French motorcyclist Thomas Bourgin was killed in the Dakar Rally when he collided with a Chilean police car on Friday.

Race officials say the incident occurred as Bourgin was traveling from Calama on the Chilean side of the Andes to the start of the seventh stage in Argentina. They say the police car was going in the opposite direction.

The Food and Drug Administration is requiring makers of Ambien and similar sleeping pills to lower the dosage of their drugs, based on studies suggesting patients face a higher risk of injury due to morning drowsiness.

The agency said Thursday that new research shows that the drugs remain in the bloodstream at levels high enough to interfere with alertness and coordination, which increases the risk of car accidents.

A 24-year-old contestant in this year's Miss America pageant is delivering a message about breast cancer prevention.

Miss DC Allyn Rose plans to undergo a double mastectomy after Saturday's contest — win or lose.

Rebels Friday overran Taftanaz airbase in north Syria, a watchdog said, marking a significant advance

"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

It's not wise to Google the nearest gas station, compose email, or use your smartphone to check the latest sports scores while driving. But many Americans do.

Drivers have grown so accustomed to their on-the-go tasks that automakers are increasingly trying to make those things easier to pull off with both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road.

The German Football Federation has fined Bayern Munich a total of €15,000 ($19,670) for fan trouble during Bundesliga games.

The DFB says Bayern fans set off flares causing smoke plumes during a game at Fortuna Duesseldorf on October 20 and let off fireworks at Nuremberg on November 17, while a home supporter ran toward the pitch when the club hosted Borussia Dortmund on December 1.

Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams are in the same half of the draw at the Australian Open, setting up the prospect of a semifinal match between the defending champion and the title favorite.

Top-ranked Azarenka has lost 11 of her 12 matches against Williams, who increased her career haul to 15 Grand Slam titles last year by winning at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Williams has won five Australian titles, more than any other woman in the Open era, and is in dominant form after winning 35 of her last 36 matches.

The Portland Trail Blazers hung on to beat the Miami Heat 92-90 Thursday for their fourth straight win and ninth straight at the Rose Garden.

Wesley Matthews made a 3-pointer to put Portland in front with 26.9 seconds left as the Blazers held LeBron James to 15 points, snapping his 54-game streak with at least 20 points that dated back to last season.

David Villa made his case for returning to Barcelona's starting lineup by scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Cordoba on Thursday that sealed a place in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

The Spain striker has struggled to find minutes since returning from a broken leg. But he again proved he hasn't lost his scoring touch with two fine goals to follow Thiago Alcantara's opener at Camp Nou stadium.

About a dozen killer whales trapped under sea ice appeared to be free after the ice shifted, village officials in Canada's remote north said Thursday, while residents who feared they would get stuck elsewhere hired a plane to track them down.

The whales' predicament in the frigid waters of Hudson Bay made international headlines, and locals had been planning a rescue operation with chainsaws and drills before the mammals slipped away.