FIFA’s on-field officials for the World Cup will insist on keeping matches moving by taking rule changes designed to limit time-wasting seriously, the sport’s governing body said Sunday with the start of the 48-team tournament now less than two weeks away.

Naomi Osaka keeps bringing the fashion in Paris.

Novak Djokovic has been beaten by a Croatian qualifier 18 years younger than him at the Italian Open.

Summer is a few months away, but the streets of Croatia’s old town of Dubrovnik are already teeming with tourists.

Naomi Osaka has made a fashion statement and quite an entrance to the Australian Open.

Spain still topped the FIFA men’s world rankings published Friday that show Germany back on track to be a top-seeded team in the World Cup finals tournament draw.

Tiny Faroe Islands took a big step toward its first World Cup with a stunning 2-1 win against the Czech Republic.

Spain still looks the best team in Europe.

Wimbledon's latest of many steps into the modern era involves choosing technology over the human touch to decide whether a ball lands in or out.

A sunken 18th-century boat has been discovered by chance near the majestic stone walls of Croatia’s medieval city of Dubrovnik.

Representatives from NATO-aligned countries are wrapping up a gathering in Ohio to mark the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the Bosnian war 30 years ago.

Croatia has warned its citizens against traveling to neighboring Serbia after five Croatian activists were deported after taking part in a meeting of civil society organizations in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

United States striker Folarin Balogun will be sidelined for about two months with a shoulder injury, a person close to the player told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored his record-extending 133rd international goal to keep Portugal perfect in the Nations League with a 3-1 win over Poland while Spain struck late to edge Denmark 1-0.

Zheng Qinwen beat Donna Vekic in a rematch of their Olympic final, advancing to the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-2 victory in the latest finish of a women’s match in tournament history.

Coco Gauff, Novak Djokovic and other players at the U.S. Open will be playing for a record total of $75 million in compensation at the year’s last Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Croatian police say a suspected gunman in a mass shooting in a nursing home in Croatia is facing 11 criminal charges after he was accused of killing six people, including his own mother, and wounding as many more.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is now an Olympian.

Thomas Walkup had 19 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 13 points in 21 minutes and Greece moved one victory from the Paris Games, eliminating Luka Doncic and Slovenia 96-68 from the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was dominant with 32 points in 19 minutes during Greece's 109-82 win over the Dominican Republic in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Piraeus, Greece.

Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni has scored in the last minute of stoppage time for Italy to advance to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 with 1-1 draw against Croatia.

The Albanian soccer federation says UEFA banned its player Mirlind Daku on Sunday for two games at the European Championships after leading fans in nationalist chants.

Croatia and Albania drew 2-2 at Euro 2024 in the first-ever competitive match between the two Balkan teams.

Spain has won a game by playing unlike Spain.

Croatia's governing conservatives have won a highly contested parliamentary election, but without enough seats to rule alone.

A fan at the Saudi Super Cup final lashed an Al-Ittihad player with a whip during a confrontation moments after the match Thursday night.

Religious and neo-conservative groups have been ramping up pressure to ban abortions in staunchly Catholic Croatia.

The European Union is worried about reports that the Israeli military intends to take its battle against Hamas to the town of Rafah at Gaza’s border with Egypt.

The Netherlands, Switzerland and Romania have all secured places at next year’s European Championship.

Authorities in Croatia have recommended that people drink only tap water as they investigate reports of several people getting sick or suffering throat injuries allegedly after consuming bottled beverages.

Slovenia says it will introduce border checks with neighboring Hungary and Croatia following Italy’s decision to do the same with Slovenia because of security concerns due to violence in the Middle East.

Gavi’s winning goal for Spain against Norway in a European Championship qualifier will likely have been cheered as wildly in Glasgow as it was in Madrid.

Ukraine is filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia after they banned grain and other food products coming from the war-torn country.

Novak Djokovic has eliminated qualifier Borna Gojo 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

All 105 soccer fans suspected of being involved in extensive clashes in the Greek capital that ended in the death of a 29-year-old AEK Athens supporter have been ordered to be detained pending their trial.

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric has scored an extra-time penalty to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory for Croatia over the Netherlands and a place in the Nations League final.

United Nations appeals judges have significantly expanded the convictions of two allies of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, holding them responsible for involvement in crimes across Bosnia and in one town in Croatia as members of a joint criminal plan to drive out non-Serbs from the areas during the Balkan wars.

Officials say eight people are now confirmed dead in northern Italy following floods from rain-swollen rivers.

Tournament organizers say Rafael Nadal is aiming to make his comeback from a hip injury at the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters next month.

Europe’s inflation rate has dipped at the start of the year, giving some relief to consumers but still leaving them facing higher prices.

