* Spurs improve to 21-2 at home

* Duncan misses fourth straight game

Jan 30 (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs gave recuperating coach Gregg Popovich a welcome return to the sidelines on Wednesday by romping to a ninth consecutive win with a 102-78 thumping of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Popovich had missed the last three games through illness and despite the absence of big man Tim Duncan for a fourth straight contest with a knee injury, the NBA-leading Spurs were far too strong for the Bobcats.

Tony Parker stepped in to fill the void left by Duncan and recorded 22 points with seven assists, as Kawhi Leonard added 18 points to help San Antonio cruise to another comfortable win at home, where they are 21-2 this season.

"(Parker) did it again. He made a couple baskets down the stretch when they cut (the lead)," Popovich said of his impressive guard, who made 9-of-10 shots.

"He has been really special."

The Spurs (37-11) set the tone for an easy night's work when they opened the game with an 8-0 run and never fell behind.

San Antonio enjoyed a typically efficient shooting performance with an impressive 55 percent success rate from the field, including 9-of-16 from three-point range.

Ramon Sessions scored 20 off the bench to pace the Bobcats (11-34), who lost for the 10th time in 12 games.

Charlotte fell behind by 12 at halftime and were pounded in the fourth quarter as San Antonio ended the game with a 15-1 run.

"(The Spurs) took care of business," Bobcats guard Ben Gordon said. "In the second half, they just put us away." (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)

Speaking to journalists after meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, Biya stressed that homosexuality had been illegal in Cameroon since before he came to power more than 30 years ago.

"Now I can say that discussions are under way. People are talking, minds can change one way or another but currently it's a crime," he said.

Earlier this month a Cameroon appeals court overturned the convictions of two men found guilty of homosexuality and sentenced to five years in jail for cross-dressing and wearing make-up.

"We have recently had news that tribesmen convicted for homosexuality have been released. So there is a change of mind and there's no reason to despair," Biya said.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has said the criminalisation of homosexuality in Cameroon was incompatible with international human rights law.

Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries. In Cameroon, the penalties range from six months to five years in jail. In 2012, there were at least 12 convictions.

"I feel great. I'm doing a lot better now," said Marrocco, 26, during a news conference Tuesday of his recovery from last month's procedure. "It gives me a lot of hope for the future."

Members of Marrocco's surgical team, led by Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, provided details today in Baltimore on exactly how the doctors did the rare transplant and prevented Marrocco's body from rejecting the new limbs.

"Six weeks ago today, a team of physicians and nurses helped restore the physical and psychological well-being of Brendan Marrocco, who lost both arms and legs serving our country nearly four years ago," said Lee. "Only six other [U.S. double hand or arm transplant] patients have been successful and Brendan's was the most extensive and complicated."

Marrocco lost his arms and legs when his unit was struck by an explosive fired projectile outside Baghdad.

When asked what his first reaction was after undergoing the 13-hour transplant surgery, Marrocco said, "I love you!"

"I don't really remember my reaction, which is probably a good thing. I'm still alive and that really matters to me," said Marrocco. "I was just happy that the surgery was over and I had arms."

Last September, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston announced it would perform the . Katy Hayes lost both her arms above the elbow and her legs above her knees after a developing a flesh-eating bacteria infection while pregnant with her third child. Today, Hayes is able to speak to audiences and share her story.

Not all arm transplants are successful. In February 2010, a Turkish man who lost all four of his limbs after he was electrocuted in 1998, , received two arms and two legs following a 20-hour operation at Hacettepe University Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. But doctors eventually had to amputate all four of the transplanted limbs because of"metabolic complications," according to a statement from the hospital.

Marrocco received the arm transplants and bone marrow from a deceased donor -- a method shown to prevent rejection and reduce the need for anti-rejection drugs that can lead to organ damage and infection. His transplants required the connection of bones, blood vessels, muscles, tendons, nerves as well as skin on both arms resulting in "the most extensive and complicated limb transplant procedure to be performed inthe U.S.," according to a statement from Johns Hopkins Hospital.

During a news conference today, Marrocco was asked what he'd say to his donor if he could have had the chance to meet him.

"I want to say 'Thank you.' He's the reason I'm alive," Marrocco said. "I wasn't the only one looking forward to it [the transplant]. Everyone in my family was definitely excited. It doesn't only change my life, it also changes theirs, too."

Marrocco's parents, Alex and Michelle Marrocco of Staten Island, N.Y., said the ultimate goal for their son is independence.

