MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Maria Sharapova was once the young upstart, fearlessly upstaging Serena Williams in her first Grand Slam final. On Saturday at the Australian Open, she ran into the new noise in women’s tennis, Victoria Azarenka.

Azarenka claimed her first major title with a ruthless 6-3, 6-0 win over Sharapova. With the victory, the 22-year-old also took the No. 1 ranking, becoming the 21st woman and the first from Belarus to rise to the top.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek denied Bob and Mike Bryan their record 12th Grand Slam doubles title, beating the American twins 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the final of the Australian Open. The Woodies could probably sleep a little easier Saturday night.

The 33-year-old Bryans were attempting to secure their place as the most decorated doubles team since the Open Era began in 1968. The brothers remain level on 11 major titles with the Australian duo of Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, also known by their nickname the Woodies.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing,” Bob Bryan said. “But you know, I thought we have had a great Australian swing, and we’re playing, at least I’m playing a lot better than I did last year already. It bodes well for the rest of the year.”

Woman rescued after 7 weeks lost in remote area of Nevada

By Alex Dobuzinskis – 1 hr 25 mins ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A 56 year-old Canadian woman stranded in a van for seven weeks on a remote dirt road in northern Nevada survived on snow and some trail mix until hunters discovered her, authorities said on Saturday.

With Rita Chretien recovering in an Idaho hospital following her rescue on Friday afternoon, searchers are looking for her husband, who left the van seeking help, said Corporal Dan Moskaluk, spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Rita Chretien's family has spoken to her by phone.

"They related that they were very relieved to see how much she sounded like herself," Moskaluk told Reuters. "It's obviously very emotional and bittersweet, given that the husband is still outstanding."

Albert Chretien, 59, left the couple's Chevrolet Astro van to seek help, three days after they got stuck in the mud on March 19 on a forest service road 20 miles from the nearest highway, in Elko County in northern Nevada, Moskaluk said. The area is near the border with Idaho.

The Canadian couple had left their home in Penticton, British Columbia, to attend a Las Vegas trade fair for their construction excavation business.

They were last seen on March 19 buying gas in Baker City, Oregon, and Moskaluk said they got stranded on the dirt road in Elko County, at an elevation of 5,200 feet.

The area where the van was stranded has been blanketed with snow and rain in recent weeks. It was unclear if the couple was sight-seeing, or simply got lost.

"By the sounds of it, they essentially got turned around," Moskaluk said.

Rita Chretien, survived on snow, water and a small amount of trail mix, Moskaluk said. The area where she was discovered is so remote that the hunters had to backtrack for nine miles before they regained cell phone service to call for help.

Before her discovery, the woman's family believed both Rita Chretien and her husband were dead, he said.

Moskaluk added that he has never before dealt with a case where a stranded person survived that long without help. "We were just awestruck with it, just dumbfounded," he said.

Following her seven-week ordeal, Rita Chretien was airlifted to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center in southern Idaho, where she is listed in fair condition, said hospital spokesman Ken Dey.

Her family was flying over to reunite with her, Dey said.

The Elko County Sheriff's Department and the nearby Owyhee County Sheriff's Department in Idaho were searching for Albert Chretien on Saturday.

A search by airplane was called off because of bad weather and poor visibility, and about a dozen rescue workers were conducting a ground search for the man, said Owyhee County sheriff's deputy CJ Stappler.

The Chretiens were first reported missing in late March by family when they failed to return home to Canada as planned. In the first two weeks of April, authorities conducted air and ground searches in eastern Oregon, Moskaluk said.

The family even hired a private plane to aid in the April search operation, but Moskaluk said that because of the vast geography it was "like finding a needle in a haystack."

The mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks was killed in an operation led by the U.S., President Obama declares.

WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that murdered thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday.

"Justice has been done," said the president in a dramatic late-night announcement at the White House.

A small team of Americans killed bin Laden in a firefight Sunday at a compound in Pakistan, the president said, and took custody of his remains. Americaj officials said they were being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.

A jubilant crowd gathered outside the White House as word spread of bin Laden's death after a global manhunt that lasted nearly a decade.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the attacks, issued a written statement hailing bin Laden's death as a momentous achievement. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.

Obama said he ordered the operation after receiving undisclosed intelligence information. Senior administration officials said the terrorist mastermind was found inside a custom-built compound with two security gates. They said it appeared to hvae been constructed to harbor one high-value target and that for undisclosed reasons, officials became clear the hideout was bin Laden's.

Officials also said they believe the death puts al-Qaida on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse, but there was no word on the whereabouts of bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The stunning end to the world's most widely-watched manhunt came just months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization, that killed more than 3,000 people.

The attacks a decade ago seemed to come out of nowhere, even though al-Qaida had previously damaged American targets overseas.

The terrorists hijacked planes, flew one of them into one of Manhattan's Twin Towers — and, moments later, into the other one. Both buildings collapsed, trapping thousands inside and claiming the lives of firefighters and others who had rushed to help them.

A third plane slammed into the Pentagon, defacing the symbol of America's military night. A fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered the hijackers and forced the craft from the air — before it could hit its intended target in Washington.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

A senior administration official says Obama gave the final order for U.S. officials to go after bin Laden on Friday. The official added that a small team found their quarry hiding in a large home in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. The raid occurred in the early morning hours Sunday.

Administration officials offered some details of the operation.

Based on statements given by U.S. detainees, intelligence officials have known for years that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular and they believed he might be living with him in hiding. In November, intelligence officials found out where he was living, a huge fortified compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad. It was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet high, topped with barbed wire. There were two security gates and no phone or Internet running into the house.

Intelligence officials believed the $1 million home was custom-built to harbor a major terrorist. CIA experts analyzed whether it could be anyone else, but time and again, they decided it was almost certainly bin Laden.

Three adult males were also killed in Sunday's raid, including one of bin Laden's sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden's sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida.

Obama spoke with Bush and former President Bill Clinton Sunday night to inform them of the developments.

Obama struck a less than boastful tone in his brief announcement, although he said the death of bin Laden was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaida.

"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant," he added.

Moments after he spoke, American officials cautioned that the events could lead to heightened threats against the United States.

Officials said the U.S. would ensure that bin Laden's body was handled in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Activist sues Sarah Palin for $100K over traffic

By BECKY BOHRER

JUNEAU, Alaska – An activist is suing Sarah Palin for at least $100,000, claiming she undertook a campaign to "punish, embarrass, discredit and silence" him while she was Alaska's governor.

The lawsuit was filed in state court by Chip Thoma and first reported by TMZ.com.

Palin's attorney, John Tiemessen, called the complaint frivolous and said it was filed "merely for the purpose of harassment."

"The governor's actions and statements regarding this matter are a matter of public record and governed by the long standing doctrine of executive immunity from tort claims," he said in an email late Friday. "Like all of the other harassing complaints against the governor, we anticipate that Mr. Thoma's will be quickly and summarily dismissed."

The matter dates to 2009, after Palin returned to Juneau and the governor's office from her failed vice presidential bid.

Thoma's attorney, James McGowan, said Thoma complained about tour bus traffic on the narrow, windy streets around the governor's mansion. McGowan said Thoma, whom he described as a "Palin fan" at the time, sent tour operators fliers to try to encourage them to change the routes. He said Thoma also helped neighbors create yard signs against what Thoma considered the noise, pollution and congestion caused by the buses.

McGowan said Palin twisted Thoma's actions to make it seem like he had engaged in "some unsavory and lunatic" campaign against the Palins.

The complaint is based in part on a leaked draft manuscript of an aide of Palin's at that time.