The British government has stepped in to stop singer Kelly Clarkson from taking a ring once owned by author Jane Austen out of the country.

The "American Idol" winner bought the gold and turquoise ring at auction last year for just over 150,000 pounds ($228,000).

One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson's career in heading in a new direction.

The boy band star signed up to play a game for English football club Doncaster, a team that plays in the second-tier League Championship.

Charlie Chaplin's cane, costumes from the "Sound of Music" and a jacket worn by Steve McQueen in "Bullitt" have sold for several million dollars at an auction of Hollywood memorabilia.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a cane from Chaplin's "Modern Times" went for $420,000 at the auction held Sunday and Monday. That includes auction house fees.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko says a new law cracking down on gay rights activism will be enforced during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

Mutko's statement on Thursday follows assurances from the International Olympic Committee that neither athletes nor visitors to the games would be subject to discrimination under the law.

Uruguay's unprecedented plan to put the government at the center of a legal marijuana industry has made it halfway through congress, giving President Jose Mujica a long-sought victory in his effort to explore alternatives to the global war on drugs.

All 50 members of the governing Broad Front coalition approved the proposal in a party line vote just before midnight Wednesday, keeping a narrow majority of the 96 lawmakers present after more than 13 hours of passionate debate.

Afraid there may be peanuts or other allergens hiding in that cookie? Thanks to a cradle and app that turn your smartphone into a handheld biosensor, you may soon be able to run on-the-spot tests for food safety, environmental toxins, medical diagnostics and more.

The handheld biosensor was developed by researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Etihad Airways says it plans to acquire a 49 percent stake in Serbia's JAT Airways in a wide-ranging deal that will bring a new name and expanded routes for the struggling Belgrade-based carrier.

The pact is the latest partnership for fast-growing Etihad, which is locked in competition with other Gulf carriers, the Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Procter & Gamble Co. says its fiscal fourth-quarter net income dropped due to a write down related to its Braun Appliance business and other one-time costs but adjusted results beat expectations.

Its shares edged up 1 percent in premarket trading.

Puerto Ricans are used to wet tropical weather, but the past few weeks have unleashed a series of storms of almost biblical proportions, destroying hundreds of homes, sweeping away cars and leaving tens of thousands without power.

It has been the wettest July ever recorded in the U.S. island territory, with 14 inches (36 centimeters) so far drenching the capital. More rain fell on July 18 than had ever come down in a 24-hour period.

The man who runs Germany's biggest opera house says a chance encounter with an American colleague brought home to him just how fortunate he is.

Nikolaus Bachler, intendant of the Bavarian State Opera, recalled staying at a hotel in Verona, Italy, and finding that the head of a U.S. opera company was also a guest there.