US envoy in Cuba engages critics on and offline

HAVANA (AP) — A U.S. diplomat has become a sort of tweeter-in-chief for the U.S. mission in Cuba, reaching out to some of Washington's most vocal critics on the island.The U.S. Interests Section has long cultivated ties to dissident bloggers and tweeters. But the mission's deputy chief Conrad Tribble has been reaching out to the communist Twitteratti as well.That has prompted ...

Fognini Stakhovsky Mathieu advance at Nice Open

Fabio Fognini overcame a sloppy first set to beat Italian countryman Marco Cecchinato 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Nice Open.Fognini, seeded sixth, won just three points on his opponent's serve in the first set, but bounced back to break him twice in the second set and three more times in the third. Fognini next faces Santiago Giraldo or wild card Gael Monfils.Sergiy ...

Langer disappointed in USGA anchoring rule

Golf's governing bodies approved a rule Tuesday that outlaws the putting stroke used by four of the last six major champions, a move opposed ...

Collinsville braces for Edwardsvilles best shot

Clay Smith knows what's coming. He doesn't need a radar, a crystal ball or a Magic 8-ball to warn him.When the Edwardsville girls soccer team steps onto Collinsville's pitch Tuesday night for its Class 3A Sectional semifinal, it's going to bring with it a year's worth of frustration."This is a rematch from the sectional semifinal last year," Smith, ...

Apple CEO faces Senate grilling on taxes

WASHINGTON oApple's CEO is disputing assertions by a Senate panel that the company avoids billions of dollars in U.S. taxes by shifting profits to foreign affiliates.Tim Cook testified at a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which released a damning report Monday on Apple's tax practices."We pay all the taxes we owe -- every single ...