Quake-hit Japan cancels Copa America plans

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Japan has cancelled plans to play the Copa America tournament in July, Argentine Football Federation (AFA) president Julio Grondona has said.

"We are sorry to inform you that the Japanese team cannot participate in the Copa America 2011 in Argentina. We apologize deeply," said a letter from the Japanese football association disclosed by the AFA.

War crimes prosecutor seeks arrest of Gadhafi

TRIPOLI, Libya – The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor sought arrest warrants Monday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, his son and the country's intelligence chief for authorizing the killing of civilians in a crackdown on anti-government rebels.

Gadhafi's government denied the allegations.

IMF crisis opens the door to emerging nations

WASHINGTON – The arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn has plunged the International Monetary Fund into a leadership dilemma just as it's playing a key role in addressing Europe's debt crisis and other global challenges.

It also hastens a likely confrontation between Europe and increasingly rich developing countries that have been angling for the top spot at either the IMF or its sister organization, the World Bank. Since their inception just after World War II, the IMF has been led by a European, the World Bank by an American.

Top Italian football clubs reflect on failures

ROME (AFP) – While a lot of attention has been focussed this Serie A season on the surprisingly positive campaigns of Napoli, Lazio and Udinese, there are three other teams whose failures have been just as notable.

While the other three were surpassing expectations and battling for a place in next season's Champions League, Juventus, Roma and Sampdoria have been the big losers this term.

And each one has staked their claim for the biggest of the under-achievers.

FA silent over Ferguson reply to ref charge

LONDON (AFP) – England's Football Association (FA) have taken the unusual step of refusing to reveal whether or not Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accepted his latest improper conduct charge.

The matter is now with the governing body's disciplinary committee and normally at such a time the FA announce how those charged have responded.

Rooney clinches Man United's record 19th title

BLACKBURN, England – Wayne Rooney secured Manchester United's record 19th English title on Saturday, scoring on a penalty kick to salvage a 1-1 draw at Blackburn and overshadow rival Manchester City's first major trophy in 35 years.

Yaya Toure scored at Wembley to give Manchester City's expensively assembled side a 1-0 win over Stoke in the FA Cup final, but the victory couldn't eclipse United's accomplishment.

Six Things That Block Your Wi-Fi, and How to Fix Them

study by Epitiro, a UK-based broadband-analysis firm, shows that consumers lose an average of 30 percent of the data speed their broadband connection supplies when they use Wi-Fi connections in the home.

Why the slowdown? You've probably heard that some household electronic devices, including microwave ovens, baby monitors, and cordless phones, hamper Wi-Fi performance. To separate fact from fiction, we did some research and consulted an expert on the topic: Nandan Kalle, networking business unit manager for router manufacturer Belkin.

'Thor' nails top box office spot

Thor" stole the thunder from "Bridesmaids" by securing the No. 1 spot at the box office with $34.7 million.

The final figure Monday for Paramount's 3-D superhero film starring Chris Hemsworth as Marvel's god of thunder is slightly up from the original studio estimate of $34.5 million over the weekend. Universal's "Bridesmaids," which features Kristen Wiig as a down-on-her-luck maid of honor, was also above Sunday's $24.4 million estimate to $26.2 million.

Barca game pics 'worth a thousands words': Mourinho

MADRID (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho vowed to stop talking about the fractious Champions League encounter with Barcelona and his own post-match tirade, saying images of the game will speak for themselves.

"A picture is worth a thousands words and as there are so many pictures, I am not going to speak any more about what happened," he told a news conference on Friday.

Bayern demand respect from fans before Neuer visit

BERLIN (AFP) – Bayern Munich have urged their supporters to treat any visiting opponents and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with respect ahead of Saturday's highly-charged league clash against Schalke 04.

Neuer, 25, is widely reported to be set to sign for the Bavarian giants next season and has already told Champions League semi-finalists Schalke he will not extend his contract, which ends in 2012.

Germany to host France in Euro 2012 warm-up

FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) – Germany will host France in a pre-Euro 2012 friendly in Bremen on February 29, it was announced on Friday.

"The clashes against France are traditionally attractive duels," said national team manager Oliver Bierhoff.

"We are pleased that we will be able to take on France again after almost six years and that we can offer our fans an attractive game."

Blatter promises FIFA reforms if re-elected

FRANKFURT, Germany – FIFA President Sepp Blatter promises wide-ranging reforms if re-elected, including the way World Cup hosts are chosen.

Blatter told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine he also will set up a watchdog committee to supervise how FIFA works and "restore the credibility" of soccer's governing body.

The 75-year-old Swiss is seeking a fourth term of office on June 1. His lone opponent is Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam.

Sony seeking ways to 'make good' on continuing PSN and Qrirocity outage

As Sony continues to inch toward a full two weeks of lost service forPlayStation Network and Qrirocity customers, there is more and more pressure on the company to address the growing numbers of questions being lobbed in its direction. The first steps were taken earlier this week toward addressing the demands of the 77 million users who have had their personal data stolen and been left without service since last Wednesday, in the form of a Sony-penned Q&A. Today brings part two of that Q&A, presumably with more to come given that today’s answers serve to raise additional questions.

William and wife now duke, duchess of Cambridge

LONDON – Prince William and Kate Middleton got their first royal wedding present from the queen on Friday: the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Buckingham Palace said William is now His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, and that Miss Catherine Middleton is now Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

There's more: The palace statement said William was also named the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. Middleton took those titles when she said "I will," becoming Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus.

Television brings wedding pageantry to world

NEW YORK – Like guests who whisper asides to their friends from the back pews, the commoners in the media kept the mood lighthearted Friday as cameras captured every angle of the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Millions followed the event throughout the world on television, their computers and hand-held devices. The media enabled anyone who cared to become a wedding guest.

Britain celebrates monarchy as Kate, William wed

LONDON – With a smile that lit up TV screens around the world, Kate Middleton married Prince William in a union that promised to revitalize the British monarchy. A million people roared their approval as the royal couple then paraded through London in an open carriage.

Even knowing that an immense television audience was turning in to watch, the couple managed, at times, to appear in their own private world Friday, both at Westminster Abbey and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

'American Idol' eliminates another finalist

LOS ANGELES – Casey Abrams was given the heave-ho on "American Idol."

The eccentric 20-year-old musician-singer from Idyllwild, Calif., received the fewest viewer votes on the Fox talent contest Thursday after his growl-filled interpretation of "Hi-De-Ho" on Wednesday's evening of Carole King tunes.

Abrams was previously rescued by the show's judges with their one-time-only power, but there was no helping the jazz-lover this time.

Watch the British royal wedding live

Whether you will be watching every moment or just want to see the ceremony, Yahoo! will be your one stop for all royal wedding updates. You won't miss a thing. Here's what you can expect:

Live streaming video: No TV? No problem, just come back to this page, starting at 1 a.m. PT/4 a.m. ET on Friday morning, where we'll have live video of every moment of the event courtesy of ABC News, hosted by Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. Live coverage will continue through 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET.

Six Planets Now Aligned in the Dawn Sky

If you get up any morning for the next few weeks, you’ll be treated to the sight of all the planets except Saturn arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky.

For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.

Does Wild Tornado Season Signal Climate Change?

Some climate models suggest that a warming future could herald more intense storms like those that ripped through the Southeast on Wednesday night.

But that doesn't mean the southern storms and tornadoes were a manifestation of climate change, climate scientists say. That's because teasing out the influence of climate on weather takes time.