The European Union's border and coast guard agency says that the number of attempts by migrants to enter Europe without authorization reached around 330,000 last year.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé head the selections for the team of the tournament as chosen by writers covering the World Cup for The Associated Press.

Morocco’s fans in the Arab world are taking the North African team’s 2-1 loss to Croatia in the World Cup third-place playoff philosophically.

Luka Modric led Croatia to third place in what was likely the midfield great’s last appearance at the World Cup.

The tournament in Qatar has been described by FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the “best World Cup ever.”.

FIFA expects to earn $11 billion through 2026 with a 48-team men’s World Cup in North America set to deliver a huge rise in revenue.

The chances of the winning the World Cup might have gone for Croatia and Morocco but “immortality” is at stake when the two teams meet in the third-place playoff.

Argentina’s national carrier has scheduled two extra flights from Buenos Aires to Qatar to take soccer fans to the World Cup final.

Luka Modric pulled his shirt up over his face as he trudged over to the sideline.

Julián Álvarez carried Argentina into another World Cup final with his surging runs and a striker’s instinct.

Lionel Messi is back in the World Cup final with Argentina on his mission to win soccer’s biggest prize for the first time.

Julian Alvarez has scored to give Argentina a 3-0 lead over Croatia in the World Cup semifinals.

Brazil soccer fans have been shocked into silence back home after the national team was eliminated by Croatia from the World Cup.

The slippery hips of Luka Modric wriggled away from danger.

Neymar has moved into a tie with Pelé as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 77 goals.

Croatia knocked Brazil out of the World Cup by beating the five-time champions 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.

There’s no contest between Brazil and Croatia in terms of pupulation.

Croatia is going deep at another World Cup and the team is taking the long route once again.

Croatia advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup with a 0-0 draw against Belgium.

Belgium’s “Golden Generation” meets Croatia’s accomplished veterans in a decisive World Cup match on Thursday.

Andrej Kramaric scored a pair of goals and Croatia crushed Canada’s hopes of advancing at its first World Cup in 36 years with a 4-1 victory.

Morocco held 2018 finalist Croatia to a 0-0 draw at the World Cup in another strong performance by a team from an Arab country.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has downplayed Qatar’s last minute ban on the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums as nothing more than a brief inconvenience to spectators.

Croatia and the Netherlands finished warming up for the World Cup in style by winning their last Nations League games to qualify for the Final Four tournament next year.

A Seminole County man who fled the U.S. and was eventually arrested in Croatia has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $7.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

Reaction to Roger Federer’s announcement that he will retire from tennis after the Laver Cup in London next week.

The Slovenian army has started removing a razor wire fence on the border with Croatia that was put up to curb migrant crossings after more than a million people fleeing violence and poverty entered Europe in a huge migration wave in 2015.

Slovenian police say they have detained a Syrian man for illegally transporting migrants, as the country’s foreign minister says the dismantling of a razor wire on the border with Croatia will start soon.

Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell have won the men’s doubles title at Wimbledon.

When you’re on this cruise, winter is certainly not coming.

When you’re on this cruise, winter is certainly not coming.

European Union leaders have agreed that Croatia will join the group of countries using the euro currency next year.

Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Jean-Julien Rojer of Netherlands won the French Open men’s doubles championship by beating Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Austin Krajicek of the U.S. 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Croatia is ready to join the group of countries using the euro single currency at the start of next year.

When life gets too stressful, imaging that you're on vacation at an exotic remote location while drinking copious amounts of wine can be the best medicine for getting through a rough day.

Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been denied.

While the “will he or won’t he” question remains for No. 1 Novak Djokovic and his participation in the Australian Open the rest of the tennis world returns to work this week to prepare for the season’s first major.

Russia’s 15-year wait for a Davis Cup title has ended after another clutch performance by Daniil Medvedev.

There will be more host cities and fewer nations playing in the Davis Cup Finals next season in an attempt to increase fan engagement and keep the revamped team event sustainable.

The European Union says the massive spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is threatening the bloc's recovery from the deep economic slump caused by last year’s onset of the pandemic.

The European Medicines Agency says it is evaluating whether to authorize booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

Spain, Serbia and Croatia are heading to next year’s World Cup.

Despite its infection surge, Croatia is becoming a new favored destination for Russians seeking vaccination with Western jabs.

Germany's defense ministry says a company of the military’s guard battalion has been suspended from official duty amid an investigation of initiation rituals, suspected sexual abuse and far-right activity.

Croatian police have said they have established the identity of a woman who was found in a remote area on a northern Adriatic island with no recollection of who she is or where she came from.

Summer tourism has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations in Croatia this year.

Croatia’s electric supercar maker is taking over the iconic French manufacturer Bugatti in a deal that is reported to be worth millions of euros.

Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal scored in extra time to give Spain a 5-3 win over Croatia and a place in the European Championship quarterfinals.

