WASHINGTON (AP) ― The White House says it is still considering a visa request for Yemen’s outgoing autocratic president. Spokesman Jay Carney says the request is being considered for the sole purpose of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s coming to the U.S. for medical treatment. Carney says he has no timeline for when a decision will be made. Saleh’s aides said over the weekend that he had reversed...

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― An annual Wikipedia fundraising campaign ended Tuesday with donors around the world pumping a record $20 million into the foundation that runs the free online knowledge repository. Non-profit Wikimedia Foundation launched the campaign in November, getting an early boost in the form of a $500,000 grant from Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife. The total amount of mon...

DES MOINES (AFP) -- Mitt Romney is still the favorite to win the U.S. Republican presidential nomination, but a quick knock-out of his more conservative rivals seems out of reach after a near-draw in Iowa, experts said Wednesday. “Iowa is a reminder that if Romney wins, it will be because he’s the last guy standing -- not because he has strong Republican support,” said Matt Dickinson, a politica...

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Online film and television show titan Netflix will make its original programming debut in February with “Lilyhammer,” a “fish-out-of-water story” about a New York mobster starting anew in Norway. Steven Van Zandt, a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s famed E Street Band, stars as Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, who enters a federal witness protection to be given a new identity af...

ROME (AFP) ― A Japanese businessman has agreed to invest around one million euros ($1.3 million) to restore a 2,000-year-old Roman pyramid in the Italian capital, La Repubblica daily reported this week. Yuzo Yagi, a fashion business owner from Osaka, is due to sign the agreement later this month and work on the pyramid, which was built in 18-12 B.C. as a tomb for a wealthy Roman, Gaius Cestius, ...

TORONTO (AP) ― Joffrey Lupul had a goal and three assists, and the Toronto Maple Leafs killed four early power plays ― including a two-man advantage ― in a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. The Maple Leafs, who own the NHL’s worst penalty-killing unit, worked on short-handed situations in practice on Monday, and it paid off. Carl Gunnarsson, Mikhail Grabovski, Darryl Bo...

DOHA (AP) ― Rafael Nadal struggled past Philipp Kohlschreiber while defending Qatar Open champion Roger Federer routed Nikolay Davydenko in their season openers on Tuesday. The second-ranked Nadal overcame Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Federer, who lost badly to Nadal and No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic over the weekend at an exhibition tournament in ...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ― LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and eight rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-93 on Tuesday night. Wesley Matthews added 16 points for the Blazers, who held Oklahoma City to 34 percent shooting in the second half to push ahead on an off night for All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook scored 22 points on 8-for-18 s...

PITTSBURGH (AP) ― Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows safety Ryan Clark wants to play in Denver on Sunday when the Steelers take on the Broncos in the wild card round. It’s why Tomlin didn’t give Clark the option. The Steelers (12-4) will begin their quest for a second straight AFC title without Clark, who will be held out of the lineup as a precaution due to a sickle-cell trait that becomes aggra...

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) ― The list of who’s not at the season-opening Tournament of Champions reads more like a “Who’s Who.” Missing are three of the four major champions ― Charl Schwartzel, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who at 22 already is on the very short list of golfers capable of moving the needle no matter where they play. If that’s not enough, three of the four World Golf Championship wi...