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BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese court has sentenced the former Communist Party chief of the major northern Chinese province of Hebei to 15 years in prison on corruption charges. The Intermediate People's Court in the southeastern port city of Xiamen handed down the sentence to Zhou Benshun on Wednesday, saying it also confiscated 2 million yuan ($300,000) of his personal assets. It said Zhou, 64, abused his position for personal gain while serving as the top official in the province just outside Beijing and in lower level jobs between 2000 and 2015. It said he and his relatives had scooped up a total of more than 40 million yuan ($5.8 million) in bribes and kickbacks resulting from real estate and construction deals, safety approvals, bank loans and work promotions.

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic will have its top players available next weekend for the Fed Cup against Switzerland. Fifth-ranked Karolina Pliskova, who reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, will lead the host Czechs on Feb. 10-11 on an indoor hard court at the O2 Arena. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will return to the team for the first time since recovering from injuries suffered during a knife attack at her home in December 2016. Also, Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova have been named in the team by captain Petr Pala. The winner will face Germany or Belarus in the semifinals in April.

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on the London high-rise fire (all times local): 8:10 a.m. Community centers in London have been overwhelmed by the number of donations flooding in for those left homeless by a high-rise apartment building fire. So much food, clothing, shoes and other items have been coming in that the centers, churches and mosques have had to start turning away new donations. At least 12 people have been killed in the inferno at the 24-story building, with the death toll expected to rise. Dozens of others have been hospitalized. Missing people posters have been put up throughout the north London neighborhood of North Kensington. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has offered free food for survivors at one of his nearby eateries. ___ 7:40 a.m. London fire investigators are painstakingly searching for more victims of an inferno that engulfed a high-rise apartment building and killed at least 12 residents. Authorities say the death toll is expected to rise as emergency workers sift through more of the wreckage on Thursday. The fire early Wednesday in the 24-story building in west London's North Kensington district also injured dozens, 18 of them critically, and left an unknown number missing. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but a tenants' group had complained for years about the risk of a fire. More than 1 million pounds ($1.27 million) has been raised to help victims of the tragedy as volunteers and charities worked through the night to find shelter and food for people who lost their homes.

JORDAN-SYRIA BORDER (AP) — The commander of Jordan's border guards says Islamic State extremists are expanding their influence in a sprawling border camp for displaced Syrians, posing a growing threat to the U.S.-allied kingdom. Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin spoke to The Associated Press during a tour of the desert area where Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet. A ride in a military helicopter offered a view of the Rukban camp, an expanse of makeshift shelters housing tens of thousands of Syrians. Conditions in the camp deteriorated sharply after Jordan sealed its border in June, following a cross-border IS attack that killed seven Jordanian border guards. Kafawin said on Tuesday that "the (militant) threat is increasing, especially in this area." He says that nonetheless, Jordan tries to ensure the displaced Syrians get food and medical treatment.

NEW YORK (AP) — Advertisers including Budweiser, M&Ms, Groupon and others have begun to release their ads ahead of Super Bowl Sunday to try to drum up some buzz. It's a crucial time to capture attention since marketers spend $5 million per 30-second spot for airtime alone. While teaser ads abound, here's a look at the full Super Bowl ads that have been released as of Monday. So far advertisers are mostly focusing on silly humor and heartwarming messages. The Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles airs Sunday night on NBC. Budweiser: The beer maker's ad features a brewery that turns out cans of water for places in need, to the tune of "Stand By Me." Febreze: The air freshener goes all in for toilet humor with a pseudo-documentary ad about Dave, a man whose "bleep don't stink." The kicker is that David is not at your Super Bowl party — so you should use Febreze. Groupon: The deal-site's ad features Tiffany Haddish and shows football players kicking a football at a rich man who doesn't support local business. Lexus: The carmaker promotes its new luxury sedan with an action-packed ad featuring the Black Panther character from Marvel's new movie. M&Ms: The chocolate candy's ad shows a cartoon M&M character transforming into Danny DeVito after he finds a lucky penny and is relieved that no one wants to eat him. Pringles: Bill Hader stars in the snacks' ad that introduces the made-up practice of "flavor-stacking," or eating different flavors of Pringles together to create new flavors. See the ads: Budweiser: https://youtu.be/CxGUmtRLm5g Febreze: https://youtu.be/9NliY5tPp2k Groupon: https://youtu.be/GM1QDBvzm1Y Lexus: https://youtu.be/01AEuxSlIMg M&Ms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZcxeqa1g4 Pringles: https://youtu.be/gk0nVMU76bc

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the health of former President George H.W. Bush (all times local): 12:10 p.m. A family spokesman says former President George H.W. Bush is still "responding and recovering" as doctors treat him for an infection that's spread to his blood. Bush has been hospitalized since Sunday, a day after attending the funeral of his wife, Barbara. Family spokesman Jim McGrath issued the update Tuesday. He says previous updates also still stand, in that the 93-year-old former president is responding to treatments and appears to be recovering. Bush has a form of Parkinson's disease along with a history of pneumonia and other infections. He's being treated at Houston Methodist Hospital. ___ 3 a.m. A spokesman says former President George H.W. Bush is eager to get well so he can get to his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Jim McGrath says the 93-year-old Bush is "the most goal-oriented person on this planet." Bush has been hospitalized in Houston with an infection, just after attending the funeral of his wife, Barbara. McGrath said Monday that Bush is "responding to treatments and appears to be recovering." McGrath says he was admitted Sunday morning to Houston Methodist Hospital after an infection spread to his blood. He wouldn't elaborate on the 41st president's condition Monday night, saying updates will be issued "as events warrant." Bush uses a wheelchair and an electric scooter for mobility after developing a form of Parkinson's disease. Barbara Bush was laid to rest Saturday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump put a human face on the threat posed by North Korea in his State of the Union address Tuesday, sharing the powerful story of a defector now living in South Korea and the pain of parents who lost their child after his imprisonment. In one of the most emotional moments of the evening, legislators cheered as defector Ji Seong-ho waved aloft the crutches he had used to escape North Korea after a train ran over his limbs. Trump, who often fills his public remarks with superlatives about himself, instead put the spotlight Tuesday on the guests his team had invited to sit in the gallery with first lady Melania Trump. Trump described them as witnesses "to the ominous nature" of the North Korean regime as he pledged his resolve. It was a very different approach for a president whose past remarks about North Korea have included taunting leader Kim Jong Un as "Little Rocket Man" and threatening to unleash "fire and fury" if Pyongyang escalates its nuclear program. Trump described how, as a boy, a starving Ji lost consciousness while taking coal from a train car to barter for food during the country's famine. Ji woke up as the train ran over his limbs, and he "endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain," the president recounted. The White House said he lost his left hand and foot. Trump described Ji's siblings giving him what little food they had to help him recover while they instead ate dirt, stunting their growth. Trump said Ji was later tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief trip to China, but eventually escaped. "Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across China and Southeast Asia to freedom," Trump said. He now has a new leg and works to resettle fellow defectors and broadcast information into North Korea. But Ji still keeps his crutches as a reminder of how far he's come, Trump said. After Trump told the story, Ji stood and waved the crutches triumphantly in a made-for-TV moment, his face filled with emotion. Also among Trump's guests: the parents of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died of injuries suffered in North Korean custody. Fred and Cindy Warmbier, their faces pained and fighting back tears, stood and received a round of applause. Their son spent 17 months in North Korean captivity before being released to the U.S. He died four days after his return. "You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength truly inspires us all," Trump told them. "Tonight we pledge to honor Otto's memory with total American resolve."

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three hikers have been injured following a run-in with a bear at a campground near Alaska's largest city. Anchorage authorities say four young people were hiking in the woods around the Eagle River campground when three of them were injured by a grizzly bear with two cubs. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Anchorage police said in a news release say that while responding officers were searching for the hikers they were charged by the bear and shot at it. The bear's status was not immediately known.

PRAGUE (AP) — Newcastle has completed the permanent signing of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Sparta Prague. Sparta and Newcastle confirmed the transfer on Wednesday after the Premier League club activated an option to sign the 29-year-old Slovak, who joined the Magpies on loan in January. Newcastle says Dubravka signed a contract until June 2022. The goalkeeper had an impressive debut for Newcastle in a 1-0 victory over Manchester United and played 12 league matches overall. Newcastle manager Rafa Benítez says: "We're delighted to finalize the permanent signing of Martin to Newcastle United today. Ever since he arrived with us on loan he has shown a fantastic attitude and great work ethic, and of course we have been very impressed with his performances for us on the pitch last season." Dubravka has played 10 internationals for Slovakia.

NEW YORK (AP) — Telecommunications regulators and industry groups voiced opposition Monday to a government-built wireless network that the Trump administration is reportedly considering . The news website Axios reported Sunday that national security officials may want a government-built next-generation "5G" mobile network because of concerns about China and cybersecurity. A White House spokesman referred inquiries to the National Security Council, which did not immediately respond to questions. The telecom industry, which is powerful in Washington, is already working on 5G, which heralds better internet on smartphones as well as potential applications for self-driving cars and other new technology. The new standard is already being tested and could be widely available by 2020. AT&T has said that it expects to launch a mobile 5G service in 12 U.S. locations later this year. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, said in a statement Monday that the federal government should not build and operate a nationwide 5G network. The agency's four other voting commissioners, both Democrats and Republicans, also criticized and expressed skepticism about such a proposal. The FCC regulates the nation's airwaves and auctions them off to phone, cable and broadcasting companies for use in networks. The industry group USTelecom panned the idea as well. "There is nothing that would slam the breaks more quickly on our hard-won momentum to be the leader in the global race for 5G network deployment more quickly than the federal government stepping in to build those networks," said its president, Jonathan Spalter, in an emailed statement. The wireless trade group CTIA said the government should stick to "free market policies."

When Megan Olson lands in South Korea for the Winter Olympics next week, she'll feel something that is both surreal and vivid. An intoxicating sense of belonging. A deep sense of loss. Pride, for the motherland she barely knows after being secretly adopted away. The 33-year-old social worker from Minnesota is joining dozens of fellow South Korean adoptees who are returning to their birth country for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Many endured cultural, racial and national identity issues stemming from an international adoption phenomenon that peaked in the 1980s. Now, the once-in-a-lifetime Olympics experience will satisfy an internal pressure for some adoptees to justify being where they came from, even though it won't erase the fact that they were once sent away with shame and en masse. "I think I really wanted to go back. It feels like it's home but at the same time, when I get there, I'm not home. I don't really know where I belong," Olson said. The Olympics will also reconcile a part of their life journey that has been book-ended by an era of complete economic transformation for South Korea. Much of that rise happened at the same time the small Asian country, lacking a solid social welfare system, dispersed an estimated 200,000 of its Korean-born children, according to Richard Lee, a University of Minnesota professor who studies adoptees. The cultural diaspora reaches more than a dozen countries around the globe, including in western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. But for South Korea, the timing of the adoption boom coinciding with their costly 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul is still a subject of criticism among some. No longer in the shadows of the devastating Korean War era, the country over the past half century has become a powerhouse on the world stage, thanks to its fortunes in tech, cultural reach from pop music, and famously rigorous education system. All the while, a majority of those South Korean orphans landed in the U.S. They grew up largely with white parents in the western world where adoption is seen as a humanitarian endeavor. Now adults, they've come of age and some have risen in the worlds of politics, fashion and entertainment. That such orphans are now successful enough to afford an elite experience like the Olympic Games has surprised some of the locals in a patriarchal society where adoption is taboo. Keziah Park of the International Korean Adoptee Service called it a "slap in the face" for status-driven South Koreans. The Seoul-based nonprofit since the 1990s has organized trips and birth-search pilgrimages for adoptees. "When they left, they were orphans and they were abandoned. No could take care of them. But when they come back, it's a symbolic journey to Koreans observing them," Park said. She added: "It really changes the mindset of Koreans. It allows Korea as a society to reflect on the choices they made." The pressure to justify being there can also be distressing if they have already gone back to find their birth stories as a practical matter: to learn about their genetic health, or find out what happened to them as young children. And even if their adoptive families are supportive of their pilgrimage back, it can be difficult to reconcile their identity and feelings for the country when they lack Korean family ties. Park organized the week-long Olympics tourism trip hoping to ease that internal conflict. It will include the opening ceremony and sporting events. They're also hoping to meet Marissa Brandt, an adoptee raised in America who will play for the Korean women's hockey team. "Although they have an intrinsic purpose to be there, they don't have anyone welcoming them to be there, so they felt it was meaningless," Park said. "That purpose to be there, the adoptees want more than you think." More than two dozen adoptees are expected on the trip, including those now living in Norway, Denmark, Italy, France, Australia and the U.S. Olson, of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, said she thinks about going back to South Korea so often that it can wear on her husband. But each time she's there, she asks herself if it should be the last visit because it's so emotionally draining. Olson found her birth parents a few years ago through their adoption agency in Seoul. Their meetings have left her distraught, frustrated and unfulfilled. Olson's desperate to understand her true life story but her Korean parents appear indifferent. She says she was adopted in 1985 as a baby but discovered that they kept a son born a year after Olson. The adoptee doesn't know why her birth parents made those choices. They've only confirmed that she's a secret they'll never tell their other children. But this upcoming trip to South Korea will offer a welcome reprieve to Olson's heartaches. It will be about connecting with fellow adoptees who share this profound experience that they didn't choose to have. It will be about eating the food that's been missing their whole lives, yet tastes so much like home. It will be about experiencing the glitz and glam of The Olympic Games, though even that is not without fraught. "I don't know who I would cheer for. Should it be the U.S.? Should it be Korea? It's super minute but something I think about," Olson said. Ella and Tony LeVeque are two other adoptees who found the Olympics to be the perfect reason to go back to their birth country. The couple met at another adoptee gathering in Seoul before marrying in 2014. "We obviously really like watching the Olympics. We tally up America versus Canada," said Ella LeVeque, a 31-year-old recruiter who was adopted as a baby to Ottawa, Canada. "And just being able to be there and represent South Korea, too, we're going to be able to be proud of all of it." The two now live in Galesburg, Michigan. Neither has found their birth families. Tony LeVeque, a 35-year-old hospital administrator, was adopted to central Michigan when he was 4 years old. He didn't feel much of a connection as a child when his adoptive parents showed him recordings of the 1988 Games in Seoul. Like many others, he also struggled with his identity before connecting with his roots in adulthood. "It's difficult trying to find your own way," he said of the Korean adoptee experience. "What type of man or woman am I supposed to be in America?" Matt Galbraith, 36, of Hawaii, said he'll spend time with his birth family after the Olympic events. He was adopted with his birth brother when he was 5 years old. They grew up in a happy home in the Phoenix area after enduring a dark year with unhappy memories at an orphanage in Munsan, near the Demilitarized Zone bordering North Korea. Galbraith said he found his birth mother in 2009, taking a leap of faith by going to Seoul while he was stationed in Japan with the U.S. Navy. The woman asked Galbraith for forgiveness after a hotel worker helped reunite them. He learned that the single mom put her boys up for adoption because she became infected with tuberculosis. Without money or support, she feared the worst and hoped her sons could have a better future that way. "I was adopted when I was a little bit older. I remember having memories with them," Galbraith said of his birth family. "I knew that they were still there." ___ Follow Sally Ho at https://twitter.com/_sallyho ___ AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed from Robbinsdale, Minnesota.

NEW YORK (AP) — On any weekday morning, Miles Thornback is working on marketing campaigns for real estate agents or dealing with tricky tech issues at the office. Thornback, who has cerebral palsy, got hired three years ago at the RE/MAX Prestige real estate agency in Costa Mesa, California, after the owners heard that he'd spent six years applying for jobs at hundreds of companies and finding nothing but negative mindsets. Many small business owners are open to hiring or specifically recruit people who have disabilities, sometimes because they want to expand the opportunities for people with talent and skills but who can't find jobs. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities who want to be hired is 8 percent, more than twice the national average. "I think a lot of people assume that if you're disabled, you can't work," says Thornback, 36, who uses a wheelchair. While some jobs he applied for would have required him to do errands, which he couldn't have done, at many places he never got a clear explanation of why he wasn't considered. In his job, he coordinates with real estate agents and data providers to create postcards and letters that advertise properties for sale. Jay O'Brien, an owner at the RE/MAX office, learned about Thornback through Goodwill Industries, which works with the Regional Center of Orange County, an organization that provides training and services for people with developmental disabilities. O'Brien has been impressed with Thornback's technical abilities, as he's been able to resolve issues that confounded everyone else. O'Brien and his business partner, Sammer Mudawar, wanted to see Thornback flourish in his work. "We didn't want it to be seen as a charity move," O'Brien says, such as, "'You can park your wheelchair here for two hours a day and we'll pay you and we can feel better about ourselves.'" The kind of disability a person has can vary, and can be cognitive or physical. So employees may be capable of different types of work. They do face similar difficulties in the workplace that others don't. Alyssa and Shawn Cox, who volunteer at a camp for children with Down syndrome, created a store greeter position at one of their three Clothes Mentor locations in North Carolina with the intention of hiring someone with the genetic chromosomal disorder. They hired Julia Cirone in December. The 20-year-old who works three days a week began by welcoming customers and "aced that immediately," Alyssa Cox says. Cirone has since started assisting shoppers, helping them pick out clothes. Sales haves increased since she began working at the store, the busiest of the three locations. While the Coxes would like to hire Cirone full time, she wants to do volunteer work the other two days. There are plenty of people who want to be hired, an "untapped" talent pool, according to Joyce Bender, owner of Bender Consulting Services, a company that recruits workers with disabilities. For businesses that are interested, Bender suggests resources including organizations that help people with disabilities, and state and local agencies including unemployment offices. Many universities have offices that provide services to students with disabilities, including job placement. Colleges, Bender noted, are a good resource for owners who want staffers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills. Business owners do need to abide by federal and state laws if employees with disabilities need help balancing their work and their personal or medical needs. That can mean flexible work hours, time off for doctor appointments and desks that can be raised or lowered, says Anne Marie Estevez, an employment law attorney with Morgan Lewis in Miami. Owners also need to get past some concerns, including what happens if a hire doesn't work out. "Some employers feel, if I hire the person, I can never let them go even if they're doing a terrible job. That's not true," says Rebecca Shulman, senior program director at Jewish Vocational Service in East Orange, New Jersey. "The employer has the right to let them go." Curtis Boyd had recruited a man with neurological problems to work at Future Solutions Media, a Los Angeles-based company that helps businesses handle negative online reviews. But the staffer was unable to sit in front of a computer for hours at a time, and had to leave the job. Though it didn't work out in that case, Boyd said he would hire a job candidate with a disability again. While many owners who recruit employees from nonprofit groups know what the person's disability is, they cannot under law ask for details, Estevez says. When Steven Hollins hired a 16-year-old young man two years ago for his Chick-Fil-A franchise restaurant in Buena Park, California, he knew the new staffer would likely need some extra training, and would have a job coach to help as needed. Hollins left it at that. The man started out by bringing food to customers at their tables and cleaning up after they left. Within a few months, the job coach left — the employee didn't need any help getting his work done. As time went on, the man sought and was given more responsibilities, and now helps with maintenance tasks. "He's willing to stay late and learn," Hollins said. "That kind of attitude in our business goes a long way." _____ Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg . Her work can be found here: https://apnews.com/search/joyce%20rosenberg

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Financial Profiles, a strategic communications firm, has hired Rich Davis as its Chief Operating Officer. Davis brings more than 20 years of experience in roles as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of high profile public relations agencies that he helped grow. Rich will join the firm on May 2, 2018 and will report to Moira Conlon, Founder and President of Financial Profiles. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006347/en/ Rich Davis, Chief Operating Officer at Financial Profiles, Inc. (Photo: Business Wire) “We are delighted to welcome Rich,” said Moira Conlon. “This year marks the 10 th anniversary of our firm and it’s the ideal time to expand our leadership team. Rich brings a wealth of experience and a unique combination of operational, strategic and financial expertise. We have a long history of working together and I know he will play a key role in helping Financial Profiles successfully navigate our next phase of growth and success.” Most recently, Davis served in the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of several of IPG’s global public relations agencies including Rogers & Cowan and Frukt. Previously he was the Western Region Chief Financial Officer for Weber Shandwick, Daily Advertising, Film Fashion, Current and the Axis Agency. “Financial Profiles has built an impressive business and I am excited to be joining the firm,” said Rich Davis. “I worked with Moira for many years when she oversaw Financial Relations Board’s West Coast operations for IPG. I look forward to collaborating with the entire team at Financial Profiles to strengthen its operational foundation to continue to provide exceptional client service and to support the firm’s continued growth.” About Financial Profiles Financial Profiles is a strategic communications firm that specializes in creating value through effective communication. Public companies, pre-IPO companies and asset management firms come to us for our expertise in value-based corporate positioning and messaging and for access to investors, analysts and the press. We offer a range of specialized services, including investor relations, IPO preparation, M&A communications, media relations, media training and crisis management. We have a well-demonstrated track record of leveraging best-in class communications to help our clients enhance their profiles and build credibility and support among all key stakeholders. www.finprofiles.com View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006347/en/ CONTACT: Financial Profiles Tricia Ross, 310-622-8226 tross@finprofiles.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSULTING COMMUNICATIONS ADVERTISING MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS/INVESTOR RELATIONS SOURCE: Financial Profiles Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 02:01 PM/DISC: 04/24/2018 02:01 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424006347/en

