PHILADELPHIA – Three people were charged Thursday with running a $54 million Ponzi scheme built on promises of a green energy technology that would turn trash into fuel and “carbon-negative” housing developments, neither of which were ever developed, federal prosecutors said. Troy Wragg, 34, of Georgia, Amanda Knorr, 32, of …

SALT LAKE CITY – Ohio State University is promising to take appropriate action if any students are found to be involved in the vandalism of ancient rock art in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1IQgfT1) that school officials said Friday they are looking into whether students on a geology …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina – Bosnian police have arrested four men, including an active officer of the state intelligence agency, suspected of committing war crimes during the country’s 1992-95 conflict. A statement from the prosecution office said Tuesday the men were senior members of the Bosnian Serb police during the war and …

UNITED NATIONS – Human Rights Watch is accusing the Sudanese military of another mass rape in Darfur. Members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces raped at least 60 women in the country’s troubled western region, after taking over the town of Golo in January, according to a new report by the …

My take today is on the refugee crisis in Syria and Europe and looks at what the United States should do. Thursday, the White House announced that the U.S. should be prepared to help at least 10,000 refugees. So let’s take a look at the amount of care the U.S. …

Everybody expected April to be a crucial time for Formula One. It was the month when the future of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone would go on the line as he faces bribery charges in a Munich court room. It was when the Ferrari and Red Bull teams would step up …

BOSTON – Sports championships aren’t rare in Boston anymore, and security officials are drawing on what went right — and wrong — during recent victory celebrations as the Red Sox look to claim another title. The Red Sox return to Fenway Park on Wednesday needing one win in against the …

SHANGHAI – It only took four holes over two days for Dustin Johnson to lose a six-shot lead in the HSBC Champions. All that mattered was the high-powered kick down the stretch Sunday at Sheshan International that brought him the biggest win of his career. In what felt like the …

Editor’s note: This notebook will be revised throughout the day at Richmond International Raceway. Check back for updates. BRISTOL DRAWS BRICKBATS — On Wednesday, Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith announced that the upper lane of Bristol Motor Speedway will ground down and flattened out in an attempt …

Kurt Busch hopes to remove the Indianapolis 500 from his bucket list — in 2014. Following an invitation from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch might just get his wish. On Thursday, two days before the Brickyard opens for the the 97th running of the Indy 500, Busch will test drive an …