Lionel Messi's remarkable career with Barcelona began on a napkin.

It happened more than a decade ago, when the 13-year-old Messi, then just a scrawny little kid with plenty of talent, was hoping to earn a contract with Barcelona.

Andy Murray had Ivan Lendl in his corner and another ATP final in his sights when he beat Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday in the Brisbane International semifinals.

When the noted Chinese Ming Dynasty opera "The Peony Pavilion" came to Lincoln Center in 1999, the production lasted 20 hours, divided into six episodes.

Now this tragic but redemptive love story is back at Lincoln Center — this time in dance form, and considerably shorter: two hours, including intermission.

It's quiet time on Palestinian Sesame Street.

The iconic children's program, known as "Sharaa Simsim" in Arabic, has been put on hold for the 2012 season because of a funding freeze by the U.S. Congress.

A hot air balloon carrying 11 people turned into a horrifying tower of "sheer flame" Saturday after hitting power lines near a rural New Zealand town, police and witnesses said. All aboard were killed in the deadliest air crash in New Zealand in nearly 50 years.

Two of those killed jumped out of the basket in desperation before the fiery balloon plummeted to farmland with a loud bang as it hit the ground. The balloon crashed near the township of Carterton, in a region well known for its hot air ballooning, in clear, bright early morning conditions with minimal wind.

Thierry Henry will look to enhance his legendary status at Arsenal after completing a loan move to the English club he graced for eight years.

The former France striker had to wait a week to secure his two-month switch as Arsenal finalized insurance agreements with the New York Red Bulls, Henry's club in Major League Soccer.

Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters retired from her semifinal match against Daniela Hantuchova at the Brisbane International on Friday one game after being treated for what appeared to be a left hip injury.

Clijsters won the opening tiebreak but surrendered a break at the start of the second set and needed treatment after the third game.

China, the biggest buyer of Iran's oil, has publicly rejected U.S. sanctions aimed at Tehran's energy industry while American allies Japan and South Korea are scrambling to find a compromise to keep critical supplies flowing.

Beijing is buying less Iranian crude this month but analysts say China is unlikely to support an oil embargo. Instead, they say, the smaller purchases might be a tactic aimed at obtaining lower prices as the West squeezes Tehran.

They'll be playing arenas when they tour next month, but on Thursday night, a regrouped Van Halen provided thrills in a tiny club where a VIP crowd stood elbow to elbow as the storied band played some of their greatest hits including "Jump" and "Panama."

"Welcome to Occupy Van Halen, ladies and gentleman!" frontman David Lee Roth yelled just before the band launched into "You Really Got Me," the first in an approximately hour-long, high energy set.

A species of majestic, mostly white owls — famous for its role as Harry Potter's companion in the books and movies — is being sighted in abundant numbers this winter far from both Hogwarts and its native Arctic habitat.

It's typical for snowy owls to arrive in the U.S. every three or four winters, but this year's irruption is widespread, with birders from the Pacific Northwest to New England reporting frequent sightings of the yellow-eyed birds. As many as 30 were spotted in December around South Dakota's Lake Andes.