Chris Paul will supply the Los Angeles Clippers with so much more than alley-oop passes to Blake Griffin when he arrives in Hollywood on Thursday night.

A bold trade for New Orleans' superstar point guard on Wednesday just might alter the entire sports world's perception of the Clippers. After managing just six winning seasons in their first 41 years of existence, the bumbling Clippers suddenly look slick and scintillating after swinging arguably the biggest trade in franchise history, giving them two of the NBA's elite players and a capable supporting cast.

Asian stocks fell Thursday as Japanese business confidence and Chinese manufacturing both slipped, but European shares rose as data showing the region's economic output contracted less than anticipated.

Benchmark oil rose to near $96 per barrel after a big slide the day before while the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.

A psychedelic gecko and a monkey with an "Elvis" hairdo are among 208 new species described last year by scientists in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia, a conservation group announced Monday.

The animals were discovered in a biodiverse region that is threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and overdevelopment, the WWF said in a report.

More than three years since it arrived in its final port of Dubai, the storied cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 will soon be welcoming well-heeled guests once again — at least for a night.

The event marks the first time the ship's government owners are throwing down the gangplank for a large group of visitors since the vessel pulled into port in November 2008.

Michael Jackson's daughter says she was inspired to be an actress after seeing her father in the film "Moonwalker."

Paris Jackson spoke to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres about her acting aspirations and the lengths that her father took to protect her identity. The episode airs Thursday.

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.