'Mr. Big Shot' again: Billups lives up to name

MIAMI (AP) -- You may have heard the big news out of New York last week: The Knicks finally got Carmelo Anthony.

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of Melomania was that Chauncey Billups made the trip from Denver as well - and that move is already looking brilliant for the Knicks.

Billups made a long 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:01 left over Dwyane Wade's outstretched arm to give New York the lead for good Sunday night, and the Knicks - beaten on the road two nights earlier by lowly Cleveland - got their first signature win since shaking up their roster by beating the Miami Heat 91-86.

"We know how important he is to this team and what he brings," Anthony said. "His play, his leadership, getting guys where they need to be at out there on the court. And the most important thing is hitting that big shot."

Lakers edge Thunder 90-87

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Pau Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Kobe Bryant scored 17 points and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their cushion over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings by beating the Thunder 90-87 on Sunday.

Andrew Bynum added 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers weren't able to simply overpower a Thunder team that added Kendrick Perkins for interior toughness but won't get him in the lineup for a couple weeks.

Lamar Odom missed a pair of free throws with 10.9 seconds left to leave the door open for Oklahoma City, but Kevin Durant and James Harden each missed 3-pointers from the top of the key in the closing moments.

Busch leads final 107 laps to win at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Kyle Busch was fastest out of the pits on the opening stop and on the track the rest of the night, leading the final 107 laps to win a wreck-filled NASCAR trucks race at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday.

NASCAR voted in the offseason that drivers must declare which series they're racing for a championship to prevent Sprint Cup drivers from chasing Nationwide and trucks series titles.

Michael Waltrip won the opener at Daytona and Busch made it two straight for Sprint Cup drivers in trucks, rarely getting challenged after taking the lead in the 150-lap race around Phoenix's mile-long oval.

Ad company pulls NYC anti-abortion billboard

NEW YORK (AP) -- An outdoor advertising company has taken down an anti-abortion billboard that pictured a black girl along with the tagline, "The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb."

Some residents had said they found the billboard offensive, and members of the black community were especially outraged by it.

A spokesman for Louisiana-based Lamar Advertising, Hal Kilshaw, said that while the company respects the right to freedom of expression, the decision to take down the billboard Thursday night was for "public safety." He said waiters and waitresses at a restaurant in the building where the billboard was placed had been harassed.

Conservatives vow to make gay marriage 2012 issue

NEW YORK (AP) -- Angered conservatives are vowing to make same-sex marriage a front-burner election issue, nationally and in the states, following the Obama administration's announcement that it will no longer defend the federal law denying recognition to gay married couples.

"The ripple effect nationwide will be to galvanize supporters of marriage," said staff counsel Jim Campbell of Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group.

On the federal level, opponents of same-sex marriage urged Republican leaders in the House of Representatives to intervene on their own to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, against pending court challenges.

Twins' Mauer calls knee shots no big deal

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Joe Mauer downplayed questions about his left knee on Wednesday morning, saying the lubricating shots are part of the recovery plan after offseason surgery.

To Mauer's dismay, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire revealed on Tuesday that the star catcher is taking shots in his knee to help lubricate the joint. He had surgery after last season to alleviate swelling that bothered him for much of the year.

"It's more of a preventative thing, just to make sure I'm good to go for the season," Mauer said before the first full-squad workout. "So it's really not that big of a deal, and I kind of wish it wasn't out there. But here we are."

Report: Ex-minister says Gadhafi ordered Lockerbie

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Libya's ex-justice minister on Wednesday was quoted as telling a Swedish newspaper that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi personally ordered the Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people in 1988.

"I have proof that Gadhafi gave the order about Lockerbie," Mustafa Abdel-Jalil was quoted as saying in an interview with Expressen, a Stockholm-based tabloid.

Abdel-Jalil, who stepped down as justice minister to protest the clampdown on anti-government demonstrations, didn't describe the proof.

Friends mourn 4 US yachters killed by pirates

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- Four American yachters killed by Somali pirates early Tuesday were longtime sailors whose passion for the high seas outweighed any fear of the risks, friends said.

The yacht's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey near Los Angeles, along with Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death after pirates boarded their yacht Friday and took them hostage several hundred miles south of Oman.

