American singer, dancer, philanthropist—the King of Pop
Folarin Balogun has been ruled to continue for the World Cup knockout clash after FIFA suspends his automatic red-card ban following a personal appeal from President Trump. The decision has drawn sharp reactions from Belgium and other observers as the co-hosts push toward the quarterfinals.
FIFA has suspended the implementation of Balogun’s red-card sanction following a direct appeal by Donald Trump to Gianni Infantino, prompting wide criticism and reigniting questions about political influence in football. The move allows Balogun to play in the next World Cup match against Belgium, marking a rare departure from standard disciplinary practice.
Ofcom has found 26% of UK viewers now turn to Netflix first when choosing what to watch, narrowly ahead of the BBC on 25%, while ITV is first for 15%. YouTube viewing has surged: TV viewing of YouTube has doubled since 2022 to 19 minutes a day and total daily YouTube time is 41 minutes. Traditional broadcasters’ weekly reach has fallen to 70%.
Luke Combs headlines Wembley with a high-energy, theatrical country show. The run features multiple acts, big pyrotechnics, and a crowd roaring to a mix of new hits and fan favorites. Critics note the show’s immersive spectacle but find some sound issues and uneven pacing amid the stadium-scale production.
A new documentary uses archival Wham! footage to examine the 1985 China tour, its tensions with director Lindsay Anderson, and the broader cultural moment as China opened to the West. Ridgeley and Michael are featured, with new interviews and unseen material that cast their trip in a provocative light.
Carly Simon has announced her first album in years, Comes in Waves, while revealing a Parkinson’s diagnosis and skin cancer treatment. The collection revisits defining moments of her life and career, with songs touching on love, loss and renewal. Readers are invited to explore the full context of her career and health as she moves forward.
Target has pulled a children’s Halloween costume and has apologised after critics said the product and its promotional image evoked Jim Crow–era minstrel caricatures. The retailer has deleted the listing, opened an internal review and said the item "should never have been part of our assortment," while activists and some analysts have renewed boycott calls and warned of reputational fallout.
Local mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan by Chris Ashmore has gone viral. The artwork, 30ft tall on the Spot On Snooker Club wall in Sheffield, has drawn praise for brightening the area while eliciting criticism over facial likeness. Ashmore says tweaks are planned after working two of five weeks; scaffolding limited his view. Club manager Dan Kirkland defends the piece and calls for tolerance online.
Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell have filed a federal lawsuit accusing Anthropic and its founders of illegally torrenting and using tens of thousands of copyrighted lyrics and sheet music to train Claude. The publishers say Claude can reproduce protected lyrics verbatim and generates AI songs that compete with human composers; they seek statutory damages and an injunction.
Princess Diana’s black Christina Stambolian evening dress, worn in 1994 as a public response to Charles’s affair, is returning to Sotheby’s for auction with a conservative estimate around $200,000. The item will tour displays in London, Hong Kong, Geneva and New York ahead of a December sale, with portions of proceeds benefiting NHS Lothian Charity.