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 4, 2018--Tinubu Square, a leading provider of trade credit, bonding & surety and receivables finance solutions, has been awarded the 2018 “Trophées du Cloud” by Eurocloud as “Best Vertical SaaS solution”.The company has been rewarded for its ability to support the digital transformation of the credit insurance industry. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005273/en/ Trophee du Cloud (Photo: Business Wire) During the 12 th edition of the EuroCloud France “Trophées du Cloud” Awards yesterday, Tinubu Square won the award for the best “Vertical SaaS Solution”. This award ceremony, held during the Cloud Week Paris 2018, distinguished six companies amongst 52 applications. The aim was to highlight the success of the organisations in the cloud market. The jury comprised 16 members, all experts and analysts in the cloud industry, and chose to reward Tinubu Square for its ability to rethink the management of commercial credit through a cloud-based platform which supports credit insurance companies during their digital transformation process. “The cloud is in the DNA of our company. Our know-how is based on a cloud-based software platform in SaaS mode and also on risk underwriting services. These cloud-based solutions have been adopted by major international players and credit insurers all over the world. They have chosen our technology to overcome technical constraints & implementation time, and improve their competitiveness in the globalized market,“ said Jérôme Pezé, Founder and CEO of Tinubu Square. Olivier Placca, Founder and Deputy CEO of Tinubu Square said: “It is a great honour for us to be recognized by this award, which will expand our visibility and credibility in the European market”. About Tinubu Square Delivering Insurance Digital Transformation Founded in 2000, Tinubu Square is a software vendor, enabler of the Trade Credit, Surety and Receivables Finance digital transformation. Tinubu Square enables organizations across the world to significantly reduce their exposure to risk and their financial, operational and technical costs with best-in-class technology solutions and services. Tinubu Square provides SaaS solutions and services to different businesses including credit insurers, receivables financing organizations and multinational corporations. Tinubu Square has built an ecosystem of customers in over 20 countries worldwide and has a global presence with offices in Paris, London, New York, Montreal and Singapore. For more information: www.tinubu.com View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005273/en/ CONTACT: Ascendant Julie Kirby jkirby@ascendcomms.net +44 (0) 7956 955625 KEYWORD: EUROPE FRANCE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: Tinubu Square Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 07/04/2018 12:24 PM/DISC: 07/04/2018 12:24 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180704005273/en

KILIS, Turkey (AP) — Intense clashes erupted Monday on a strategic hilltop in northwestern Syria as Kurdish forces tried to enter the area a day after it was captured by Turkish troops. Turkish military officials cancelled a government-organized press tour to Bursayah Hill, separating the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin from the Turkey-controlled town of Azaz, due to what they described as "security concerns." Separately, in the nearby rebel-held province of Idlib, suspected Syrian government airstrikes killed at least 21 people and put a hospital out of order. The violence has overshadowed a peace conference hosted by Russia that was due to open in Sochi on Monday. Russia, a key ally of President Bashar Assad, says it invited 1,600 representatives to the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue, but so far only the government and opposition representatives tolerated by it have shown up. The main Syrian opposition body has boycotted the talks. The main Syrian Kurdish militia, which is fighting in Afrin and controls some 25 percent of Syrian territory, has also declined to attend, saying it holds Russia responsible for the Turkish offensive. Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia's envoy for Syria, downplayed the violence, saying the situation in Afrin has "somehow stabilized" and expressing hope that "potential provocations prior to and during the event won't affect its outcome." "We still hope that common sense will prevail and that the leadership of the united Syrian opposition will still decide to attend the congress. This possibility has not been ruled out, and the invitations remain on the table," he said, according to Russian state agency Tass. The Turkish incursion began on Jan. 20, with Ankara saying it seeks to drive "terrorists" away from its border and create a safe zone in the area. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish militia in control of Afrin, the People's Defense Units or YPG, an extension of the Kurdish insurgency within its borders. On Monday, Turkish authorities said they had detained 311 people for allegedly engaging in "terrorist propaganda" through social media postings critical of the Afrin offensive. The Interior Ministry said the suspects, who are accused of supporting the Syrian Kurdish forces, were detained in the past week but did not provide further details. The Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called the detentions a government "witch hunt against critics." Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces have met with stiff resistance as they try to push into Afrin, and the capture of Bursayah Hill marked their biggest advance since the start of the offensive. The operation has so far claimed the lives of 61 civilians in Afrin, three in Turkish towns along the border and five Turkish soldiers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Turkish-led offensive has opened a new front in the civil war, which is far from over despite recent gains by Assad's forces and the expulsion of the Islamic State group from nearly all the territory it once held. The government is now focused on the northwestern province of Idlib, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants and home to more than 2.6 million people, nearly half of whom have fled from other areas. Volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets say the airstrikes on Monday hit the province's largest vegetable market, in the town of Saraqeb. The Qasioun news agency, which covers events in opposition-held areas, said 14 people were killed. The Observatory, an opposition-linked group that monitors all sides of the conflict, also said 14 were killed, including six children. Another two people, including a child, were killed in the attack on the hospital. The activist-run Edlib Media Center posted photographs of the exterior of the damaged building. Videos of rescuers sifting through the rubble showed them emerging with a survivor, apparently a medic. Mohammed Abrash, a doctor in Idlib city, said the only hospital in Saraqeb was now out of order. The government appears to have stepped up its bombing campaign in Idlib in recent days. The Observatory reported 90 airstrikes in Idlib on Monday alone, killing a total of 21 people. It said airstrikes on Sunday killed 17. Sandy al-Obeid, a resident of Saraqeb, said she heard the attack on the market from her home and could see the plane from her window. "When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt there were airstrikes and we were hiding. It turned out there were airstrikes. But now nightmares are confused with reality," al-Obeid said in a series of text messages. Near the capital, Damascus, activists reported government shelling of Harasta, in the rebel-held suburbs known as eastern Ghouta. Fighting has raged in the area over the last few days despite a cease-fire negotiated between Russia and the opposition. Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday called on the Syrian government to hold talks with the rebels in eastern Ghouta to allow for medical evacuations. "A cessation of hostilities is the only chance and the only condition for political settlement in eastern Ghouta and in Syria on the whole," it said. _____ El Deeb reported from Beirut.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on the death of the he man who authorities said was the mastermind behind a deadly 2012 house explosion in Indianapolis (all times local): 4:35 p.m. An Indiana Department of Correction spokesman says a man convicted in connection with a deadly Indianapolis house explosion died of natural causes. Department spokesman Doug Harrison confirmed the cause of death for 48-year-old Mark Leonard on Tuesday afternoon. Harrison says Leonard died at an Indianapolis hospital after being transferred from the Wabash Valley Correction Facility in southwestern Indiana. The department initially said he was found dead at the prison, but later clarified he died at the hospital. An autopsy was planned Wednesday. Leonard was serving two life sentences without parole, plus 75 years, for the November 2012 natural gas explosion that destroyed his then-girlfriend's home and killed two next-door neighbors. ___ 3:36 p.m. An Indiana Department of Correction spokesman says a man convicted in connection with a deadly Indianapolis house explosion has been found dead. Department spokesman Doug Harrison says 48-year-old Mark Leonard died Tuesday morning at an Indianapolis hospital. Garrison says the cause of death wasn't immediately known. Leonard was convicted in 2015 of murder, arson and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in the November 2012 natural gas explosion that destroyed his then-girlfriend's home and killed two next-door neighbors. That blast damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes on Indianapolis' south side. Leonard received two life sentences without parole, plus 75 years. Leonard also was sentenced to an additional 50 years in February 2017 for trying to have a witness killed. ___ This story has been corrected to show Leonard died at an Indianapolis hospital, not in prison.

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say they have raided the apartments of four Islamic clerics suspected of spying on opponents of the Turkish government. The federal prosecutors' office said the Wednesday morning raids in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rheinland-Palatinate were carried out to collect evidence; no arrests were made. The unidentified targets are suspected of spying on supporters of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by the Turkish government of orchestrating a July 15 coup. Prosecutors say the four men were affiliated with the DITIB, the union of Turkish-Islamic cultural organizations in Germany, but refused to give further details. An Austrian lawmaker this week said information indicates Turkish diplomatic offices around the world are gathering information to try to undermine organizations loyal to Gulen, who denies involvement in the coup.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Unification is an idea that moves most Koreans, North and South, on an emotional level. For some, especially young people in the South, it may not be a burning issue. Details like the costs, the risks and what specifically both sides stand to gain are rarely given much thought by anyone who isn't an academic, politician or activist. But when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in meet on Friday, the prospect of unification, even if only in the abstract, will loom large around them. Can Kim's nuclear-armed North and the K-pop capitalism of Moon's South ever merge into One Korea? Both leaders come to the table with distinct visions of what that would look like. And they are very different. ___ THE DEMOCRATIC FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF KORYO After failing to take the South by force in the 1950s, North Korea's founder and "eternal president," Kim Il Sung, announced a plan for what he thought a unified Korea should look like back in 1980. He called it the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo. Koryo was an ancient Korean kingdom from which the word Korea is derived. Kim's plan was for an arrangement something along the lines of what Hong Kong has with China, a unified nation with two separate systems of government. Under his plan, the North and South would respect each other's ideology, social system and autonomy. Both sides would have an equal number of representatives in a supreme national assembly with equal rights and responsibilities. The assembly would also have representatives of Koreans overseas. It would have a standing committee that would administer state affairs. Kim stressed the need for this new federation to remain neutral and independent, avoiding in particular military alliances with others. Not surprisingly, that looks a lot like North Korea today, with its Supreme People's Assembly, and the party's Politburo and Central Committee overseeing day-to-day policies. Even the name smacks of the North, which is officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. An equal number of assembly seats would be a good deal for the North, which has half the South's population. The inclusion of Koreans overseas would boost that advantage even further since, for historical reasons, more often than not they have at least nominal allegiance to Pyongyang, not Seoul. With so many devils lurking in the details, Kim's grand plan has never gotten much traction. ___ A KOREAN COMMONWEALTH AND BEYOND South Korea's three-step proposal ends in a similarly predictable place: its own system writ large across the peninsula. The first priority, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry, is to develop a sustainable relationship and resolve the issue of North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. Seoul wants to substitute the unstable armistice that ended the fighting of the 1950-53 Korean War with a permanent peace treaty — a goal Pyongyang shares. This step could get a boost on Friday — it will almost certainly be taken up then and probably again at the summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in May or early June. South Korea wants to then develop trust and cooperation to the point where a sort of national consensus has been achieved. After a transitional commonwealth period, the next step would be the formation of a single market on the Korean Peninsula "to create new growth engines and create an inter-Korean economic community of coexistence and co-prosperity." "We will build a new economic order that will bring peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," the ministry concludes. The essentials of this plan were announced by President Roh Tae-woo in September 1989. The succession of administrations that have taken office in the South since Roh have adhered fairly predictably to the principle of gradual, peaceful progress, while calibrating their willingness to engage with Pyongyang based on their assessment of its level of vulnerability or hostility. In the long run, however, it makes no provision for a one-state, two-system future. Ultimately, Seoul believes, the North Korean system has to go. ___ Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @EricTalmadge

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei is the 21st best university city in the world, while Hsinchu City is ranked No.75, according to rankings published by British higher education information service QS Quacquarelli Symonds. On a separate list based on the evaluation by 18,000 students and graduates only, Taipei City rated as No.10, reports said Wednesday. The study considered several factors, including safety, pollution, cost of living, college fees, and attractiveness to students in general. For the first time in the survey’s five-year history, students were also asked to help out with the rating, reports said. Only cities with a population of more than 250,000 and with at least two universities which featured in the company’s recent lists were eligible. After having led the list for four consecutive years, Paris was pushed aside by Montreal, Canada. London was No.3, with the South Korean capital Seoul the best Asian university city at No.4. Tokyo was the only other Asian city in the top-ten, at No.7. Four Chinese cities were listed, Shanghai at No.25, Beijing at No.30, Nanjing at No.80, and Wuhan as the lowest on this year’s list, at No.100. On the rankings selected by the students, the Canadian capital Ottawa came out first, Shanghai was No.3, Seoul No.8 and the Kansai area of Japan No.9 just ahead of Taipei. Positive factors for the Taiwanese capital included the relatively low cost of living and studying, convenient public transportation, and a healthy mix of tradition and modernity, QS said. Hsinchu might be more relaxed, but it also offered interesting museums and Taiwan’s version of Silicon Valley nearby, according to the ratings group.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant is out of the lineup against the Cleveland Indians two days after being hit on the head by a pitch. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday night's game that the 2016 National League MVP has a cut above his left eye but no concussion after being hit Sunday by Colorado's German Marquez. The pitch hit the underside of the flap on Bryant's helmet, and he was helped off the field. Bryant is batting .319 with two homers and 11 RBIs this season. Shortstop Addison Russell was in the lineup after experiencing an allergic reaction to a postgame meal Sunday. He spent the night in Denver after being hospitalized briefly and rejoined the team Monday. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal immigration authorities have formalized the practice of sending deportation agents to federal, state and local courthouses to make arrests, dismissing complaints from judges and advocacy that it instills fear among crime victims, witnesses and family members. Wednesday's directive from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it will enter courthouses only to capture specific targets, like convicted criminals, gang members, public safety threats and immigrants who have been previously deported or ordered to leave. Family, friends and witnesses won't be picked up for deportation but ICE leaves a caveat for "special circumstances." The policy, signed by ICE acting director Thomas Homan, says immigration agents should generally avoid arrests in non-criminal areas of the court, like family court and small claims, unless it has supervisor approval.

FAIRFIELD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Renowned for product breakthroughs like the Stain Devils® laundry stain removal system, cleaning industry leader Carbona® today introduces another first-to-market innovation: the first washing machine cleaner with activated charcoal. Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal attracts and binds odor-causing residues, dirt, and limescale for a complete machine clean. A naturally occurring ingredient, charcoal becomes extremely porous and acts like a “sponge magnet” for dirt when activated – so laundry doesn’t become the magnet instead. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005970/en/ Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal is now available nationwide in select retail locations and at Carbona.com. (Photo: Business Wire) Health and personal care industries have proven the absorption power of activated charcoal in products including face masks, water purifiers, and stomach remedies. Now, consumers can leverage the effectiveness of this ingredient to help maintain the prime performance of their washing machines. Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal is now available nationwide in select retail locations and at Carbona.com. “Product innovation is a strategic growth driver for Carbona,” states Chris Albers, marketing director, Delta Carbona, L.P. “Our team is always looking at trends, inside and outside our product categories, for fresh ideas and inspiration for how we can help consumers achieve a better clean and live a life unstained. With activated charcoal—an ingredient known to absorb and remove dirt and impurities—we get performance and utility.” Additional features and benefits of Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal include: Versatility: Unlike powdered products of its kind, Carbona liquid Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal can also be used to wipe down the detergent tray and rubber seal that tends to collect grime and stain residues. It works in all washing machine types, including top-and front-loaders and high-efficiency (HE) machines. Value: As a single-use product, consumers can maintain their washing machine’s performance at a lower cost than other multi-use products on the market. Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal is available nationwide at select retail outlets and online at Carbona.com for a suggested value of $3.49 (250 mL single-use bottle). For more information on Carbona Washing Machine Cleaner with Activated Charcoal and other Carbona products, visit www.carbona.com. About Delta Carbona, L.P. Delta Carbona, L.P. is a privately held, family-owned consumer products company based in Fairfield, NJ responsible for sales, marketing, and distribution of Carbona® brand laundry care and household cleaning products. Carbona products help homeowners take on stains, conquer messes, and celebrate cleaning victories. Breakthrough products include the Stain Devils® laundry stain removal system, Color Grabber™, and its range of oxy-powered carpet cleaners with patented built-in brush top applicator. For more about how Carbona can help you live “life unstained,” visit www.carbona.com and follow Facebook.com/carbonausa and Instagram.com/carbonausa. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005970/en/ CONTACT: The S3 Agency Joelle Speranza, 973-257-5548 jsperanza@thes3agency.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA NEW JERSEY INDUSTRY KEYWORD: WOMEN ONLINE RETAIL HOME GOODS RETAIL OTHER RETAIL CONSUMER FAMILY MEN SOURCE: Delta Carbona, L.P. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 09:56 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 09:56 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005970/en

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has called on the government to institute protective measures for some 400 Guatemalans living in unsanitary conditions in a makeshift camp near the border. The Guatemalan families fled through the jungle to Mexico in early June as Guatemalan police and soldiers moved in with a judge's order to remove them from a forest reserve where they had lived for years. The rights commission said in a statement Wednesday that the camp in the community of El Desengano in Campeche state needs medical services to protect against outbreak of contagious disease. The Guatemalans are demanding that their government allow them to return to their homes. Human rights organizations that visited the community of Laguna Larga last week said many homes had been burned.

HASSAN SHAM CAMP, Iraq (AP) — The United Nations says it's temporarily pausing aid operations to neighborhoods in the eastern half of the Iraqi city of Mosul as attacks by the Islamic State group continue to inflict heavy civilian casualties there. Lise Grande, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, says "the United Nations agencies made the decision that until security improves, it will be difficult for us to provide assistance." She spoke during a visit to a camp for Iraqis displaced from Mosul on Wednesday. While Mosul's eastern half was declared "fully liberated" last month, some neighborhoods continue to be hit by attacks claimed by IS. The pause in aide comes as Iraqi forces are moving into positions ahead of an anticipated assault on Mosul's western half that is still firmly under IS control.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on the investigation into the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history (all times local): 4:55 a.m. An Arizona man identified in court documents as a "person of interest" after the Las Vegas massacre says he sold ammunition to the gunman, Stephen Paddock, and says he had no idea what Paddock was going to do when he met him weeks before the shooting. Douglas Haig tells "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday he sold more than 700 rounds of ammunition to Paddock. He says Paddock told him he was going to put on a "light show" with the tracer ammunition he purchased. Haig says he talked to Paddock three times and that officials won't find any connection between the two. He says he wonders, "What did I miss?" and "Why didn't I pick this up?" in his interaction with Paddock. ___ Midnight An Arizona man identified in court documents as a "person of interest" after the Las Vegas massacre says he sold ammunition to the gunman Stephen Paddock. Douglas Haig says he met the gunman one time and he had been contacted by investigators earlier in the case. Haig told The Associated Press on Tuesday night: "I am the guy who sold ammunition to Stephen Paddock," Haig did not release other details before walking into his home in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press in October that Paddock bought 1,000 rounds of tracer ammunition from a private seller he met at a Phoenix gun show. The official spoke anonymously because they weren't authorized to disclose case information. Records show Haig owns Specialized Military Ammunition, LLC. The company's website says it sold tracer and incendiary ammunition but is now "closed indefinitely."

