AT&T exits showbiz, sells remaining stake in DirecTV to private equity firm TPG for $7.6 billion

AT&T exits showbiz, sells remaining stake in DirecTV to private equity firm TPG for .6 billion

AT&T is selling its majority stake in DirecTV to private equity firm TPG Partners for $7.6 billion, ending the communication giant’s remaining ties to the entertainment industry. AT&T said Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will receive payments from TPG and DirecTV for its remaining 70% stake in the … Read more

Rwanda reports 8 deaths linked to Ebola-like Marburg virus days after it declared an outbreak

Rwanda reports 8 deaths linked to Ebola-like Marburg virus days after it declared an outbreak

Kigali, RWANDA — Rwanda says eight people have died so far from the Ebola-like and highly contagious Marburg virus, just days after the country declared an outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever that has no authorized vaccine or treatment. Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact … Read more

The final day for the Oakland Athletics arrives ahead of next season’s move away from the Bay

The final day for the Oakland Athletics arrives ahead of next season’s move away from the Bay

SEATTLE — When manager Mark Kotsay removed his Oakland jersey for the final time Sunday, it was bound for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Brent Rooker? His final jersey with the name Oakland across the front will be preserved in a frame and displayed on his wall at home. “That’ll kind of be my thing. … Read more

Damian Lewis herds sheep over a London bridge in homage to a medieval tradition

Damian Lewis herds sheep over a London bridge in homage to a medieval tradition

LONDON — Actor Damian Lewis drove a flock of sheep across the River Thames on Sunday in homage to a centuries-old tradition. Lewis is among thousands of people granted the honorary title of Freeman of the City of London, which in medieval times came with the right to bring livestock across the river to market … Read more

Mexico’s populist president held court each morning for 6 years. Now he’s retiring from public life

Mexico’s populist president held court each morning for 6 years. Now he’s retiring from public life

MEXICO CITY — Every day at 7 a.m., President Andrés Manuel López Obrador strolls onto a stage in Mexico’s National Palace, clad in a smart suit and tie, and peers out at a room of bleary-eyed reporters and social media personalities. “Buenos días, look alive!” the 70-year-old leader calls out in a gravelly voice. And … Read more

Red Sox honor radio voice Joe Castiglione who is retiring after 42 years

Red Sox honor radio voice Joe Castiglione who is retiring after 42 years

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox honored longtime radio voice Joe Castiglione, who called his final game Sunday, with an on-field pregame ceremony. The 77-year-old Castiglione, who was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer with the Ford C. Frick Award, has been the team’s lead radio voice since 1983. During the ceremony, … Read more

Basketball super fan Spike Lee takes in Liberty playoff game donning a Sabrina Ionescu jersey

Basketball super fan Spike Lee takes in Liberty playoff game donning a Sabrina Ionescu jersey

NEW YORK — Sabrina Ionescu’s relationship with Spike Lee goes back to when she was drafted by the New York Liberty. The basketball super fan was one of the first people to welcome her to New York when the Liberty took her No. 1 in 2020. “He was the first person who called me and … Read more

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88

LOS ANGELES — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, has died. Kristofferson died at his home on Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88. McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, … Read more

Nathan Eovaldi and Dustin Harris power Rangers to 8-0, season-ending sweep of Angels

Nathan Eovaldi and Dustin Harris power Rangers to 8-0, season-ending sweep of Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings, Dustin Harris had a homer and two-run double in his second MLB game and the defending champion Texas Rangers closed out their season with an 8-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Nathaniel Lowe also homered and Josh Smith drove in two runs for … Read more

Somali-Canadian rapper K’naan charged with 2010 sexual assault in Quebec City

Somali-Canadian rapper K’naan charged with 2010 sexual assault in Quebec City

QUEBEC CITY — Canadian rapper K’naan, known for the global hit “Wavin’ Flag,” has been charged over an alleged sexual assault in Quebec City dating back more than 14 years. A charge sheet filed at the courthouse in Quebec City on Thursday says the rapper, whose given name is Keinan Abdi Warsame, is charged with … Read more