The pirates shot the four after firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a U.S. warship, one of several vessels tracking the hijacked boat over the weekend. Fifteen men were captured.

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and BARBARA SURK

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- Bahrain's king ordered the release of some political prisoners Tuesday, conceding to another opposition demand as the embattled monarchy tries to engage protesters in talks aimed at ending an uprising that has entered its second week.

The king's decree - which covers several Shiite activists accused of plotting against the state - adds to the brinksmanship on both sides that has included a massive pro-government rally Monday, an opposition march in response and the planned return of a prominent opposition figure from exile.

Death sentence upheld for gunman in Mumbai attacks

MUMBAI, India (AP) -- An Indian appeals court Monday confirmed the conviction and death sentence for the only surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which killed 166 people and derailed peace talks with neighboring Pakistan.

"The crime is of enormous proportion," Justices Ranjana Desai and R.B. More said while rejecting the appeal by Ajmal Kasab, 22, of Pakistan, who challenged his conviction by a trial court in May. He had been found guilty of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism.

Kasab was one of 10 young Pakistanis who attacked two luxury hotels, a Jewish center and a busy train station in India's financial capital in November 2008.

Mexico state congress asks ban of video game

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) -- A shoot-em-up video game set in the border town of Ciudad Juarez has angered local officials who are busy fighting all-too-real violence.

Chihuahua state legislators said Sunday they have asked federal authorities to ban a the game, "Call of Juarez: The Cartel," which is based on drug cartel shootouts in Ciudad Juarez.

About 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez in 2009 and 2010, making the city, located across from El Paso, Texas, one of the deadliest in the world.

Clinton: Taliban Cannot Outlast US Military Pressure

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday the Taliban cannot defeat or outlast U.S. military pressure and must break with al-Qaida and reconcile with the Afghan government. In a policy speech in New York, she also announced veteran diplomat Marc Grossman will replace the late Richard Holbrooke as U.S. special envoy for the region.

In a major policy statement on the Afghan conflict, Clinton said the Obama administration's strategy presents the Taliban with a stark choice of breaking with al-Qaida and rejoining Afghan society, or to continue siding with terrorists and face international consequences.

Obama urges Bahrain's king to show restraint

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama condemned the violence in Bahrain and urged the country's king in a phone call Friday night to show restraint after a series of bloody protests.

Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, asking the king to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.

Obama says Bahrain must respect the "universal rights" of its people and embrace "meaningful reform."

Security forces opened fire on Bahraini protesters for a second straight day, wounding at least 50 people as thousands defied the government and marched in an uprising that sought to break the political grip of the Gulf nation's leaders.

111 charged in Medicare scams worth $225 million

MIAMI (AP) -- Federal authorities charged more than 100 doctors, nurses and physical therapists in nine cities with Medicare fraud Thursday, part of a massive nationwide bust that snared more suspects than any other in history.

More than 700 law enforcement agents fanned out to arrest dozens of people accused of illegally billing Medicare more than $225 million. The arrests are the latest in a string of major busts in the past two years as authorities have struggled to pare the fraud that's believed to cost the government between $60 billion and $90 billion each year. Stopping Medicare's budget from hemorrhaging that money will be key to paying for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Auburn University: Famous live oaks poisoned

(CNN) -- Someone put a toxic knife in the hearts of Auburn University football fans who learned Wednesday that the landmark live oaks at Toomer's Corner have been deliberately poisoned and may not survive.

The university in eastern Alabama confirmed a herbicide commonly used to kill trees and brush was deliberately applied in lethal amounts to the soil around the two 130-year-old oaks on the edge of campus, next to downtown Auburn.

"There is little chance to save the trees," the university said in a statement.

Auburn University said it learned that a January 27 caller to "The Paul Finebaum Show" in Birmingham claimed to have applied the herbicide.

Chakvetadze collapses in match with Wozniacki

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Anna Chakvetadze collapsed on the court at the Dubai Championships on Wednesday and had to retire from her match against top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.

The 23-year-old Russian was serving for the second set at 5-3. After a long rally that Wozniacki won, Chakvetadze wobbled before fainting.

She was given extensive medical treatment during a 7-minute delay and returned for one more point before forfeiting the match and tearfully hugging Wozniacki.