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The agricultural working holiday program for New Southbound Policy countries is expected to be implemented as early as in June, Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien announced today. Lin made the announcement in the kick-off meeting on April 24 for the National Agriculture Conference scheduled for September 7 and 8, reported the Liberty Times. The program--aimed at Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand--is proposed to supplement the island’s agricultural workforce. A six-month trial-run for the program is being planned, with relatives of new immigrants already residing in Taiwan to receive priority for reviewing their application for the program. According to the proposal, a quota of 200 openings will be granted for each of the four countries. Relevant guidelines are currently being drawn up by the COA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Labor. The four countries have expressed interest in the program as they work on fast-tracking required administrative procedures. COA is also in discussions with MOL on the viability of directing fishermen to aid in the agricultural sector during the fishing moratorium. The measure will be carried out as soon as next month when Taiwan could face a shortage of farm labor thanks to the expected bumper harvest for lychee in the southern part of the island. Regarding the wages for the workers enrolled in the working holiday program, COA gave a rough idea how much the individuals will earn. For garlic-picking, the daily wage ranges from NT$1,200 (US$40) to NT$1,500 (US$50), while those carrying rice seedlings will be paid a higher amount between NT$1,800 (US$60) and NT$2,000 (US$67) for eight hours of work.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Rhys Hoskins is likely headed to the disabled list after a further examination Wednesday revealed he has a fractured jaw. Hoskins was hit in the mouth by his own foul ball in the ninth inning Monday while facing the Dodgers' Kenley Jansen. He was removed from the game but examinations, including a concussion test, cleared him to play Tuesday and he delivered a pinch-hit double. However, a more extensive examination Wednesday morning revealed the fracture. "Rhys is likely to be a DL," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "He had a CAT scan this morning that revealed a fracture. We're going to send him to Philly tonight to be evaluated by our oral surgeon. They wanted to do the CAT scan as a precautionary measure and they found a fracture in the jaw." The Phillies did not immediately put Hoskins on the 10-day disabled list, leaving them one player down for Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. Hoskins was 14 for 87 at the plate in May, after going 27 for 89 in March/April. Infielder Mitch Walding was added to the Phillies' active roster, but that was as a replacement for utility man Pedro Florimon, who was placed on the DL after he fractured a bone in his right foot on a foul ball in Tuesday night's game. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The retired cardinal of Hong Kong has revealed the behind-the-scenes drama of the Vatican's efforts to improve relations with China, including its request for a legitimate bishop to retire in favor of an excommunicated one who is recognized by Beijing. Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most vocal opponent of Pope Francis' opening to China, bitterly criticized the proposed changing of the guard in Shantou diocese and revealed in a Facebook post Monday that he had traveled to the Vatican this month to personally raise it with the pope. Zen confirmed reports by the AsiaNews missionary news agency that the Vatican had asked Shantou Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian, 88, to step down in favor of Bishop Joseph Huang Bingzhang. Huang was excommunicated by the Vatican in 2011 after he was consecrated without papal approval. Zen said that he was exposing the "confidential" information — including the contents of his Jan. 14 audience with Francis — so that the Chinese faithful "may know the truth to which they are entitled." "My conscience tells me that in this case, the right to truth should override any such duty of confidentiality," he wrote. The issue of bishop nominations is the key stumbling block in Vatican-Chinese relations that were officially severed when Beijing ordered Chinese Catholics to cut ties with the Holy See soon after the foundation of the Communist state in 1949. The Vatican insists only the pope can nominate successors to Christ's apostles. China views the Vatican's insistence as interference in its sovereignty. Popes from John Paul II onward have expressed hope for restoring diplomatic ties, with Pope Benedict XVI taking the boldest step in 2007 by urging the millions of Chinese Catholics worshipping in both the state-controlled aboveground and the oft-persecuted clandestine underground churches to unite under his jurisdiction. Francis is taking that overture further to try to reach a deal with the state-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. "Do I think that the Vatican is selling out the Catholic Church in China?" Zen asked in his post. "Yes, definitely, if they go in the direction which is obvious from all what they are doing in recent years and months." The Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, declined to comment, or to confirm or deny the AsiaNews report. The news agency, which follows the Catholic Church closely in China, reported earlier this month that a Vatican delegation was in Beijing in December to negotiate Zhuang's retirement and Huang's nomination in Shantou. In addition, the Vatican asked the legitimate bishop of Mindong, Monsignor Joseph Guo Xijin, to accept a demotion to become an auxiliary bishop to Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, who isn't recognized by the Vatican, the agency said. But Zen wrote that when he raised the cases with Francis during a Jan. 14 private audience, the pope said he had told his aides "not to create another Mindszenty case" with regards to the Chinese bishops. The reference was to the Hungarian Cardinal Josef Mindszenty, who was imprisoned by Hungary's communist rulers and, during a brief spell of freedom during the revolution of 1956, took refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. Pope Paul VI eventually stripped him of his titles under pressure from the Hungarian government. Zen said he felt encouraged by Francis' refusal to allow a similar fate to befall China's underground churchmen. "His words should be rightly understood as of consolation and encouragement more for them than for me," he said. The government-recognized bishop of Mindong, Vincent Zhan Silu said he didn't know about the changes. "What I know is that China and Vatican remain in contact and are negotiating on some relevant issues. As for how far the negotiations have gone and how to carry out personnel exchanges, I am not sure about that," he told The Associated Press. Calls to the ethnic and religious authorities in the two dioceses went unanswered. There was also no answer at the China Patriotic Catholic Association. ___ AP writer Yu Bing contributed from Beijing.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — New allegations of racism and improper behavior against a Louisiana sheriff have delayed a civil trial involving a man who was fatally shot while handcuffed. The trial had been scheduled to start next week. Relatives of Victor White III sued Iberia Parish Sheriff Louis Ackal and a deputy. The 22-year-old man was handcuffed behind his back in the rear of a patrol car when he died in March 2014. Lawyers for White's family say a former sheriff's office employee told them that Ackal referred to black people as "gorillas" and gave coded instructions for writing reports to justify beatings of detainees. Hanna delayed the trial to give Ackal's lawyer time to question the witness. A lawyer for Ackal and the deputy didn't respond to an email seeking comment.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The head of Oregon's emergency management agency has apologized after a cryptic emergency alert was forced out to cellphones in and around Oregon's capital city, displaying the words "Civil Emergency" and "Prepare for Action," but carrying little other information. Andrew Phelps said late Tuesday that a technical glitch had cut off crucial information: that the alert concerned elevated levels of a natural toxin in a local reservoir. Children and people with compromised immune systems have been told not to drink tap water in the Salem, Oregon, area, after an algae bloom caused the spike. "The integrated public alert warning system inadvertently defaulted to a generic message," Phelps said in a video posted on the social media by the Office of Emergency Management. "I apologize for the confusion and the anxiety this incomplete message has caused." The incident marked a high-profile glitch in authorities' use of emergency alert systems, following a false alarm sent out by Hawaii officials in January warning of an incoming ballistic missile. The systems are capable of pushing messages directly to every cellphone in a given area even if users haven't subscribed or downloaded an app. Phelps said the message had also been broadcast via local television stations. Confusion surrounded the initial alert even within the emergency management agency, with a spokesperson telling reporters the message had caught them unawares and state police asking residents via a Facebook post not to call 911 about the alert. Officials sent a second message 31 minutes later with more information and a link to a municipal website, which briefly crashed under the load. Within hours of the alert going out Tuesday night, the aisles at one supermarket in the city's downtown center were stripped of bottled water, and a shopping cart lay tipped on its side in front of the empty shelves. Workers had brought out a pallet of sparkling water, which they placed at the front of the store, and told customers they hoped they'd get more regular water in the morning. Wednesday morning Cole Mahaffey, a Salem resident, set down a case of bottled water he was carrying down the sidewalk and described the uneasy feeling of seeing the first alert arrive on his phone, with an ominous warning but no other information. "It almost made me not want to go outside," Mahaffey said, adding that the alert caught him at the gym, and that he had interrupted his exercise routine to ask staff at the front desk if they knew what it was about. "I didn't know if there was something going on in the area, or if there was a shooter, you just had no way of knowing."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police say R&B singer Trey Songz has been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence for punching a woman at a Los Angeles party. LAPD spokesman Officer Drake Madison says Songz, whose real name is Tremaine Neverson, turned himself in at a Hollywood police station Monday morning. Jail records show the 33-year-old was released about two hours later on $50,000 bail. Andrea Buera said at a news conference last week that she was the woman Songz had assaulted. Buera said he punched her repeatedly because he was upset she was talking to another man at a party Feb. 18. Songz attorney Shawn Chapman Holley did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Songz tweeted Monday that he was being lied about and falsely accused for someone else's personal gain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — AP sources: Trump administration expected to renew temporary protected status for Syrians but not take new applicants.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--After initially launching in Asia and with an upcoming debut in the United States and Canada, SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX) is extending its popular anime collaboration to Europe as well with the launch of Skechers X One Piece. The colorful collection unites Toei Animation’s popular anime series with Skechers D’Lites, one of the footwear company’s original styles. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en/ Skechers launches limited edition One Piece collection in Europe (Photo: Business Wire) “Pairing the iconic long-running anime series One Piece with one of our top heritage styles resonated with our consumers in South Korea and China who have been driving trends for the past few years,” began Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “And now fashion moves at light speed, so as influencers around the world had already been embracing Skechers D’Lites and the chunky sneaker trend, we started to see style purveyors—from Hypebae, Hypebeast, GQ, and High Snobiety —covering Skechers X One Piece collaboration as a must have fashion style. We’ve moved fast to share the collaboration with the United States, Canada, and now Europe—one of the largest international markets for Skechers.” “We’re thrilled to partner with an amazing global footwear brand in Skechers to launch this exciting fashion initiative across Europe,” said Ryuji Kochi, President of Toei Animation Europe. “Skechers D’Lites embody an energetic trend that’s been taking the world by storm and much like the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, our fans are always enthusiastically seeking out the next new adventure in life, so this partnership is a perfect fit. We are confident that the combined merchandising efforts of both Toei Animation and Skechers will bring long-lasting success for this collaboration.” “The red hot chunky sneaker look has been taking over fashion runways in Europe, creating intense buzz,” added Marvin Bernstein, managing partner of SKECHERS S.à.r.l. “So it’s a unique opportunity for us to bring the collaboration of the D’Lites, the originator of the chunky look, and the legendary One Piece series to Europe where we expect it will resonate with stylish consumers across the continent. We’re thrilled that this is all happening with Toei Animation, the pioneers of Japanese animation.” Originally exclusive to the South Korean and China markets, the collection will be imported to Europe in multiple different colorways—each embracing a unique One Piece character: Luffy, Chopper, Sanji, Zoro, Law, and Doflamingo. The footwear will be available beginning July 2018 at Skechers retail stores and select specialty stores in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain/Portugal, United Kingdom, and Central Eastern Europe [Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia]. Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is the best-selling manga in history with more than 430 million copies worldwide. In 1997, it spawned an acclaimed anime series that has produced 830+ episodes plus 15 movies. Following the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his fearless Straw Hat Pirates, fans are taken on a fantastical journey across a world teeming with wonders and imagination. A multi-generational property, it continues to captivate viewers both young and old. The story and its characters have also expanded across other media into film, television, and video/mobile games, as well as a theme park in Japan. Skechers pioneered the chunky sneaker look two decades ago with the Skechers Energy for men and women as well as the Skechers Stamina for men. The style evolved and the Company introduced Skechers D’Lites—a lighter version of its original style—in 2007. Though the collection has always had a dedicated consumer base, sales accelerated across Asia over the last two years after regional marketing included K-Pop groups. In 2017, the Company relaunched an even lighter update of Skechers D’Lites in celebration of its ten-year anniversary. About SKECHERS USA, Inc. SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops, and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States and over 170 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, 2,651 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party-owned retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe, and Latin America. For more information, please visit skechers.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA). About Toei Animation Europe Founded in 1956 in Tokyo, Toei Animation ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing with sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Paris. Toei Animation Europe is managing the distribution and exploitation of Toei Animation’s animated series in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Among its most famous titles: Dragon Ball, One Piece, Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, Digimon, Mazinger Z, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and Captain Future. www.toei-animation.com This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include international economic, political and market conditions including the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en/ CONTACT: Media Contact: SKECHERS CORPORATE Jennifer Clay, (310) 937-1326 jennc@skechers.com or SKECHERS UK/IRELAND Will Cheung, +441707655955 willch@eu.skechers.com or SKECHERS CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE Gordana Dulic, +36 30 749 1258 gordanad@eu.skechers.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES EUROPE NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: WOMEN ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING (ENTERTAINMENT) TV AND RADIO FILM & MOTION PICTURES GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CHILDREN RETAIL FASHION OTHER RETAIL CONSUMER FAMILY MEN SOURCE: SKECHERS USA, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 03:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 03:00 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005239/en

NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew A. Cherry, a filmmaker and former NFL player, is working on a picture book. Cherry and illustrator Vashti Harrison will collaborate on "Hair Love," Dial Books for Young Readers told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Hair Love" will tell of an African-American father and his work on his daughter's hair as she prepares for a special outing. The book, scheduled for spring 2019, is based on an animated short film by Cherry. Cherry was a wide receiver for the Jackson Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens, among other teams, before he retired in 2007. His other films include "The Last Fall."

All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Tampa Bay 72 49 19 4 102 260 202 26-8-2 23-11-2 15-7-2 Boston 71 45 17 9 99 239 184 25-7-5 20-10-4 15-5-2 Toronto 72 43 22 7 93 243 204 25-8-2 18-14-5 13-6-3 Washington 72 41 24 7 89 225 214 25-9-2 16-15-5 13-7-3 Pittsburgh 72 41 26 5 87 237 218 26-8-1 15-18-4 15-6-1 Columbus 73 40 28 5 85 205 203 24-11-2 16-17-3 13-10-3 Philadelphia 73 37 25 11 85 218 215 18-13-6 19-12-5 11-7-5 New Jersey 72 37 27 8 82 217 215 18-14-3 19-13-5 12-9-1 Florida 70 36 27 7 79 212 216 22-11-3 14-16-4 13-6-2 Carolina 72 31 30 11 73 194 225 16-14-6 15-16-5 9-10-5 N.Y. Rangers 72 32 32 8 72 208 231 20-13-4 12-19-4 9-8-3 N.Y. Islanders 72 30 32 10 70 231 262 16-14-4 14-18-6 10-12-2 Montreal 73 26 35 12 64 182 232 17-12-8 9-23-4 10-9-5 Ottawa 71 26 34 11 63 197 244 15-14-6 11-20-5 8-11-4 Detroit 72 26 35 11 63 184 224 13-14-8 13-21-3 6-13-4 Buffalo 72 23 37 12 58 172 236 11-21-5 12-16-7 10-8-3 WESTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF GA Home Away Div Nashville 72 48 14 10 106 236 178 25-7-4 23-7-6 17-4-2 Vegas 72 46 21 5 97 244 199 25-9-2 21-12-3 17-3-2 Winnipeg 72 43 19 10 96 240 189 26-7-2 17-12-8 13-8-2 Minnesota 73 41 24 8 90 227 210 24-6-7 17-18-1 11-11-0 San Jose 72 40 23 9 89 219 199 21-11-3 19-12-6 19-4-3 Colorado 72 39 25 8 86 231 209 25-9-2 14-16-6 10-10-3 Los Angeles 73 40 27 6 86 211 184 19-14-3 21-13-3 11-10-4 Anaheim 73 37 24 12 86 206 197 22-10-5 15-14-7 11-6-7 Dallas 73 38 27 8 84 209 197 24-10-3 14-17-5 11-13-0 St. Louis 72 39 28 5 83 201 193 21-15-0 18-13-5 10-10-3 Calgary 74 35 29 10 80 204 222 15-17-4 20-12-6 10-10-3 Chicago 73 30 34 9 69 208 223 17-15-4 13-19-5 7-10-3 Edmonton 72 31 36 5 67 201 231 16-17-3 15-19-2 13-9-1 Vancouver 72 25 38 9 59 186 236 12-18-6 13-20-3 6-16-1 Arizona 72 24 37 11 59 175 230 15-20-4 9-17-7 8-10-6 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs. Sunday's Games Colorado 5, Detroit 1 Vegas 4, Calgary 0 Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 1 Carolina 4, N.Y. Islanders 3 Philadelphia 6, Washington 3 Winnipeg 4, Dallas 2 St. Louis 5, Chicago 4, OT Anaheim 4, New Jersey 2 Monday's Games Columbus 5, Boston 4, OT Nashville 4, Buffalo 0 Florida 2, Montreal 0 Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 3, OT Arizona 5, Calgary 2 Tuesday's Games Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Vegas, 10 p.m. New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday's Games Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Boston at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Calgary, 9:30 p.m. Thursday's Games N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Arizona at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at Columbus, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Washington at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m. Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One night about a year ago, Leandro Mota Generoso was sleeping on a street in downtown Rio de Janeiro when he felt something jagged strike his face. Somebody — he didn't see the person, but believes it was a resident in the neighborhood — had slashed his nose with broken glass from a Vodka bottle. He awoke in a pool of blood. "I can't sleep at night anymore," said Generoso, 23, who has been homeless since the grandfather who was raising him died five years ago. "To many people, we are rats, garbage or whatever thing." "That is the reality, and now there are many more homeless in the streets," he added. A year after Rio de Janeiro hosted the Olympic Games, a grinding economic crisis has led to an influx of thousands of homeless people, creating a climate of tension that city officials are scrambling to address. Warm temperatures and miles of beaches have long made Brazil's most famous city a place with a large street population. But city officials say it's more than tripled in the last few years, to an estimated 15,000 people. While many U.S. cities have experienced sharp increases in people living outdoors thanks to rising housing prices amid a recovering economy, in Rio the driving factors have been fallout from Brazil's worst recession in decades and long-standing inequalities. Today's homeless in Rio include thousands who came from other states for work before the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics and subsequently lost their jobs. "Rio de Janeiro is facing the worst possible scenario when it comes to the homeless," said Pedro Fernandes, the city's secretary of social assistance and human rights. "We have never had such a large number in the streets." Tensions have been steadily increasing, particularly in affluent and touristy neighborhoods where residents and businesses are frustrated with the throngs of people sleeping on the streets. In August, a residential building in the iconic Copacabana neighborhood installed sprinklers below its awnings to rouse unwanted campers below. The city later forced the sprinklers to be removed. People in several affluent neighborhoods post messages on community Facebook groups urging police to act and imploring neighbors not to feed the homeless. In some cases, violence has erupted. Forty-year-old Fernanda Rodrigues dos Santos was fatally shot in the chest while sleeping in the street in Copacabana in October. Police say 24-year-old Rodrigo Gomes Rodrigues, a medical student who lives in the neighborhood, has confessed to the killing. Police say he and a friend argued earlier in the night with another homeless person, went to get a gun and returned looking for revenge. "How many Fernandas are still in the streets?" said Wilham Rodrigues dos Santos, Fernanda's brother. "We can't accept that this aggression becomes normal." Carla Beatriz Nunes Maia, from the Public Prosecutors office, has been leading visits to the homeless at night to get a sense of what they are facing. She says complaints about rough-handed tactics by police have given way to even more complaints about friction with residents in affluent neighborhoods. "There is a repressive movement to keep people from helping the homeless," said Maia, referring to the calls on social media not to give food or money. The city has launched an initiative to spruce up shelters and persuade more homeless people to use them. Many shun shelters because they often have strict rules and, by the city's own acknowledgement, have fallen into disrepair, with infestations of bugs and filthy bathrooms. "You may go into a shelter healthy, but then how will you come out?" said Nancy Gouveia, a 49-year-old who has been on the streets three years. When her marriage broke up, the former housewife with no work experience said she had nowhere to go but the street. While many people have helped her, she said she has also had water and diesel thrown on her. A man once tried to light her on fire while she slept. "All of us on the street want to get off it. But how?" Gouveia said as she lay on a frayed cushion in front of a bank near the ocean in Copacabana. Sitting on a chair next to Gouveia, Patricio Santos added there would be no change until the economy improves. "We need jobs," said Santos, 34, who has been on the streets six months since losing his job as a telemarketer. While some of the nearly 2,200 beds in shelters go empty each night, successfully persuading more homeless people to use them could create its own problems, as there are vastly more potential users than space for them. Given that reality, the city is also working to help migrants return to their home states, and in some cases even other countries. Despite the grim situation, there are signs of hope. Though growth is tepid, Brazil officially emerged from recession earlier this year. And city officials say some businesses are donating food and clothes as well as providing jobs for some homeless. On a recent day, hundreds of homeless showed up at a park where the city offered services ranging from free haircuts to recovering documents and help with job searches. One of those who showed up was Generoso, who wanted more information about a shelter where he might be able to stop worrying about being attacked again. "I want to find a place to sleep," he said. "There is only misery on the streets." ___ Peter Prengaman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterprengaman

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United and Chelsea couldn't afford any slip-ups if they were to have even the slightest chance of catching runaway leader Manchester City in the final few months of the Premier League. Both lost on Wednesday, and saw City rack up another big win to move even closer to the title. United conceded a goal inside 11 seconds to Christian Eriksen and was beaten 2-0 by Tottenham at Wembley Stadium in front of a record Premier League attendance of 81, 978. Chelsea had an even heavier loss, upset 3-0 by Bournemouth at home after conceding three goals in a 16-minute spell in the second half. City took its opportunity to push 15 points clear in what is turning into a procession to the title, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on the back of another masterful display by Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne set up Fernandinho for the opener and then scored himself, before Sergio Aguero added a late third at Etihad Stadium. In the process, City went past 100 goals for the season in all competitions. United stayed in second place while Chelsea dropped to fourth — below Liverpool on goal difference — and is now 18 points behind City. Leicester was without Riyad Mahrez for its trip to Everton, with the Algerian not included in the squad after being the subject of a bid from Man City on Tuesday, and missed its star winger in a 2-1 loss at Goodison Park. Burnley and Southampton came from behind to secure 1-1 draws against Newcastle and Brighton, respectively. Stoke and Watford drew 0-0. ___ Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80

MARAWI, Philippines (AP) — An Australian journalist says he is fine after being hit by a bullet in his neck while covering the Philippine military's assault against militants aligned with the Islamic State group in a southern city. A tweeted video showed ABC journalist Adam Harvey wearing a neck brace and putting on his helmet after receiving treatment Thursday in Marawi. He told reporters he was fine and that he was to get an X-ray. Harvey was hit at the provincial capitol building, where government officials hold briefings on the progress against the militants who've laid siege to Marawi since last month. Also Thursday, a suspected militant bomber was arrested in Cagayan de Oro City, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Marawi. Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay says Mohammad Noaim Maute was under investigation.

