Lakers, Clippers, Heat each have two All-Star game starters
From Kobe Bryant to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin to Andrew Bynum, the NBA All-Star game is shaping up as an L.A. story.
Two Lakers and two Clippers were voted as starters Thursday for the game, the first time in 15 years that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.
Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant prevented a clean Los Angeles sweep of the Western Conference starting lineup by earning a forward spot for the Feb. 26 game in Orlando.
Dwight Howard of the host Magic - unless he's traded first - was the overall leading vote-getter with 1.6 million. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going together again from Miami, while MVP Derrick Rose of Chicago and New York's Carmelo Anthony round out the East starters.
The Clippers and Lakers are developing a spirited rivalry this season, but they'll have to get along for a night to give the West a second straight win in the NBA's midseason event.
Bryant and Paul will be in the same backcourt two months after the NBA, as owners of the Hornets, killed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers. Instead, he was dealt shortly after to the Clippers, and he has teamed with Griffin to make them one of the league's most exciting and improved teams, leading the Pacific Division over their Staples Center co-tenants.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be voted as an All-Star starter," Paul said. "I want to thank the fans for their support. It's even more special to be starting with one of my teammates."
Griffin and Bynum are first-time starters, while Bryant earned his record-tying 14th consecutive nod.
It's the first time since 1997, when Houston had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, and Seattle sent Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.
Bryant joins Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West and Karl Malone - all one-time Lakers - with his 14th straight starting nod. He earned his fourth All-Star MVP award last year, equaling Bob Pettit's NBA record.
Bynum grabbed the starting center spot that for years went to Yao Ming, who retired last summer. Griffin was chosen as a reserve forward last year, when he became the first rookie All-Star since Yao in 2003.
Starters were chosen by fan balloting, and none of the races was close. The reserves will be chosen by voting of the head coaches from each conference and will be announced next Thursday.
Bryant led all West players with nearly 1.6 million votes. Rose collected 1.5 million to finish third among all players, a year after becoming Chicago's first starter since Michael Jordan.
"I remember not being in the All-Star game, just wanting to be in the game. It's something you should take to heart, that I take to heart," Rose said before the Bulls' game against the Knicks. "Just want to accomplish something special while I'm in the league, and one of the accomplishments is being on the All-Star team."
Howard will make his fifth consecutive start, and his status will provide much of the intrigue surrounding the event. He has told the Magic he wants to be traded and they have given his agent permission to talk to select teams, putting the franchise in a difficult position of deciding whether it should deal its superstar before hosting the weekend.
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John Terry: FA strips England captaincy from Chelsea defender
John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, the Football Association has confirmed.
The 31-year-old Chelsea centre-back was informed of the decision by FA chairman David Bernstein in a phone call at 1000 GMT.
He is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand.
Terry, who lost the captaincy once previously, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.
In a statement, the FA said Terry would not "captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved".
It continued: "The FA board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship.
"Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time.
"This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament."
The FA said Capello was free to select Terry for the Netherlands friendly in February and Euro 2012.
"FA chairman David Bernstein has spoken to both John Terry and Fabio Capello to explain the facts to them," the statement continued.
"Fabio Capello has not been involved in the FA Board discussions which reached this conclusion, but understands that the FA Board has authority to make this decision.
"Fabio Capello will take the decision as to who will be made captain moving forward.
"This decision in no way infers any suggestion of guilt in relation to the charge made against John Terry. The FA will be not be making any further comment on this matter."
BBC Sport understands the majority view among FA board members was that Terry should be stood down.
Capello had until now maintained the position that Terry was innocent until proven guilty and that he should be free to select him as his captain until his trial is over.
There was some nervousness among board members as to how the Italian would react, with some fearing he will see it as undue interference in team affairs.
But there was an acceptance among the FA hierarchy that the matter should be taken out of his hands.
Sports minister Hugh Robertson backed the FA's decision, saying it would have been "impossible" for Terry to continue.
Robertson said: "I completely support the FA's decision. It would have been impossible for John Terry to have continued as captain with this charge over his head."
The FA was forced to act after Terry's case was adjourned until 9 July - a week after the Euro 2012 finals end - ensuring that the affair will dominate the build-up to the championship.
For some time now, Bernstein has been growing increasingly concerned at the FA's position on Terry.
Some board members have lobbied him to take decisive action to ensure the FA is not accused of being weak on racism.
Black players within the England squad have also been putting pressure on the Professional Footballers' Association to take a stronger stance on Terry. This is believed to have also played a part in forcing the FA to act.
Terry was previously stripped of the captaincy when Capello removed him from the role in February 2010 following allegations he had an affair with an England team-mate's ex-girlfriend.
