The objects displayed in the U.S. state of Michigan's newest museum range from the ordinary, such as simple ashtrays and fishing lures, to the grotesque — a full-size replica of a lynching tree. But all are united by a common theme: They are steeped in racism so intense that it makes visitors cringe.

That's the idea behind the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, which says it has amassed the nation's largest public collection of artifacts spanning the segregation era, from Reconstruction until the civil rights movement, and beyond.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's record goal-scoring form looms as the decisive factor when Spanish league leader Real Madrid plays at Barcelona on Saturday in a crucial "clasico" that will effectively determine the destiny of the title.

Madrid has seen a 10 point lead over three-time defending champion Barcelona whittled down to just four points over the past month, and a loss at the Camp Nou would see the advantage sliced to just one point with four more games remaining.

A University of California San Diego scientist was able to use his math and physics knowledge to argue his way out of a $400 traffic ticket.

In a paper titled "The Proof of Innocence," senior research scientist Dmitri Krioukov successfully appealed his failure-to-stop ticket by explaining that he may have appeared to an officer that he didn't stop when he actually did, according to the Los Angeles Times .

A Hizbullah commander accused of targeting U.S. soldiers in Iraq may be released from prison within weeks, his lawyer predicted, claiming that flimsy American evidence has kept his client behind bars for nearly five years.

The case has been a thorn in diplomatic relations between Baghdad and Washington since the American military pullout last December.

Seven-time defending champion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic got their clay-court seasons off to a good start with comfortable wins in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday.

Djokovic opened with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Andreas Seppi of Italy and his archrival Nadal followed up by beating Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-4, 6-3.

Injured midfielder Jack Wilshere ruled himself out of contention for the European Championship on Monday, robbing England of one of its most creative players for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine later this year.

The 20-year-old Wilshere hasn't played at all this season after injuring his right ankle on international duty last June. Medical tests in January then showed he had a stress fracture in his right heel.

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba said Tuesday it would pay about $850.0 million for IBM's retail solutions unit, with the U.S. firm saying it would create the world's leading point-of-sale company.

The transaction was expected to be completed later in the year, with the move aimed at retailers who "will benefit from accelerated development of new products and solutions", the Japanese firm said in a statement.

More people pull the night shift. Teens text past midnight and stumble to class at dawn. Travelers pack red-eye flights.

Nodding off behind the wheel isn't the only threat from a lack of shut-eye. There's growing evidence that people who regularly sleep too little and at the wrong time suffer long-lasting consequences that a nap won't cure: An increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

At daybreak Tuesday, the oldest of NASA's retired shuttle fleet will leave its home at Kennedy Space Center for the final time, riding on top a modified jumbo jet.

Its destination: the Smithsonian Institution's hangar outside Washington, D.C.

Walt Disney Co. said Monday it will co-produce its next "Iron Man" movie with a Chinese partner in Hollywood's latest effort to forge closer ties with China's fast-growing film industry.

"Iron Man 3," starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, will begin filming this year, Walt Disney and its Chinese partner DMG Entertainment said. They said DMG will jointly produce the film in China but gave no indication whether any filming would take place in this country.