"Independence -- that's what we've all worked toward from the very beginning," said his father, "to get him to the point he can live on his own."

Brendan Marrocco's injuries aren't the only blow to hit his family in recent years. The family's home in Staten Island saw its first floor flooded during Superstorm Sandy.

"We've been through a lot worse," Alex Marrocco said.

Amid the damage to their New York home, the couple has been living in Baltimore.

Related:

With the new arms, doctors believe Brendan Marrocco's nerves will regenerate at a rate of one inch per month. That means Marrocco will continue to undergo extensive psychical therapy, including daily six-hour sessions of hand therapy for the next two years, first at the John Hopkins Hospital and then at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"Brendan has a full-time job now," said Dr. James Higgins, chief of the Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. "He's going to be working very hard. He's already demonstrated that through his therapy at Walter Reed."

Dr. Jamie Shores, the clinical director of hand transplantation at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, was on the team of surgeons that helped with the successful transplant surgery on Dec. 18. Shore said Marrocco's left arm has longer nerves than his right arm.

"It's going to take more than two years to see what his final function is going to be," said Shores. "The good thing about Brendan is that he's an extremely adaptable person. We'll suspect he'll be using his hands for just about everything."

Everything includes swimming and biking, two activities Marrocco is looking to get back into with friends. Driving is another activity at top of his list. A black Dodge Charger currently sits in a family's garage.

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"I used to love to drive and it was a lot of fun for me," said Marrocco. "I'm really looking forward to getting back to that and just becoming an athlete again."

As far as other sports, Shores says Marrocco should be able to throw a football.

"I don't think there's much we're going to keep him from doing," said Shores. "He's a young man with a tremendous amount of hope and he's stubborn -- probably in a good way. He's not going to let anyone tell him he can't do something."

Brendan's father agreed.

"He's hard headed. He's stubborn. He likes to do things his way just like any kid would," said his father. "It's those challenges that have gotten him through the ordeal."

The team of surgeons, physicians and nurses volunteered their services to make this transplant possible. The operation was donated by the Department of Defense and the John Hopkins Hospital.

"I never really accepted the fact that I'd have arms. Now that I have them, it's almost like it never happened," said Marrocco. "It's like I went back four years. I'm so happy."

The ruling removes a dark cloud hanging over Samsung, which, if the decision had gone the other way, could have been forced to pay triple the original judgment, or more than $3 billion in the worst-case scenario for Samsung's balance sheet, according to analysts and patent experts.

As it stands, Samsung is forging ahead of its arch rival in the smartphone market that Apple virtually created with its first iPhone in 2007. In December, the same U.S. court denied Apple's request for a permanent injunction against Samsung's smartphones.

Tuesday's ruling overrules the jury's finding that Samsung acted "willfully" when it violated several of Apple's patents, a finding that could have formed the basis to triple the damages owed by Samsung.

"To the extent that Apple does address lost downstream sales, Apple discusses only Samsung's gains and makes no attempt to identify any specific losses Apple has suffered," U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh wrote in her ruling.

Koh said the court could not enhance the damages "given that Apple has not clearly shown how it has in fact been undercompensated for the losses it has suffered due to Samsung's dilution of its trade dress," or, the look and feel of its products.

She said the jury, which had examined the case earlier and found that Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad, had ample opportunity to compensate Apple for Samsung's use of its product designs.

Koh also denied requests from both Samsung and Apple for a new trial. Samsung had said a major patent verdict in favor of Apple should be overturned and Apple had sought a new trial to overturn some of the jury's findings and to try other issues on which the jury failed to rule.

The judge also denied Apple's motion for judgment that Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes a patent that relates to its iPad design. The jury earlier exonerated Samsung on the patent used to ban Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales.

Apple and Samsung are going toe-to-toe in a patent dispute that mirrors the struggle for industry supremacy between the two companies, which together control around half of worldwide smartphone sales that grew 43 percent in 2012 to 700 million units worth more than $200 billion.

Samsung shipped 213 million smartphones to take 30 percent of the market in 2012, while Apple sold 135.8 million iPhones with 19.4 percent of the market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Since Apple first took Samsung to the court in early 2011, Apple has been more successful in its U.S. litigation campaign, winning the $1.05 billion damage award and a pre-trial sales ban on some Samsung products.

Samsung has since fought back and scored some favourable rulings, including Tuesday's ruling that prevents any higher damages.

The ruling also comes as investors worry Apple is losing its dominance in consumer electronics after it missed Wall Street revenue forecasts for the third consecutive quarter last week on weaker-than-expected iPhone sales.

By comparison, Samsung, once seen as quick to copy the ideas of others, now sets the pace in innovation and widened its lead over Apple on the back of aggressive marketing of its wide product range last year.

Shares in Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker by units shipped, closed up 2.2 percent on Wednesday in Seoul, beating a 0.4 percent gain in the wider market.

The case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is Apple Inc. vs. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence and Matt Driskill)

At the slightest provocation, the Earl of Baltimore would spin his hat back, point his finger squarely at an ump's chest and then fire away. The Hall of Fame manager would even tangle with his own players, if necessary.

All this from a 5-foot-6 pepperpot who hated to be doubted.

Although reviled by some, Weaver was beloved in Baltimore and remained an Oriole to the end.

The notoriously feisty Hall of Fame manager died at age 82 on a Caribbean cruise associated with the Orioles, his marketing agent said Saturday.

"Earl was a black and white manager," former O's ace and Hall of Fame member Jim Palmer said. "He kind of told you what your job description was going to be and kind of basically told you if you wanted to play on the Orioles, this was what you needed to do. And if you couldn't do it, I'll get someone else. I know that's kind of tough love, but I don't think anyone other than Marianna, his wife, would describe Earl as a warm and fuzzy guy."

Baseball lost another Hall of Famer later Saturday when longtime St. Louis Cardinals star Stan Musial died at age 92.

Weaver took the Orioles to the World Series four times over 17 seasons but won only one title, in 1970. His .583 winning percentage ranks fifth among managers who served 10 or more seasons in the 20th century.

Dick Gordon said Weaver's wife told him that Weaver went back to his cabin after dinner and began choking between 10:30 and 11 Friday night. Gordon said a cause of death has not been determined.

"It's a sad day. Earl was a terrific manager," Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. "The simplicity and clarity of his leadership and his passion for baseball was unmatched. He's a treasure for the Orioles. He leaves a terrific legacy of winning baseball with the Orioles and we're so grateful for his contribution. He has a legacy that will live on."

Weaver will forever remain a part of Camden Yards. A statue of him was dedicated last summer in the stadium's flag court, along with the rest of the team's Hall of Fame members.

"Earl Weaver stands alone as the greatest manager in the history of the Orioles organization and one of the greatest in the history of baseball," Orioles owner Peter Angelos said. "This is a sad day for everyone who knew him and for all Orioles fans. Earl made his passion for the Orioles known both on and off the field. On behalf of the Orioles, I extend my condolences to his wife, Marianna, and to his family."

Weaver was a salty-tongued manager who preferred to wait for a three-run homer rather than manufacture a run with a stolen base or a bunt. While some baseball purists argued that strategy, no one could dispute the results.

"Earl was well known for being one of the game's most colorful characters with a memorable wit, but he was also amongst its most loyal," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to his wife, Marianna, their family and all Orioles fans."

Weaver had a reputation as a winner, but umpires knew him as a hothead. Weaver would often turn his hat backward and yell directly into an umpire's face to argue a call or a rule, and after the inevitable ejection he would more often than not kick dirt on home plate or on the umpire's shoes.

Orioles programs sold at the old Memorial Stadium frequently featured photos of Weaver squabbling.

He was ejected 91 times, including once in both games of a doubleheader.

Asked once if his reputation might have harmed his chances to gain entry into the Hall of Fame, Weaver admitted, "It probably hurt me."

Not for long. He entered the Hall in 1996.

"When you discuss our game's motivational masters, Earl is a part of that conversation," Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said. "He was a proven leader in the dugout and loved being a Hall of Famer. Though small in stature, he was a giant as a manager."

His ejections were overshadowed by his five 100-win seasons, six AL East titles and four pennants. Weaver was inducted 10 years after he managed his final game with Baltimore at the end of an ill-advised comeback.

In 1985, the Orioles' owner at the time, Edward B. Williams, coaxed Weaver away from golf to take over a struggling squad. Weaver donned his uniform No. 4, which had already been retired by the team, and tried to breathe some life into the listless Orioles.

Baltimore went 53-52 over the last half of the 1985 season, but finished seventh in 1986 with a 73-89 record. It was Weaver's only losing season as a major-league manager, and he retired for good after that.

"If I hadn't come back," Weaver said after his final game, "I would be home thinking what it would have been like to manage again. I found out it's work."

Former umpire Don Denkinger said he called one of Weaver's last games in the majors.

"He comes to home plate before the game and says, 'Gentlemen, I'm done.' He told us the only way he'd ever come back is if he ran out of money," Denkinger told The Associated Press by phone from Arizona. "I told him that if he ever ran out of money to call the umpires' association and we'd take up a collection for him. We'd do anything, just to keep him off the field and away from us."

Weaver finished with a 1,480-1,060 record. He won Manager of the Year three times.

"I had a successful career, not necessarily a Hall of Fame career, but a successful one," he said.

Weaver came to the Orioles as a first base coach in 1968, took over as manager on July 11 and went on to become the winningest manager in the history of the franchise.

"Earl was such a big part of Orioles baseball and personally he was a very important part of my life and career and a great friend to our family," Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken said. "His passion for the game and the fire with which he managed will always be remembered by baseball fans everywhere and certainly by all of us who had the great opportunity to play for him. Earl will be missed but he can't and won't be forgotten."

He knew almost everything about the game. He was also a great judge of human character, and that's one of the main reasons why he was loved by a vast majority of his players even though he often rode them mercilessly from spring training into October.

"Did we have a love-hate relationship? Yes," Palmer said at Saturday's event. "Did he shake my hand after I would win? No. Because he didn't want to be my best friend. At the time maybe I resented that. But I've gotten over it."

Pat Dobson, who died in 2006, pitched two seasons under Weaver.

"Certainly, the years I played for him were the two most enjoyable years I've had," he said.

During games Weaver smoked cigarettes in the tunnel leading to the dugout and he never kicked the habit. He suffered a mild heart attack in August 1998, and the Orioles' manager at the time, Ray Miller, wondered aloud how his mentor was holding up.

"I wouldn't want to talk to him if he hasn't had a cigarette in 10 days," Miller joked. "They've probably got him tied to a chair."

Umpires found out just how demonstrative Weaver could be. Denkinger remembered a game in which the manager disputed a call with Larry McCoy at the plate.

"Earl tells us, 'Now I'm gonna show you how stupid you all are.' Earl goes down to first base and ejects the first base umpire. Then he goes to second base and ejects the second base umpire. I'm working third base and now he comes down and ejects me," Denkinger said.

Much later, after they were retired, the umpire asked Weaver to sign a photo of that episode.

"He said absolutely. I sent it to him, he signed it and said some really nice things. It's framed and hanging up in my office back home in Iowa," Denkinger said.

Weaver was a brilliant manager, but he never made it to the majors as a player. He finally quit after spending 13 years as a second baseman in the St. Louis organization.

"He talked about how he could drive in 100 runs a year, score 100 runs and never make an error," said Davey Johnson, who played under Weaver in the minor leagues and with the Orioles from 1965-72. "He said he never got to the big leagues because the Cardinals had too many good players in front of him."

He still made his mark on the big leagues.

"No one managed a ballclub or pitching staff better than Earl," said Johnson, who manages the Washington Nationals, and ran the Orioles from 1996-97. "He was decades ahead of his time. Not a game goes by that I don't draw on something Earl did or said. I will miss him every day."

___

AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker contributed to this report.

Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were picked from the Bulls, who have stayed in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race despite the season-long absence of point guard Derrick Rose. Noah is one of five first-time All-Stars for the East, along with New York's Tyson Chandler, Indiana's Paul George, Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, and Philadelphia's Jrue Holiday.

Miami's Chris Bosh, picked for his eighth All-Star team, rounded out the East squad.

West forwards David Lee (Golden State), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland) and Zach Randolph (Memphis) all were picked for the second time. Houston's James Harden was chosen for the first time and joins former Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook, headed to his third straight All-Star game.

Duncan wasn't chosen last year for the first time in his career but has bounced back with a terrific season at age 36, averaging 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots, his best statistics since 2009-10.

The co-MVP of the 2000 All-Star game joined a group that includes Michael Jordan for fifth-most selections. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, both voted to start, and Shaquille O'Neal all were picked 15 times. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the career leader as a 19-time All-Star.

The reserves were voted by the head coaches from each conference, who had to select two guards, three frontcourt players and two players regardless of position. They were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.

With centers Chandler and Noah, East coaches passed on Brooklyn's Brook Lopez, the leading scorer for a resurgent team that is right behind the Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead. Perennial All-Stars Deron Williams and Joe Johnson of the Nets also missed out, as did Boston's Paul Pierce.

Lee gave the Warriors their first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997, but coach Mark Jackson and his team hoped for more. However, Stephen Curry wasn't selected despite averaging 20.9 points. He's the league's eighth-leading scorer and the highest one who won't be in Houston for the Feb. 17 showcase.

Lee called his selection "bittersweet" because Curry the first person to send him a congratulatory text wasn't picked.

"In our practice facility, there's that All-Star chart and it stops at '97 and there hasn't been any since. So the whole team was really excited with the improved record this year and to get one or both of our guys on there," Lee said. "I'm really excited to be the one that goes and represents our team. I wish Steph could be a part of it and maybe he'll still be able to. I'm just very, very excited. It's been a long time for the Bay Area fans. Not only to have an All-Star, but to be winning games."

Voted as East starters by fan voting along with Garnett were Miami's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, New York's Carmelo Anthony and Boston's Rajon Rondo.

The West starting five is Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard of the Lakers, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, and Clippers teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

The Clippers were hoping for a third All-Star, but sixth-man Jamal Crawford wasn't picked.

Commissioner David Stern would choose the replacement if any players are injured.

Randolph leads the NBA with 27 double-doubles and becomes the first Grizzlies player with multiple selections.

"It is truly an honor to be named by the NBA's coaches to the 2013 Western Conference All-Star team," he said in a statement. "I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to playing with the best players in the world."

The leaders of the teams with the best winning percentage in their conference through games of Feb. 3 will be the coaches. Miami's Erik Spoelstra has the inside track on the East spot, while San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and the Clippers' Vinny Del Negro are battling for the West honor since Scott Brooks, whose Thunder have the league's best record, is ineligible after coaching last year.

Irving, the reigning Rookie of the Year, and Holiday were rewarded for outstanding individual seasons even though their teams are well below .500. Irving is the Cavaliers' first All-Star since James, the only other East player averaging at least 20 points and five assists.

"It's one of the best days of my life," Irving said Thursday night, shortly after also being honored as Cleveland's professional athlete of the year award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. "It's a big deal for me and it's a big deal for the city of Cleveland to be picked as an All-Star for the first time. I'm turning 21 on March 23 and to be with those guys, to see those names on TV, that was truly a blessing."

The 22-year-old Holiday, the youngest All-Star in franchise history, is averaging 19.0 points and 9.0 assists but feared the 76ers' 17-25 mark would work against him.

"I thought so. I definitely thought so. I think anybody else probably would, too," he said while watching a Philadelphia Flyers game. "We're not getting on a winning streak or anything like that. I just tried to stay positive and not talk about it."

___

AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia, Antonio Gonzalez in Oakland, Calif., and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

New York's Anthony and Boston's Garnett had jawed at each other throughout a testy contest earlier this month, which continued after the game when Anthony tried to confront Garnett at the Boston team bus. Anthony received a one-game suspension for his role in the incident.

On Thursday, the pair exchanged a fist bump before the tipoff and were all about business.

Anthony led the way with a game-high 28 points while Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Kidd and Iman Shumpert all reached double figures to help the Knicks (26-14) cement their place at the top of the Eastern Conference's Atlantic division.

Garnett was restricted to just eight points, but also contributed 12 rebounds for Boston.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo added 23 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists while Paul Pierce weighed in with 22 points as the home team slipped to 20-22 for the season with their fifth straight defeat.

There were 17 lead changes but none in the final quarter as Anthony hit the 20-point mark for his 21st straight game.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in San Diego; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

The list includes Eric Cornelius, who just stepped down as deputy director and chief technical analyst with the Department of Homeland Security's Control Systems Security Program.

Cornelius helped manage the agency's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergence Response Team, or ICS-CERT, which investigates cyber incidents at utilities and other infrastructure operators across the United States.

He oversaw "fly-away" teams that probe cyber incidents and help companies clean up after them.

Cylance, which was founded last year by McAfee Inc's former global chief technology officer, Stuart McClure, has also brought on well-known industrial control systems experts Billy Rios and Terry McCorkle as it acquired a company that they co-founded, SpearPoint Security Services, which helps businesses protect industrial control systems.

McClure said that he plans to incorporate SpearPoint's technology for identifying vulnerabilities in industrial control networks into Cylance's emerging product line.

Rios and McCorkle have become well-known in the security community over the past few years because of breakthrough research conducted that they began doing at night and on weekends while working full-time jobs at Google Inc and Boeing Co.

They found hundreds of vulnerabilities in industrial control products, which could be exploited by hackers to do things such as remotely manage systems in power plant, water treatment facilities, ventilation systems and even control elevators.

Cylance also hired Glenn Chisholm, former chief information security officer of Australian telecommunications provider Telstra Corp as its vice president of products and chief security officer.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Dale Hudson and M.D. Golan)

The sponsored post, which went live Monday at 9:25 a.m. PT, touted 2012 as "milestone year" for the secretive church, which has been steeped in controversy throughout the years.

It was taken down about 8:30 p.m. and replaced by a message saying the magazine had "temporarily suspended this advertising campaign pending a review of our policies that govern sponsor content and subsequent comment threads."

"We screwed up," Natalie Raabe, an Atlantic spokeswoman told TheWrap after the firestorm of criticism and mockery the advertisement generated on the web. "It shouldn't have taken a wave of constructive criticism - but it has - to alert us that we've made a mistake, possibly several mistakes."

The Atlantic issued the following statement:

We screwed up. It shouldn't have taken a wave of constructive criticism - but it has - to alert us that we've made a mistake, possibly several mistakes. We now realize that as we explored new forms of digital advertising, we failed to update the policies that must govern the decisions we make along the way. It's safe to say that we are thinking a lot more about these policies after running this ad than we did beforehand. In the meantime, we have decided to withdraw the ad until we figure all of this out. We remain committed to and enthusiastic about innovation in digital advertising, but acknowledge - sheepishly - that we got ahead of ourselves. We are sorry, and we're working very hard to put things right.

The timing of the ad was no surprise. New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright's book-length expos on Scientology - based on his 2011 profile of former Scientologist Paul Haggis - is due out Thursday.

Sponsored content, otherwise known as native ads or advertorials, have become a popular source of revenue for online publications, including Forbes and Business Insider.

But, normally, advertisers do not want comment threads under their paid-for content, and while this has never been a problem for previous Atlantic clients, the heated feelings surrounding Scientology erupted in the comment section below the article.

The Atlantic's marketing team was moderating the comments - about 20 in all before the post was pulled - as they were posted, Raabe said.

"In this case, where a mistake was made, where we are taking a hard look at these things, is there were comments allowed on this post," an Atlantic official with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. "For a subject like this where people very strong feelings, we realized there's not a clear policy in place for things like commenting."

The Church of Scientology told TheWrap no one was available to speak on the controversy, and its media relations team did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Sergei Filin, 42, spoke to investigators in a Moscow hospital, Bolshoi director Anatoly Iksanov said, adding that they also questioned his colleagues, who said the attack was likely triggered by envy, rivalry or competition for roles in Russia's most prestigious theatre.

"Investigators are questioning those who worked in the theatre, artists," said Iksanov on the snowy grounds outside the hospital, where Filin was receiving visitors.

A masked assailant threw acid in Filin's face late on Thursday night outside his house as he returned home from the theatre. Colleagues said Filin believes the attacker had been following him and called him by name before striking.

An icon of Russian culture, the Bolshoi Theatre is a magnet for tourists and has seen power struggles among dancers and directors throughout more than 200 years of history.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many of those conflicts, whether driven by egos or artistic conviction, have been played out in public.

Iksanov said he and Filin discussed the theatre's future during his absence and that a temporary replacement had been chosen.

"It was Sergei's choice," he told Russia 24 television, without naming the candidate.

The chief physician at the hospital was quoted by Itar Tass as saying Filin was in bandages following surgery on Friday but was able to walk and eat.

Iksanov said medics feared for his eyesight.

"The doctors' biggest fear is the trauma (on) Sergei's eyes and in the course of two weeks, it will be understood what kind of procedures, what has to be done," he said.

"The next operation has been decided, it will happen on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Bolshoi Theatre spokeswoman Katerina Novikova said previously Filin would be transferred to a burn centre in Belgium, but government spokesman Alexei Levchenko, speaking to Interfax, dismissed those plans, saying he would stay in Russia.

"The question is not worth asking ... with (Russia's) conditions, the necessary treatment is being provided to S. Filin," said Levchenko, the spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, who has been ordered to oversee the case.

After the tightly-controlled three-decade tenure of Yuri Grigorovich ended in 1995, the Bolshoi Ballet went through five artistic directors before the appointment in March 2011 of Filin, who joined the Bolshoi's ballet troupe in 1988.

(Reporting By Thomas Grove; Editing by Jason Webb)