Terry was reinstated 13 months later with Capello saying "one year of punishment is enough".
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said he did not agree with the FA's decision and revealed Terry would miss Sunday's game against Manchester United because of the knee injury which kept him out of Tuesday's match at Swansea.
"You have to ask the FA about it and the people responsible for the decision," he said. "The statement from the FA is pretty clear on what was their decision-making. John will continue to be our captain and I have no further things to say."
Harry Redknapp prosecutors say NOTW tape 'extremely telling'
Harry Redknapp's admission of lying to a News of the World reporter is "extremely telling", a court has heard.
In closing statements, prosecution lawyers asked the jury for a "cold, clinical analysis of the issues".
Mr Redknapp, 64, denies allegations £189,000 paid into his account was a bonus for profits on transfers while at Portsmouth FC.
He and ex-Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, 73, deny cheating the public revenue.
The prosecution said while Mr Redknapp had "many qualities", the key question surrounded the Monaco account, named Rosie 47 after Mr Redknapp's dog.
'Tell police truth'
"Did it arise from employment income? Was it a bonus?," they asked. "If [it was a] bonus, [it] should have been taxed."
The prosecution explained that during a taped interview with the News of the World, Mr Redknapp "couldn't have made it plainer" that the money was a bonus.
Jurors were told the way Mr Redknapp answered the reporter's questions was "extremely telling ... and will assist you enormously in determining the truth".
Under cross examination on Thursday, Mr Redknapp said he lied to reporter Rob Beasley about the source of payments to the account because he did not want negative stories ahead of a cup final.
The Tottenham boss said: "I have to tell police the truth, not Mr Beasley - he's a News of the World reporter."
The jury has been told it will retire to consider its verdicts on Tuesday.
The trial continues.
GB defeat Dutch in Fed Cup match
Great Britain battled hard to defeat the Netherlands 2-1 in their second Fed Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group I match.
British number two Anne Keothavong lost 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 to Bibiane Schoofs.
Elena Baltacha responded from being a break down in the second set to beat Michaella Krajicek 6-3 6-3 before doubles duo Heather Watson and Laura Robson secured victory 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
"I am absolutely delighted and very, very proud of them - it was a fantastic day," captain Judy Murray said.
Great Britain need to win their group if they are to qualify for the World Group play-offs and Baltacha remains confident they can achieve that.
"Today was a result of all the work that the team have put in behind the scenes," she said.
"All the analysis that Judy has been helping us with has helped enormously.
"As for the overall team win, well, what can I say? I'm so proud of our team. The girls all did brilliantly and we're just so excited."
Great Britain had won their first Group C match against Portugal on Wednesday 3-0.
They will now play Israel in their third and final match on Friday at 1400 GMT, seeking the win which will make sure they finish top of their pool and earn them a place in Saturday's promotion play-offs.
The format sees 15 nations form four round-robin pools, played from Wednesday to Friday. The nations that finish top in each pool will go through to the promotion play-offs.
The two winning teams will go through to the World Group II play-offs, while the bottom nations contest the relegation play-offs to decide which two teams are relegated to Euro/Africa Group II
US economy creates 243,000 jobs in January
The US economy created 243,000 jobs in December, the highest total for nine months, official figures show.
The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, which was the lowest rate in nearly three years, and down from a revised rate of 8.5% in December.
Job growth was widespread, with large gains in business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing.
Leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants and hotels, added 44,000 jobs.
Retailers added nearly 11,000 jobs, and professional and business services, which includes higher paying jobs in accounting, architecture and engineering, gained 70,000, the most in 10 months.
Upbeat data
Lindsey Piegza, economist at FTN Financial, said: "It was a better-than-expected report, the strongest report that we've seen in quite some time.
"The big question is whether the reason we're seeing the unemployment rate drop is because more and more people are dropping out of the labour force.
"I know the market wants to rally on this number but remember we need a minimum of 250,000 just to cover demographic change."
The figures add to a range of data pointing to a gradual US economic recovery.
Last week, it was announced that the US economy expanded at a 2.8% annual pace in the October-December quarter, a full percentage point higher than in the previous quarter.
Earlier this week, a survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) indicated that the US manufacturing sector expanded at its fastest pace in seven months in January.
Eurozone service sector grows after four-month lull
The eurozone's service sector has grown for the first time in four months, although Spain and Italy have continued to post falls in business activity.
The Markit eurozone services purchasing managers' index (PMI) was 50.4 in January, up from 48.8 in December. Any score under 50 represents a contraction.
It follows a manufacturing survey of 48.8, up from 46.9 in December.
