Новости за 02.03.2016

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are wavering between small gains and losses in afternoon trading Wednesday. Agribusiness giant Monsanto is leading a decline in materials stocks. A day earlier, stocks made their biggest gains in more than a month. Energy companies are rising as investors gain confidence that oil prices won't get any worse.

TRENTON, New Jersey - Was that really Chris Christie, the brusque, take-a-back-seat-to-no-one governor of New Jersey?

SAN FRANCISCO - Prescription drug distributor McKesson Corp. is buying Canadian pharmacy operator Rexall Health from Katz Group for $2.2 billion, strengthening McKesson's Canadian pharmaceutical supply chain.

WASHINGTON - Shares of agricultural business giant Monsanto plummeted Wednesday after the maker of biotech seeds slashed its 2016 guidance due to worse-than-expected sales expectations for its products.

HARTFORD, Connecticut - The U.S. Marine Corps dog tag being peddled by a war artifacts seller caught Charles Thompson's eye when he was vacationing with friends in Vietnam. He plunked down the equivalent of about $3 for the piece of metal, with the hope of returning it - he assumed - to the family of the fallen Marine.

MADRID - Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says Barcelona is beatable and faces problems when opponents try to come up with different ways to stop his team.

JACKSON, Mississippi - Mississippi's attorney general says he will defend the Confederate-themed state flag against a lawsuit that seeks to remove the banner, even though he thinks the flag hurts the state and should change.

CLEVELAND - Alex Mack has snapped the ball into the Browns' court.

VICKSBURG, Mississippi - Authorities in western Mississippi launched a massive search Wednesday for a capital murder suspect who escaped from a county jail.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - With five months to go before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian organizers are struggling to sell tickets for South America's first games. Don't worry, says the IOC president, the locals will buy up tickets at the last minute.

NEW YORK - Carmelo Anthony is apologizing for his interaction with a fan during the New York Knicks' latest loss.

BALTIMORE - A video has surfaced that shows a school police officer slapping a young man at a school in Baltimore.

ANDERSON, Indiana - An Illinois man was spared jail time and instead sentenced to eight years of probation on several felony charges related to casino fraud in Indiana.

COLUMBIA, California - Delmer Berg, the last known American survivor who fought fascists in 1930s Spain, has died in northern California.

BRADFORD, England - Former England soccer international Adam Johnson faces going to jail for up to 10 years after being found guilty on Wednesday of sexual activity with a child.

"Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart" (Alfred A. Knopf) by Claire Harman

JACKSONVILLE, Florida - Alexis Hyder scored 20 points and had nine rebounds to lead 13th-seeded LSU over 12th-seeded Alabama 58-49 on Wednesday in the opener of the SEC women's tournament.

NEW YORK - Before they say "I do," soon-to-be newlyweds are increasingly going online to ask, "Will you pay for our honeymoon?"

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Ravens and Joe Flacco have agreed on a contract extension that will keep the quarterback with the team through the 2021 season.

LANSING, Michigan - The state of Michigan restricted Flint from switching water sources last April unless it got approval from Gov. Rick Snyder's administration under the terms of a $7 million loan needed to help transition the city from state management, according to a document released Wednesday.

INDIANTOWN, Florida - A top training facility for thoroughbreds in Florida is under quarantine for three weeks after a horse tested positive for a dangerous strain of equine herpes.

DALLAS - Gasoline prices have started their annual springtime migration higher, but motorists should still save money at the pump in 2016.

With its rugged off-road prowess and reputation for reliability, Toyota's stalwart 4Runner sport utility vehicle is enjoying a sales revival, thanks to low gasoline prices.

MILWAUKEE - Guard Allazia Blockton has been named the Big East Freshman of the Year after leading the Marquette women's basketball with 18.3 points per game to break the conference scoring record.

GENEVA - Family-friendly, practical SUVs rub elbows with exotic and fearsomely expensive sports cars at this year's Geneva International Motor Show.