Serbia, Sweden, Wales soccer bodies withdraw support for Infantino

The national soccer federations of Serbia, Sweden and Wales withdrew their support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election bid on Monday and England's is expected to do the same. The backlash against the head of world soccer's ruling body has intensified following his failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. FIFA's proposal to unlock up to $4.2 billion from private investors by selling a roughly 20 percent stake in a new entity overseeing competitions includin

2026-08-04 10:43:21:00

Aston Villa and Prince William celebrate Europa League triumph ending team's 30-year trophy drought

In front of the future king of England, Unai Emery reaffirmed his status as the king of the Europa League. Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday to secure Emery a record-extending fifth title in this competition. Celebrating wildly inside the Tupras Stadium was lifelong Villa fan Prince William, who traveled to watch his beloved team end a 30-year wait for a major trophy. "Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club!" t

2026-05-21 15:02:51:00

Neymar picked for Brazil's World Cup squad despite doubts on fitness

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Neymar made Brazil's World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former footballers deemed unlikely only days ago. The striker will appear at his fourth World Cup. The 34-year-old Neymar is Brazil's all-time top goal-scorer with 79 but has struggled to return to top fitness since he tore his left ACL in October 2023. He's played eight matches for Santos this year with four goals and two assists. "He has improved his fitness, he will be an important playe

2026-05-19 14:33:31:00

Ronaldo and Portugal eyes another shot at World Cup glory

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo realistically gets only one more shot at a World Cup trophy to cap an already illustrious career. A five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo has more international goals than any other men's player, with 143 in 226 matches for Portugal. He was slowed by a hamstring injury earlier this year with his club team, Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, and did not play for Portugal in a friendly against the United States in Atlanta on April 1. Should he be named to the World Cup squa

2026-05-13 10:03:00:00

2_Artemis II's moon-traveling astronauts return home to cheers after a record-breaking trip

HOUSTON (AP) -- Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home Saturday from hundreds who took part in NASA's lunar comeback that set a record for deep space travel. The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego, where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glov

2026-04-12 10:49:31:00

[Elizabeth Shackelford] Russia racks up wins thanks to US

US President Donald Trump said this week that he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO. This isn’t the first time he has lambasted the defensive alliance. For what it’s worth, Congress passed a law in 2023 explicitly preventing a president from unilaterally withdrawing from the bloc. But whether or not the United States formally leaves NATO might be a matter of semantics at this point, since Trump has raised sufficient doubt about America’s commitment that NATO’s deterren

2026-04-08 05:34:00:00

18_White House adds Columbus statue

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump has continued his makeover of the White House, adding a statue of Christopher Colombus and laying new black granite paving stones on the famed West Wing colonnade. The marble figure of Columbus, the 15th-century Italian explorer who forged a reputation for brutality in his voyages to the New World, is a replica of one toppled by anti-racism protesters in the city of Baltimore in 2020. "Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of th

2026-03-25 11:17:44:00

Canadian PM supports removing Andrew from royal line of succession

TOKYO (AFP) -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday that former prince Andrew should be removed from the line of royal succession over his "deplorable" behavior. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated for alleged misconduct in public office following revelations about his dealings with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was arrested and released in February on suspicion of having passed confidential information to Epstein during his 2001-2011 role as a UK trad

2026-03-08 11:03:38:00