SHAM COUNTRY

BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he has left a hospital in Beijing, where he has been for the past three weeks since he sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, and was waiting at the airport. Chen said he believes he will be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The departure of Chen and his family would mark the removal of a sticking point in already difficult U.S.-China relations that have been marred by China's handling of human rights. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment. ...

Kobe Bryant's perfection at the free-throw line was big for the desperate Lakers. His poise in the fourth quarter was even bigger, and it got Los Angeles back into its second-round series with Oklahoma City.

Japan said that it stood ready to extend help in stemming the eurozone's debt crisis as the Group of Eight major industrialized nations opened crisis talks.

A blind Chinese activist whose escape from a rural village set off a diplomatic tussle between Beijing and Washington says he is at an airport waiting to leave for the United States.

Kobe Bryant made 18 free throws without a miss and scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late for a 99-96 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 3 on Friday night, cutting the Thunder's second-round series lead to 2-1.