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Vatican downplays plot…French open terror probe…Nasdaq moves higher

By The Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — The Vatican is downplaying the significance of an alleged planned attack against it, saying the threat dates from 2010 and therefore is not of particular concern today. A Vatican spokesman issued a statement after prosecutors in Sardinia revealed details of the purported plot today. The prosecutors say the Islamic extremists who are suspected in a bomb attack in a Pakistani market had also planned an attack against the Vatican five years ago. Police said today they were arresting 18 suspected extremists.

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors have opened a formal terror investigation after the arrest this week of a computer science student from Algeria. Authorities say the 24-year-old student had planned an attack on a church. He’s also suspected in the shooting death of a woman. He was arrested after apparently shooting himself by accident and calling an ambulance.

NEW YORK (AP) — Big gains by Amazon and Google are lifting technology stocks in early trading. Amazon soared 15 percent after revealing details about its cloud computing service for the first time. Google and Microsoft also rose after reporting their latest quarterly results. The Nasdaq is surging higher, a day after the index beat its record-high close from 2000 at the height of the dot-com boom.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Testimony is continuing for a third day in a court hearing to determine whether the man who shot President Ronald Reagan should be allowed to live full-time outside a mental hospital. A federal judge in Washington is hearing arguments about whether John Hinckley Jr. should be allowed to live full-time at his 89-year-old mother’s home in Virginia and, if so, under what conditions. A psychiatrist who treats Hinckley and his case manager are expected to testify via videoconference today. Hinckley currently spends 17 days a month at his mother’s home.

NEW YORK (AP) — A former child actor who played one of Ray Romano’s twin sons in the CBS comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond” has died. Sawyer Sweeten was 19 years old. In a statement, his sister Madylin says he took his own life. Madylin Sweeten and Sawyer’s twin brother Sullivan all played the children in the sitcom’s fictional Barone family.

Covering the Bases: Nats and the rain

By Jonathan Warner
WASHINGTON -- It's rather ironic that the Nationals' longest night in Atlanta this weekend ended up being their best of the series. However, I don't know if Braves fans will say the same thing. They had to wait out a 3-hour, 41-minute rain delay late Saturday. The game didn't start until 10:50 p.m., and because it went 11 innings, didn't end till 2:29 a.m. Major League Baseball can't control the length of games, but it can certainly limit the time fans must endure before play begins. Anything beyond two hours is a disgrace. It shows no respect for the paying customer. If fans finally lose patience, head home and then play begins, not only do they miss the game, but there will be no refund either. All clubs do it. I've sat through many long rain delays in different cities. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. However, while I'll return for more games, you have to think some fans may not ever be back. - Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg were supposed to make the Nationals World Series contenders. So, it's rather ironic that they're in first place with both having rather unimpressive years. In addition, the Face of the Franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, has been sidelined most of the season. So how are they doing it? Pitching and defense. Washington had only one All-Star and now Jayson Werth is dealing with nagging injuries. The Nationals' MVPs have been Anthony Rendon, Ian Desmond, Denard Span, Tanner Roark and Doug Fister. So far, though, it hasn't been good enough to beat the Braves, at least head-to-head. Maybe in the end it won't matter. - Watching the Nats-Braves game Sunday night once again highlighted an annoying factor of ESPN. The freakin' news crawl. STOP IT. PLEASE. I don't need to be reminded every two minutes that Tony Stewart has released a statement or watch repeated Arena Football League scores. Who even knew the league still existed? - One final thing. The PGA Championship hands out a true award. The Wanamaker Trophy is a size befitting a major championship. Not quite as big as the Stanley Cup, but impressive nonetheless at 28-inches high and 27-inches in diameter from handle to handle. It weighs 27 pounds. The World Cup, meanwhile, needs to up its game. A World Championship deserves a world class trophy. 14.5 inches tall just doesn't cut it. Follow @WTOP and @WTOPSports on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook. .
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