A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the West.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, sprawling across roughly 5 square miles (13 sq. kilometers) of federal land near the California-Nevada border, formally opens Thursday after years of regulatory and legal tangles ranging from relocating protected tortoises to assessing the impact on Mojave milkweed and other plants.

The U.S. avoided a devastating debt default as the Senate passed legislation to allow the government to borrow money to pay its bills — a major win for President Barack Obama after years of fiscal battles with Republicans.

The relatively smooth passage Wednesday comes as most members of Congress face elections in November. Republicans have been less confrontational after a 16-day partial government shutdown last year sent their poll numbers sliding and chastened the party's conservative tea party faction.

New Zealand immigration authorities have banned Los Angeles rappers Odd Future from entering the country after deciding they pose a threat to public order.

The group was due to play an open-air concert with headline act Eminem on Saturday in Auckland.

In a rare tie in Alpine skiing, Tina Maze of Slovenia and Dominique Gisin of Switzerland both won Olympic gold Wednesday in the women's downhill.

The pair sped down the 1.69-mile (2.7-kilometer) Rosa Khutor course in 1 minute, 41.57 seconds. Lara Gut of Switzerland was 0.10 behind in third.

Chelsea became the latest leading Premier League side to see its ambitions stall at West Bromwich Albion as a 1-1 draw prevented the leaders from bolstering their position on Tuesday.

Just like Everton and Liverpool in the previous two games at the Hawthorns, Chelsea was forced to settle for a goal apiece.

Palestinian farmer Yousef Abu Hammad sired enough boys for a football team — literally. Over the years, his 12 sons have formed the core of what is now the top-ranked team in the West Bank.

The current roster includes six of Abu Hammad's sons, three grandsons and five other close relatives. The players from the hamlet of Wadi al-Nees consistently defeat richer clubs and believe their strong family bonds are a secret to their success.

Oklahoma City extended its lead over nearest divisional rival Portland to five games by winning 98-95 at the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, as Kevin Durant continued his stellar season with 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Also Tuesday, LeBron James bounced back to near his best to lead Miami over Phoenix, Charlotte earned a rare win over Dallas, and Memphis hung on for a narrow victory over Washington.

A drugmaker working to develop a pill to boost sexual desire in women says regulators are demanding more studies on the experimental drug.

Sprout Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration wants to see more data on how the company's drug, flibanserin, interacts with other medications and how it affects driving ability. Nearly 10 percent of women studied in company trials reported sleepiness while taking the daily pill.

Belgium, one of the very few countries where euthanasia is legal, is expected to take the unprecedented step this week of abolishing age restrictions on who can ask to be put to death — extending the right to children for the first time.

The legislation appears to have wide support in the largely liberal country. But it has also aroused intense opposition from foes — including a list of pediatricians — and everyday people who have staged noisy street protests, fearing that vulnerable children will be talked into making a final, irreversible choice.

If George Clooney thought the battle over art's rightful ownership — the subject of his World War II movie "The Monuments Men" — was in the past, he knows better now.

The actor-director has touched a nerve in Britain by suggesting the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece.