U.S. author Mitch Albom has launched a drive to rebuild 10 libraries in Tacloban, a central Philippine city ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan in November.

National Book Store Foundation, his Philippine partner in the project, said Tuesday that Albom has pledged to raise $160,000, starting with his own contribution of $10,000 for the libraries.

A referendum to overturn a California law that gives transgender students protections including the right to use the public school restrooms of their choice will not appear on the November ballot after its backers failed to gather enough voter signatures to qualify the measure, the secretary of state said Monday.

The law's opponents were led by a coalition of religious conservative groups who said it violates the privacy of youngsters who may be uncomfortable sharing facilities with classmates of the opposite biological sex.

An American couple knew adopting four orphans at once from Ukraine would be stressful.

But it wasn't until the bullets started flying and homemade bombs exploded outside the apartment where they were staying in the capital of the eastern European country that David and Lisa Bundy discovered just how stressful it could be.

Actress Amanda Bynes has pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving after she clipped a Los Angeles County sheriff's patrol car.

District attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison says Bynes entered the plea Monday through her lawyer. The former teen star was sentenced to three years of probation and three months of attending alcohol education classes.

For women who carry a notorious cancer gene, surgery to remove healthy ovaries is one of the most protective steps they can take. New research suggests some may benefit most from having the operation as young as 35.

Women who inherit either of two faulty BRCA genes are at much higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer than other women, and at younger ages. Actress Angelina Jolie generated headlines last year when she had her healthy breasts removed to reduce her cancer risk.

The Los Angeles Clippers extended their impressive run of form with a 123-110 win at New Orleans on Monday, maintaining a three-game lead atop the NBA Pacific Division, thanks chiefly to Jamal Crawford's 7 3-pointers.

The Clippers retained the three-game buffer ahead of Golden State, which put in a strong second-half defensive performance to win at Detroit, while the day's other key game saw Dallas edge New York when Dirk Nowitzki's buzzer-beater bounced off the rim then fell in.

Japanese figure skater Mao Asada says there is a fifty-fifty chance she will continue her career after an impressive performance in the free skate at the Sochi Olympics, and has no regrets about including the triple axel in her routine.

Asada fell on her trademark triple axel to finish a disappointing 16th after the short program in Sochi but came back strongly in the free skate, recording a career best of 142.71 that gave her a total of 198.22 points for sixth place.

Visibly upset after Mexico was eliminated from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in the round of 16, long-time captain Rafael Marquez announced he had just played his last international.

"It's the right moment to step aside to let the young guys play," Marquez said after a 3-1 loss to Argentina in Johannesburg.

Matias Fernandez's stunning free kick saw Champions League-chasing Fiorentina snatch a 2-2 draw at Parma in a thrilling Serie A match which also featured three red cards on Monday.

Fiorentina remained six points behind third-place Napoli after an equally magnificent free kick from on-loan Napoli forward Emanuele Calaio rescued a 1-1 draw for Genoa against his parent club.

Samsung on Monday unveiled a new smartphone with a built-in heart rate monitor to complement three upcoming fitness devices, as the Korean companies tries to turn its technological wizardry into lifestyle products that matter.

The new Galaxy S5 phone has a slightly larger screen than its predecessor, at 5.1 inches (12.95 cm) diagonally instead of 5 inches in the S4. But the size increases have slowed down compared with previous jumps.