Organizers said Chakvetadze, who lost the first set 6-1, had a stomach illness.

Wozniacki said it was a "shock" to see someone she considers a good friend collapse so suddenly. When she approached her, Chakvetadze said she had felt dizzy.

"Suddenly, I just see her collapse on the court. I didn't know what happened," the 20-year-old Wozniacki said. "It was a shock. It was scary. To see someone collapse on other side, it's not a nice sight. I just want to make sure she was OK."

Wozniacki, who needs to reach the semifinals in Dubai to retake the No. 1 spot she lost on Monday to Kim Clijsters, looked as if she was coasting to an easy victory after winning the first set in 22 minutes.

But then Chakvetadze rallied in the second and seemed on the verge of tying the match - which clearly rattled the normally calm Wozniacki.

At one point, Wozniacki tossed her racket in frustration.

"In the first set, I didn't get into the game that much," Wozniacki said. "She was making a lot of mistakes. Suddenly, she started to go for it. I just need some time. I started playing better at the end of the second set."

In the first big upset of the tournament so far, Australian Open finalist Li Na wasted four match points in a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-2 loss to Belgian Yanina Wickmayer.

The fifth-seeded Li led 6-2 in the second set tiebreaker before Wickmayer reeled off the next six points to even the match. The 25th-ranked Belgian broke for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set when Li double faulted.

Li then hit a forehand long to make it 5-2 on the way to the Belgian's victory - her second in two meeting against the No. 7-ranked Chinese player.

Wickmayer plays Israel's Shahar Peer on Thursday in the third round.

"It's always tough to start a set when you know you had four match points, so I knew I had to start really aggressive in the third set and try to put a lot of pressure on her," Wickmayer said. "I know I been there before. Also had match point in the second set and didn't make it. Every bad error that you make or every point that's not going the way want to it to, you keep thinking back on those four match points."

Li's loss is her latest disappointment in Dubai, where she has failed to go beyond the quarterfinals in six appearances. She refused to talk to reporters after her match.

In the afternoon matches, Grand Slam winners Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova both won to set up their first matchup since their nearly five-hour epic at the Australian Open.

Schiavone topped Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-1 while Kuznetsova, a two-time runner-up in Dubai, took the long road to beat Tsevetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 for a third straight time.

The wins put them on course to meet on Thursday, more than three weeks since their fourth-round encounter in Melbourne went 4 hours, 44 minutes in the longest women's Grand Slam singles in the Open era. Schiavone won.

Looking forward to the match, Schiavone smiled and said, "After two hours, I'll take the racket and put it in the bag.

"I really want to play against her because we know each other, we play good tennis and we can enjoy it and improve."

Kuznetsova leads their matchups 8-5 since 2003, but Schiavone has won the past two.

Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva beat Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-3, 6-1. The Russian, still seeking her first title in more than a year, has exited in the Dubai quarterfinals in the past two years.

"It's never easy to play Roberta, she's a tricky player," Zvonareva said.

Fourth-seeded Sam Stosur handled Pattaya Open runner-up Sara Errani of Italy 6-0, 6-1 in 55 minutes, and seventh-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus overcame seven double faults to beat Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

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Anti- and pro-government protesters clash again in Yemen

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Pro- and anti-government protesters clashed in Yemen's capital city Tuesday, with scuffles breaking out for at least the fifth day in the row, a witness said.

A group of anti-government protesters marched towards the center of Sanaa Tuesday afternoon and were attacked by pro-government supporters, said Abdul Rahman Barman a human rights activist who marched in the anti-government demonstration.

The group was attacked with sticks and rocks, Barman said.

Victoria Beckham may dress Kate Middleton

(PEOPLE.com) -- Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham knows a thing or two about life as a (pop) princess.

Now she's hoping to provide an actual princess-to-be, Kate Middleton, with some wares fit for the royal life.

Beckham, who's expecting her fourth child, has been asked to send pieces from her collection to Kate, 29, for her upcoming public role as a member of the royal family once she weds Prince William.

"Apparently, she likes my clothes and has asked to see a selection," the designer said at her New York Fashion Week show, Daily Telegraph style writer Hilary Alexander reports.

