DUBAI – Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi was released on bail Friday, two days after going on hunger strike to protest his six-year sentence, his supporters said. Panahi was arrested last July and ordered to serve a previous sentence dating back to 2011 — on charges of propagandizing against the government — that had never … Read more
BINCHE – On a sunny winter morning heralding a radiant Mardi Gras, Beatrice and Karl Kersten don’t have a minute to spare. In their warm workshop decorated with ancestral photos, the couple bend over their sewing machines. They are busy putting the finishing touches to the delicate lace details adorning the carnival costumes that will … Read more
HONG KONG – A grinding crackdown that wiped billions of dollars of value off Chinese technology companies is easing, but the once-freewheeling industry is bracing for much slower growth ahead. Analysts say China’s easing of restrictions on companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba and online games company Tencent and talk of support for the private sector … Read more
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Award-winning actor and bestselling author Bob Odenkirk was feted Thursday as 2023 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals, which included a roast during which he donned a pink dress over his clothes. Odenkirk, best known as shady lawyer Saul Goodman on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” received … Read more
LOS ANGELES – For Kim Petras, 2022 was a big year: The German singer-songwriter received her first Grammy nomination, made her acting debut with the HBO series “Los Espookys” and released a single with acclaimed pop music producer Max Martin. Inspired by the irreverent attitude of her Grammy-nominated duet, “Unholy,” which she and Sam Smith … Read more
“I’m Officer Miles with Houston PD, I just pulled over Shaquille O’Neal for speeding down here in Texas. You’re watching the NBA on TNT.” The Hall-of-Famer had some fun with HPD after getting pulled over for speeding. He turned the incident into an intro for “NBA on TNT.” Turns out Shaq is buying houses here … Read more
WASHINGTON – Real and fake news will collide again at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Roy Wood Jr., who plays a reporter on “The Daily Show,” the long-running Comedy Central program that blends comedy and news, will headline the event on April 29. Tamara Keith, president of the correspondents’ association, said Thursday that … Read more