The fallout continues from disgraced doctor Larry Nassar's molestation of young athletes within USA Gymnastics, including the resignation of the governing body's entire board of directors. Several sports have been impacted by sexual misconduct and abuse cases involving authority figures and children in the past decade. Among them: GYMNASTICS: Nassar, a 54-year-old former doctor for USA Gymnastics and member of Michigan State's sports medicine staff, admitted to molesting athletes while he was supposedly treating them for injuries. Nassar was the U.S. national team's doctor from 1995 to 2015. Some of the more than 150 women and girls who have accused him said they complained about his behavior as far back as the late 1990s. Olympians McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles and Aly Raisman are among his accusers. Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison . Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon resigned and athletic director Mark Hollis retired in the wake of the case. SOCCER: In November 2016, a handful of former soccer players broke their silence about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of youth coaches. The effect has been bigger than they could have imagined. According to the most recent figures issued by a specialist police unit investigating non-recent child sexual abuse in British soccer, 294 alleged suspects have been identified and the number of victims stands at 839, ranging from age 4 to 20. One former coach, Barry Bennell, is currently on trial in Liverpool, England, accused of 48 counts of child sexual abuse against a total of 11 complainants. He has already pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault. FOOTBALL: Jerry Sandusky , a longtime assistant coach at Penn State under Joe Paterno, is serving up to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys between 1994 and 2009. He met his victims though a charity he ran for at-risk youth. Penn State's former president, Graham Spanier, and two other ex-administrators, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, were prosecuted for child endangerment for not reporting a 2001 complaint about Sandusky showering with a boy. Sandusky's arrest a decade later blew up into a scandal that led to Paterno's dismissal in 2011. As of last year, Penn State had paid nearly $250 million in fines, settlements and other costs associated with the scandal. SWIMMING: In 2010, a report on the television news program 20/20 addressed sexual abuse within the sport, noting that 36 coaches had been banned for life. That list has since grown to nearly 150 coaches. Andy King was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2010 for molesting girls training with the San Jose Aquatics Club. He was charged with 20 counts of lewd acts with girls 15 and younger. He was alleged to have impregnated one of his victims when she was 14. In 2008, Central Indiana Aquatics coach Brian Hindson was accused of setting up hidden cameras in locker rooms. He pleaded guilty to charges including distribution, production and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus, who died last year, came under fire for his handling of sex abuse cases. While he at first denied culpability, he later apologized in a blog post: "I wish my eyes had been more open to the individual stories of the horrors of sexual abuse. I wish I had known more so perhaps I could have done more." HOCKEY: Boston Bruins forward Sheldon Kennedy came forward in 1997 with claims he was sexually abused by Canadian youth coach Graham James beginning in 1984 when he was 14. Some six players ultimately said they had been abused by Graham, including Theo Fleury. Graham served two different stretches in prison. Graham was a prominent coach in the Western Hockey League, leading the Swift Current Broncos to the Memorial Cup title in 1989. He was named Man of the Year by The Hockey News following the championship, an honor the publication later rescinded. Kennedy has since become an advocate for victims' rights.

HUDDERSFIELD, England (AP) — Huddersfield says head coach David Wagner has signed a contract extension to stay at the Premier League club for three more years. Wagner, his assistant Christophe Buhler and first-team coach Andrew Hughes all signed new deals that will keep them at the club until 2021. The trio all had 12 months left on their previous contracts, and Wagner had been linked with bigger clubs after an impressive debut season in the Premier League. However, the German-American said "the decision to extend my stay at this club was not a difficult one." Wagner took over Huddersfield in November 2015 and then led the team to promotion to the Premier League in his first full season. The team finished 16th in its first season in England's top flight in 45 years.

For anyone who has ever read "Crime and Punishment" and then really wanted to see a frat boy version — Bro-stoyevsky, if you will — your movie has finally arrived. "American Animals" is about a foursome of Kentucky college students — all white kids from privileged backgrounds — who in 2004 decided to steal some extremely valuable books from the Lexington library at Transylvania University. They are motivated less by the millions the books (particularly John James Audubon's multi-volume "The Birds of America") could fetch than a desire to step beyond a line and turn their regular lives into something "special." "We're supposed to be hunter gatherers, man," one says to another in a grocery store aisle. The irony is that their brazen plot turns them into just another kind of cliché — hapless, dimwitted criminals — and leaves them ultimately with nothing but regret and shame. Oh, and this movie. Bart Layton's "American Animals" isn't just a dramatization of the 2004 heist. It's frequently narrated and commented upon by the real guys whose story the film is based on. Warren Lipka, Spencer Reinhard, Eric Bosuk and Charles Allen II all appear in documentary-style interviews that punctuate the heist narrative, looking back years later with ashen remorse that may or may not mask their pleasure at starring in their own movie. It opens, cleverly, with the words "This is not based on a true story." Then, with a puff, the middle words blow away leaving only, "This is a true story." Layton has previously played with hybrids of fiction and nonfiction. His 2012 documentary "The Imposter," about the shape-shifting con artist Frederic Bourdin, was as manipulative and deceptive as its sly subject. And especially in the first half of "American Animals," Layton works hard — too hard — to impress its own stranger-than-fiction playfulness. The talking-head testimonies of the guys, along with their parents and teachers, are joined with scenes in which characters question each other's memories. Layton sometimes plays multiple versions of scenes, like the foggily remembered meeting with a possible fence to sell the books in New York. The what's-true-what's-not tricks, reminiscent of last year's "I, Tonya," are — like the students' own high-minded plans — not quite as smart as Layton seems to think. But the actors are quite good. Barry Keoghan ("The Killing of a Sacred Deer") plays Spencer, a talented painter in search of some artistic suffering. "Art has to be about something more than: My life is great and I'm really good at drawing," he says. The valuable books first catch his eye, but it's his friend Warren (Evan Peters) who's the ringleader. While his parents are divorcing, Warren lets his athletic scholarship slide and refashions himself as a James Dean rebel and small-time thief. Through charisma and cajoling, he assembles a team (Jared Abrahamson and Blake Jenner play Bosuk and Allen) and what starts as a hypothetical lark turns into a genuine if poorly considered plot, predicated on disabling the middle-aged librarian (Ann Dowd) and dressing up as elderly men in costumes that mostly resemble 1970s Dick Van Dykes. They make a study of heist movies, watching films like Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing," giving themselves "Reservoir Dogs" nicknames and imagining a smooth, stylish "Ocean's 11" operation. In a sense, "American Animals" rewards them with the notoriety they sought. And it's reasonable to wonder if the film — which conflates their crime with the existential malaise of American youth — isn't just another way for them to profit for what they deserve only punishment. (Allen also wrote a 2010 book titled "Mr. Pink." Reinhard is still painting.) There's plenty hollow in the self-aware machinations of "American Animals." But there's also something affecting in Reinhard's regret and how the film charts the swift, crushing fall of a dopey, quixotic idea hatched by kids who don't realize that what they're playing at isn't a game. "American Animals" would be a legitimate cautionary tale if it wasn't invalidated by its own existence. "American Animals," a The Orchard and MoviePass Ventures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "language throughout, some drug use and brief crude/sexual material." Running time: 116 minutes. Two stars out of four. ___ MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. ___ Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawsuit against a North Carolina city for allegedly discriminating against an African-American-owned television network will go forward after the Supreme Court declined to get involved in the case. The Supreme Court's announcement Monday that it would not get involved in the dispute leaves in place a ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit earlier this year that revived the lawsuit. A trial court had initially dismissed it. Black Network Television claims the City of Greensboro rescinded a $300,000 economic development loan because of race. The city says race had nothing to do with it. Appeals court judges ruled 2-1 that the lawsuit had been improperly dismissed.

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — The National Park Service wants further review of an oil refinery proposed near North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park to see how emergency flaring could affect air quality. The Park Service's request is among about 11,000 emails received by the North Dakota Department of Public Health during a comment period for the refinery's air quality permit, which ended last week. Meridian Energy Group wants to build the Davis Refinery near Belfield, which is about three miles from the park. The health department is reviewing a permit for a refinery capable of processing 55,000 barrels of oil per day. An analysis by the National Park Service's Air Resources Division found that the refinery wouldn't significantly impact the park under normal operations, the Bismarck Tribune reported . But the Park Service said more evaluation is needed on the impact of flaring, which could significantly increase emissions. "Based on our analysis, emissions from the refinery could cause visibility impairment at Theodore Roosevelt NP under upset conditions when blowdown emissions are exhausted through the flares," the Park Service wrote in a letter. Wendy Ross, the park's superintendent, said the Park Service is also concerned about future impact if Meridian wants to expand. Meridian Energy Group has said it would be the "cleanest refinery on the planet." The Environmental Protection Agency has also been involved in the refinery's permit review process. The federal agency submitted technical comments and recommended that the health department analyze air quality impact from phase one of the refinery, which will process 27,500 barrels of oil per day. Terry O'Clair, director of the health department's air quality division, said reviewing and responding to comments and making a final recommendation will take about two months. Health officials said that the project's review process has been more rigorous than required because of public interest. ___ Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy commander says an Iranian naval patrol boat shined a laser at a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter flying over the Strait of Hormuz in what officials say was an unsafe encounter. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bill Urban says the Iranian vessel also turned its spotlight on two Navy ships that were moving through the strait on Tuesday. Urban, a U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman, says the Iranian boat came within 800 yards of the USS Bataan, scanned it from bow to stern with the spotlight and shined the light on the USS Cole. The helicopter automatically fired flares in response. Urban says the action was considered dangerous because shining lasers at a helicopter at night can impair pilots' vision and disorient them if they're wearing night vision goggles.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian ambassador in Malaysia says the body of a Hamas militant killed last week in Kuala Lumpur will be repatriated to the Gaza Strip for burial. Ambassador Anwar al-Agha said on Thursday that Egypt agreed to allow the body to be returned through its border with Gaza. Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman had appealed to Egypt to refuse the Palestinian request. The body is expected to arrive in Gaza on Thursday. Fadi al-Batsh, an electrical engineering lecturer at a Malaysian university, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle as he was on his way to a mosque early last Saturday. Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, described al-Batch as a "commander" in its military wing and accused Israel of assassinating him. Israel has not commented.

LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles says it is a "great joy" to be a grandfather once again, issuing a statement to express his pleasure with the arrival of a boy to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The 8-pound, 7-ounce (3.8 kilogram) boy was born Monday morning. The new prince is fifth in line to the throne and is a younger brother to 4-year-old Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who turns 3 next week. Charles said in a statement Tuesday that "it is a great joy to have another grandchild, the only trouble is I don't know how I am going to keep up with them." The birth is being marked by bell ringing at Westminster Abbey and a gun salute in London's Hyde Park.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III says it would be easy to dismiss the first year of President Donald Trump's presidency as "chaos" marked by partisanship and politics. But Kennedy says Trump has caused serious problems for the American people, including proposals that target Muslims, transgendered people and others. Kennedy, who is delivering the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union address, said in excerpts released early that the Trump administration "isn't just targeting the laws that protect us — they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection." In apparent reference to Trump, Kennedy says "bullies may land a punch" and leave a mark but have "never managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defense of their future." The 37-year-old Kennedy, a three-term congressman and grandson of former attorney general and senator Robert F. Kennedy, has argued that Democrats should focus on the economic worries of working-class voters who bolted the party in the 2016 elections. Kennedy was set to deliver the speech from a vocational high school in Fall River, Massachusetts, a onetime manufacturing hub now struggling with high unemployment and other problems. Fall River demonstrates the value of that message, he said: "Fall River has faced its share of storms. But people here are tough. They fight for each other. They pull for their city." Kennedy was elected to the House in 2012, returning the family to Congress two years after the retirement of Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the son of Joe Kennedy III's great-uncle Ted. Known mostly for his famous last name, Kennedy's selection has been criticized by some as tone-deaf at a time when sexual harassment of women and the Black Lives Matter movement are at the forefront of Democratic politics. Still, Kennedy outlined a Democratic vision, touting a "better deal for all who call this country home." Democrats support a higher minimum wage, paid leave for employees and affordable child care, among other priorities, he said. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Kennedy was an assistant district attorney in two Massachusetts districts before being elected to Congress. He has focused on economic and social justice in Congress and has advocated on behalf of vocational schools and community colleges and championed issues such as transgender rights and marriage equality. To illustrate that message, Kennedy invited U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King, a transgender woman, as his guest to the State of the Union. King, an infantry squad leader at Fort Lewis, Washington, was the first person to have gender reassignment surgery paid for by the military.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge who ordered a detained immigration rights activist facing deportation to be immediately released raised "grave concern" over the argument that he had been targeted because of his political activities, a concern also expressed by immigrants and their advocates over his and others' cases. During a hearing in Manhattan federal court on Monday over the detention of Ravi Ragbir, U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest asked a prosecutor what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had gotten out of detaining the activist. Ragbir has been fighting deportation for years following a wire fraud conviction and is executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, a coalition of 150 faith-based groups. Ragbir was taken into custody on Jan. 11 when he checked in with immigration authorities and was told that he was being detained. In her ruling, Forrest called his treatment "unnecessarily cruel" and ordered that he be immediately let out of detention. She also refused a government request to halt her order for a possible appeal. "It ought not to be — and it has never before been — that those who have lived without incident in this country for years are subjected to treatment we associate with regimes we revile as unjust, regimes where those who have long lived in a country may be taken without notice from streets, home, and work. And sent away." In a footnote, Forrest wrote, "The Court also notes with grave concern the argument that petitioner has been targeted as a result of his speech and political advocacy on behalf of immigrants' rights and social justice." Ragbir's lawyer, Alina Das, said in court papers that Scott Mechkowski, deputy field office director at the ICE office where Ragbir was detained, told her on Jan. 8 that he felt "resentment" about Ragbir's previously scheduled check-in on March 9. She said Mechkowski told her that he had heard statements that Ragbir had made to the press and that he continues to see him at prayer vigils outside his Manhattan office. She said he also expressed anger that elected officials accompanied Ragbir to his check-ins, and he asked why lawyers bother to include so many letters from the community in efforts to keep Ragbir in the country. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Waterman labeled the claim that Ragbir was targeted as "pure speculation" and said the government had seen no evidence in support of that contention. In a statement, ICE said it "does not target unlawfully present aliens for arrest based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make. Any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate." Immigrants and their advocates have been claiming in recent weeks that ICE is targeting those who speak out against detention and deportation, pointing to Ragbir and his group's co-founder, Jean Montrevil, who was deported to Haiti a couple of weeks ago. They also cite cases like that of Eliseo Jurado, the detained husband of an immigrant woman who is an activist and has claimed sanctuary from deportation in a church, and Maru Mora Villalpando, an activist and citizen of Mexico living in Bellingham, Washington, who said she got a letter from ICE putting her in deportation proceedings despite her not having any kind of criminal record. Ragbir's wife, immigration attorney Amy Gottlieb, said she was moved "by the judge's powerful language about what it means to live in a democracy." U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, a New York Democrat, said she hopes Ragbir will go to Washington for Tuesday's State of the Union address. Gottlieb had already accepted Velazquez's invitation. The citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, a legal U.S. resident since 1994, fought deportation after his Sept. 12, 2001, conspiracy and wire fraud conviction for accepting fraudulent loan applications while working at a now-defunct loan company. Placed into removal proceedings, he was detained nearly two years before his 2008 release. The U.S. Supreme Court refused legal relief in October 2011. Subsequent court efforts failed. His attorneys have filed other appeals, which have still to be decided.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The three-day miaohui (廟會) or temple festival held by the Bangka Qingshan Temple (艋舺青山宮) in which the King of Qingshan (青山靈安尊王) toured Taipei's Wanhua District, concluded on Saturday (Dec. 9). The annual Bangka Qingshan Temple festival started in 1905 and is one the three largest in the city of Taipei. The three-day pilgrimage, which includes both night and day patrols, is held to drive away evil spirits and honor the Taoist deity the King of Qingshan, who is said to have rid Wanhua of the plague hundreds of years ago. The god was originally brought with Chinese immigrants during the Qing Dynasty to Taipei from Quanzhou in Fujian province. The following are photos taken during the last day of the festival on Saturday. Bangka Qingshan Temple Eight General Retinue Female retinue that travel with Bajiajiang (Eight Generals). The incense that burns on the back of their heads signifies that they are possessed by a spirit. Living embodiment of King of Qingshan A young boy is selected to represent the living embodiment of the King of Qingshan. He is surrounded by the Bajiajiang, the temple's top guardians to protect him. Extremely rare sighting of the Yinyang diety. This is the first time he has appeared at the festival in 30 years. Qingshan Wang Wooden statue representing the King of Qingshan, which is paraded through the streets of Wanhua on all three days. Sedan which carries the King of Qingshan. Bangka Qingshan Temple The interior of the top floor of the Qingshan Temple. Each floor of the temple houses different deities, with the top floor containing the Jade Emperor. Dragon keeping watch on a roof of Qingshan Temple. Festival dancers To provide entertainment for the gods and to attract the younger generation, dancers in skimpy outfits on stage have become another attraction at the festival. Dancers tease the crowd members with the promise of a free poster to those who raise their hands. Young women dressed in revealing kimonos to also entertain the gods and attract attention. Bajiajiang Spiritual Warriors Procession of Bajiajiang as they prepare to perform. Video of nighttime ceremony shot by Erik Schicketanz on Dec. 8.

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid has denied reaching an agreement to sign France forward Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain. The Spanish club released a statement Wednesday calling reports of an agreement between Madrid and PSG "completely false." Madrid says it "has not made any offer to PSG or the player and condemns the spreading of this type of information that has not been proven by the parties concerned." The denial comes two days after Madrid dismissed a report that it had offered to buy Neymar from PSG for a world record transfer of 310 million euros ($360 million). It said the report by Spanish public broadcaster TVE was "absolutely untrue." PSG is under pressure from UEFA to raise cash from selling players. The French club needs to comply with "Financial Fair Play" rules which monitor overspending on transfers and wages. PSG spent a record 222 million euros ($260 million) last year to buy Neymar from Barcelona. UEFA warned the French champions three weeks ago they will "remain under close scrutiny" when they submit accounts for the financial year, which ended last Saturday. Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo hinted after the Champions League final that he may leave the Spanish club. He has not talked about his club future since joining Portugal for the World Cup. ___ More AP Spanish soccer coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/LaLiga

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Nominees for the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards, announced Thursday in Beverly Hills, California, by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association: MOTION PICTURES —Picture, Drama: "Call Me By Your Name," ''Dunkirk," ''The Post," The Shape of Water" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." —Picture, Musical or Comedy: "The Disaster Artist," ''Get Out," ''The Greatest Showman," ''Lady Bird" and "I, Tonya." —Foreign Language: "Fantastic Woman," ''First They Killed My Father," "In the Fade," ''Loveless" and "The Square." —Animated Film: "The Boss Baby," ''The Breadwinner," ''Coco," ''Ferdinand," ''Loving Vincent." TELEVISION —Series, Drama: "The Crown," ''The Handmaid's Tale," ''This Is Us," ''Stranger Things" and "Game of Thrones." —Series, Musical or Comedy: "black-ish," ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," ''Master of None," ''Smilf" and "Will & Grace." —Movie or Limited Series: "Big Little Lies," ''Fargo," ''Feud: Bette and Joan," ''The Sinner" and "Top of the Lake: China Girl." —Actor, Movie or Limited Series: Robert De Niro, "The Wizard of Lies." Jude Law, "The Young Pope," Kyle MacLachlan, "Twin Peaks," Ewan McGregor, "Fargo," Geoffrey Rush, "Genius," —Actress, Musical or Comedy: Pamela Adlon, "Better Things"; Alison Brie, "Glow"; Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"; Issa Rae, "Insecure" and Frankie Shaw, "Smilf." —Actor, Movie or Limited Series: Anthony Anderson, "black-ish"; Aziz Ansari, "Master of None"; Kevin Bacon, "I Love Dick"; William H. Macy, "Shameless" and Eric McCormack, "Will & Grace."