Mexican slang is creative and, for some, too coarse for comfort

Reporting from Mexico City -

Daniel Navarrete greets friends with what seems an unlikely term of affection - he calls them "ox."

Navarrete, a 19-year-old snack vendor, isn't being rude. Go anywhere in Mexico City and you can hear someone calling someone else "guey," which means "ox" or "slow-witted." The word, also spelled buey, once was an insult, but it has morphed over years of popular use to become Mexico's version of "dude" or "bro."

A guey (pronounced "way") can be a spiky-haired boy, a stubbly-chinned jitney driver, a college student with a ring in her nose. Take a table near a bunch of Mexican teens and it often sounds as if all other parts of speech were designed to transport you from one "guey" to the next. Even narco thugs have scrawled the word as an epithet in threatening banners, misspelling it wey.

China's Social Media Used to Find Missing Children

In China, social media such as microblogs and instant messaging services, are tightly controlled, to prevent the spread of information the government does not like. But some Chinese are learning to use social media to reunite families.

In an emotional scene, Peng Gaofeng is reunited with his son, who was abducted three years ago, when he was just three.

Child abduction is a big problem in China with thousands of children disappearing each year. The government seems powerless to help distraught parents.

Obama Sends $3.7 Trillion Budget to Congress

President Obama sent Congress a $3.73 trillion budget Monday, a spending plan for 2012 that projects $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade but also continues adding to the national debt for years to come.

Republicans, who are still trying to cut billions out of this year's budget, slammed the proposal after giving it a quick analysis Monday morning. The top Republicans on the House and Senate budget committees said it would push $8.7 trillion in new spending while piling another $13 trillion onto the debt over the next 10 years.

"It would be better to do nothing than to pass this budget," House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Monday.

Fuel truck, Delta jet collide at LaGuardia

(CNN) -- A fuel truck collided with a parked Delta Air Lines jet at LaGuardia Airport Sunday afternoon, according to officials for the airline and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

No one was seriously injured, they said.

The incident occurred at 12:05 p.m. when the truck ran into the stationary Delta MD-88 aircraft on the tarmac.

None of the 106 passengers or five crewmembers aboard flight 2879 was injured. The driver of the fuel truck suffered cuts on his head and was taken to an area hospital.

Minister: 18 Artifacts Stolen From Egyptian Museum

Egypt's antiquities minister says he has learned that looters stole several artifacts from Cairo's Egyptian Museum during the anti-government protests that erupted in nearby Tahrir Square late last month.

Zahi Hawass said Sunday that an inventory of the world-renowned museum's collection found that 18 objects were missing, including a gilded wooden statue of King Tutankhamun being carried by a goddess. Parts of another gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamun also were missing.

Hawass earlier had said looters who entered the museum on January 28 had damaged about 70 objects, but there had been no word of any pieces being stolen until Sunday. In his latest announcement, he said the Egyptian army and police would question a group of looters already in custody about the missing artifacts.

Palin Hires Longtime Strategist as PAC Chief of Staff

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Sarah Palin has hired longtime political strategist Michael Glassner as chief of staff of her political action committee.

The hire, confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday morning by Palin aide Rebecca Mansour and SarahPAC Treasurer Tim Crawford, is certain to fuel fresh speculation about Palin's possible intent to run for president in 2012. Palin has only said she's considering a run.
Glassner managed Republican vice presidential operations in 2008, when Palin was John McCain's running mate. Glassner also served as the longtime senior adviser to former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole.

"The fact this is someone who's had a career in national politics, that's the only indication that something might be up," said Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University.

Yemen protesters: 'First Mubarak, now Ali'

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Hundreds of anti-government protesters marched toward a presidential palace in Yemen on Sunday, calling for regime change in the Middle Eastern country.

Some of them chanted, "First Mubarak, now Ali," referring to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Hosni Mubarak, who recently resigned as president of Egypt after nearly 30 years in power.

Security forces put up a barbed wire barricade and blocked the protesters' path about two miles from the palace. At that point, the situation intensified as protesters turned away and attempted to reach the palace through side streets.

Facebook launches pages redesign

(Mashable) -- Facebook has begun rolling out a full redesign of Facebook Pages. The changes will make the Pages look and operate more like user profiles.

