Spotlight
An Andy Warhol painting of Elizabeth Taylor sold for over $662,000 at auction in New York.
The painting was included in Christie's auction house sale Wednesday of jewelry and other items from the collection of the late actress, who starred in "National Velvet" and "Cleopatra." A wedding dress worn at her second marriage to Richard Burton sold for over $62,000.

A homemade bomb killed two men when it exploded Thursday on the motorcycle they were riding in a southern town, police said. A bystander was wounded.
Investigators were trying to determine whether the men were innocent victims or were carrying the bomb that went off accidentally in Maguindanao province's Datu Odin Sinsuat township, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac said.

The Eagles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Foo Fighters and John Mayer are among the headliners to perform at next year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
It will be the first year the Eagles and Tom Petty play Jazz Fest, the outdoor music event that features hundreds of Louisiana artists in such genres as jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, Cajun and zydeco. The festival is accented by national acts that in 2012 will include the Zac Brown Band, Herbie Hancock, My Morning Jacket, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, Jill Scott and Florence & the Machine.

Lamar Odom knows what it takes to repeat as an NBA champion.
Vince Carter wants to know what it feels like to become an NBA champion.

South American champion Santos advanced to the Club World Cup final by beating Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Thursday, setting up a possible showdown between Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Brazil teenager Neymar.
The 19-year-old Neymar, who is touted to be the next big star in football, scored one of the Brazilian club's goals.

Chilean doctors successfully separated conjoined twin girls early Wednesday after a marathon 18-hour surgery widely followed in the South American country on television and the Internet.
The 10-month-old twins Maria Paz and Maria Jose are in stable condition even after losing a lot of blood and they are resting in the intensive care unit at Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital, chief surgeon Francisco Ossandon said.

Police in Indonesia's most conservative province raided a punk-rock concert and detained 65 fans, buzzing off their spiky mohawks and stripping away body piercings because of the perceived threat to Islamic values.
Dog-collar necklaces and chains also were taken from the youths before they were thrown in pools of water for "spiritual" cleansing, local police chief Iskandar Hasan said Wednesday.

Ren Bishop is one of many American drivers who texts, tweets and talks on her cellphone while she's behind the wheel — and thinks it should be up to drivers to use their discretion when it comes to safety.
Though she admits thumbing her phone while driving is a bad habit, the University of Missouri student says drivers "are mature enough to understand when it is appropriate and when it is not."

Apple has launched its iTunes store in Brazil and 15 other Latin American countries, the company said Tuesday, making available for sale more than 20 million songs in a region where music piracy is rampant.
One top Brazilian music industry official said he thinks the launch of the online iTunes store, along with expectations that Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will soon produce iPods, iPads and iPhones in Brazil, will put a dent in piracy in Brazil.

Greece is in crisis, but it was hard to tell at Athens fashion week, which showcased spring and summer collections for 2012.
"Keep Greek Fashion in Your Hearts," was the motto, a hard ask in a country on the verge of financial ruin. But the models on the catwalk and the glitterati on the red carpet did their part. Gowns shimmered, lipstick glistened. Pink cocktails flowed, courtesy of the sponsors.