Markit said the survey suggested a recession could be kept at bay.
Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit said: "The final eurozone PMI data indicates that business conditions stabilised following declines seen in the final four months of last year and that the region may avoid a slide back into recession."
The two surveys helped improve the composite index for January, which includes services, construction and manufacturing, increase to 50.4 from 48.3 in December.
'Slower decline'
The survey also found an increasing gap between the stronger eurozone economies, such as Germany, and weaker countries such as Spain.
The survey found growth hit a seven-month high in Germany and a five-month high in France, while ongoing downturns were seen in Italy, Spain and the Irish Republic. However, the rates of decline fell for Spain and Italy.
Mr Williamson added: "Confidence may have risen but remains very low by historical standards of the survey, linked to the fact that inflows of new business continued to fall and that lower prices often had to be offered to win sales, which will dent profit margins.
"The region's debt crisis is also by no means resolved, and any setbacks in current negotiations could easily cause confidence to slump again."
UK service sector sees strong growth, PMI figures show
The UK's dominant service sector grew at its fastest rate since March 2011 in January, according to a key survey.
The Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose from 54 to 56. Any figure above 50 indicates growth.
Markit also reported the biggest monthly rise in business optimism since the survey started 15 years ago.
The data will reduce fears of a new recession, following a contraction in the economy at the end of last year.
An increase in new business also drove employment in the sector to rise at its fastest pace since March 2008, the survey found.
The service sector accounts for more than 70% of the UK's economic output.
Recession 'unlikely'
"All [this] points to a resounding revival of UK economic growth in January," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.
"A slide back into recession is now looking increasingly unlikely. The economy could well expand at close to trend rate - around 2-2.5% per annum - in the first quarter if business conditions hold up in the next two months," he added.
The data follows a similar survey showing the UK's manufacturing sector returned to growth in January, with overall activity at its highest level for eight months.
The results will be closely analysed by the Bank of England when it meets next week.
Risks
The Bank had been expected to expand its quantitative easing programme to provide extra credit to the economy.
"The recent upturn in some of the key indicators should make for an interesting policy debate at next week's Bank of England meeting," said Philip Shaw from Investec.
"Our feeling is that there are still big downside risks out there. And the BoE's own inflation forecast is so low in the medium term, it would take a big shift to the upside to remove the case for more easing," he said.
However, the data contradicts the latest forecast from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR).
The think tank predicted the UK economy would shrink by 0.1% in 2012.
Motorola makes Apple pull iPads and iPhones in Germany
Apple has pulled several iPad and iPhone models from its German online store after Motorola Mobility enforced a patent injunction against its rival.
The move follows a December ruling that Apple had failed to license one of Motorola's wireless intellectual properties.
iPhone users in Germany may also face the loss of their push email iCloud service after a separate patent victory by Motorola.
Apple has said it will appeal.
The dispute may eventually pit Apple against Google. The search giant is in the process of taking over the Razr handset-maker. The deal still needs to clear the competition authorities.
Pulled products
The sales ban relates to Motorola's patent for a "method for performing a countdown function during a mobile-originated transfer for a packet radio system".
Motorola licenses the patent to other companies on Frand (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms.
Frand-type patents involve technologies that are deemed to be part of an industry standard. In this case Motorola's innovation is deemed crucial to the GPRS data transmission standard used by GSM cellular networks across the world.
Companies must offer Frand-type patents for a reasonable fee to anyone willing to pay.
Apple has said it would be willing to pay the fee going forward, but the two firms dispute how much Apple should pay for failing to license the technology up until now. Missed payments are not covered by the "reasonable" rule, and Motorola would be able to demand a more expensive price.
Apple said: "While some iPad and iPhone models are not available through Apple's online store in Germany right now, customers should have no problem finding them at one of our retail stores or an authorised reseller.
"Apple is appealing this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago."
Motorola said it had offered Apple "reasonable licensing terms and conditions" since 2007.
"We are pleased that the Mannheim court has recognized the importance of our intellectual property and granted an enforceable injunction in Germany against Apple Sales International," a statement said.
Apple's iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 are all affected - but not its newer iPhone 4S. All 3G models of the iPad are involved, but not their wi-fi-only counterparts.
Email technology
The separate push email ban would only come into effect if Motorola decided to enforce a second judgement that Apple's iCloud and MobileMe infringed another of its innovations.
The patent relates to two-way communications between pagers and other devices and was granted in 2002.
If Motorola decides to enforce the judgement some iPhone users in Germany would lose the ability to automatically receive emails as soon as they have been sent. Instead they would either have to manually check their accounts or set their devices to periodically check for updates.
