Chinese pair Shen, Zhao make victorious return at Cup of China

Chinese pair Shen, Zhao make victorious return

Look who’s back: Plushenko in fine _ and winning _ form as he kicks off comeback bid

MOSCOW — Evgeni Plushenko began his comeback attempt with characteristic skill and boldness at the Rostelecom Cup, landing a clean quad-triple combination Friday.

Sebestyen has the early lead at Rostelecom; Plushenko’s comeback bid off to good start

MOSCOW — Hungary’s Julia Sebestyen is the leader in the women’s competition at the Rostelecom Cup. Barely.

Plushenko starts comeback strong at Rostelecom, Pang-Tong lead short program

MOSCOW — Evgeni Plushenko began his comeback attempt with characteristic skill and boldness at the Rostelecom Cup, landing a clean quad-triple combination Friday.

Evgeni Plushenko wins short program at Rostelecom Cup to get comeback off to strong start

MOSCOW — Evgeni Plushenko began his comeback attempt with characteristic skill and boldness at the Rostelecom Cup, landing a clean quad-triple combination Friday.

Playing the White House: music on a higher scale

MELANCHOLY BALLAD

The first East Room concert for an invited audience took place on Feb. 23, 1883, when Chester Arthur had more than 100 guests hear members of Her Majesty’s Opera Company sing Mozart, Verdi and Wagner. The star of the evening was famed Canadian soprano Emma Albani, who sang “Robin Adair” as her final selection. The song had special meaning for Arthur, whose late wife Ellen had sung the Irish ballad many times at Arthur’s request.

Vlad the Promoter: Putin suggests song contest for Russia, Central Asia, China

MOSCOW — From the Cold War to a Battle of the Bands.

Russian gays express disappointment in Clinton not decrying homophobia in Russia

MOSCOW — Russia’s leading gay activist said Wednesday that he was disappointed that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with an outspoken foe of gay rights during her two-day trip to Russia and did not decry homophobia in the country.

Canadian billionaire Guy Laliberte calls his 10-day mission to space a success

STAR CITY, Russia — Guy Laliberte, a billionaire who once worked as a stilt-walker and fire-eater, said Tuesday that he accomplished his mission by using a 10-day trip to the International Space Station to promote a humanitarian cause.

Madonna supports Gypsies in Romania again, donating shoes to be auctioned on their behalf

BUCHAREST, Romania — Madonna is putting her shoes where her mouth is.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte calls his 10-day mission to space a success

STAR CITY, Russia — Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte said Tuesday his mission was accomplished after a 10-day trip to the International Space Station where he hosted a global Web broadcast that featured rock stars and politicians.

Soviet past lives in Moldova’s tiny Trans-Dniester

TIRASPOL, Moldova — Soaring statues of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, portraits of the city’s most productive workers adorning a square, red flags fluttering in the wind during a Communist demonstration.

Russian spacecraft with circus tycoon, Russian and US astronauts lands safely in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW — The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte and two other space travelers landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday, ending the entertainment tycoon’s mirthful space odyssey.

Nobel literature prize goes to little-known European amid concern other regions ignored

The judges, apparently, could not help themselves.

Winner of Nobel literature prize wrote about life under Romanian dictator

BERLIN — Herta Mueller never intended to become a writer, it was simply a means of coping with the oppression of everyday life under Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Excerpts from the citation for the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature

Excerpts from the Swedish Academy’s citation awarding the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature to Herta Mueller of Germany.

Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller wins 2009 Nobel literature prize

STOCKHOLM — Herta Mueller, a member of Romania’s ethnic German minority who was persecuted for her critical depictions of life behind the Iron Curtain, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday in an award seen as a nod to the 20th anniversary of communism’s collapse.

Winners of the Nobel Prize in literature since 1960

Winners of the Nobel Prize in literature since 1960:

Russian governor gives final approval to skyscraper for St. Petersburg’s historic center

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — The governor of Russia’s second city of St. Petersburg signed a decree Tuesday allowing the construction of a hulking skyscraper for state energy giant Gazprom in the city’s czarist-era center.

Space hijinks: Canadian circus billionaire clowns around aboard orbiting space station

KOROLYOV, Russia — A Canadian circus billionaire boarded the International Space Station on Friday after a smooth ride up from Earth, and promptly played the entertainer by donning a red clown nose for a camera.

Canadian circus billionaire, astronaut, cosmonaut board International Space Station

KOROLYOV, Russia — A Canadian circus billionaire boarded the International Space Station on Friday and promptly played the entertainer, donning a clown nose after a smooth trip up from Earth.

Soyuz craft carrying Canadian circus billionaire docks with International Space Station

KOROLYOV, Russia — A Russian spacecraft docked Friday at the International Space Station to deliver Canadian circus billionaire Guy Laliberte — dubbed the first clown in space — along with an American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut.

Canadian circus billionaire Guy Laliberte, crew mates blast off for space station

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — Canadian circus tycoon Guy Laliberte turned space into his big top Wednesday, boarding a Russian rocket and lifting off on a mission that mixes a serious message on water shortages with some clowning around in the cosmos.

Billionaire clown Guy Laliberte, crew mates head for space station aboard Russian Soyuz craft

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — A Canadian circus tycoon, an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off in a spacecraft from the Kazakh steppe Wednesday on a journey to the International Space Station.

Billionaire clown Guy Laliberte boards Russian Soyuz capsule for flight to space station

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — The man who plans to become the first circus clown in space, and who may be among the last of the space tourists, was greeted by a raucous crowds of friends and family Wednesday as he prepared to blast off for the International Space Station.

Highlights of Obama’s 5 broadcast interviews, on topics from health care to baseball

Highlights of President Barack Obama’s interviews broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” ABC’s “This Week,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and Univision’s “Al Punto.” The interviews were taped Friday at the White House: