Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants gave evidence in Madrid earlier this year, after a police operation which came to light in 2006 when anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and blood bags were seized in raids.

The proceedings have attracted international attention because some of Fuentes's clients were successful professional riders, including American Tyler Hamilton who gave evidence in February.

Anti-doping authorities, who were represented in court, hope the trial will lead to evidence being made available of wrongdoing by athletes in sports other than cycling.

Fuentes, who denies doping, said in his opening testimony he also had clients in sports including soccer, tennis, athletics and boxing.

The judge is also expected to announce whether she will grant a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) request for access to the blood bags.

Spain is hopeful the trial will help to dispel the impression that the nation is soft on doping and boost Madrid's bid to win the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The country is pushing through parliament anti-doping legislation which the government says will bring Spain into line with international norms.

(Reporting by Mark Elkington, editing by Ken Ferris)

BARCELONA, May 10 (Reuters) - Mexican Formula One rookie Esteban Gutierrez faced a choice when he took over from high-achieving compatriot Sergio Perez at Sauber this season: take the risks or err on the side of caution.

The 21-year-old went for the riskier approach and, four races into his grand prix career, has made plenty of mistakes and is yet to score his first point.

The Monterrey native feels, however, that he needs to make the errors in order to adapt as quickly as possible in a sport that can be particularly unforgiving to the young and inexperienced.

"I've made some mistakes which obviously come from taking some risks," the youngest driver on the grid told Reuters in an interview at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"When you are at such a level of driving on the limit and taking everything to the limit, sometimes I tend to risk a bit and this comes up with some mistakes. It's part of finding the right edge, where exactly to risk and where not to.

"You can either have a very conservative approach or learn from mistakes. It's two different ways to approach the whole thing," he added. "I think both can be good but I have probably taken the risky one."

On his debut in Australia, Gutierrez was the highest finisher of the five rookies with a 13th place after starting 18th on the grid.

He was 12th in Malaysia, after qualifying 14th, and then ploughed into the back of Adrian Sutil's Force India on the opening lap in China for his first retirement after misjudging the braking distance.

That crash earned him a five place penalty for Bahrain, where he started last and finished 18th.

Experienced German team mate Nico Hulkenberg, who did not start in Australia due to a technical problem, has scored five points from two top 10 finishes.

When Gutierrez was announced as the replacement for Perez, who moved to McLaren to take the place vacated by 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton, the softly-spoken Mexican told reporters frankly that he did not know if he was ready yet.

He had raced in the GP2 support series for the past two years, and been part of the Sauber set-up during that time as the official reserve, but arrived in Formula One with scant track time in a grand prix car.

CONSISTENCY NEEDED

Perez, now 23, took three podium finishes with Sauber last year and the Swiss-based team looked like providing Gutierrez with a car good enough to challenge for rookie of the year honours.

In the event, Sauber have struggled for pace this year and none of the five rookies have scored a point yet with Marussia's Frenchman Jules Bianchi looking an impressive early contender for standout newcomer.

Gutierrez said comparisons with Perez did not trouble him, pointing out also that the older Mexican - who scored only 14 points in his first year with Sauber - had to wait until his second year to get in the top three.

"Did he make a podium in the first year? I'm in only my first four races, I have to go step-by-step. I'm building my own pace, my own speed," he said. "It's a different situation, different characteristic.

"All I can say is that the main pressure comes from myself," added the Mexican. "I really don't worry about the rest because at the end of the day I know and understand what have been my mistakes, what I could have done better, what I am not doing well or that good.

"I know where to improve and I want to deliver."

Gutierrez identified a lack of consistency as his biggest failing but said he was learning fast and the team were supportive of his efforts.

"I'm not going to risk doing things that are not really possible but as a racing driver you need to have a strong approach to things and to try it and see if it works or not," he said.

"I am aware of the things I can do better. The part of understanding and accepting is important in order to really develop and do things right. One thing is to know and another is to make it real. I am in the process of making it real and I am willing to do all it takes." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Chants of "the people want destruction of Israel" rang out Friday inside Al-Azhar mosque, the centuries-old seat of Sunni Muslim learning.

The rally is the first such protest by the Brotherhood, from which Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi hails, since it gained prominence after 2011 uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

Group officials say they are protesting the Israeli detention of top Palestinian Muslim cleric in the Holy Land in a rare crackdown on a leading religious figure that drew fierce condemnation from Palestinians. The demonstrators also were denouncing Israeli airstrikes in Syria that targeted alleged shipments of advanced Iranian missiles thought to be bound for Hezbollah.

Cheering crowds gathered Monday night on the street near the home where police said Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight were found earlier in the day.

Police didn't immediately provide any details of how the women were found but said they appeared to be in good health and had been taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Berry disappeared at age 16 on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a ride home from her job at a Burger King. DeJesus went missing at age 14 on her way home from school about a year later. They were found just a few miles from where they had gone missing.

Police said Knight was 20 when she went missing around 2000.

Police said a 52-year-old man was arrested. There was no immediate word on charges.

Loved ones said they hadn't given up hope of seeing the women again. Among them was Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of DeJesus.

"I've been praying, never forgot about her, ever," Rogers told The Plain Dealer newspaper. "This is amazing. This is a celebration. I'm so happy. I just want to see her walk out of those doors so I can hug her."

Berry's cousin Tasheena Mitchell told the newspaper she couldn't wait to have Berry in her arms.

"I'm going to hold her, and I'm going to squeeze her and I probably won't let her go," she said.

Berry's mother, Louwana Miller, who had been hospitalized for months with pancreatitis and other ailments, died in March 2006. She had spent the previous three years looking for her daughter, whose disappearance took a toll as her health steadily deteriorated, family and friends said.

Mayor Frank Jackson expressed gratitude that the three women were found alive.

"We have many unanswered questions regarding this case, and the investigation will be ongoing," he said in a statement.

At Metro Health Medical Center, Dr. Gerald Maloney declined to go into details about the women's conditions or answer questions about whether family members were with them.

"We're assessing their needs, and the appropriate specialists are evaluating them as well," he said at a news conference, which concluded with a round of applause from a large gathering of area residents.

In January, a prison inmate was sentenced to 4 1/2 years after admitting he provided a false burial tip in the disappearance of Berry, who had last been seen the day before her 17th birthday. A judge in Cleveland sentenced Robert Wolford on his guilty plea to obstruction of justice, making a false report and making a false alarm.

Last summer, Wolford tipped authorities to look for Berry's remains in a Cleveland lot. He was taken to the location, which was dug up with backhoes.

Two men arrested for questioning in the disappearance of DeJesus in 2004 were released from the city jail in 2006 after officers did not find her body during a search of the men's house.

One of the men was transferred to the Cuyahoga County Jail on unrelated charges, while the other was allowed to go free, police said.

In September 2006, police acting on a tip tore up the concrete floor of the garage and used a cadaver dog to search unsuccessfully for DeJesus' body. Investigators confiscated 19 pieces of evidence during their search but declined to comment on the significance of the items then.

No Amber Alert was issued the day DeJesus failed to return home from school in April 2004 because no one witnessed her abduction. The lack of an Amber Alert angered her father, Felix DeJesus, who said in 2006 he believed the public will listen even if the alerts become routine.

"The Amber Alert should work for any missing child," Felix DeJesus said then. "It doesn't have to be an abduction. Whether it's an abduction or a runaway, a child needs to be found. We need to change this law."

Cleveland police said then that the alerts must be reserved for cases in which danger is imminent and the public can be of help in locating the suspect and child.

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Associated Press writer Kantele Franko in Columbus contributed to this report.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) -- LinkedIn Corp. recently released a redesigned mobile application for the iPhone and other devices running on Android software as part of the company's move to give its 225 million accountholders more reasons to visit its online professional networking service more frequently and to linger for longer periods. If it can accomplish that goal, LinkedIn reasons that it should be able to sell more ads and boost its revenue.

Although the revamped app has only been out for two weeks, analysts are already wondering if it is luring in more traffic and changing the way people interact with LinkedIn's service. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner discussed the early response to the new app Thursday in response to a question on a conference call about the company's first-quarter earnings.

QUESTION: You significantly upgraded the user interface for your app during the quarter. I want to see what you're seeing as a result of that.

ANSWER: Yeah. We mentioned earlier social gestures, commenting, liking and that kind of stuff is up about 40 percent, and I think, directionally, that's indicative of the response that we're seeing in the marketplace.

This is the highest rated stand-alone application that we've offered thus far to date, about four stars, and we're seeing a very positive response there. And it's early days, you know, we just launched in the last couple of weeks. It's also worth noting that it's not just on the engagement, but also the performance of the app in terms of speed, and we've seen material improvements there across the board the (content) stream, the inbox, our search capability. So it's really just improved across the board and we've been very pleased with the market's response thus far.

The four-time runner-up advanced to another Key Biscayne final by beating Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-1.

With a victory Saturday, the No. 3-seeded Sharapova would plug one of the few holes in her resume. She completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open last year but has never won the tournament near downtown Miami.

"It would mean so much to me," the Russian said. "I absolutely love this city. It's the first city I landed in when I came to the United States as a little girl."

Sharapova will face the winner of Thursday night's match between five-time champion Serena Williams and defending champ Agnieszka Radwanska.

Andy Murray, the 2009 champion and runner-up last year, advanced to the semifinals by beating No. 9 Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3. Murray has yet to drop a set, and his path is made easier because Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer skipped the tournament, and Novak Djokovic lost in the fourth round.

"Obviously if they aren't there, then you don't have to play against two or three of the best players that have played the game," Murray said. "So it's not as challenging. I always enjoy playing against them because it's good for me. It's a good test of my game."

Murray's opponent Friday night will No. 8-seeded Richard Gasquet, who beat No. 4 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3. The other semifinal will match No. 3 David Ferrer against 34-year-old Tommy Haas, who upset Djokovic.

On a sunny, mild afternoon, Sharapova won seven consecutive games during one stretch against the No. 22-seeded Jankovic. Sharapova committed only 10 unforced errors from the baseline in 88 points while breaking serve six times.

Sharapova took the Indian Wells title two weeks ago and has won 22 consecutive sets, a career best, while winning 11 matches in a row. But she endured a sloppy quarterfinal against Sara Errani, winning despite 57 unforced errors, including 13 double-faults.

She double-faulted only three times against Jankovic and won 23 of 25 points on her first serve.

"I just really thought I needed to step it up from my last match and play a little better," she said. "I was really happy with the way I focused."

Jankovic, playing for the second time in less than 18 hours, was repeatedly a step late trying to reach Sharapova's shots.

"I wasn't moving," she said. "I felt heavy on the court. I felt really tired and exhausted."

Jankovic questioned scheduling that forced her to play in consecutive sessions while Williams and Radwanska had a day off before the semifinals.

"Kind of crazy," she said. "I had a couple of hours of sleep, and then I had to be back on the court."

Sharapova looked fresh even though she has played a lot of tennis lately. She's bidding to become the third woman to win Indian Wells and Key Biscayne in the same year.

Steffi Graf did it in 1994 and 1996, and Kim Clijsters won both in 2005.

"Winning a title on its own, whether it's here or Indian Wells, is a great achievement," Sharapova said. "To be able to come back from that and recover in just a few days and come back to the final here, it's great. Physically, many years ago I wouldn't be able to do that, so I'm very proud of the way I have recovered."

Sharapova has lost the Key Biscayne final to four different players Clijsters in 2005, Svetlana Kuznetsova in '06, Victoria Azarenka in '11 and Radwanska last year.

Fantasia's fourth album, "Side Effects of You," reminds us exactly why she captured our hearts to win 2004's "American Idol."

The Grammy winner, who mostly collaborates with producer Harmony Samuels on the new album, declares a whole new lease on life, delivering a more mature, no-nonsense version of her former self.

The lead single, "Lose to Win," is a heartfelt anthem, and she delivers her vocals with intense emotion. Having faced her fair share of public scrutiny over the years, it's evident Fantasia is singing from experience and the message here is clear.

"Without Me," a killer track with Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott, has a captivating chorus, while "Supernatural Love," featuring rapper Big K.R.I.T., bumps with great hip-hop flavor.

Fantasia also shines on the reggae-influenced R&B jam "Ain't All Bad" and the title track, a ballad written by breakthrough Scottish singer Emeli Sande. On the latter track, you'll feel Fantasia's pain and appreciate her realness.

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Follow Bianca Roach on Twitter: http://twitter.com/B__Roach

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Twas ever so and will always be: Teenage girls are convinced that their fathers are from another era and will never understand the new and exciting changes going on in the world. And in "The Croods," dad literally falls a few steps behind on the evolutionary ladder, while the world really is changing, complete with lava, earthquakes and continental drift.

After the dreary "Ice Age" movies made Pangaea tedious and stridently unfunny, it's a thrill to get a movie that gives tectonic shift a good name. This new effort from writer-directors Chris Sanders (co-director of "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Lilo & Stitch") and Kirk De Micco ("Space Chimps") offers genuine comedy and compelling characters with dazzling visuals that feature both imaginary beasts (carnivorous birds, a candy-colored saber-toothed cat) and moments that approach photo-realism.

The titular stone-age family is led by Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), whose motto is, "Never not be afraid." Between the bleakness of the landscape and the plethora of hungry beasts populating it, one could understand Grug's wariness of the world. ("Still alive!" is what the family cries out in unison at the dawn of each day.) But teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone) has begun to chafe at dad's alarmism and wants to start exploring the big, scary world.

She sneaks out of the cave one night when she witnesses something dazzling, which turns out to be fire, carried aloft by Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who's clearly closer to Homo erectus than the jutting-brow Croods.

Grug wants nothing to do with this slick visitor and his new ways, but after an earthquake destroys the family cave, the Croods - including mom Ugga (Catherine Keener), nerdy son Thunk (Clark Duke), feral daughter Sandy (Randy Thorn) and salty Gran (Cloris Leachman) - have no choice but to follow Guy into a different world that offers color, splendorand even more danger.

This material could have easily fallen into sitcom clichs with a heaping scoop of anachronism jokes on the side, but "The Croods" takes these characters and their situation seriously enough to make the story matter. When Eep chastises the ever-vigilant Grug for mistaking "not dying" for "living," it's a genuinely powerful moment, one that you might not expect to find in a cartoon aimed at audiences of all ages.

The cast is terrific - Cage hasn't been this intentionally funny in eons - and the directors know how to stage the small stuff (throw-away jokes turn out to be set-ups for bigger punch lines later on) as well as elaborately staged sequences, like a food-gathering mission in which the theft of an egg turns into a football scrimmage in which the Croods must maintain possession despite the efforts of fellow predators (not to mention the miffed mama bird).

"The Croods" is making its way into theaters without a great deal of fanfare, but it's a solidly produced and thoroughly entertaining animated feature that won't club you over the head with its ideas.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States asked Turkey's leader to delay a Gaza Strip visit so as not to upset U.S. efforts to revive Ankara's ties with Israel and Middle East peace talks, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has for years spoken of his desire to visit the Palestinian enclave, said last week he planned to go in late May after an official visit to the United States.

But Kerry said a Turkish visit to Gaza, controlled by the Hamas Islamist group which rejects Israel's existence, might distract from efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.

"With respect to the PM's potential visit to Gaza: We have expressed to the PM that we really think it would be better delayed and it shouldn't take place at this point in time," Kerry told a news conference in Istanbul.

"We thought that the timing of it is really critical with respect to the peace process we are trying to get off the ground and that we would like to see the parties begin with as little outside distraction as possible," he added.

Kerry has visited the region several times in recent weeks, holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Erdogan had been expected to visit Gaza this month but postponed his trip at the request of the United States. He will travel to Washington to meet President Barack Obama on May 16.

"I think the prime minister listened very graciously to that and he has been very thoughtful and sensitive about it and if needs be we certainly could have further conversations about it when he comes to Washington," Kerry added.

Hamas's refusal to recognize the Jewish state and past vows to destroy it are a key reason behind an Israeli blockade of the coastal territory since Hamas seized it from the more moderate pro-Western Fatah movement in 2007. Europe and the United States have long demanded Hamas drop violence and recognize Israel as a condition for any dialogue.

TURKISH-ISRAELI RELATIONS

The planned trip would also come at a sensitive time for Turkish-Israeli relations.

Obama last month brokered a first step in reconciliation between the two former allies, whose relations were frozen after the 2010 killing by Israeli marines of nine Turks aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship.

Netanyahu apologized in March to his Turkish counterpart over the killings and pledged compensation to the bereaved, meeting a long-standing Turkish demand. Turkey, for its part, appeared to back off on a separate demand that Israel stop blockading Gaza.

An Israeli delegation will visit Turkey for the first time in three years this week in a sign of thawing relations and Kerry said he discussed with Turkish officials the importance of "completing the task" in renewing ties.

"Tomorrow there will be a meeting that begins to continue down that road and I look forward to a fruitful completion of that initiative," he said.

Kerry said he wanted to see an improvement in life on the ground in Gaza, bringing goods into the enclave, while moving to full diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel.

"If allies who have differences have suddenly put those aside ... you have a much stronger ability to address other concerns that we may have," Kerry said, pointing to challenges posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions and civil war in Syria.

"There are huge reasons why it is beneficial for this rapprochement to be completed as soon as possible because it meets all of our strategic needs and interests," he added.

(Additional reporting by Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jason Webb)

Being true to oneself is a key issue in Clifford Odets' dark play, "The Big Knife," written in 1948 during the flush of postwar success, when America's focus turned toward capitalism. A strong, noirish production starring Bobby Cannavale opened Tuesday night on Broadway, presented by Roundabout Theatre Company.

Doug Hughes stages repeated dynamic moments during the period drama, smartly retaining much of Odets' stilted yet colorful dialogue. The more seasoned cast members relish their opportunities to melodramatically sneer, flounce and bluster as required.

Odets' popular early plays promoted social justice, including "Waiting for Lefty," and "Awake and Sing!" His drama "Golden Boy" about a violinist drawn to the big money of boxing, enjoyed a Broadway revival earlier this season. "The Big Knife" hasn't been produced as much as those plays, but the fine ensemble in this Roundabout production brings new life to the age-old story of artists trapped by the glitter of commercial success.

Cannavale charismatically portrays flashy, popular leading man Charlie Castle, who feels ensnared by his success as a cartoonish action-adventure performer. Cannavale sensitively enacts Charlie's inner doubts about how he may have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune, while reciting Odets' overblown language with increasing brio.

Charlie ruefully refers to himself in the third person, as when he tells his estranged wife, "Listen, monkey, I know I'm a mechanical, capering mouse. But Charlie Cass is still around in dribs and drabs don't you think he'd like to do a fine play every other year? Don't you think I want our marriage to work?"

Richard Kind gives a dynamic performance as mega-maniacal studio executive Marcus Hoff. To Hoff, manipulating his employees' lives is his perfect right, and even ordering a murder to protect his interests is all in a day's work. Kind forcefully imbues Hoff with unctuous, impassioned self-confidence and a callous disregard for humanity.

Marin Ireland has a difficult role as Charlie's brutally frank, emotionally exhausted wife Marion. Ireland is so naturalistic an actress that she can't always pull off the artifice in the dialogue, as when calling Charlie "Husband dear" or "Handsome." However, she's quite moving and effective when Marion is speaking honestly with her husband.

The excellent supporting cast includes Brenda Wehle, a malevolent delight as scandal-sniffing gossip columnist Patty Benedict. Joey Slotnick brings underlying despair to the role of Buddy Bliss, Charlie's nervous but loyal publicity manager. Chip Zien warmly enacts Nat Danziger, a sincere, longtime father figure to Charlie and Marion, while Reg Rogers wears a smarmy air as ironically-named Smiley Coy, who executes Hoff's every controlling whim.

The dark secret hidden by Charlie and his various handlers dominates the final, melodramatic scenes, when Charlie ruminates bleakly, "This whole movie thing is a murder of the people."

Adding to the general air of decadence are Ana Reeder, exuding heat as Buddy's voluptuous, immoral wife, and Rachel Brosnahan as a naively impudent, blackmailing starlet. C.J. Wilson makes a brief but notable appearance as Marion's solid, idealistic lover, and Billy Eugene Jones is discreetly effective as a loyal servant to the Castles.

Odets was a left-wing New Yorker eventually transplanted to Hollywood, where he churned out scripts within the Hollywood studio system. While he surely enjoyed skewering the power and immorality of studio executives in "The Big Knife," he also probably heard about some real-life scandals that may inform this cynical play.

John Lee Beaty's set is an elegantly handsome, airy Los Angeles living space, and Catherine Zuber's often-glamorous dresses and sharp suits add to the glossy period atmosphere. "Try to be happy this isn't a Russian novel," Charlie playfully tells Buddy. But by the dramatic conclusion, it's clear that Odets' script was informed both by sensational tabloid headlines and the tragic hubris found in great Russian literature.

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Online:

http://www.roundabouttheatre.org