The new Pages redesign was first seen in December, when Facebook accidentally launched it and quickly took it down. The update not only removed tabs, but it gave page admins the ability to post and comment on other Facebook Pages through a "Login as Page" feature.

Those prototype features have made the cut for today's launch. As Facebook's Rohit Dhawan, the lead product manager for Facebook Pages, explained to me earlier today, the company has wanted to redesign Facebook Pages ever since it launched the profile redesign.

Ron Paul wins presidential straw poll; Mitt Romney second

Rep. Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference, finishing ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney for the second year in a row.

The Texas congressman, a libertarian-thinking Republican, earned an ardent following in the 2008 GOP presidential primaries that were ultimately won by Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Paul garnered 30% of the vote, with Romney getting 23%. The next closest finishers -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson -- got 6%.

Father charged in slaying of 2 sons near Atlanta

ATLANTA - A man who blamed his children's fatal stabbings this week on their mother's boyfriend was charged on Saturday with killing the two boys and wounding another. Police in suburban Atlanta also dropped murder charges that had been brought against the boyfriend.

Gwinnett County police had found the father, Elvis Noe-Garcia, with stab wounds Wednesday outside the house near Lawrenceville where the dead boys were. The 23-year-old Noe-Garcia was not married to their mother and was involved in a dispute with her over custody of the children.

Police arrested Noe-Garcia Saturday morning and charged him with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. Police did not know whether he had a lawyer.

Suit alleging dangerous conditions in Sheriff Lee Baca's county jail moves forward

A Los Angeles County Jail inmate who says he was stabbed 23 times during an outbreak of racial violence five years ago can sue Sheriff Lee Baca for "deliberate indifference" to the dangerous conditions in the jail, a divided federal appeals court panel ruled Friday.

Baca knew or should have known about the unconstitutional conditions prevailing in the jail and cited by investigators in previous incidents of death or injury to inmates, former prisoner Dion Starr alleged in his complaint against the sheriff.

The earlier incidents included five inmate-on-inmate killings during a six-month period and numerous outbreaks of racial gang violence ignored or abetted by sheriff's deputies, Starr said in appealing a federal judge's decision in 2008 that Baca was immune from prosecution.

New York Man Who Went on 'Killing Spree' Caught

NEW YORK -- The madman allegedly responsible for four murders in Brooklyn was busted Saturday after slashing someone on the subway in midtown Manhattan, police sources said.

Maksim Gelman, 23, was nabbed on the subway at Seventh Avenue near Times Square around 9:15 a.m.

The condition of the person he attacked on the subway was unclear, according to police sources.

Gelman is accused of a savage murder spree that began at 5:00 a.m. Friday, when he fatally stabbed his stepfather, 54-year-old Aleksandr Kuznetsov, in Sheepshead Bay.

Mexico Rejects France's Criticism Over Jailed Woman's Case

Mexico has rejected France's criticism of a Mexican court decision to keep a French woman in prison on kidnapping charges.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said it "deeply regrets" that the French foreign minister believes the relationship between the two countries could be affected by the issue. It also said it rejects the assertion that there has been a "denial of justice."

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie reacted strongly to the court's rejection Thursday of an appeal by Florence Cassez, calling it deplorable and saying it could affect bilateral relations.

Ground Control to Major Smartphone? NASA Wants Phones to Pilot Spaceships

Are smartphones so smart they can operate a spacecraft? NASA wants to find out.

The space agency has for months been conducting tests to see if smartphones can survive by literally sending them to the edge of space. NASA last week conducted the most recent of these tests, sending an Android phone up nearly 100,000 feet on a balloon. Last August, it was a Google Nexus One phone on a rocket.

"The cell phone industry has invested billions of dollars in these phones. They've packed a lot of capability into a really small volume," said Chris Boshuizen, a senior systems engineer at Logyx, a California-based technology firm.

Treasury Report Outlines Path for Winding Down Fannie, Freddie

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration laid out three broad options Friday for reducing the government's role in the mortgage market. All three would almost certainly lead to higher interest rates and costs for borrowers.

The administration said in a report that the government should withdraw its support for the mortgage market slowly, over five years or more. The report describes a path for winding down the troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

But rather than making a single recommendation, the administration offered Congress three scenarios and will let lawmakers shape the final policy.

The options are: