Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was named African player of the year for a third straight time on Thursday.

He beat out Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel of Nigeria in the vote by Africa's national team coaches. Toure's fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba, the Galatasaray striker and two-time recipient, was third.

Famed film director Zhang Yimou must pay more than $1.2 million in fines for having three children in violation of China's strict family planning rules, officials said Thursday.

A district government in the eastern city of Wuxi said in an online statement that investigators concluded that the director of "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" and his wife, Chen Ting, flouted family planning policies by having the children without approval and before they got married in 2011.

The French drug safety agency has approved commercial sales of a medicine derived from cannabis for the first time in France.

France's Health Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that sales of Sativex, produced by Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals, will be allowed for the treatment of muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

Second-seeded Petra Kvitova suffered an upset 6-4, 6-3 loss to Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in the semifinals of the Sydney International on Thursday.

Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, was broken twice in the first set and four times in the second against Pironkova, who finished last season ranked No. 108.

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the Spanish club until 2016.

The Spain international had delayed re-signing with Madrid with his contract up in June and reported interest from English club Chelsea and Juventus in Italy.

Lionel Messi marked his return from a near two-month injury absence by coming off the bench to score two late goals as Barcelona beat Getafe 4-0 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

While Cesc Fabregas also scored twice, the atmosphere at the far-from-capacity Camp Nou only picked up with Messi's entrance as a substitute in the 64th minute.

For adventure athletes, it's the new essential: a video of their exploits.

On social media, slogans such as "It ain't bragging" read like a mission statement proclaimed by high-octane sports seekers who strap tiny cameras on to their helmets, bikes and bodies to document their weekend and vacation adventures.

Colorful silk scarves tied daintily around the neck, fishnet mesh vests, big furry mohair coats — and we're talking about menswear, not women's.

The latest men's offerings from British luxury label Burberry Prorsum, showcased Wednesday in London, were themed "A painterly journey." The collection's decadent fabrics and arty prints had a feel of the English dandy and more than a hint of femininity about them.

A U.S. Navy helicopter with five crew members crashed into the ocean off the Virginia coast during a routine training mission Wednesday, killing two crew members and leaving two in the hospital, the U.S. Navy said. Rescuers searched into the night for a fifth sailor.

The two who died were among four crewmembers hoisted from the 42-degree waters by a Navy helicopter and taken to a hospital, the Navy said in a statement. The two surviving sailors were being treated at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. One is listed in serious condition, the other has been upgraded to fair, the Navy said in a news release.

Singer Chris Brown is expected to return to court for a status hearing in a case in which he's accused of hitting a man outside a Washington, D.C., hotel.

The R&B singer was arrested in October after a man said the singer hit him outside the W Hotel. Brown and his bodyguard each face a misdemeanor assault charge.