside the United States and declaring the country did not have the “time for this kind of silliness.”The timing of Obama’s nationally televised statement and release of the document coincided with persistent charges from potential Republican p

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ― Rival Palestinian groups said they reached an agreement Wednesday on reuniting their governments in the West Bank and Gaza after years of bitter infighting that weakened them politically and caused the deaths of hundreds in violent clashes and crackdowns since.Even as the tentative agreement revived hopes among Palestinians that they might be able to form a unified fro

Libyan spokesman denounces bombing as failed assassination attemptTRIPOLI (AP) ― The latest NATO airstrike on Moammar Gadhafi’s compound that reduced parts of it to a smoldering ruin steps up pressure on the increasingly embattled Libyan leader as he struggles to hold onto the western half of the country.A Libyan government spokesman denounced Monday’s bombing as a failed assassination attempt, sa

BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) ― At least 500 people died in religious rioting that followed Nigeria’s presidential election, a civil rights group said Sunday, as volatile state gubernatorial elections loom this week.Meanwhile, police in the northern state of Bauchi said at least 11 recent college graduates who helped run polling stations as part of the country’s national youth service corps have been kille

Parliament will grant Saleh legal protection; power to be handed to vice presidentSANAA (AP) ― Yemen’s embattled president agreed Saturday to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution, a major about-face for the autocratic leader who has ruled for 32 years.A coalition of seven opposition parties said they al

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AP) ― Michel Martelly, a Haitian popular singer known by the stage name “Sweet Micky,” was officially declared the earthquake-devastated country’s next president, election officials said Wednesday.A spokesman for Haiti’s electoral commission, Pierre Thibault, said Martelly won the presidency with 67.57 percent of the vote, defeating rival candidate Mirlande Manigat.The announcement

European officials portray assistance as effort to fill rebels’ military gapPARIS (AP) ― Europe has moved closer to doing what it said it wouldn’t do in Libya ― directly jump into the bid to overthrow leader Moammar Gadhafi.France said Wednesday it has already sent military officers to work with Libyan rebels on the ground, in addition to stepping up airstrikes. Italy and Britain have said they’re

 

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― An official plane carrying U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama had to abort a landing at an air force base near Washington on Monday due to an air traffic controller’s error, U.S. media reported Tuesday.The aircraft carrying her was too close to a 200-ton military cargo jet and had to scrap its final approach to Andrews Air Force Base, a key hub for top U.S. government officials incl

Experts say tremendous stresses are building, increasing chances of major ruptureJAKARTA (AP) ― The skeleton of what will soon be one of the world’s biggest nuclear plants is slowly taking shape along China’s southeastern coast ― right on the doorstep of Hong Kong’s bustling metropolis. Three other facilities nearby are up and running or under construction.Like Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant they

NEW YORK (AP) ― Republican Tim Pawlenty disclosed his 2012 presidential aspirations on Facebook. Rival Mitt Romney did it with a tweet. President Barack Obama kicked off his re-election bid with a digital video emailed to the 13 million online backers who helped power his historic campaign in 2008.Welcome to The Social Network, presidential campaign edition.The candidates and contenders have embra

ASKEWVILLE, North Carolina (AP) ― A tornado-spewing storm system that killed at least 45 people across half the country unleashed its worst fury on North Carolina, where residents in the capital city and rural hamlets alike on Sunday mourned the dead, marveled at their survival and began to clean up devastated neighborhoods.Observers reported more than 60 tornadoes across North Carolina on Saturda

Polls show widespread dissatisfaction with how P.M.’s cabinet dealt with disasterTOKYO (AP) ― A blueprint for ending radiation leaks and stabilizing reactors at Japan’s crippled nuclear plant drew a lackluster response Monday, as polls showed diminishing public support for the government’s handling of the country’s recent disasters.The plan issued by Tokyo Electric Power Co. over the weekend, in r

NATO criticized for failing to break assault with month-old campaign of airstrikesAJDABIYA, Libya (AP) ― Moammar Gadhafi’s forces poured rocket fire after dawn Saturday into Misrata, the only western city still in rebel hands, and weary residents who have endured more than a month of fighting angrily lashed out at NATO for failing to halt the deadly assault.Five civilians were killed in a 30-minut