A coronavirus infection has created disruption for two teams at the European Championship after a positive test for Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour also led to two England players having to self-isolate.

England defender Tyrone Mings has responded to criticism from British Home Secretary Priti Patel for taking a knee before games at the European Championship.

Raheem Sterling scored his first tournament goal to give England a 1-0 victory over Croatia at the European Championship.

Sections of fans at Wembley Stadium have booed England players for taking a knee before the European Championship game against Croatia.

The traditional French Open schedule is being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic for the second year in a row.

(Admir Buljubasic/Pool via AP)TORONTO, ONT – Canada on Monday suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under age 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots. Health Canada said it has not received any reports of blood clots in Canada, and the department’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma, said she still believes the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks. Last week, the department changed its label on the vaccine to warn about the rare risk of blood clots. Canada is expected to receive 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca from the U.S. on Wednesday. Canada has placed bigger bets on Pfizer and Moderna, ordering up to 76 million doses of Pfizer and up to 44 million of Moderna, compared with up to 20 million of AstraZeneca.

FILE - This Monday, Dec. 28, 2009 file photo shows Zagreb's mayor Milan Bandic reacting at his campaign headquarters in during presidential elections in Zagreb, Croatia. Bandic, the controversial long-serving mayor of Croatias capital of Zagreb, has died from a heart attack, his office said Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. Bandic felt unwell late Saturday and was swiftly taken to a hospital but nothing could be done, the state HRT television reported. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)ZAGREB – Milan Bandic, the controversial long-serving mayor of Croatia’s capital of Zagreb, has died from a heart attack, his office said Sunday. Bandic felt unwell around midnight Saturday and was swiftly taken to a hospital but nothing could be done, the state HRT television reported.

It started with a chilling account of alleged rape and abuse at a high-end acting school in Serbia. Further west, in Slovenia, a young actress spoke to local media about two years of alleged sexual harassment by a professor at the Ljubljana drama academy. A student survey has shown that one in 10 students reported exposure to sexual harassment, the official STA news agency said. In North Macedonia — also once a part of what used to be Yugoslavia — a protest against sexual harassment on social networks gathered several hundred people on Wednesday. “(Sexual) harassment is a taboo topic in a traditional society.”AdTwo years ago, another Serbian woman was at the center of a high-profile sexual harassment case: Marija Lukic defied threats to her safety to take her powerful boss to court.

A migrant walks during a snowfall at the Lipa camp, outside Bihac, Bosnia, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. “As a country with a perspective of EU accession, we expect Bosnia-Herzegovina to work on sustainable, long-term solutions, to set up facilities evenly distributed across the full territory of the country,” Johansson said. Migrants come to Bosnia with the aim of reaching Croatia before moving on into Western Europe. The Lipa camp was only ever set up as a temporary measure to cope with the impact of the coronavirus over the summer. Bosnian central authorities wanted to move some migrants to a nearby facility at Bira, but local authorities blocked the move as protests erupted.

Stranded residents try to reach their cars in the flooded street, following heavy rain and snowfall in Fushe Kosove, Kosovo on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)BELGRADE – Days of heavy rain and snow across the Balkans left homes and fields flooded Monday, disrupted traffic on highways and at ports and caused power outages. In central and eastern Serbia, thousands of people were left without electricity as heavy snow collapsed distribution lines. Authorities urged drivers not to take to the road unless absolutely necessary because of heavy snow. Floods were reported in Albania and Kosovo, where days of heavy rain mixed with snowy weather.

Migrants cook inside a makeshift shelter at the Lipa camp, outside Bihac, Bosnia, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. A fresh spate of snowy and very cold winter weather on has brought more misery for hundreds of migrants who have been stuck for days in a burnt out camp in northwest Bosnia waiting for heating and other facilities. Hundreds of Lipa camp residents tried to warm up around fires during a blizzard at the the facility in northwest Bosnia as authorities rushed to equip some 20 new tents meant to accommodate them. “We have too much trouble here in Lipa camp." There are thousands of migrants in Bosnia who are trying to reach Western Europe.

ORLANDO, Fla – Central Florida is about to get a mind-bending experience when the Museum of Illusions opens to guests next month at ICON Park. Museum of Illusions Orlando Opens January 9 at ICON Park™ Central Florida’s newest “edutainment” destination invites guests to enter the mesmerizing world of illusions and take mind-boggling snaps (Museum of Illusions)Officials said the experience will offer a number of mind-blowing photo backdrops, including some that are designed exclusively for the Central Florida location. “Many international guests are familiar with our concept through social networking,” said Museum of Illusions Orlando General Manager George Youngdahl. “We can’t wait to bring our museum to Central Florida – there’s nothing quite like it here.”The museum will be located at ICON Park along International Drive. From Jan. 9-31, Orlando residents and visitors can enjoy special preview days pricing for $15 per person of any age.