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—The Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration will launch the new Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Taiwan Tourist Shuttle line on June 1, with stops including the newly inaugurated Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Visitor Service Park and many other attractions along the Yilan coastline. The scenic area administration said on Thursday that the design of the Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Visitor Service Park is inspired by the area’s natural sand-dune landscape and is equipped with a visitor center, an exhibition center, and a “Forest of Tomorrow” shop. The service park, located by 149.3K, Provincial Highway 2, provides visitors with high-quality facilities and services, the scenic area administration said. In order for visitors to be able to visit the new visitor service park and other attraction along the Yilan coastline, the scenic area administration said it will launch the new Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Taiwan Tourist Shuttle line that connects Yilan Transfer Station with Toucheng Railway Station (Green 18) on June 1. Along the line, there are stops at many popular places and hot Facebook check-in spots, including Yilan Railway Station (Jimmy Square), Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Visitor Service Park, Yongzhen Seaside Park, the Dafu coastal recreation area, Toucheng Forest Park (the octagonal observation tower), Seaview Coffee, and Wushi Harbor, the agency said. Bus service operation hours are 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and the service frequency is a bus every 60 minutes on weekdays, and 30 minutes between buses on weekends and holidays, the scenic area administration said, adding that the bus fare is calculated on the basis of sections. The fare is divided into two sections, with the Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Visitor Service Park being the dividing point, and the fare for each section is NT$20, the agency said. In addition, five specially priced Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Line ticket packages, including the package for biking along the Yilan Coastal Bikeway, will be on sale, beginning June 7. For tourists who would like to visit the Yilan Coastal Bikeway, the launch of the Zhuangwei Sand-Dun Line is really great news. For more information, visit the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle official website. Jimmy Square by JerryLai0208 ​ The Zhuangwei Sand-Dune Visitor Service Park (Photo by the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration) ​

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a free speech fight over California's attempt to regulate anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. The case being argued Tuesday involves information required by a state law that the centers must provide clients about the availability of contraception, abortion and pre-natal care, at little or no cost. Centers that are unlicensed also must post a sign that says so. The centers say that they are being forced to deliver a message with which they disagree because their aim is to steer women away from abortion. California and abortions rights group that backed the law say its goal is to provide accurate information about the range of options facing a pregnant woman. The outcome also could affect laws in other states that seek to regulate doctors' speech. In Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin, doctors must display a sonogram and describe the fetus to most pregnant women considering an abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Similar laws have been blocked in Kentucky, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Doctors' speech has also been an issue in non-abortion cases. A federal appeals court struck down parts of a 2011 Florida law that sought to prohibit doctors from talking about gun safety with their patients. Under the law, doctors faced fines and the possible loss of their medical licenses for discussing guns with patients. In another lawsuit over regulating crisis pregnancy centers, a federal appeals court in New York struck down parts of a New York City ordinance, although it upheld the requirement for unlicensed centers to say that they lack a license. The abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice California was a prime sponsor of the California law. NARAL contends that the centers mislead women about their options and try to pressure them to forgo abortion. Estimates of the number of crisis pregnancy centers in the U.S. run from 2,500 to more than 4,000, compared with fewer than 1,500 abortion providers, women's rights groups said in a Supreme Court filing. California's law was challenged by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, an organization with ties to 1,500 pregnancy centers nationwide and 140 in California.

SAO PAULO (AP) — A new poll shows former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva enjoying a strong lead ahead of the Oct.7 presidential elections despite his recent conviction on corruption charges. The Datafolha poll published Wednesday is the first since an appeals court last week upheld a corruption conviction against da Silva — a decision likely to knock him out of contention. The survey finds that if da Silva is allowed to run, would get between 34 and 37 percent of votes in the first round. That's a comfortable lead over second-place right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro, with 16 to 18 percent of the vote. In a second round, da Silva would defeat Bolsonaro by 49 to 32 percent. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

LONDON (AP) — A Cambridge University professor at the heart of the Facebook privacy scandal says that the former CEO of data firm Cambridge Analytica lied to a British parliamentary committee investigating fake news. Academic Aleksandr Kogan's company, Global Science Research, developed a Facebook app that vacuumed up information from users as well as additional data from their Facebook friends. Ex-employees of Cambridge Analytica say the company used that data from millions of users to help Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign. The company denies the charge. Kogan told Parliament's media committee Tuesday that Cambridge Analytica's ex-CEO, Alexander Nix, lied in his testimony on their work together. When asked by committee chair Damian Collins about Nix's testimony that none of his data came from Global Science Research, Kogan said, "That's a fabrication."

MAYA BAY, Thailand (AP) — Once a pristine Thai paradise, mass tourism has exhausted the secluded bay made world famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach." Now it's to get some respite from the daily influx of dozens of boats and thousands of visitors unsuccessfully scrambling for an unspoiled view of glistening white sands and emerald waters. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh Island in the Andaman Sea will close to tourists for four months from Friday to give its coral reefs and sea life a chance to recover from an onslaught that began nearly two decades ago. Thai authorities have promoted unfettered tourism but now claim to be striving to balance profit and conservation. They say the closure will happen every year.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Officials say rescuers are searching for up to six people still missing after landslides killed at least 141 in southeastern Bangladesh. Fire department deputy director Jasim Uddin said Thursday that all of those still missing were in the worst-hit region of Rangamati. Elsewhere, the government turned its focus to providing food and other aid to some 4,500 people whose homes were swamped by mud and debris unleashed in the landslides Tuesday. With power cut off since Tuesday in the remote, hilly region, information was slow to trickle out.

All Times Eastern NASCAR COKE ZERO SUGAR 400 Site: Daytona Beach, Florida. Schedule: Thursday, practice, 2:05 & 4:05 p.m. (NBCSN); Friday, qualifying, 4:10 p.m. (NBCSN); Saturday, race, 7 p.m., NBCSN. Track: Daytona International Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles). Race distance: 400 miles, 160 laps. Last year: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won after starting sixth. Last race: Kyle Busch took the checkered flag at Chicagoland for the fifth time in 2018. Fast facts: Busch and Kevin Harvick each have five wins in their first 17 starts of the season. That's only happened one other time since 1977, as Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson had five victories by this point in the season in 2010. ...The last six races at Daytona have been determined by less than a half-second, and a 2007 race was the third closest since the inception of electronic scoring and timing. Jamie McMurray beat Kyle Busch by 0.005 seconds 11 years ago. ... William Byron leads Bubba Wallace by 37 points in the rookie of the year standings. Next race: Quaker State 400, July 14, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky. Online: http://www.nascar.com ___ XFINITY COCA-COLA FIRECRACKER 250 Site: Daytona Beach, Florida Schedule: Thursday, practice, 1:05 & 3:05 p.m. (NBCSN); Friday, qualifying, 2:10 p.m. (NBCSN), race, 7:30 p.m., NBCSN. Track: Daytona International Speedway. Race distance: 250 miles, 100 laps. Last year: William Byron won at Daytona, his second straight victory. Last race: Kyle Larson won at Chicagoland from the pole. Fast facts: The last six series races at Daytona have produced six different winners. ...JR Motorsports has taken first in five of the last nine events at the track, including Tyler Reddick earlier this season. ...Cole Custer is atop the series standings for the first time in his career. Custer is three points ahead of Daniel Hemric and four points better than Elliott Sadler. ...Justin Haley will make his series debut in the No. 23 Chevrolet for GMS Racing. Next race: Alsco 300, July 13, Kentucky Speedway. Online: http://www.nascar.com ___ CAMPING WORLD TRUCK Last race: Brett Moffitt won for the second time in three starts at Chicagoland. Next race: Buckle Up in Your Truck 225, July 12, Kentucky Speedway. Online: http://www.nascar.com ___ VERIZON INDYCAR IOWA CORN 300 Site: Newton, Iowa Schedule: Saturday, practice, 11:15 a.m., qualifying, 3:30 p.m. (NBCSN), practice, 6:45 p.m.; Sunday, race, 2 p.m., NBCSN. Track: Iowa Speedway (oval, 0.894 miles) Race distance: 268.2 miles, 300 laps. Last year: Former series star Helio Castroneves took first at Iowa. Last race: Josef Newgarden won for the third time in 2018 at Road America. Fast facts: Iowa will be the fourth oval race of the season. Newgarden (Phoenix), Will Power (Indianapolis) and Scott Dixon (Texas) won the first three. ... . Ryan Hunter-Reay is the only active driver to take first at Iowa more than once. He won in 2012, 2014 and 2015. ... No pole sitter has won in Newton in 11 tries. ... Matheus Leist took the Indy Lights race at Iowa in 2017 after starting 10th. Next race: Honda Indy Toronto, July 15, Streets of Toronto, Toronto. Online: http://www.indycar.com ___ FORMULA ONE BRITISH GRAND PRIX Site: Silverstone, England Schedule: Friday, practice, 5 & 9 a.m.; Saturday, practice, 6 a.m., qualifying, 9 a.m.; Sunday, race, 9:10 a.m. Track: Silverstone Circuit (3.66 miles). Race distance: 190.3 miles, 52 laps. Last year: Lewis Hamilton won from the pole on his home track. Last race: Max Verstappen won his first race of the season in Austria. Fast facts: Hamilton, Valterri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo were among six drivers whose races ended early last week. Those issues helped shake up the standings, with Sebastian Vettel vaulting over Hamilton for first place. But Vettel's lead is by just one point (146-145). ... McLaren racing director Eric Boullier resigned this week after the team notched just four points in the last four races. Next race: German Grand Prix, July 22, Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany. Online: http://www.formula1.com ___ NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS Site: Epping, New Hampshire. Schedule: Friday, qualifying, 5 & 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 2 & 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, finals, 3:37 p.m. Track: New England Dragway Last year: Brittany Force won in New Hampshire in early June 2017. Last race: Blake Alexander claimed his first career win in Top Fuel in Ohio. Fast facts: Alexander qualified 12th and beat Antron Brown, Tony Schumacher and Leah Pritchett before entering his second career final round, where he took down Terry McMillen. ... Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also claimed victories in Norwalk two weeks ago. It was the second win of the season for Hagan, a two-time world champion. Next race: Mile High Nationals, July 20-22, Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado. Online: http://www.nhra.com ___ OTHER RACES WORLD OF OUTLAWS: Friday & Saturday; FVP Platinum Battery Showdown, Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wisconsin. Online: http://www.woosprint.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Harri Sateri stopped 32 shots for his first career victory, and the Florida Panthers beat the New York Islanders 4-1 Tuesday night. Mike Matheson, Evgenii Dadonov, Keith Yandle and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Florida, which snapped a three-game skid and improved to 3-6-1 since closing December with five straight victories. Sateri was making his fourth start with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer sidelined by lower-body injuries. The 28-year-old rookie, who spent the previous three seasons in the KHL, made his NHL debut Jan. 2 at Minnesota and came in 0-3-0 with 4.59 goals-against average. Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders, who have lost four of their last six. Jaroslav Halak, starting for the sixth straight game and 15th in the last 17, finished with 36 saves.

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Walmart and DoorDash today announced they are teaming up to help expand the retailer’s popular Online Grocery Delivery option beginning with the Atlanta metro area. DoorDash and Walmart will broaden their work together in more markets in the coming months as the retailer expands to reach more than 40 percent of U.S. households with delivery by the end of the year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005088/en/ “We’re connecting all the parts of our business to create a shopping experience like no one else can. With the expansion of our Online Grocery Delivery program, customers can have great items at everyday low prices delivered to their door with the click of a button,” said Greg Foran, president and CEO, Walmart U.S. “With the help of DoorDash, we’re delivering the best of Walmart to customers in Atlanta and beyond.” DoorDash, along with Walmart’s team of more than 18,000 personal shoppers, will bring delivery to thousands of customers in Atlanta allowing them to shop for and have fresh groceries without ever leaving their couch. Personal shoppers must complete a three-week training program learning how to select the freshest produce and the best cuts of meat for Online Grocery customers. “Our work with Walmart marks DoorDash’s official launch beyond restaurant delivery,” said DoorDash’s Chief Operating Officer, Christopher Payne. “We look forward to expanding across the country, enabling Walmart customers everywhere to spend more time doing the things they love.” Walmart Grocery Delivery brings customers the convenience of shopping when and where they want for quality, fresh produce, meat, seafood and bakery items, along with pantry staples, consumables and seasonal general merchandise. To use delivery, customers in Atlanta place their orders online at Walmart.com/grocery or on the existing Walmart Grocery App, switch to the Delivery tab, and select a delivery window at checkout. After orders have been picked by Walmart’s personal shoppers, a DoorDash “Dasher” retrieves the order from a Walmart store and delivers it right to the customer during their specified delivery window. Groceries can be delivered to customers as soon as the same day. Walmart’s Online Grocery Delivery carries a simple $9.95 fee and a $30 minimum order - no subscription, no price markups. Customers can get their first order delivered for free with promo code FRESHCAR with a $50 minimum order. The retailer also offers an Online Grocery Pickup service that allows customers to order their groceries online and pick them up in stores without ever getting out of their cars. The service, which has become a customer favorite and touted as a “Grocery Hero” for moms on the go and time-strapped families, is now available in 1,200 stores, nearly 30 in Atlanta, with 1,000 more to be added this year. About Walmart Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 270 million customers and members visit our more than 11,700 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2018 revenue of $500.3 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. About DoorDash DoorDash is a technology company that connects customers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 650 cities across the United States and Canada. Founded in the summer of 2013, DoorDash empowers merchants to grow their businesses by offering on-demand delivery, data-driven insights, and better in-store efficiency, providing delightful experiences from door to door. By building the last mile delivery infrastructure for local cities, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time. Read more on the DoorDash blog or at www.doordash.com. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005088/en/ CONTACT: Walmart Inc. Molly Blakeman, 800-331-0085 news.walmart.com/reporter or DoorDash Becky Sosnov Becky@doordash.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ARKANSAS GEORGIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DISCOUNT/VARIETY ONLINE RETAIL RETAIL SUPERMARKET SOURCE: Walmart Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 08:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 08:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005088/en

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the plans tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball is working to finalize a two-game series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at London's Olympic Stadium on June 29-30 in 2019, the sport's first regular-season games in Europe. The Red Sox have the option of having both games be Boston home games, the person familiar with the planning said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because no announcement had been made. Baseball officials have long hoped for games on London and settled last year on Olympic Stadium, which is in its second season as home of West Ham of the Premier League. Because it originally was built for a 400-meter track, it is wider than other large stadiums in the London area and can best accommodate the dimensions of a baseball field. MLB chose the June window because it is after the Premier League season and before the stadium must be made available for summer track and field events. MLB hopes to make an announcement within the next two months. Each player would get $60,000 for participating in the games, according to the collective bargaining agreement. MLB is playing regular-season games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Monterrey, Mexico, this year. Baseball opened its season at Monterrey in 1999 (Colorado vs. San Diego); the Tokyo Dome in 2000 (Chicago Cubs-New York Mets), 2004 (Tampa Bay-Yankees), 2008 (Boston-Oakland) and 2012 (Seattle-Oakland); and at Sydney, Australia in 2014 (Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona). The collective bargaining agreement had a provision for a 2019 opener in Toyko. Additional regular-season games were played at Monterrey in 1996 (San Diego-Mets); and at San Juan in 2001 (Toronto-Texas), 2003-04 (a total of 43 Montreal home games) and 2010 (Mets-Florida Marlins). ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

WASHINGTON (AP) — GOP aide: No lawmakers injured in accident involving train carrying members of Congress to Republican meeting .

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Latest on the fatal house fire in Cleveland that killed two children and two adults (all times local): 9 p.m. Authorities have located the bodies of all four victims of a house fire in Cleveland. Fire officials and family members say a 3-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, the boy's 46-year-old father and the man's 44-year-old nephew were in the house when the blaze broke out overnight Tuesday and were unable to escape. Crews needed heavy equipment to take apart and stabilize the heavily damaged home before it was safe to go inside and search for the victims. By late Tuesday night, officials had announced that all four victims had been found. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. ___ 5:05 p.m. Fire investigators have recovered the bodies of three people who died in a Cleveland house fire and are continuing to search for a fourth victim. The city's fire chief says the search has been hampered by heavy damage to the home that first made it unsafe for firefighters to look for the victims. Investigators and family members say a 3-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, the boy's 46-year-old father and the man's 44-year-old nephew were in the house when the fire started overnight Tuesday. Firefighters say the mother of one of the children escaped by jumping from a second-floor window. A fire department spokesman tells Cleveland.com that the woman said she and her husband tried but couldn't get to the children. A cause of the fire hasn't been released. ___ 1:30 p.m. Fire investigators say a heavily damaged home where two children and two adults are missing after an overnight fire in Cleveland is too dangerous to search. A fire department spokesman says construction equipment will be used to take apart the home and make it safe for firefighters to search inside. He says search crews will be careful not to disturb any potential evidence that could help determine what caused the fire. Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped by jumping from a second floor window early Tuesday morning. Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing. The fire department spokesman tells Cleveland.com that the woman who survived said she tried but couldn't get to her children. ___ 11 a.m. Investigators are using cadaver dogs to search through a Cleveland home where two children and two adults are missing after an overnight house fire. Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped the fire early Tuesday morning by jumping from the home on the city's east side. She was taken to a hospital, and information about her condition wasn't immediately released. Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing. There was no immediate word on what caused the fire. A relative of a man who was in the house says investigators told her they are checking for signs of arson. Firefighters say the blaze caused severe damage, hindering their ability to search the charred home. ___ 6:45 a.m. Authorities say two children and two adults are unaccounted for after an overnight house fire in Cleveland. Firefighters say a woman believed to be the children's mother escaped the fire early Tuesday morning by jumping from the home on the city's east side. She was taken to a hospital, and information about her condition wasn't immediately released. Investigators say a 4-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, their father and another man are missing. Firefighters say the blaze caused severe damage, hindering their ability to search the charred home. There was no immediate word on what caused the fire. The state fire marshal's office will help investigate.

NILES, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2018--Johnson & Quin, a recognized name in full-service direct mail production and mailing services, announced that Jim Onorato has joined the company as National Sales Director. Onorato will be responsible for new business development and fostering relationships with accounts in a variety of vertical markets throughout the country. Onorato has extensive experience working with corporate clients in a variety of industries to develop strategic marketing plans for printing and direct mail programs. He has developed practical, cost-effective marketing solutions that meet client response and financial objectives. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en/ Jim Onorato (Photo: Business Wire) Onorato has worked with many leading marketing services and technology companies including Vision Integrated Graphics Group, SG360° (a Segerdahl Company), RT Associates, Inc. and others throughout his extensive career in print and direct mail. He has been responsible for customer acquisition and retention, as well as sales leadership and strategic business development. “Jim brings extensive knowledge in digital print technologies, direct mail and multi-channel marketing services to provide our clients with innovative marketing and communications solutions. Our sales team looks forward to working with Jim to identify new business opportunities and develop solutions here at Johnson & Quin. We have made significant investments in high speed color inkjet, color digital printing and high-speed production equipment. Jim will focus on presenting these exciting technologies and our secure, quality processes to clients and prospects,” said Andrew Henkel, Vice President of Sales at Johnson & Quin. “We are very excited to welcome Jim to the company.” About Johnson & Quin Johnson & Quin offers the latest production technologies including high-speed full color inkjet printing in combination with postal and mailing services to achieve the lowest postage and delivery costs. Johnson & Quin offers data services, other digital personalization and printing options, and certified data security. Johnson & Quin excels at high volume complex projects requiring personalized and variable data printing. For more information see www.j-quin.com, or find Johnson & Quin on Twitter or Facebook. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en/ CONTACT: Johnson & Quin, Inc. Kay Wilt, 847-588-4549 Director Marketing Kwilt@j-quin.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ILLINOIS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMMUNICATIONS MARKETING OTHER COMMUNICATIONS SOURCE: Johnson & Quin Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 05/30/2018 04:52 PM/DISC: 05/30/2018 04:52 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530006472/en

Super Rugby-winning coach Chris Boyd will leave the Wellington-based Hurricanes at the end of the tournament to join England club Northampton as its director of rugby. Boyd, who is also a former coach of the New Zealand Under-20s, was seen as a possible future All Blacks coach but has chosen to join an exodus of top New Zealand coaching talent to overseas clubs. He follows Dave Rennie, who won two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs and is now coaching in Scotland, and Jamie Joseph, who guided the Highlanders to a maiden Super Rugby title, and is now coaching Japan. Boyd said it was tough to leave the Hurricanes after four seasons "but the opportunity at Northampton presented an exciting new challenge that was too good to pass up."

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's 2018 elections will come into clearer focus Tuesday, the deadline for candidates to file for top offices such as governor, Congress and the Legislature. Next is a 3½-month slog to the August primary, followed by the general election in November. For Democrats, 2018 is make or break — a chance to take back power from Republicans who fully control the governments in Lansing and Washington, D.C. For the GOP, it is an opportunity to defy historical and cyclical trends that suggest trouble for the president's party in midterm elections despite Donald Trump's surprise Michigan victory in 2016. A look at the key races: ___ GOVERNOR Second-term Gov. Rick Snyder's impending departure under term limits has led four Republicans and three Democrats into a battle to follow him. The GOP field includes three candidates with elective experience — state Attorney General Bill Schuette, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and state Sen. Patrick Colbeck — and one newcomer, Dr. Jim Hines. Calley is running on Michigan's economic turnaround under Snyder's watch, while rival Schuette is touting a proposed income tax cut and his support from President Donald Trump. The conservative Colbeck bills himself as an anti-special interest candidate with "principled solutions," while Hines is the non-politician outsider. The Democratic side features former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer and two candidates who have never held elective office: businessman Shri Thanedar and ex-Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed. Whitmer says her legislative experience is needed to fix roads and schools neglected by Republicans. Thanedar is spending millions of his own money as Snyder did and hopes his rags-to-riches immigrant story resonates. El-Sayed, a young doctor and public health expert who would be the country's first Muslim governor, is refusing corporate campaign money and touting liberal issues such as Medicare for all and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. ___ SENATE Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is up for re-election after coasting to victory in her two previous re-election campaigns. Her Republican opponent will be John James, an African-American Iraq War veteran and executive in his family's logistics business, or Sandy Pensler, a business turnaround expert whose investment group owns four manufacturing plants. Pensler has given $5 million to his campaign and said unlike the GOP nominees who lost to Stabenow in 2012 and 2006, "I haven't been in politics before." He says that he has the money to hold Stabenow "to her record, which is not a good one for Michigan." James said he can broaden the party to include millennial and minority voters. "This seat will not be bought. It must be earned," he said. Outside spending will depend on the national battle for control of the Senate, where the map favors Republicans but the national climate favors Democrats. ___ HOUSE Democrats need to pick up at least 24 seats to take control of the House for the last two years of Trump's first term, and some key targets are in Michigan. They include the GOP-leaning 11th District in suburban Detroit, where Rep. Dave Trott is retiring. At least five Republicans and three Democrats had filed as of noon. Another competitive seat is the 8th, which stretches between the northern Detroit suburbs and Lansing and is represented by Republican Rep. Mike Bishop. Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who had U.S. intelligence, national security and defense roles during the Obama and Bush administrations, must first win a primary against progressive Michigan State University professor Chris Smith to advance. Former Rep. John Conyers' resignation and the approaching retirement of Rep. Sandy Levin have sparked a number of Democrats — including their sons — to jump into primaries that will decide the long-time lawmakers' successors, given they are Democratic-heavy seats. In the 9th District in suburban Detroit, Levin's son Andy will face two other Democrats. In the 13th, which includes parts of Detroit and western Wayne County, candidates include Conyers' son John and state Sen. Coleman Young II — the son of the former Detroit mayor. Many more were expected to file by day's end. ___ Online: List of who has filed: http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/candlist/2018PRI_CANDLIST.html ___ Follow David Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/David%20Eggert

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Olympic Committee says its athletes are overwhelmingly in favor of competing at the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics. Sofia Velikaya says the ROC athletes' commission, which she chairs, has heard from "all the athletes in all sports" on the Olympic program, with a majority in favor of competing. Velikaya says no athletes have told the ROC they would rather boycott and adds "at the current moment, everyone's training and everyone's hoping to take part in the Olympics." The International Olympic Committee last week barred the Russian team from the Olympics because of doping offenses at the 2014 Sochi Games, but is allowing Russians to compete under a neutral flag as "Olympic Athletes from Russia."

The figure skating contingent from Canada, at 17 strong the largest of any nation, intends to lead its country into the Winter Olympics next week in ways both literal and figurative. The literal: Two-time ice dance medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, one of the favorites to win gold, will carry the maple leaf flag into Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. The figurative: With three ice dance couples, three pairs, three women and two men, the Canadians are podium threats in all four disciplines, not to mention heavy favorites in the team event. "I'm so impressed by the depth of this team," said Isabelle Charest, the Canadian chef de mission and a three-time Olympic medalist in speed skating. "There are so many strong contenders and we have tremendous hope for them heading into the games." The hope is grounded in some accomplished resumes. Virtue and Moir, the reigning world champions, are a good place to start. The eight-time national champions were unbeaten all of last season and have put up huge marks to their Rolling Stones-inspired short program and their equally mesmerizing free dance set to music from "Moulin Rouge!" They'll be joined in the ice dance competition by the teams of Piper Gilles-Paul Poirier and Kaitlyn Weaver-Andrew Poje, the latter two-time world championship medalists. "We've grown up together," Moir said, "and it's going to be a special moment to take the ice with them and go for gold. We're looking forward to embracing the Olympic spirit." Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who took silver at last year's Four Continents on the same Olympic ice, give the Canadians a medal contender in the pairs event. The teams of Julianne Sequin-Charlie Bilodeau and Kirsten Moore-Towers-Michael Marino also will compete. While all eyes in the women's event will be on Russian stars Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova, Canadians Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman are nearly as formidable. They finished second and third behind Medvedeva at last year's worlds in Finland. And rising star Larkyn Austman will have her first Olympic experience. "In 2014, Canada didn't have any medal contenders at the Olympics," Osmond said, "and you almost forget that Gabby and I finished second and third (at worlds) last year. "It's exciting that we're able to send three women to the Olympics, especially because we haven't done it in many years." Olympic silver medalist Patrick Chan, a three-time world champion and two-time Grand Prix final champ, will be joined by Keegan Messing in a wide-open men's event. "I feel really good about my confidence for the whole team," Chan said. "After seeing how my teammates have done during the Grand Prix season, talking to Eric and Scott, it's been great. We have really great team energy." Figure skating historically has been an individual sport, even with the inclusion of a team event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics — where the Canadians finished second to Russia. But there is a strong sense of camaraderie within Team Canada, a close-knit feeling where everyone roots for everyone else. Even if they happen to be skating against them. Perhaps their nation's somewhat puzzling Olympic pedigree plays into it. Canada has won 25 medals in figure skating, one behind Russia for second most (the U.S. has 49). But only four of those have been gold, including the pairs medal that Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were forced to share with the Russian team after a scoring controversy at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Virtue and Moir have two of Canada's three ice dance medals, Barbara Ann Scott won its only ladies gold at the 1948 St. Moritz Games and the men have won five silver and four bronze but no gold. Chan was the latest, finishing behind Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu in Sochi. This could be Canada's big chance, though. Its sizeable stable, deep experience and the fact that it has contenders in every event could make "O Canada!" the soundtrack of the Olympics. It could also make its flag quite popular — especially after Virtue and Moir carry it for the opening ceremony. "The figure skating team is something else," Virtue said, "but Team Canada across the board is something fierce. It's great to be part of that."

The Detroit Pistons shook up their struggling roster in dramatic fashion, acquiring star forward Blake Griffin in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons announced the deal early Tuesday morning. Detroit sent forward Tobias Harris, guard Avery Bradley and center Boban Marjanovic to Los Angeles, with the Clippers also receiving draft picks. Detroit also acquired forward Brice Johnson and center Willie Reed in the deal. "We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Blake Griffin is one of the NBA's elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it." Griffin is averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 33 games this season, but the Clippers have been plagued by injuries and are ninth in the Western Conference standings. Detroit is scuffling as well. The Pistons have lost eight straight heading into Tuesday night's game against Cleveland. The 28-year-old Griffin has been the face of the Clippers, and last July, he agreed to a $171 million, five-year deal, ending a brief flirtation with free agency. He told his teammates, coach Doc Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer, "I want my legacy to be a Clipper." The deal didn't include a no-trade clause. The addition of Griffin gives Detroit's frontcourt another standout alongside Andre Drummond, but it also represents a clear change in course from the roster the Pistons had assembled. Detroit acquired Bradley in a trade with Boston last offseason, but he's in the final season of his contract. Harris has been impressive for the Pistons this season, shooting a career-best 41 percent from 3-point range. "The move is not without risk. We gave up a lot to get him, including Tobias Harris — one of the hardest-working, highest-character players I know — and two high-quality young men in Avery Bradley and Boban Marjanovic," Gores said. "But we are very excited to bring Blake Griffin to Detroit. He is a great fit for our team and will bring a combination of toughness and athleticism that will elevate our team and excite our fans." Detroit's season was looking promising until a late-December injury to point guard Reggie Jackson. The Pistons have stumbled while he's been out with a sprained right ankle, and the team is facing the prospect of missing the playoffs in its first season at its new downtown arena. Detroit's next six games are at home, so the Pistons will have a chance to turn this season around — and an opportunity to build for a future with both Griffin and Drummond. "His presence will help us offensively and his size gives us another rebounder and weapon in the paint," said Stan Van Gundy, Detroit's coach and team president. "Willie Reed and Brice Johnson are two young players that give us size and depth." For the Clippers, moving Griffin continues a makeover of a franchise that has never made it past the second round of the playoffs. The Clippers traded All-Star point guard Chris Paul to Houston last summer. He had been credited with bringing respectability to the team that was once the laughingstock of the league. Without Paul, Los Angeles won its first four games to open the season, and then lost nine of its next 11. The team is one game above .500 going into Tuesday night's game against Portland. Paul's replacement, Patrick Beverley, has missed the entire season after right knee surgery. Also missing time have been DeAndre Jordan, Danilo Gallinari, Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic. Los Angeles receives a protected first-round draft choice and a second-round pick from the Pistons. The Clippers drafted Griffin first overall out of Oklahoma in 2009. However, he missed the 2009-10 season after surgery on his broken left kneecap, the first of several injuries that have marred his career. Griffin missed 21 games last season and 47 in 2015-16 because of injuries. As a rookie, he was an All-Star, won the slam dunk contest and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He has averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his career. Even before the Pistons announced the deal, there was plenty of reaction on social media Monday night. Harris had a message on his accounts thanking Detroit for its support. Griffin's Twitter account had its own message with no words — just an image of actor Will Smith with a surprised expression on his face. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball ___ Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ___ AP Sports Writer Beth Harris contributed to this report.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The U.S. has added the leader of Hamas to its list of international terrorists, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic militant group. State Department counterterror official Nathan A. Sales told a Tel Aviv conference that Ismail Haniyeh is now considered a "specially designated global terrorist." The designation freezes any assets Haniyeh may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bars Americans from any financial transactions with him. The U.S. already considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Wednesday's announcement steps up U.S. opposition to the group, which has killed hundreds of Israelis and has fought three wars with Israel since taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007. Hamas says the designation will not deter it from opposing Israel. Other Hamas officials, including the group's Gaza leader, are also on the list.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — David Goffin saved a match point to defeat Marcel Granollers of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 Tuesday in the second round of the Barcelona Open. Goffin was down 5-1 in the second set before recovering to reach the third round for the second consecutive year in Barcelona. The fourth-seeded Belgian will play either Leonardo Mayer of Argentina or Karen Khachanov of Russia. Ecuador Open champion Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain defeated Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria 6-2, 6-4 to set up a second-round encounter with 10-time champion Rafael Nadal. Sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic will play his second-round match against Slovak Martin Klizan, who defeated Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4. Tour veteran Feliciano Lopez of Spain defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a second-round match, while Malek Jaziri of Tunisia beat American Ernesto Escobedo 6-4, 6-3.

NEW YORK (AP) — Comedy Central's Jordan Klepper is planning a slumber party for young activists pushing for action on gun control Klepper plans to host Thursday's episode of his show, "The Opposition," from a bedroom of a private home in Bethesda, Maryland. That's where young people are gathering in preparation for Saturday's March For Our Lives on Washington to oppose gun violence. Klepper took special interest in the issue even before he began hosting the show last fall. He did several stories on gun control when he was part of "The Daily Show." He plans to stay in character, as a right-wing conspiracy theorist, as he interviews the activists.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A person in a small town in northern Taiwan saw a street person dredging up foods from a dirty kitchen leftovers bin on the street and his strong sympathy for the street person had prompted a wave of support from netizens and police. Now the street person surnamed Chan has been brought home by his family after they were alerted by the story on social media. A man of Tongsiao Township, Miaoli County surnamed Yang said he saw a street person dredging up foods from a leftovers bin on the street to eat in cold weather on December 8. As he couldn’t bear to see somebody living in such a wretched condition as eating dirty leftovers, he went to buy a box of braised pork rice, miso soup and soybean drink and gave the foods to him for free, hoping him not to eat leftovers again. Yang even went as far as to take it to Tongsiao townspeople’s Facebook fan club to urge townspeople to give the street person a helping hand if they see him on the street. Yang’s post has gone so viral that thousands of people clicked the Like button and that some people brought over noodles, bread and drinks they bought and gave the foods to Chan in relay fashion so he could have three meals a day. Bakery owner Wu Chieh-hung (吳杰紘) said that he saw the post on the internet and learned that Chan seemed to be physically handicapped and was also not good at expressing himself, so he sent Chan bread and cakes the store made so he could have something to eat at any time. Tongsiao police chief Chou Kuo-ping (周國平) said on Monday that besides the crowdsourcing, police officers were worried about him living on the street, so they went to look for him and brought him back to the police station. It happened that Chan’s family were alerted by the messages on Facebook, so they came from Changhua and brought him back home, Chou added. Chan’s family told police that Chan was unsociable and ran away very often, which made the family members very concerned about him. However, Chan’s family expressed their hearty thanks to Tongsiao’s police and people for their great help. The local police chief praised the help of the internet as well as the warm local community, saying that in less than 36 hours, Chan not only got great help from sympathetic townspeople but also went home safely.

Taipei, Feb. 3 (CNA) Dialogue between the Holy See and China, especially regarding the appointment of Chinese bishops, does not mean that the two countries will establish diplomatic ties, Archbishop of Taipei John Hung Shan-chuan said Saturday, commenting on media reports of a significant breakthrough in China-Vatican ties. Reuters reported Thursday that a framework accord between the two countries on the appointment of bishops in China was ready and "could be signed in a few months," citing an unnamed senior Vatican source. The report said that even a partial resolution of that contentious issue could open the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China. Speaking with CNA on Saturday, however, Hung dismissed those claims, saying that the potential for Beijing and the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations make headlines every year but never end up being true. Hung said the Holy See maintains diplomatic ties with countries based solely on shared values of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and Taiwan has been proactive in championing all those values. Taiwan has put in a lot of effort and money into the humanitarian initiatives spearheaded by the Vatican, and Pope Francis has reciprocated by showing similar care for Taiwan, Hung said. He said the Church would know if in fact something happening regarding the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Holy See, but currently there is no such information within the Church. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that the recent China-Vatican talks had nothing to do with politics, and that the Taiwan government would continue to strengthen its ties with the Vatican and monitor the situation in Beijing. China does not allow its diplomatic allies to maintain formal ties with Taiwan, which means that if the Vatican decides to switch sides, it would have to sever its diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (By Lee Ming-zong and Kuan-lin Liu)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Israel will retain security control over the Palestinians as part of any future peace deal, deepening Palestinian fears that Israel and the Trump administration are colluding on a proposal that will fall far short of their dreams of independence. Netanyahu's statement exposed a deepening rift that has emerged between the U.S. and Israel on one hand, and the Palestinians and the Europeans on the other, ahead of an expected peace push by the Trump administration. Those disagreements could complicate things for the U.S. team. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has distanced himself somewhat from the two-state solution — the outcome favored by the international community, including Trump's predecessors, for the past two decades. Instead, he has said he would support Palestinian independence only if Israel agrees. The European Union, meanwhile, along with the rest of the international community, remains committed to the two-state solution. These differences were evident at a meeting Wednesday between Netanyahu and the German foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel. In an awkward exchange, Gabriel said his country is "very much in favor" of the two-state solution. "I was very thankful to hear that of course also the government of Israel wants to have two states, but (with secure) borders," he said. Netanyahu broke in with a clarification. He said Israel's "first condition," would be to control security west of the Jordan River, an area that includes all of the West Bank, the heartland of the Palestinians' hoped-for state. "Whether or not it is defined as a state when we have the military control is another matter," he said. "I'd rather not discuss labels, but substance." That suggests Israel would prefer something most observers would more likely define as autonomy than independence — an arrangement that would have few if any equivalents in the world. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in 1967, for their state. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but it has settled over 600,000 people in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, making it increasingly difficult to partition the land. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians would not accept the presence of "one Israeli soldier" on sovereign Palestinian lands. "Either there will be full Palestinian sovereignty or there will be no security, no peace and no stability," he said. Advocates of the two-state solution, including Israel's opposition parties, have long argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential for Israel's own survival. Without a Palestinian state, they say that the number of Jews and Arabs under Israeli control will be roughly equal. Israel would then have to choose between granting millions of Palestinians citizenship, threatening the country's status as a Jewish-majority democracy, or turning into an apartheid-like state where Jews and Palestinians have different sets of rights. It is far from certain that Netanyahu's envisioned solution would ease international concerns over Israel's half-century occupation over the Palestinians. The Palestinians have long been suspicious of Trump's Mideast team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, due to their deep connections to Israel and years of support to the West Bank settlement movement. Those suspicions deepened after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last month. The Palestinians accused Trump of siding with Israel and said they would no longer accept the U.S. as a mediator. Palestinian officials now claim that Trump's team is working with Israel on a plan that would give them a mini-state in roughly half of the West Bank, with Israel retaining overall security control, as well as control over Jerusalem and its holy sites. Final borders and the fate of Israel's dozens of settlements would be decided later. The officials say a third country with close ties to the U.S. recently presented details of the proposal. When they tried to negotiate improvements, they say they were told it was a "take it or leave it" plan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a classified diplomatic issue. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials have said recently that the White House is still working on its proposal, and have refused to say when it might be unveiled. On Wednesday, European officials urged the administration not to go it alone. "Any framework for negotiations must be multilateral and must involve all players," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in Brussels. "Nothing without the United States, nothing with the United States alone." At an academic conference in Tel Aviv, Gabriel, the German foreign minister, expressed grave concern for Israel's future, saying the government's ambivalence toward a Palestinian state showed a lack of direction and suggesting that Trump's unflinching support wasn't necessarily in Israel's best interest. Gabriel said that in Europe "there is clearly growing frustration with Israel's actions," and asked Israelis: "How do you want Israel's future to look like? Are you prepared to pay the price of perpetual occupation?"

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Army veteran who was shot during a confrontation inside a Veterans Affairs clinic in Oregon where he went to seek help for mental problems was in jail Tuesday, charged with attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and other crimes. Gilbert "Matt" Negrete allegedly displayed a knife Thursday after arriving at the clinic in White City, where he had an appointment. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said VA police tried "less-lethal force options" to disarm Negrete before one of the officers fired, hitting him in the chest. Negrete, 34, was flown to a hospital in nearby Medford. No one else was injured. Negrete was released from the hospital Saturday and is in the county jail with bail set at $250,000, Deputy District Attorney Laura Cromwell told The Associated Press. Negrete was arraigned Monday via a video hookup from jail, Cromwell said. He is being provided with a public defender. Authorities will convene a grand jury later this week which will determine whether to indict Negrete, Cromwell said in a telephone interview. She anticipates that his attorney will urge the grand jury to take Negrete's military history into account. At least five of seven jurors must concur for the case to move forward. The grand jury will also review the police officer's actions. A grand jury is convened every time there is an officer-involved shooting in the county, Cromwell said. Negrete's service record, obtained by The AP from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, shows that Negrete served in Iraq for one year starting in October 2008 and then in Afghanistan from October 2010 to August 2011. He was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, which the government says is issued for a soldier who "distinguished himself or herself by meritorious service or achievement ... while serving in a non-combat area," as well as more routine medals and ribbons. He was in the Army from February 2008 to December 2011 and the Army Reserve from September 2012 until February 2016, and reached the rank of private first class, the service record said. Negrete's wife, Alyss Maio, from whom he is estranged, told the Mail Tribune newspaper of Medford that he was a helicopter electrician, diagnostician and technician with the 10th Mountain Division and received an honorable discharge. She said she first noticed Negrete's mental health problems after he returned from Iraq. "He wasn't like this before he deployed," she said. "Within 30 days of his coming home, it was very clear he had changed." Negrete's father, Gilbert, said he drove his son to the VA clinic to get treatment for paranoid delusions that led him to believe he was being monitored and watched, the Mail Tribune reported. "We've been trying to get him in there forever," the father said. "I didn't take him there to get shot." He described his son's knife as a paring knife. "It's a tiny little knife, but I'm sure to them it looked huge," he said. The sheriff's office said Negrete had a run-in with the law days before he was shot. Police arrested Negrete on Jan. 23 on charges of driving under the influence of a controlled substance and attempting to elude police. He was released from jail the following day due to overcrowding. The sheriff's office said a man believed to be Negrete then tried to get his car from an impound lot and allegedly threatened an employee with a knife. The next day he came for his appointment at the VA clinic. ___ AP investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this story. ___ Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2018--Lighting Science ®, the global leader in human-centric lighting solutions, announced today the launch of the international versions of its GoodDay ® A19, GoodNight ® A19, and Sleepy Baby ® LED bulbs, and the offering of these products in the UK market. These popular LED lighting products will be available for both consumer and commercial sale beginning in May 2018, through a partnership with the premier UK distributor, Target Holdings UK Ltd. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en/ For 30 years, Lighting Science has been pioneering human-centric LED solutions for varying environments, from residential and educational, to workplace and healthcare. Target Holding’s recognition and understanding of the existing LED market in the UK, and of the increased demand for healthy lighting in all channels and verticals of this market, has led to a natural partnership with Lighting Science. This partnership combines the technology and products of Lighting Science with the channel knowledge of Target Holdings to engage a market that is poised to embrace healthy lighting. “As wellness trends become more popular in the UK, Europe and globally, we are committed to bringing our products to end-users in these geographies,” said Khim Lee, President of Lighting Science. “We are excited to team up with Target Holdings, whose focus is on educating the consumer about the science behind our top-performing human-centric products. This partnership confirms the growing traction that Lighting Science products are gaining worldwide.” Lighting Science’s team of experts were the first to develop patented technologies in collaboration with NASA to support the circadian rhythms of astronauts on the International Space Station. Using these proprietary engineered spectrum technologies, the GoodDay ® A19, GoodNight ® A19, and Sleepy Baby ® bulbs promote increased productivity, performance and focus during the day and a more restful sleep at night. These products will be available online for immediate delivery across Europe through three channels - via Lighting Science at www.amazon.com.uk, through Target Holdings UK at www.targetholdings.co.uk, and through the Optoguard label at www.optoguard.co.uk. “We are excited to team up with Lighting Science to bring their healthy LED lighting solutions to our commercial and residential customers in the United Kingdom,” said Simon Parslow, Sales and Marketing Director of Target Holdings Limited. “We are looking forward to addressing the rapidly growing human-centric lighting market in Europe.” Following the online launch in May, Lighting Science products will be available through large-scale consumer retail channels in the UK and, over time, across Europe. About Lighting Science Lighting Science is a global leader in innovative LED lighting solutions that designs, manufactures and brings to market advanced, intelligent products for consumer and commercial applications. Lighting Science is creating biological, horticultural and urban lighting solutions with products such as GoodNight ®, GoodDay ®, and Sleepy Baby ® LED bulbs and the groundbreaking horticulture light, the GroBar ™. Lighting Science has won numerous awards, including several Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Sustainability Awards, Edison Awards, Sapphire Awards, and an IES Illumination Award. For their patented technology products, Lighting Science won Popular Science Magazine’s 2016 Best of What New Award, Architect’s Newspaper Best Products of 2016, and Architectural Record 2016 Product of the Year. They have more than 400 patents to date, and are experimenting with new uses for LEDs ranging from air purification to enhancing vision. Lighting Science is headquartered in Rhode Island, with research and development facilities in Florida. Learn more at www.lsgc.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Lighting Science Blog. About Target Holdings Formally known as Clarity Vision Limited, Target Holdings (UK) Limited has been born out of a management buyout in January of 2013. Combining the strengths of the existing management team, and bringing former members back into the fold, Target Holdings is well placed to offer a complete product supply solution. The company offers product development and sourcing, warehouse and logistics, sales and distribution and disposal stock planning. Customers of Target Holdings can work with selected divisions or take advantage of a complete turnkey supply chain solution. Learn more at www.targetholdings.co.uk. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en/ CONTACT: Lighting Science Alexandra Polier,alex@whatisyourdna.com Rachel Frank,rachel@whatisyourdna.com 917-693-2768 KEYWORD: UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES EUROPE NORTH AMERICA RHODE ISLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BUILDING SYSTEMS HOME GOODS INTERIOR DESIGN RETAIL CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE SOURCE: Lighting Science Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/24/2018 06:00 AM/DISC: 04/24/2018 06:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180424005656/en

PHOENIX (AP) — Rookie forward Josh Jackson matched his career best with 21 points, T.J. Warren added 20 and the Phoenix Suns snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Dallas 102-88 on Wednesday night, handing the Mavericks their fifth loss in a row and eighth in nine games. Phoenix backup point guard Isaiah Canaan broke his left ankle in a gruesome injury late in the first quarter. Marquese Chriss added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Suns, who beat Dallas for the fourth time in a row dating to last season. After missing Monday night's game in Memphis with bruised ribs, Devin Booker was back starting at point guard for Phoenix and scored 15 points. Dennis Smith Jr. scored 17, Harrison Barnes 15 and Dirk Nowitzki 14 for the Mavericks, who shot just 36 percent. Booker opened the game with a 3-pointer and Phoenix never relinquished the lead. Danuel House made two 3s and Canaan and Jared Dudley one apiece in a 12-2 run that put the Suns up 35-14 with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. The Mavericks cut it to single digits twice, once to eight points and once to nine, in the second quarter and were down 57-46 at halftime. Phoenix dominated the third period, leading 81-58 after Troy Daniels' 3-pointer with 2:20 left. The Mavericks cut it to 91-84 on Smith's 3-pointer with 3:17 to go but Booker responded with a three-point play to put Phoenix up 94-84. Dallas never got it to single digits again. Canaan was driving to the basket when he was fouled by Wesley Matthews with three seconds left in the first quarter. Canaan's ankle gave way on a hard, awkward landing, and his left foot was pointing in the wrong direction as his body tumbled to the floor. As trainers rushed to Canaan, there were groans from the crowd and looks of shock from his Phoenix teammates, some of whom covered their eyes or looked away. He was sitting up as he was rolled out of the arena on a stretcher. Canaan, in his fifth NBA season, was signed Dec. 13 after being waived by Houston in October. TIP-INS Mavericks: Matthews shot 2 of 17. ... Nowitzki played 27 minutes and is 32 shy of becoming the sixth player in NBA history to play 50,000 minutes in the regular season. ... Nowitzki's 1,462 career points in 70 regular-season games against Phoenix are fifth-most by any player against the Suns in their history. Suns: The 88 points scored by Dallas matched a season low for a Phoenix opponent. ... The four-game winning streak over Dallas is the Suns' longest against the Mavs since winning nine in a row from 1997-99. ... Chriss missed the previous game with a sprained ankle. ... The Suns set the NBA record on Monday in Memphis with a 3-pointer in their 1,109th consecutive game and made it 1,110 on Wednesday. Dallas previously held the record of 1,108. UP NEXT Mavericks: At the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. Suns: Host the Utah Jazz on Friday night. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Space Age hand-me-downs are soaring to a whole new level. On Tuesday, SpaceX plans to launch its first rocket for NASA. The unmanned Falcon 9 — last used in June — will carry up a Dragon capsule that's also flown on a previous space station supply run. NASA's International Space Station manager, Kirk Shireman, says the risk of launching a recycled rocket is about the same as for a brand new one. He says he'll be just as anxious as he always is at every launch. As before, the first-stage booster will attempt to land back at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This will be the first launch in more than a year from Launch Complex 40. The pad was ruined when a SpaceX rocket exploded during testing in September 2016.

DEARBORN, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--EnvisionTEC, a leading global manufacturer of desktop and full-production 3D printers and materials, today revealed a hardware update to its family of large-frame 3D printers that allows them to deliver best-in-class resolution. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en/ At RAPID + TCT, the premier event for 3D printing in North America, EnvisionTEC will be showcasing the potential of its 3SP family of 3D printers. A new hardware upgrade allows the large frame models to deliver XY resolution of 25 microns, a precision level equivalent to about half the cross-section of a human hair. (Photo: Business Wire) EnvisionTEC will now offer XY resolution of 25 microns ― equivalent to about half the cross-section of a human hair — in two of its largest 3D printers: The Vector UHD 3SP, with a build area of 300 x 200 x 275 mm (11.8 x 7.9 x 10.8 in.) The Xede UHD 3SP, with a build area of 457 x 457 x 457 mm (18 x 18 x 18 in.) The improved performance is made possible with a new FPGA (field-programmable gate array) control that allows EnvisionTEC to turn its laser on and off in the Y scanning direction with lightning-fast speed. “With this hardware upgrade, EnvisionTEC can now offer the same level of resolution in our 3SP family that we are known for with our Perfactory printer family,” said CEO Al Siblani. A demonstration board 3D printed on a Vector UHD 3SP will be on display this week in Fort Worth, Texas, at Rapid + TCT, the premier event for 3D manufacturing in North America. EnvisionTEC will also be showcasing other new 3D printer and material innovations in Booth 1304. The recent hardware upgrade makes 3SP printers an ideal choice for applications requiring high accuracy, fine detail or ultra-smooth surfaces, such as medical devices, parts with fluidic chambers, tooling for molds, large investment casting patterns and detailed prototypes. About 3SP Technology Launched in 2013, EnvisionTEC’s patented 3SP (Scan, Spin and Selectively Photocure) technology uses a unique laser-based process to cure photopolymers in a large vat. While conventional SLA systems use an expensive solid state laser to draw out parts layer by layer, often reflecting the beam off galvo mirrors in a large build area, the 3SP approach is simple and efficient. A multi cavity diode laser is reflected off a spinning mirrored drum that can efficiently scan across a very large vat to cure material. Essentially, the laser draws in straight lines in the Y direction, with the beam simply turning on or off to cure the necessary shape as the complete laser assembly moves in the X direction. A white paper detailing how 3SP is superior to SLA for manufacturing and production can be found at EnvisionTEC.com/learn3SP. Adoption of 3SP continues to grow as knowledge about the technology and portfolio of materials expands. The 3SP line is popular among dental laboratories printing large volumes of dental models, but users also include manufacturers in a variety of industries, including medical devices, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods and more. About EnvisionTEC EnvisionTEC is a leading global provider of professional-grade 3D printers and materials. Founded in 2002 with its pioneering commercial DLP printing technology, EnvisionTEC now sells 3D printers based on six distinct technologies that build objects from digital design files. The company’s premium 3D printers serve a variety of medical, professional and industrial markets, and are valued for accuracy, surface quality, functionality and speed. EnvisionTEC’s intellectual property includes more than 140 pending and granted patents. Learn more at EnvisionTEC.com. View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en/ CONTACT: EnvisionTEC Sarah A. Webster, +1-313-888-4460 swebster@envisiontec.com KEYWORD: AUSTRIA UNITED STATES EUROPE ASIA PACIFIC NORTH AMERICA CANADA MICHIGAN GERMANY SWITZERLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION HARDWARE OTHER TECHNOLOGY HEALTH DENTAL MANUFACTURING AEROSPACE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING CHEMICALS/PLASTICS ENGINEERING OTHER MANUFACTURING SOURCE: EnvisionTEC Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 08:00 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 08:01 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005316/en

HONOLULU (AP) — A former congressman from Hawaii says he's leaving the Republican Party because of President Donald Trump and the failure of fellow party members to stand up to him. Charles Djou (duh-JOO') represented Honolulu in the U.S. House from 2010 to 2011. He wrote in an opinion piece published in Civil Beat on Monday he's disturbed that the Republican Party under Trump has become hostile to immigration. Djou lamented Trump's desire to launch a trade war, treatment of veterans like Sen. John McCain and recitation of conspiracy theories. Djou says he's most disappointed by "the failure of the GOP to clearly and consistently condemn Trump's childish behavior." He says this leads to an "implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump's undisciplined, uninformed and unfocused leadership." The White House didn't immediately comment.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Darian King, a qualifier from Barbados, knocked off No. 5 seed Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday in the first round of the Memphis Open. King, ranked 140th in the world, dropped just 12 points in 10 service games and never faced a break-point situation against the 32nd-ranked Tomic. Other first-round winners Tuesday included No. 7 seed Steve Darcis of Belgium, Ryan Harrison of the United States and Matthew Ebden of Australia. Harrison won 6-3. 7-5 over Russia's Konstantin Kravchuk to advance to a second-round matchup with No. 3 seed Sam Querrey. Darcis won 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 over Radu Albot of Moldova. Ebden rallied from a break down in each of the last two sets to beat Canada's Peter Polansky 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1 in a matchup between two qualifiers. Ebden won the last six games of a match that featured a total of 14 service breaks.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Temperatures are set to dip below 10 degrees Celsius in Taiwan after Friday as the island will be struck by the strongest cold snap of this winter so far, according to meteorologist Wu Der-rong's (吳德榮) weather forecast. A bitter cold snap will grip the country all week due to a cold air mass coming in from the north, following a sunny Sunday. The temperature is forecast to plummet to 11 degrees Celsius in Taipei City and to 9 degrees Celsius in wide open spaces in northern and central Taiwan, reaching the level of a strong continental cold air mass. A stronger cold air mass is expected to follow over the next weekend, which may send mercury down to 10 degrees Celsius or lower, Wu added. According to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB), the temperature on Tuesday is expected to hover between 14-18 degrees Celsius in northern Taiwan, 14-20 degrees in the central region, 16-18 degrees in Yilan, 17-23 degrees in the eastern region, and 15-23 degrees in the south. The CWB weatherman Lee Meng-shuan indicated that the temperature in northern Taiwan will likely hover between 14-16 throughout the week until Friday, with occasional precipitation on the windward side of the island, expected in the northern and central regions.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The 55-nation African Union appears to have decided to react diplomatically and strategically to President Donald Trump's alleged vulgar remarks about the continent. Rather than issuing an angry condemnation of Trump's reported comments in which he likened Africa to a filthy toilet, the African Union may decide to follow the advice of its new chairman, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, to deal with the U.S. president as the leader of a country elected by his people. Kagame made the remarks Monday as the annual summit, which was attended by more than 40 African leaders, drew to a close. Kagame spoke at the African Union after meeting Trump last Friday in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum. "I've met the President of the United States . but the President of the United States is Trump," Kagame told reporters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. "For me the most value is to meet the President of the United States. When the United States decides to give us Trump as their president, we will deal with that president." Many African leaders were outraged by Trump's alleged rude comment about the continent. Trump has said he didn't use such language, while others present say he did. But the fury appears to have been muted by a letter sent by Trump to African leaders in the past week in which he said he "deeply respects" the people of Africa. Trump also pledged that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make an "extended visit" to the continent in March, his first in that role. "President Trump wrote a letter through the (AU) Commission and to the Chairperson addressing the heads of state of Africa wishing them every success and stating how he is ready to collaborate with Africa," said Kagame. Trump called Kagame a "friend" when they met at the World Economic Forum. Many in Africa were taken aback by Trump's rude toilet comment after nearly a year of little attention to Africa by the U.S. president's administration. U.S. diplomats have scrambled for days to address the shock and condemnation after the reports of Trump's remarks. Trump's letter and Kagame's careful response seem to have calmed things down. Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, toned down his stance in a press conference with journalists on Monday. The previous week he said "Africa cannot keep quiet" about Trump's "shocking" remarks. But Monday he would only say African leaders had received a "letter of correspondence" from Trump and "we've taken due note of it." Another controversy at the African Union summit was over the report in the French newspaper, Le Monde, that China spied on the organization's headquarters from 2012 to 1017. Chinese officials quickly rejected the report. "It's a sensational and total preposterous accusation. It's so absurd," said Kuang Weilin, China's representative to the African Union, who said he suspects the report was intended to harm China's relations with Africa. The African Union's headquarter in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, was built as a gift by China to Africa at a cost of more than $200 million. The main building is 100 metres (328 feet) high and is currently the tallest building in Addis Ababa. Also at the African Union summit, it was announced the organization has launched a new aviation deregulation scheme. The plan calls for a full liberalization of air market access between African states and the elimination of restrictions on ownership of airlines and full liberalization of air frequencies. The move is intended to promote cheaper air travel between African countries.

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan has signed Argentina forward Lautaro Martinez from Racing. The Serie A club paid a reported 22 million euros ($25.7 million) for Martinez, with the player penning a five-year contract. The 20-year-old Martinez turned down an offer from Real Madrid in order to get more playing time at Inter, according to his agent. On Wednesday, Martinez said: "I expect to adapt quickly to a new type of football. It's very different from Argentine football, but I think Serie A will be very important for me to continue improving and will add other qualities to my game." Martinez is one of his country's top talents and scored 18 goals in 28 appearances last season. He was included in Argentina's preliminary list for the World Cup but did not make the final squad.

NEW YORK (AP) — Guillermo del Toro's 'The Shape of Water' leads Golden Globes nominations with 7 nods .

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on investigations into contacts between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. (all times local): 9:31 a.m. Rep. Adam Schiff, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says there is nothing in a classified Republican memo on the Russia investigation that vindicates President Donald Trump. He says Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the committee chairman, is pushing a "misleading narrative" to undermine the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign was involved. Schiff says, "This is not about the facts." He says Trump also incorrectly claimed to be vindicated last year when Nunes shared evidence with the White House of a "vast unmasking conspiracy" that allegedly involved Obama officials inappropriately making requests to uncover the identities of Trump campaign officials in intelligence reports. Schiff spoke at an event sponsored by the news site Axios. ____ 9:10 a.m. A White House spokeswoman says she is not aware that President Donald Trump has seen a classified memo on the Russia investigation that he favors releasing. Trump was overheard Tuesday night telling a Republican lawmaker he is "100 percent" in favor of releasing the memo. He spoke on the House floor after his first State of the Union address. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on CNN Wednesday morning that she was not aware Trump had seen the memo, adding that he had not "prior to and immediately after" the address. Sanders said a legal and national security review into the memo continues. The memo purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and Justice Department in the Russia investigation. It has sparked a political fight pitting Republicans against the FBI and the Justice Department. __ 2:02 a.m. The White House says it will give a controversial memo connected to the Russia election meddling probe a legal and national security check before President Donald Trump decides whether to release it. Yet Trump was overhead at Tuesday night's State of the Union address telling a Republican lawmaker that he is "100 percent" in favor of releasing the memo. Television cameras captured the exchange as Trump was leaving the House chamber. Republicans say the memo reveals improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department, a description Democrats dispute. The memo arrived at the White House on Monday after the House intelligence committee brushed aside opposition from the Justice Department and voted to release it. Under committee rules, the president has five days to object to its release.

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 23, 2018--Cookie lovers rejoice – SONIC ® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC) is blending the classic all-American combination of creamy ice cream and decadent cookies into one delicious Shake. Part of SONIC’s favorite Summer Nights event, guests can now savor SONIC’s new Cookie Jar Shakes ™ for half-price after 8 p.m. every night. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en/ SONIC’s new Cookie Jar Shakes are blending the classic all-American combination of creamy ice cream and decadent cookies. (Photo: Business Wire) Perfectly blended with SONIC’s famous Real Ice Cream, there is a Cookie Jar Shake to satisfy any sweet tooth. Making every chocoholic’s dream come true, the Chips Ahoy ® Choco Chunky Chocolate Shake blends crumbled Chips Ahoy Choco Chunk Cookies with rich chocolate syrup. The Oreo ® Caramel Shake takes the classic Oreo cookie up a notch with the addition of irresistible caramel syrup. The Nutter Butter ® Banana Shake elevates the childhood favorite combination of peanut butter and banana to dessert perfection, blending Nutter Butter cookie pieces with fresh banana. All SONIC Shakes are finished with an inviting swirl of whipped topping and a cherry. “What’s better than adding sweet, crunchy, classic cookies onto creamy, delightful ice cream? Hand-mixing those cookies with our Real Ice Cream for an all new flavor experience,” said Scott Uehlein, vice president of product innovation and development for SONIC. “We reached into the cookie jar to come up with these Shakes, punching up the flavor of these classic cookies – Chips Ahoy, Oreo and Nutter Butter – with the addition of rich chocolate, sweet caramel and fresh banana to give our guests something that is both familiar and distinct at the same time.” SONIC’s Cookie Jar Shakes are available for a limited time only **, so guests will need to hurry over to their local drive-ins to enjoy this delicious treat any time of day, or half-price after 8 p.m. every night during the SONIC Summer Nights event. **For a limited time only at participating SONIC® Drive-Ins. See menu for details. About SONIC, America's Drive-In SONIC, America's Drive-In is the nation's largest drive-in restaurant chain serving approximately 3 million customers every day. Nearly 94 percent of SONIC's 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. For 65 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC's Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated $9.5 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning in their students. To learn more about Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC's Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit LimeadesforLearning.com. SONC-M View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en/ CONTACT: For SONIC Drive-In Rebeka Mora, 512-542-2804 Rebeka.Mora@Cohnwolfe.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA OKLAHOMA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RESTAURANT/BAR RETAIL FOOD/BEVERAGE SOURCE: SONIC Drive-In Copyright Business Wire 2018. PUB: 04/23/2018 07:55 AM/DISC: 04/23/2018 07:55 AM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423005237/en

