Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Akon says being a successful entertainer has given him a platform to pursue his dream of helping Africa grow and prosper.

The performer, songwriter and producer was born in the U.S. of Senegalese parents and reared in both countries. He started an initiative called "Akon Lighting Africa" two years ago with a goal of bringing electricity to a million homes by the end of 2014. He told a U.N. news conference Wednesday on promoting clean energy that the initiative not only achieved that but has spread to 14 African countries.

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton signed a new 3-year deal with Mercedes on Wednesday, ending rumors of his potential move to Ferrari.

The deal was announced ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

The sight of a stuffed tiger — a very large stuffed tiger — lashed to the top of an SUV cruising around a southwest Washington lake was enough to generate a 911 call from someone who apparently thought it was real.

The Columbian newspaper of Vancouver reports (http://is.gd/6cnx8h ) that Connor Zuvich says he was by Lacamas Lake in Camas on Monday with some friends when a truck came by and dumped some trash and the giant tiger.

Competitive sailors from the U.S. and Cuba have been showing off their skills in Havana Bay as the two countries work on restoring diplomatic relations after decades of hostility.

Five crews from the Cuban national sailing team and four crews from Key West, Florida, cruised across the bay Tuesday as spectators looked on from the famed Malecon seawall. Sailors from both countries said they were excited for the rare opportunity to race against each other, though it was billed as a strictly friendly competition.

Looking no worse for wear a couple days after his car flipped through the air at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ed Carpenter sized up next weekend's big race.

After several scary accidents over the past week, will the Indianapolis 500 be more of the same?

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the NBA draft lottery Tuesday night, the first time since 2004 the team with the worst record won the No. 1 pick.

After years of bad luck in the lottery, things finally worked out for the Wolves, who can perhaps choose between big men Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky and Jahlil Okafor of national champion Duke to put next to Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins.

Golden State rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to beat Houston 110-106 in the opening game of their NBA Western Conference finals series on Tuesday, with Stephen Curry hitting two free throws in the final seconds to seal the result and push his personal total to 34 points.

The Warriors turned the game around by going for a smaller, more nimble lineup and closed the first half on a run of 21 points to 4 to take a three-point lead at halftime.

A U.S. senator is among those condemning a rape scene on HBO's "Game of Thrones."

In a comment tweeted Tuesday, Sen. Claire McCaskill described the sexual assault as "gratuitous" and "disgusting." The Democratic lawmaker from Missouri said she was done with the show.

Weeks after burned macaroni and cheese emptied out the Iowa Capitol, a charred pizza crust has done it again.

The crust burned Tuesday morning in the Capitol cafeteria, prompting a brief evacuation.

They arrive at Lima's coast shortly before dawn and wade into the Pacific Ocean, seeking relief from the ailments doctors have been unable to cure.

Some come in groups, jumping, laughing and running along the shore. Others bathe alone silently in the calm, gray sea.