Petter Northug's form has been one of the big question marks heading into the cross-country skiing events at the Sochi Olympics. The first indication of whether the Norwegian is back to his best will come Sunday in the men's 30-kilometer skiathlon.

Northug, a double Olympic champion, is normally a strong favorite in any mass-start event because of his explosive sprinting ability, but has struggled with an illness this season and has been far from his usual self.

Some of the world's biggest drugmakers are playing a larger role in anti-doping efforts at this year's Winter Olympics: They're providing information on drugs that once would have been considered proprietary trade secrets.

GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen and Roche are among the drugmakers that have begun sharing "confidential research and data" with anti-doping officials about experimental drugs they are developing, as part of an effort to stay one step ahead of drug cheats.

Apple has repurchased $14 billion of its stock in the two weeks after its first-quarter financial results and second-quarter revenue outlook disappointed investors.

Apple bought $12 billion of the shares through an accelerated repurchase program and $2 billion on the open market, the company confirmed.

This cluster of poor villages, long known for its colorful silk saris, now is known for something else: tuberculosis. Nearly half of Lohata's population has it — some 100,000 people — and the community's weaving tradition is part of the reason it is on the front line of a major Indian health crisis.

The area of Uttar Pradesh state is under unofficial quarantine because of the epidemic. Strangers rarely venture into these villages outside the ancient city of Varanasi. Even rickshaw drivers refuse to enter, turning away the few passengers looking for a lift.

Music, dance and plenty of Russian bravado unleashed the ultimate achievement of Vladimir Putin's Russia on Thursday — a Winter Olympics to showcase the best athletes on ice and snow that the world has to offer.

The opening ceremony on the edge of the Black Sea and subsequent games are Russia's chance to tell its story of post-Soviet resurrection to the world, and dispel the anger, fear and suspicion that has marred the buildup to these most expensive Olympics ever.

Sao Paulo fans are protesting the team's decision to acquire striker Alexandre Pato in a trade with Brazilian rival Corinthians.

Fans watching the team's match in the Sao Paulo state championship on Thursday displayed banners criticizing club officials and the 24-year-old striker who struggled with Corinthians since a high-profile transfer from AC Milan in 2013.

U.S. Olympians will have to make do without the team's official yogurt — depriving them of a source of protein and potentially disturbing their daily routines as they prepare for the biggest competition of their lives.

Some 5,000 cups of Greek yogurt from Team USA sponsor Chobani isn't getting to Sochi because of a customs dispute with Russia.

Brian Orser has won two Olympic silver medals and coached a skater to gold. All that experience did little to prepare him for the sport's newest twist.

Team figure skating debuted Thursday at the Sochi Olympics, and Orser wasn't quite sure what to think as coach of one of its top competitors — 19-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. The same was true for many of the skaters, who were quick to rationalize their performance, good or bad.

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic will leave the club after eight years at the end of the season.

Manager David Moyes had previously indicated he wanted Vidic to stay, but the 32-year-old Serbian defender on Friday announced plans to leave when his contract expires.

Sochi Olympic organizers announced that more than 80 percent of tickets to events have been sold.

Russian spectators, who were allocated 70 percent of the total available, have faced lengthy lines in Sochi to collect their tickets.