LONDON (AP) — Denis Oswald declared his candidacy for IOC president Friday, becoming the fifth member and second European to enter the race to succeed Jacques Rogge.The 66-year-old Swiss lawyer and head of the international rowing federation sent a letter to IOC members announcing his decision."My 40 years … [Read more...]

LONDON (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says FIFA's new anti-racism task force will ask soccer's governing body next week to approve a mandatory five-match minimum ban for any player found guilty of racist abuse.The anti-racism task force is to report to the FIFA Congress in Mauritius next … [Read more...]

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Defending series champion Brad Keselowski believes he's still the fastest in Sprint Cup, even if his results four months into the season don't bear that out.Keselowski is winless and seventh in points heading into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night. He opened … [Read more...]

ATLANTA (AP) — Eighteen people were taken to the hospital Friday, one in critical condition, after they were hurt in a crash between a hotel shuttle bus and a tractor-trailer near Atlanta's airport, officials said.Atlanta Fire Rescue Department spokeswoman Janet Ward said the accident happened around 10:30 … [Read more...]

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — A truck hauling an oversized load of drilling equipment struck an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below. All three occupants suffered only minor injuries.It happened … [Read more...]

NEW YORK (AP) — News Corp. says its board of directors has approved plans to split its entertainment and publishing businesses into two separate companies.News Corp. also said Friday that the target date for the split is June 28. The company holding its TV and movie properties will be 21st Century Fox. The … [Read more...]

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A look at legislation passed in Turkey's parliament early Friday that would ban all alcohol advertising and tighten restrictions on the sale of such beverages, and how such a law could affect tourists and liquor companies in the mainly Muslim but secular country.Q: What happened?A: … [Read more...]

VIENNA (AP) — The European Union's arms embargo to Syria should be extended while a political solution is sought in its civil war and to maintain the safety of U.N. peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, Austria's foreign minister said Friday.Austria's 377 soldiers make up the largest contingent of the … [Read more...]

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — With the help of French special forces, Niger's military on Friday killed the last two jihadists holed up inside a dormitory on the grounds of a military garrison in the desert town of Agadez, and freed at least two soldiers who had been held hostage by the extremists, according to … [Read more...]

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber struck in the heart of the Afghan capital on Friday, sending a plume of smoke over Kabul in the second major attack in the city in little over a week, police said. The explosion was followed by an hours-long gunbattle in the central district.The Taliban claimed … [Read more...]