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Ninety seconds. That’s how quickly Steven Soderbergh believes the Academy Awards will convince viewers that this year’s telecast is different. The concept for the show, which Soderbergh is producing with Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins, is to treat the telecast not like a TV show but a movie. And he’s convinced he’s got a doozy of an opening scene. Soderbergh promises the broadcast will “announce our intention immediately." The pandemic has shaken the Oscars like never before. There will be no audience. Some nominees will be connected remotely by satellite link. But for the producers, the challenges of COVID-19 are an opportunity to, finally, rethink the Oscars.  

A top Chinese diplomat has called U.S. policy on China “too negative,” saying it highlights confrontation over cooperation. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng said Friday that cooperation could be critically important as President Joe Biden's administration focuses on COVID and economic recovery.  

Tokyo Olympic organizers are again being forced to assure the world that the postponed games will open in just over three months despite surging COVID-19 cases in Japan. Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto was asked if there are any conditions under which the Olympics would be canceled. She says “there are a variety of concerns but as the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee we are not thinking about canceling the games.” Two officials in Japan’s ruling LDP party a day earlier said big changes could be coming. That included a possible cancelation. Tokyo has already barred fans from abroad. The Olympics are to open on July 23.

A global epidemic of digital extortion known as ransomware is crippling local governments, hospitals, school districts and businesses by scrambling their data files until they pay up. Most frustrating, these rackets are dominated by Russian-speaking cybercriminals who are shielded and sometimes even employed by Russia’s security agencies. That's according to security researchers, U.S. law enforcement, and now the Biden administration. Ransomware is chiefly the work of Russian-speaking syndicates that hack into networks and paralyze them by scrambling data. Damages from the scourge now exceed tens of billions of dollars; one former intelligence official considers it more damaging than cyberespionage.

Justin Turner and Max Muncy each hit a three-run homer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 as David Price earned his first regular-season save. Muncy’s two-out drive in the seventh inning off reliever Yency Almonte gave the defending World Series champions a 6-5 lead on the way to their sixth straight victory. Price pitched out of trouble in the ninth, striking out two. Primarily a starter throughout his 13-year career, the left-hander has moved into a relief role this season because of the Dodgers’ stacked rotation. His only other save came as a rookie with Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the 2008 AL Championship Series against Boston. Colorado completed an 0-6 road trip.

Texas’ capital city finally has a major league sports franchise to call its own. Austin FC is the latest expansion team in Major League Soccer and it opens its inaugural season Saturday night against Los Angeles FC. Getting to this point meant building a $260 million stadium and a roster of players amid a pandemic that made both things more challenging than anyone saw coming when the franchise launched in 2019. League Commissioner Don Garber says the team has “overdelivered" in its efforts.

Growing up on a farm as a hockey-loving kid in Saskatchewan, the knowledge that players like Gordie Howe had made the journey from that remote province to the NHL gave Patrick Marleau belief that he could one day follow that same path. Marleau has done far more than just make it to the NHL. Marleau is set to break Howe's all-time games played record in the NHL. Marleau has played in 1,765 career games and is poised to tie Howe’s mark of 1,767 on Saturday night in Minnesota and break it two nights later in Las Vegas.

The Boston Celtics blew most of a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding on for a 121-113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Jaylen Brown scored 40 points in the Celtics' fifth straight victory. Brown made 13 of his first 14 shots and hit three 3-pointers while falling two points shy of his career high for the Celtics, who have won eight of 11 despite an embarrassing finish at Staples Center. Boston led 113-86 with seven minutes to play, shortly after coach Brad Stevens pulled his starters. But Talen Horton-Tucker and Ben McLemore led a 24-2 run.

The Biden administration on Thursday rolled out a sweeping set of sanctions on Russia over its election interference, hacking campaigns and other malign activity. A look at those sanctions: ELECTION-RELATED SANCTIONS The Treasury Department sanctioned 16 people and 16 entities…

China’s success at controlling the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a population that has seemed almost reluctant to get vaccinated. Now it is accelerating its inoculation campaign by offering incentives such as free eggs, store coupons and discounts on groceries and merchandise to those getting a shot. Because China used strict border controls and quick lockdowns when new outbreaks crop up, people can dine out in restaurants and the risk of infection is low, so many are not in a rush to get vaccinated. Now, a top government doctor has announced a June goal of vaccinating 560 million of the country’s 1.4 billion people. 

APRIL 8-15, 2021 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press Photographers in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was curated by AP photojournalist Fernando Llano in Mexico City Follow AP visual…

Stephen Curry scored  33 points — topping 30 for a career-best ninth consecutive game — as the Golden State Warriors pulled away for a 119-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry, who made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers over the previous three games, is averaging 38.2 points during his run. Andrew Wiggins scored 23 points, Juan Toscano-Anderson had 20 points and Draymond Green added five points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which has won four in a row. Collin Sexton scored 30 points and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Cleveland has lost 16 of its last 17 to Golden State.

The Biden administration on Thursday rolled out a sweeping set of sanctions on Russia over its election interference, hacking campaigns and other malign activity. A look at those sanctions: ELECTION-RELATED SANCTIONS The Treasury Department sanctioned 16 people and 16 entities…

The Dallas Wings chose Charli Collier of Texas and Finnish player Awak Kuier with the first two picks of the WNBA draft. It’s the first time in league history that a team had picks No. 1 and 2. The Wings acquired the top pick in a February trade after being awarded the second choice in the draft lottery. For the second straight season, the draft was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced picks from an ESPN studio in New York. Aari McDonald of Arizona went third to Atlanta, and Kysre Gondrezick of West Virginia went fourth to Indiana.

Once one of the staunchest opponents of allowing people to legally bet on its games, the National Football League has reached deals with three gambling companies to become official sports betting partners. The NFL is partnering with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. They'll get the use of NFL trademarks and official league data, and will integrate their own betting content into NFL.com and the league’s app. The NFL was among the professional sports leagues that fought New Jersey’s efforts to overturn a ban on legal sports betting in most of the country. New Jersey won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2018 that led to the explosion of legal sports betting since then.

San Diego rookie Ryan Weathers makes his first big league start when Mookie Betts and the champion Dodgers visit Petco Park in the first matchup this season between the NL West rivals. Los Angeles swept the Padres in the NL Division Series last year, and both teams added more stars in the offseason. Walker Buehler is lined up to pitch for the Dodgers, who own the best record in the majors this year. Weathers, a 21-year-old lefty, has a 1.50 ERA in three relief appearances since making his debut this season.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has finalized a deal with Russia to purchase 60 million doses of Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday. The report quotes Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, as saying the…

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has returned to the Milwaukee Bucks’ lineup after missing six games with an ailing left knee. Antetokounmpo rejoined the Bucks as they visited Atlanta to take on the surging Hawks who have won 16 of 21 games since Nate McMillan took over as interim coach. The Bucks went into the game holding down the third spot in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games ahead of the fourth-place Hawks. Milwaukee went 3-3 while their star was sidelined.

Manager Dave Roberts and the Los Angeles Dodgers started Jackie Robinson Day with a private tribute to the Hall of Famer and civil rights advocate. Wearing their No. 42 jerseys in honor of the Brooklyn Dodgers great, on-field personnel and others from the organization — approximately 75 in total — gathered around the Jackie Robinson statute at Dodger Stadium to pay their respects. The ceremony came several hours before the Dodgers hosted the Colorado Rockies. Robinson broke the big league color barrier on April 15, 1947. Major League Baseball has retired his No. 42 and every player, manager, coach and umpire now wears it on the anniversary of his debut.