BOSTON (AP) — Dave Dombrowski wanted to make sure he and Alex Cora were on the same page, so the Red Sox boss sent off an email for his new manager's approval. The response: A thumbs-up emoji. Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland never did that. "He's a good emoji texter," Dombrowski said with a laugh this month as the team turned its thoughts toward spring training. "He's very good with the thumbs-up. My children, they help me out at times." A native of Puerto Rico, Cora is already a pioneer as the first minority manager in the history of a franchise that was the last to field a black player. But he's also a new kind of Red Sox dugout boss: One of the youngest managers in franchise history, giving him a unique chance to connect with his players. "He's not too far removed from actually playing the game. He's played — actually, personally — with some of my teammates now," Boston outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. said. "I think it's going to be a great combination of old school and new school. He's learned from the past, and he's going to be able to put his own twist on things." Still just 42 and in his first major league managerial job, Cora is no newbie. His shaved head shows the stubble of a receded hairline, with some gray around the temples picked up during a 14-year career spent with six big-league teams. As a member of the Red Sox from 2005-08, he was a part of the franchise's 2007 World Series title and was teammates with current second baseman Dustin Pedroia. (He also overlapped with first baseman Mitch Moreland for about five days with the Rangers in 2010.) It's this that made him an intriguing choice to replace John Farrell, who was fired last fall at the age of 55 despite leading Boston to the first back-to-back AL East titles in franchise history. Farrell's predecessor, Bobby Valentine, was 62 for his lone season in Boston; you'd have to go back to Kevin Kennedy, who was 41 when he was hired in 1995, to find a younger Red Sox skipper. "I'm 42. I'm young," Cora said at the team's Christmas festival in December. "You'll see me around with my backpack and sneakers and jeans. I'm going to live my life. ... Nothing has changed. I went home and (it was) shorts, sandals and a T-shirt." Speaking to reporters before the awards dinner for the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America this month, Cora seemed completely at home in a knit hoodie and low-top Converse All-Stars. He mingled cheerfully with his players, then looked equally at home at the dinner in a sport coat and tie. "He has the ability to communicate with the younger players, just the ability to talk to them," said Dombrowski, who was the youngest general manager in the game when he took over the Montreal Expos at the age of 31 — three decades ago. "He has that respect," Dombrowski said. "He knows how to handle them. He's been in the game a long time, and he's done everything in the game." Cora has been retired as a player less than six years, after failing to make the St. Louis Cardinals in spring training in 2012. He remained in the game, working as an analyst for ESPN, and spending two years managing his hometown team, Caguas, in the Puerto Rican winter league. He has also served as the club's general manager for five years. In winter ball, Cora said, "For some reason, I wasn't the manager I wanted to be. I was very serious, very strict with the guys. I don't think they had fun with me, and I didn't have fun myself. "I promised myself," he said, "when the opportunity came, I was going to enjoy it." As a bench coach for the Houston Astros last season, Cora was reminded how much fun baseball — especially winning baseball — can be. While the franchise was on the way to its first World Series title, Cora interviewed for and landed the Red Sox job. "We play a sport that a lot of people feel is a grind. I was one of them when I played," he said. "But last year I went through it, and it was fun. It wasn't a grind. It's a good atmosphere to work. That starts from the inside out." But it can't all be fun and friendships. Though not as young as Cora when he was on the Boston bench, Terry Francona prized his ability to communicate with his players and manage the clubhouse personalities as well as the game. He won two World Series with the Red Sox — including the cathartic 2004 title with the fun-loving "idiots" like Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar and "Manny being Manny." But the nature of the team had changed by 2011, with high-priced free agents retreating to the clubhouse during games for fried chicken and beer. Francona lost his team — and, after an unprecedented September collapse, his job. "Obviously, there's a line. They need to understand that I'm the manager, they're players," Cora said. "But at the end of the day, we're human beings. During the day, there's probably more conversations about life than baseball. ... To connect with players is very important." Dombrowski has hired his share of old-timers, like Buck Rodgers and Leyland (twice). He brought La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager, in as a special assistant, and Ron Roenicke, who has 27 years of coaching experience, in as a bench coach. Dombrowski expects their experience to balance out Cora's youth. "You can be young and not be communicative," he said. "But I think in Alex's case he's a very good communicator. There are only pluses." And if Cora gives the players some slack, outfielder Andrew Benintendi said, he won't regret it. "I think we all hold ourselves accountable and know when it's time to buckle down," said Benintendi, who is 23 and coming off a season in which he placed second in the AL rookie of the year voting. "Obviously, he's the manager. He makes the call. But I think he'll still keep it light, keep it fun." Less than a month before spring training, Cora was still figuring out what he would say to his new team and how the clubhouse would be run. But there's one rule he plans to drop on his players: Don't call him "Skip" — Alex or A.C. would be better. That doesn't mean he's not flexible. Since becoming a bench coach with the Astros, Cora has replaced the usual fortysomething music on his phone with songs his players might be listening to. "Just to connect is the thing," Cora said, "so that I'm speaking the same language as them."

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A spokesman for Poland's Navy says that three Russian-made submarine signaling missiles have been found in recent days at different locations on Poland's Baltic Sea beaches. Speaking from a from a Navy base in Gdynia, Cmdr. Radoslaw Pioch said Wednesday the missiles came from a submarine type Kilo, made in Russia. They were found at two locations on the Hel Peninsula and on the Sobieszewska Island, within the Bay of Gdansk area that borders Russia's Kaliningrad region with its military port. Sappers have removed two of them and are searching for the third one. It was not clear when they got to the beaches but could be a remainder from exercise, Pioch said. Signaling missiles are fired by emerging submarines when they want to mark their location.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in an upscale suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the country's second largest city in just over two months, an occasion ominously known as "Day Zero." The prospect that large sections of South Africa's showcase city, famously perched near two oceans, might go without running water has induced anxiety as well as resolve among its nearly 4 million residents. It has attracted scrutiny from scientists and city managers worldwide who also face the dual challenge of ballooning populations and shrinking resources. This would be the world's first major city to go dry. "There are a lot of people who have been in denial and now they suddenly realize this is for real," said Shirley Curry, who waited to fill a plastic container with spring water from one of several taps outside a South African Breweries facility in the Newlands suburb. Security guards made sure people took only an allotted amount (25 liters maximum in one line and 15 liters in another "express" line). However, things were more freewheeling at a nearby spring water source with no oversight. Mayor Patricia de Lille this month threatened to fine those who use too much water and said the city can no longer ask people to comply: "We must force them." The spectacle of people scrounging for water could become more common as "Day Zero" approaches in Cape Town, whose natural beauty has made it a coveted spot for international visitors. While the city urges people to restrict water usage, many living in poor areas already have limited access to water. They use communal taps in gritty neighborhoods such as Blue Downs on the Cape Flats, where people washed clothes outside and carried buckets of water to shack dwellings on a recent afternoon. Cape Town's leaders have instructed residents to use only 50 liters of water daily from Feb. 1, down from the current 87-liter limit. "Day Zero" is projected to arrive on April 12 but some fear it could come sooner, while others hope it won't happen if rationing works and rains eventually come. If "Day Zero" arrives, many people would have to go to collection points for a daily ration of 25 liters. Taps would continue to run in hospitals and provisions would be made for schools, some of which can pump water from boreholes. Communal taps in poor areas known as informal settlements likely would run to avoid the threat of disease. Some central and downtown areas could be exempt from the cut-off for the sake of tourism and business. While tourists are still welcome, tourism authorities urge them to flush the toilet as little as possible and "take a dip in the ocean instead of swimming pools, and maybe even spare yourself a shower." The water crisis is propelling Cape Town into the unknown, but the causes have been brewing for a while. Since around the end of white minority rule in 1994, the population has soared by about 80 percent, straining municipal infrastructure. Meanwhile, the region has endured several years of drought. Scientists at the University of Cape Town say man-made global warming may have contributed to the severe weather, and that similar droughts could be more common in the future. The average level of reservoirs that are Cape Town's main water source is currently about 27 percent, but the final 10 percent is considered unusable because of mud, weeds and debris at the bottom. Some residents are already complaining that silt in tap water makes it undrinkable. The city says it would have to turn off most taps if the average reservoir level falls below 13.5 percent. Theewaterskloof Dam, whose reservoir was once the city's biggest provider, is a startling sight. Large areas consist of sand and cracked earth. Boats used to moor against tires embedded in a wall near a yacht club, but now the water line is so low that the clubhouse is far from the dwindling lake. "This is a natural disaster of immense proportions," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition party that runs Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape province. The party says the national government, run by the ruling African National Congress party, has failed to deliver water to all municipalities as required by law. Nomvula Mokonyane, the water and sanitation minister, counters that the city should do more to crack down on people using too much water. For now, Cape Town residents are advised to limit showers to fewer than 90 seconds and use a bucket to collect the runoff and flush the toilet. Noel Borman, a resident collecting water, was asked about "Day Zero," if it comes. "I don't even want to be here," he said. ___ Follow Christopher Torchia on Twitter at www.twitter.com/torchiachris

WASHINGTON (AP) — A wide-ranging White House plan to combat America's opioid crisis contains a striking element: It calls on the Justice Department to seek the death penalty for some drug traffickers. Opponents call that a return to failed drug-war tactics, and some legal experts question its constitutionality and effectiveness. A look at President Donald Trump's proposal: WHAT IS THE PLAN? The push for greater use of the death penalty is just part of a sweeping plan that includes stiffer penalties for drug peddlers as well as expanding access to treatment and recovery efforts. It's in keeping with the Trump administration's tough-on-crime approach to the opioid abuse epidemic that claimed a record 42,000 people in the U.S. in 2016. Trump, who mused openly that countries like Singapore have fewer issues with addiction because they harshly punish drug dealers, said he wants the Justice Department to seek the "ultimate penalty" when possible. ___ CAN HE DO THAT? Maybe. Trump isn't proposing a new law, but is encouraging the Justice Department to enforce existing laws more vigorously. The Federal Drug Kingpin Act allows federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases when someone is intentionally killed during a drug deal or in furtherance of a drug enterprise. There are other federal laws that could potentially allow death penalty prosecutions of "kingpins" when large amounts of money and drugs are involved, even if there has not been a killing. But no administration, Democratic or Republican, has ever pursued and secured a death sentence under those laws. It's not clear that death sentences for drug dealers, even for those whose product causes multiple deaths, would be constitutional, said Doug Berman, a law professor at Ohio State University. He predicted the issue would be litigated extensively and ultimately settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. "The death penalty is uncertain as a constitutionally permissible punishment without that connection to an intentional killing," Berman said. Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, vowed to seek the death penalty under federal law "whenever appropriate" against drug dealers who "show no respect of human dignity and put their own greed ahead of the safety and even the lives of others." ___ HAVE ANY DRUG TRAFFICKERS EVER BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH? The Death Penalty Information Center lists 14 federal death row prisoners awaiting execution for drug-related crimes. They include Azibo Aquart, who was sentenced to death in 2012 for planning and participating in the deaths of a rival and two people living with her. There is also Orlando Hall, who was sentenced in 2007 for a drug-related kidnapping that ended in death. Dustin Honken was sentenced to die in 2004 for the killings of two children in a drug-related conspiracy in which three other people were also killed. ___ WILL MORE FEDERAL DEATH SENTENCES EASE THE DRUG EPIDEMIC? Trump believes so, but others are skeptical. Cornell Law School Professor John H. Blume said enforcement of the Federal Drug Kingpin Act tends to net poor minorities considered low- to mid-level drug dealers rather than kingpins whose products are fueling the drug crisis. Opponents said the approach resembles the drug war of the 1970s and '80s, when there was bipartisan agreement in Washington that the best way to fight crime was with long, mandatory prison sentences. That approach is now questioned by some conservatives as well as liberals. "I don't think there's any reason to believe that attempting to revive this policy and use it more effectively will be any more successful," Blume said, adding that death sentences are hard to win. Too few drug traffickers will be sentenced to death and executed to have a real deterrent effect, he said. "I don't think people out there who sell drugs are worried about, am I going to get the death penalty?"

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police say two women, including one in a wheelchair, have been found dead with gunshot wounds to their heads inside a Philadelphia home. Police say they were met by a person at the door of the home late Monday night. A 66-year-old woman in the wheelchair was found on the first floor, and a 44-year-old woman was found on the second floor. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. The person who let officers into the home is being questioned as a witness. No names have been released.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers saw their confidence rebound in April to a level close to the 18-year high it had reached two months ago. The Conference Board says its consider confidence index rose to 128.7 in April, up from a March level of 127.0. The March level was just below the 130.0 hit in February, which had been the highest since November 2000. The business research group's index measures consumers' assessment of current conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Economists believe the strength in confidence reflects a strong labor market, with unemployment at a 17-year low, as well as the impact of the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts approved in December, which began showing up in workers' paychecks earlier this year.

LONDON (AP) — Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal? Will Riyad Mahrez move to Manchester City? It's the final day of Europe's transfer window and there are potentially some big deals to be finalized, especially in the Premier League, where clubs have already spent a record amount in January. The most significant transfer could see Aubameyang join Arsenal for a reported 64.5 million euros ($80 million) in a move that would have a domino effect, with Dortmund needing a replacement and Arsenal looking to offload striker Oliver Giroud. Man City broke its transfer record to sign Aymeric Laporte for $80 million on Tuesday and could surpass that a day later if the Premier League leaders succeed in bringing in Mahrez from Leicester. No major signings are expected in Spain or France.

Poland and Israel have used full-page ads in German newspapers, including the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, to praise their countries' ties and comment on Poland's controversial Holocaust law. The so-called "joint declaration" begins by stating that "for 30 years, relations between our countries and peoples have been built on a solid foundation of trust and understanding" and goes on to say both nations are united by a "deep, long-lasting friendship" marked by "mutual respect for the identity and historical sensitivity of our tragic past." The ad was published in the name of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Poland's divisive Holocaust law The ad signals a warming of ties after tension had arisen between both countries over Poland's controversial Holocaust law. Passed in early 2018, the law instantly drew condemnation from Israel, the United States and Ukraine. It stipulated fines and jail sentences of up to three years for individuals who "publicly and in denial of the facts" blame Poles or the Polish state for carrying full or partial responsibility for crimes committed by Nazi Germany. Read more: Auschwitz: Evolution of a death camp and Holocaust memorial Critics feared the law would prevent Holocaust survivors and historians from researching the role that some Poles played in Germany's genocide against the Jews. Relations between Poland and Israel were so fraught that Netanyahu accused Poland of trying to rewrite history and possibly even deny the Holocaust. Six months later, at Morawiecki's behest, Poland revised the law and cut any reference to possible jail sentences. Why publish in the German press? That Poland and Israel would buy such an ad in the German press may, at first glance, appear surprising. But it isn't really, according to Manuel Sarrazin, a member of Germany's Green party who chairs the German-Polish parliament group. "It is important for Germany that Poland and Israel are on good terms," he said, adding that the ad indicates both sides have resumed friendly relations. He welcomed efforts from Poland and Israel to intensify their dialogue over their shared history. "In Germany, we need to realize that Poland's domestic debate [regarding the Holocaust] is also partly due to German media, which failed to distance itself from its own, revisionist portrayals of history," he said. German media has occasionally mistakenly referred to Nazi concentration camps in occupied Poland as "Polish death camps." The Polish-Israeli ad states that it is "clear the Holocaust represents an unprecedented crime committed by Nazi Germany against the Jews and all Poles of Jewish descent" and adds that Poland "has always shown it fully understands the significance of the Holocaust." But the ad also concedes: "We recognize that there were horrific acts committed by Poles against Jews during World War II, and we condemn every one of these." At the same time, the ad highlights the "heroic actions of many Poles," who risked their own lives to save Jews.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump warns Iran that restarting nuclear program will yield 'bigger problems' than ever before.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is distancing himself from his 2016 statements that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump is a "bully" who, if elected, would abuse the Constitution. Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island sought to use Pruitt's own words against him Tuesday during an oversight hearing, having an aide hold the quotes up on large signs. Pruitt made the comments in February 2016 while appearing on a conservative talk radio program in Oklahoma, where he served as the state's Republican attorney general. At the time, Pruitt supported Jeb Bush for the GOP nomination. Pruitt said he appeared on the show several times but did not recall making those specific comments, which he said he would not agree with now that he is serving in the Trump administration.

Here's an idea: Hand your teenagers hundreds of dollars in one lump sum and leave it up to them to manage the money for the next, say, six to 12 months. Anyone who's ever had or been a teenager may quail at the thought, but experts say this approach actually can work much better than a weekly allowance in teaching older kids about personal finance. "It gives them that all-important experience of managing their money," says Janet Bodnar, former editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and author of "Raising Money Smart Kids." ''The key is that kids have responsibility to go along with the money." The problem with weekly or even monthly allowances is that the cash simply comes too often. If your kid blows hers, she just has to wait a little while to get more. Less frequent lump sums, on the other hand, can teach teenagers how to plan and save for future expenses — two crucial habits they'll need to get ahead financially. Adults who plan ahead for large, irregular expenses are 10 times more likely to be financially healthy than those who don't, according to a study by the nonprofit Center for Financial Services Innovation. Those who have a regular savings habit are four times more likely to be financially healthy. Lump sums can teach teens the skills needed to develop those habits, says Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist for The New York Times and author of the book "The Opposite of Spoiled." Lump sums "train and test teens in self-restraint, in anticipating medium-term needs, in telling the difference between wants and needs, and in setting goals and priorities," Lieber says. "If you don't have more money coming for a while but a larger-than-usual pile in front of you, there will just be that many more and bigger tests of your will." We switched to the lump sum approach two years ago, when our daughter was still in middle school. I totted up what we'd spent on clothes for her in the previous year, added in a 10 percent fudge factor and plunked the money into her savings account just in time for back-to-school shopping. We told her the money needed to cover her clothing purchases for the next year, and that it was up to her to make sure it lasted. Which she did. She discovered her money went a lot farther at thrift and consignment stores than it did at the mall. She felt the pain of wasted money when an impulse purchase went unworn. She wrestled with whether to spend a huge chunk of her budget on Dr. Martens. (She eventually asked for them as her birthday present.) The keys to making this work: MAKE THE LUMP SUM BIG ENOUGH — BUT NOT TOO BIG. Skimping on the amount won't leave teens enough room to make choices, but giving too much means they won't face hard trade-offs. It's also important that the money be intended for necessities rather than "fun money." When our kids gets out in the real world, most of their paychecks won't be discretionary as they pay for rent, food, transportation, taxes and other needs. KEEP TALKING. The real value in any kind of allowance is the opportunity it gives you to talk about money. Our daughter had to ask us when she wanted some of the clothing money transferred from savings to her checking account or prepaid card. That gave us a chance to talk about what she was learning, the challenges and choices she faced and our own experiences learning to handle money. DON'T BAIL THEM OUT. What if they blow all their money in the first week, or outgrow their last pair of sneakers when their account is on fumes? Let them figure out a solution, such as getting a job or earning money doing extra chores, Bodnar advises. "You need to stick to your guns, which is hard as a parent," she says. If parents ride to the rescue, all the teenager learns is to look for the quick fix that avoids short-term pain. That kind of thinking leads to credit card debt, payday loans and repeated requests for bailouts even when they're adults. Better to take a hard line now than watch them fail later. "Teens will flunk these tests regularly, and we should cheer, internally at least, when they do," Lieber says. "The more they mess up while they still live with us and the consequences are relatively mild, the better." _______ This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet . Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of "Your Credit Score." Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com . Twitter: @lizweston. RELATED LINK: NerdWallet: Are you financially healthy? https://nerd.me/financial-health-quiz

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — As Alabama's high-profile Senate race heads toward a Tuesday vote, supporters and opponents of GOP candidate Roy Moore are bending the truth — or shattering it to pieces — in the campaign's final stretch. One website falsely proclaimed that one of the women who accused Moore of sexual misconduct had recanted. Another erroneously reported that a Moore accuser "forged" his yearbook inscription to her. On the other side, Moore's detractors took to social media to assert, erroneously, that Moore had written in a 2011 textbook that women shouldn't hold elected office. The Associated Press checked these out; here are the real facts: NOT REAL: BREAKING: Roy Moore's Lying Accuser Admits He Didn't Ever Touch Her THE FACTS: None of the women who accused the Alabama Republican Senate candidate of sexual misconduct, including two women who said Moore molested them, have backed off their initial claims. This fake headline is from a website, Reagan Was Right, which promotes hoaxes and satire. The woman featured in a photograph accompanying the story shows a British reality TV star, not any of the eight women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct. NOT REAL: Claims that Roy Moore authored a textbook in 2011 that says women shouldn't run for office THE FACTS: Moore is in fact a co-author of a "textbook" which serves as a study guide for a series of Bible-based video and audio lectures on U.S. law and public policy. The course packaging also identifies him as a "featured speaker." Despite claims spread on the web this week, however, Moore did not author the specific section or deliver the lecture that argues that women should not hold elected office. That talk was given by William Einwechter, an elder at Immanuel Free Reformed Church in Pennsylvania. Moore's office says he does not believe that women are unqualified for public office. NOT REAL: BREAKING: ROY MOORE ACCUSER ADMITS SHE FORGED PART OF YEARBOOK INSCRIPTION!!! THE FACTS: Moore supporters celebrated misleading news that Beverly Nelson, one of his accusers, admitted forging a 1977 yearbook inscription that was considered key evidence against the Alabama Republican. The inscription reads, "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say, 'Merry Christmas.'" It is followed by the signature "Roy Moore D.A." and the notation "12-22-77 Olde Hickory House." Nelson's attorney, Gloria Allred, said Friday that Nelson had added the date and restaurant name to the inscription. However, Allred also said that a handwriting expert found Moore's signature in the yearbook to be authentic. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report. ___ This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform. ___ Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck