TOP STORY:
SOC--NEWCASTLE-MAN UNITED
NEWCASTLE, England — Manchester United's Premier League title charge was slowed by Newcastle, the leaders being held to a 0-0 draw to end a run of three consecutive wins. Moved.
NEW/DEVELOPING:
SOC--ITALIAN ROUNDUP
ROME — Inter Milan stayed on course for the only title it can still likely win this season by beating Roma 1-0 in the opening leg of the Italian Cup semifinals. Moved.
SOC--DUBAI-SPANISH CLUB
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Dubai business group announced it had purchased an undisclosed topflight Spanish football club to try and help promote the financially stricken Gulf city. Moved. By Michael Casey.
FOOTBALL:
SOC--COPA DEL REY FINAL
VALENCIA, Spain — Real Madrid can end its three-year silverware drought on Wednesday by beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final — the second of four meetings between the two sides in 18 days. Moved. By Paul Logothetis.
SOC--FRENCH ROUNDUP
NICE, France — Lille reached the French Cup final for the first time in 56 years after beating Nice 2-0 from goals by Eden Hazard and Gervinho. Moved.
SOC--ARSENAL OWNERSHIP
LONDON — Russian investor Alisher Usmanov has increased his stake in Arsenal despite American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke mounting a full takeover bid after securing a controlling stake in the Premier League club. Moved.
ALSO:
— BENALMADENA, Spain — BC-SOC--OCTOPUS ORACLE. Moved.
— ZURICH — BC-SOC--BLATTER-ELECTION. Moved.
— ALGIERS, Algeria — BC-SOC--DIOUF-GHADAFI. Moved.
— GLASGOW, Scotland — BC-SOC--SCOTTISH ROUNDUP. Moved.
— GENEVA — BC-SOC--NEUCHATEL-CHECHEN OWNER. Moved.
— SUNDERLAND, England — BC-SOC--SUNDERLAND-GORDON. Moved.
— BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — BC-SOC--BOCA JUNIORS-RIQUELME. Moved.
— DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — BC-SOC--ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUNDUP. Moved.
— WELLINGTON, New Zealand — BC-SOC--AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND. Moved.
RUGBY UNION:
RGU--WASPS-PLAYERS SUSPENDED
LONDON — Wales No. 8 Andy Powell has been suspended by Wasps along with teammate and England prop Tim Payne after an incident in a London pub left the backrower with a head injury. Moved.
ALSO:
— WELLINGTON, New Zealand — BC-RGU--NEW ZEALAND-HENRY. Moved.
ATHLETICS:
ATH--BOSTON MARATHON
BOSTON — One day after Geoffrey Mutai won the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 2 seconds — the fastest time ever for the 26.2-mile distance — race officials said they will ask track's international governing body to certify his time as a world record even though the course is technically ineligible. Moved. By Jimmy Golen.
ATH--OBIT-WAITZ
OSLO, Norway — Grete Waitz died at age 57 in a hospital in her native Oslo after a six-year battle with cancer. Her husband Jack was by her side, said Helle Aanesen, who co-founded a cancer foundation with Waitz. Moved. By Nils Myklebost.
TENNIS:
TEN--BARCELONA OPEN
BARCELONA, Spain — Seeded players Gael Monfils and Nicolas Almagro won hard-fought matches to advance to the third round of the Barcelona Open. Moved.
WITH:
— BARCELONA, Spain — BC-TEN--BARCELONA OPEN-MURRAY OUT. Moved.
TEN--PORSCHE GRAND PRIX
STUTTGART, Germany — Anna Chakvetadze of Russia fell ill and had to retire from her first-round match at the Porsche Grand Prix, the third straight tournament she's had to quit in because of dizzy spells. Moved.
ALSO:
— BARCELONA, Spain — BC-TEN--SPAIN-DAVIS CUP. Moved.
— FEZ, Morocco — BC-TEN--GRAND PRIX SAR. Moved.
GOLF:
GLF--JOHNSON-CADDIE
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Dustin Johnson has decided to split up with his caddie, who was on the bag during two chances to win a major last year and was involved in the American star nearly missing his tee time at Riviera. Moved. By Doug Ferguson.
GLF--DONALD RISING
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Luke Donald looks like a different player these days. He even acts like a different player. Consider his final hole at the Masters, where he was desperate to make birdie to keep alive his slim hopes. Moved. By Doug Ferguson.
ALSO:
— JACKSONVILLE, Florida — BC-GLF--PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP-CLARKE. Moved. By Doug Ferguson.
— WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina — BC-GLF--TIGER'S NIECE. Moved. By Joedy McCreary.
CRICKET:
CRI--WCUP 2015-ICC
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Protests from second-tier teams furious at being excluded from the 2015 World Cup have caused the International Cricket Council boss to say he'll ask the executive board to reconsider the move. Moved. By Michael Casey.
CRI--IPL-MISSING MONEY
JOHANNESBURG — Cricket South Africa denied allegations by its own president that 68 million rand ($10 million) went missing from its bank accounts following the hosting of the 2009 Indian Premier League. Moved. By Gerald Imray.
ALSO:
— NEW DELHI — BC-CRI--IPL ROUNDUP. Moved.
ALSO:
— LOS ANGELES — BC-BKN--SIXTH MAN AWARD. Moved. By Greg Beacham.
— SAO PAULO — BC-VOL--BRAZIL-BUS CRASH. Moved.
— TOKYO — BC-GYM--WORLDS-JAPAN. Moved.
— CHARLESTON, South Charleston — BC-SAI--FIVE OCEANS-VAN LIEW. Moved.
YOUR QUERIES: Questions and story requests are welcome. Contact your local AP bureau or the AP International Sports Desk in London by telephone at 44-207-427-4105 or email lonsports@ap.org.
