A former Caribbean soccer official has been ordered to pay a $79 million penalty stemming from the FIFA bribery scandal.A federal judge in New York City imposed the judgment against Jack Warner in a lawsuit brought by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.The 2017 suit accused …

The organizers of the beleaguered Woodstock 50 festival said on Tuesday they still hoped to get a permit for the event due to take place next month despite being turned down at a second site.Authorities in the town of Vernon in upstate New York turned down the organizers’ application to …

The Miami Herald’s stories on sex trafficking charges against billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein illustrate a counter-intuitive trend: Investigative journalism is thriving as the news media industry struggles.In announcing new charges against Epstein 11 years after the financier secretly got a sweetheart deal from federal prosecutors in Florida to settle nearly …

Nicki Minaj is pulling out of a concert in Saudi Arabia because she says she wants to show support for women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression.   “After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I …

Turkish-born NBA basketball player Enes Kanter is a wanted man by Turkey, which has revoked his passport and considers him a terrorist for his association with an exiled spiritual leader accused of fomenting a 2016 coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  A longtime critic of Erdogan, Kanter has …

Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and the Dave Matthews Band will headline Farm Aid 2019 when the music and food festival visits Wisconsin’s dairy country in September.   Tickets for the Sept. 21 event at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy go on sale Friday.   Farm …

Turkish-born NBA basketball player Enes Kanter is a wanted man by Turkey, which has revoked his passport and considers him a terrorist for his association with an exiled spiritual leader accused of fomenting a 2016 coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  A longtime critic of Erdogan, Kanter has …

Aficionados of Western classical music have carved out a niche for themselves in Iran, where cultural expression remains tightly controlled by strict rules imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.And perhaps surprisingly, musicians in their 20s and 30s perform for overwhelmingly young audiences.Last week, the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, including female musicians …

Uber is already known for its global ride-hailing service, food delivery arm, and electric bike rentals. Now it has inspired a comedy action movie.”Stuber,” which begins its international roll-out on Wednesday, revolves around a mild-mannered Uber driver who picks up a Los Angeles detective who turns out to be on …

From the earliest days of the republic, rich white men have had a disproportionate say in the fate of the country. Founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison all came from wealthy land-owning families. Money and connections have long helped scions of America’s wealthiest families realize their presidential dreams. …

Princess Daazhraii Johnson grew up eating dried salmon and moose-head soup — foods labeled weird by other kids who had no understanding of her culture and traditions.Now the Fairbanks woman and other Alaska Natives are presenting their world to a general audience with “Molly of Denali,” the nation’s first-ever children’s …

Kenyans affected by dwarfism are using football (soccer) to fight stigma. The Short Stature Society of Kenya formed East Africa’s first dwarf football (soccer) team just over a year ago, with the hope of turning it into a national league to spread across the region.In Nairobi’s City Stadium – a …

Kenyans affected by dwarfism are using football (soccer) to fight stigma. The Short Stature Society of Kenya formed East Africa’s first dwarf football (soccer) team just over a year ago, with the hope of turning it into a national league to spread across the region. Sarah Kimani reports from Nairobi.  …

Stevie Wonder surprised concertgoers in London Saturday night by announcing that he will take a break from performing so that he can receive a kidney transplant this fall.The 69-year-old music legend made the announcement after performing “Superstition” at the end of a packed British Summer Time concert in London’s sprawling …

Joao Gilberto, a Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter considered one of the fathers of the bossa nova genre that gained global popularity in the 1960s and became an iconic sound of the South American nation, died Saturday, his son said. He was 88.Joao Marcelo said his father had been battling …

Many senior living communities in America are encouraging residents to socialize more with young people, something experts say will benefit both generations. Faiza Elmasry visited one of these senior living facilities where high school students serve and interact with residents. Faith Lapidus narrates. …

A life-size rough wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was unveiled Friday near her hometown of Sevnica in southeastern Slovenia.Commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and carved with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales Zupevc, the statue serves as a — perhaps wry — accompaniment to …

A young man who says Kevin Spacey groped him in a Nantucket bar in 2016 has dropped his lawsuit against the Oscar-winning actor.Mitchell Garabedian, a lawyer for the man, announced in an email Friday that the lawsuit filed June 26 in Nantucket Superior Court has been voluntarily dismissed. No reason …

Returning African artifacts taken by explorers and colonizers remains a hot-button issue in Europe-Africa relations — one that gained traction last November when French President Emmanuel Macron announced the return of 26 historic artifacts to Benin. On Thursday, French Culture Minister Franck Riester said Paris will go ahead with the restitution …

MAD, the long-running satirical magazine that influenced everyone from Weird Al” Yankovic to the writers of The Simpsons, will be leaving newsstands after its August issue. Really.    The illustrated humor magazine — instantly recognizable by the gap-toothed smiling face of mascot Alfred E. Neuman — will still be available in …

Swedish prosecutors say U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky should be formally arrested over a fight in downtown Stockholm and should be held for two weeks while police investigate the case.The Swedish Prosecution Authority says the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and two of his body guards should be arrested …

Actor Arte Johnson, who won an Emmy for comedy sketch work on the television show Laugh-In, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 90.     Johnson died of heart failure following a three-year battle with bladder and prostate cancer, family representative Harlan Boll said. No services have been planned, but his ashes …

Kacey Musgraves’ career has been moving and changing fast over the last couple of years, leaving little time for reflection until she saw her life chronicled behind museum glass.   Musgraves is the subject of a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that opens Tuesday …

Taylor Swift’s feuds can captivate the public almost as much as her music, and her latest emotional salvo against one of music’s top managers not only made headlines but got key players in the industry riled up, with the likes of Justin Bieber, Halsey and Demi Lovato publicly choosing sides …

Nike is pulling a flag-themed tennis shoe after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained to the shoemaker, according to the Wall Street Journal.The shoe’s heel has a U.S. flag with 13 white stars in a circle on it, known as the Betsy Ross flag. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the …