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As east Europe marks 20 years without communism, secret police files still poison the air

BUCHAREST, Romania — Even his best friend betrayed him.

Judge rules Bristol Motor Speedway doesn’t have to pay $397K tax for broadcast revenue

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A judge in Tennessee has ruled Bristol Motor Speedway does not have to pay $397,000 in taxes for broadcast revenue it made on NASCAR races.

20 years after Calif. quake: Bay Bridge unfinished; schools, buildings unsafe, need retrofits

SAN FRANCISCO — When an earthquake collapsed two 50-foot sections of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge during the 1989 World Series, the nightmares of hundreds of thousands of commuters who cross the Depression-era span each day were brought to life.

Check local listings: Recession means empty seats, but NFL has no plans to ease blackout rules

NEW YORK — When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the NFL waived its television blackout policy so Saints fans could watch even if games moved to Baton Rouge didn’t sell out.

Continual drumbeat of the deaths of the famous mark summer ‘09

NEW YORK — We had been told to expect the deaths of the famous to come in threes, not in the dozens.

Prepared text of President Barack Obama’s speech to school students on Tuesday

The prepared text of President Barack Obama’s back-to-school address scheduled for Tuesdays, as released in advance by the White House:

Ex-Red Sox pitcher Schilling: Senate campaign unlikely but possible to fix ‘corrupt’ politics

BOSTON — Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said Thursday the chances he will run to replace Democrat Edward M. Kennedy in the U.S. Senate are “slim to none” but he will not rule it out.

Former hockey coach Jacques Demers, illiterate most of his life, appointed to Canada’s Senate

MONTREAL — Jacques Demers, the Stanley Cup-winning coach who has spoken frankly about his lifelong battle with illiteracy, was appointed Thursday to the Canadian Senate.

University of Wisconsin bans advertising by beer companies during sports broadcasts

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football fans listening to games on the radio this fall will hear few, if any, beer ads for the first time in years.

Las Vegas police seek associate of company promoting Mayweather Jr., suspected in shooting

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police investigating a shooting outside a skating rink say they are seeking an associate of the company that promotes boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Relatives of South African 800-meter winner at worlds dismiss gender test uproar

FAIRLIE, South Africa — In the poor, rural village where South African runner Caster Semenya grew up, relatives on Thursday brushed off questions about her deep voice and muscular build that have prompted the world governing body for track and field to seek gender tests.

Twitter intolerance: Some NFL teams wage clampdown on tweets, even by fans

DAVIE, Fla. — The only tweets during the Miami Dolphins scrimmage Saturday will come from the officials’ whistles.

NJ man charged with stealing Web domain name in novel criminal prosecution

UNION, N.J. — A northern New Jersey man is charged with stealing a prime piece of Internet real estate and reselling it to basketball player Mark Madsen in one of the nation’s first prosecutions of a suspected domain name thief.

Pro sports leagues, NCAA seek injunction against Delaware betting plan

WASHINGTON — The four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA asked a federal judge Tuesday for a preliminary injunction to prevent Delaware from implementing its sports betting plan.

Olympic training: With 3 years to go to London Games, this Javelin hits the mark

LONDON — This Olympic training went so well that the two star British athletes broke out in smiles.

3 years to go: High-speed train runs on time in test for 2012 London Games

LONDON — With three years to go until the opening ceremony, organizers of the 2012 London Olympics passed an important test Monday: The train ran on time.

Officer who arrested black Harvard scholar ‘disappointed’ Obama said he acted ’stupidly’

NATICK, Mass. — A white police sergeant who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. said Thursday he’s disappointed President Barack Obama said officers acted “stupidly,” despite acknowledging he didn’t know all the facts.

Mass. arrest of black Harvard scholar stirs national debate; officer says he won’t apologize

NATICK, Mass. — A white police sergeant who arrested renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home says he followed procedure and is disappointed by the national debate triggered by the incident, which has drawn criticism from the president on down to local radio hosts.

Despite her rigorous caution, richer portrait of Sotomayor emerges in Supreme Court hearings

WASHINGTON — From her early days as a lawyer, Sonia Sotomayor never was content to be what she calls the “fifth guy on the totem pole.”

Iranian plane carrying nearly 170 crashes in field on route to Armenia, all on board killed

TEHRAN, Iran — A Russian-made Iranian passenger plane carrying 168 people crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, smashing into a field northwest of the capital and shattering into flaming pieces. All on board were killed in Iran’s worst air disaster in six years, officials said.

Iranian plane headed to Armenia crashes, all 168 on board killed

TEHRAN, Iran — A Russian-made jetliner carrying 168 people nose-dived into a field after taking off from the Iranian capital on Wednesday in a fiery crash that shredded the aircraft and killed everyone aboard — Iran’s worst air disaster in six years. Witnesses say the plane’s tail was on fire before it went down.

Managua Mayor Alexis Arguello, former boxing champion, found dead at home

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Former world boxing great and Managua Mayor Alexis Arguello was found dead at his home Wednesday, prompting three-days of official mourning for a rising star of the Sandinista party who once bitterly opposed the leftist movement.

UK regulator says BSkyB premium channels should be available to more platforms

LONDON — British Sky Broadcasting’s premium sports and movie channels should be more broadly available through other television platforms, Britain’s communications regulator said Friday, adding that it may force a wholesale offer of the services.

FIA president Max Mosley says F1 peace deal in doubt over Ferrari chief’s ‘dictator’ gibe

LONDON — FIA president Max Mosley warned that Formula One’s peace deal may collapse unless Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo apologizes for branding him a “dictator.”

Senior Saudi prince voices strongest official endorsement of women’s sports

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Appealing to a powerful Saudi prince, an 8-year-old girl asked why she was not allowed to play sports in school like boys. She got an unexpected response: The prince said he hoped government schools for girls would allow playing fields.

Gunfire, euphoria mark extraordinary week in Iran

A protest song from decades ago rings out from the green-clad crowds supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi. Motorcycles weave through Tehran with backers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad waving Iranian flags. Protesters run wildly from the sound of gunshots.

West says Iranians should choose government; China warns against interference

ISTANBUL — World reaction to the upheaval in Iran is cautious and divided, reflecting uncertainty over fast-moving events within the country after its disputed election.

Prison sentence for US reporters in North Korea could mark start of negotiations to free them

SEOUL, South Korea — The sentencing of two American journalists to 12 years in a North Korean labor prison sets the stage for possible negotiations with the reclusive nation for their release — perhaps involving an envoy from the United States.

Thai police say actor David Carradine may have died from accidental suffocation

BANGKOK — Police are speculating that accidental suffocation, not suicide, may have caused the death of American cult actor David Carradine, whose body was found in a hotel closet in the Thai capital with a rope tied to his neck, wrist and genitals.