This patent is not deemed to be critical to an industry standard, so the firm does not have to license the technology to Apple even if the iPhone-maker offered to pay.
Apple said that it believed the patent involved was invalid, adding that it was appealing against the decision.
Although the two cases only apply to Germany they may have implications for other European lawsuits. EU rules say different countries' courts can reach different conclusions, but must explain why.
Patent consultant Florian Mueller notes on his blog that Apple has brought patent claims of its own against Motorola in Germany, and that Motorola also faces a lawsuit filed by Microsoft which is due to be considered next Tuesday.
Megaupload co-founder's bail appeal rejected by court
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom's bail application appeal has been rejected in New Zealand.
The High Court in Auckland said it agreed with an earlier ruling that Mr Dotcom - a German national - might try to flee the country.
The file-sharing site creator is accused of profiting from the copying and distribution of pirated content.
Mr Dotcom's lawyers said that he denied the charge and would fight an extradition application by the US.
Prosecutors had said Mr Dotcom - also known as Kim Schmitz - posed an extreme flight risk, noting that he had passports and bank accounts in three names and a history of fleeing criminal charges. They said measures, such as electronic monitoring, were likely to prove ineffective.
'Go to hell'
Lawyers representing the US authorities also said that a man with a history of making fake travel documents had unsuccessfully asked to visit Mr Dotcom following his arrest.
Mr Dotcom's said he had no intention of running away. He said he wanted to be with his pregnant wife and fight to get his assets unfrozen. He also denied all knowledge of the rejected visitor.
"If people were to approach me and to offer such a service, I would tell them to go to hell," Mr Dotcom said.
He added that he had also been contacted by a man claiming to be a prosecutor, who had said he could organise a favourable bail hearing in return for a payment.
He also complained that he had been sent letters from female prison inmates asking to become his pen pals.
Mr Dotcom's next court appearance is scheduled for 22 February, when his extradition hearing is planned.
Data deletion
Megaupload has been offline since 19 January, when the US government forced its shutdown and executed search warrants on two companies that provided it with file hosting services - Cogent Communications and Carpathia Hosting.
Megaupload lawyer Ira Rothken tweeted earlier this week that the hosting firms had agreed to preserve consumers' data until at least mid-February.
The US-based digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation has since written a letter hinting it might begin its own legal action if the service providers consequently tried to wipe the data, now that they were no longer being paid by Megaupload to store it.
"Many innocent third parties... used Megaupload for wholly legal purposes and have since lost access to their data," wrote the organisation's legal director, Cindy Cohn.
"Many of these materials are property of the individuals involved, and they are legally entitled not only to access but to preservation and privacy.
"We are hopeful that our client and other third parties can obtain access to their material without resorting to legal action, but if that is not the case, we intend to take the necessary steps to ensure the return of their materials."
Carpathia has already pledged not to wipe the data without warning.
More Cairo clashes after Port Said football deaths
Protesters have clashed with security forces in Egypt's capital Cairo for a second day, amid anger over the deaths of 74 football fans on Wednesday.
Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing crowds outside the interior ministry.
A soldier died from injuries received in Thursday's clashes in Cairo, state media said. Two people were shot dead in unrest in Suez, also on Thursday.
Many Egyptians blame the authorities for failing to protect fans at a stadium in the city of Port Said.
Hundreds were injured in fighting between security forces and protesters across the country on Thursday.
Most of the dead were believed to be supporters of Cairo's al-Ahly team, who were attacked after losing a match to Port Said side al-Masry.
A group of hard-core al-Ahly fans known as the "ultras" have accused the authorities of allowing the killings to happen.
They say the authorities wanted revenge because the ultras were among those battling the police during last year's revolution that ousted strongman leader Hosni Mubarak.
Anger over the deaths has combined with widespread frustration at the pace of reforms undertaken by the interim military rulers.
Early on Friday, protesters and security forces clashed outside the interior ministry, which is seen by protesters as an unreformed institution dominated by Mr Mubarak's supporters.
A doctor at the scene told the Associated Press that one person had been killed.
Protester Wael Nawara told the BBC's Network Africa programme that many middle-ranking officers loyal to the former president were still in charge at the ministry and were "conspiring against revolution".
"There have been many calls throughout the last few months of restructuring the ministry of interior to bring the officers who are responsible for earlier deaths to trial, but nothing really has changed much in the behaviour of the ministry," he said.
The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says protesters have spent the night dismantling concrete security walls that were erected around the ministry after a previous outbreak of unrest late last year.
Protesters are planning several marches across the city later, and there will be special funeral prayers at Tahrir Square for those who died at the football match.