Iraqi women fear rise in child marriages as lawmakers consider giving conservative clerics more say

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Shaimaa Saadoun is haunted by her memory of being forced into an abusive marriage to a 39-year-old man just after she turned 13. Her impoverished family near the southern Iraqi city of Basra hoped that the dowry of gold and money would help improve their...

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson discusses new memoir, 'Lovely One,' at Apollo Theater

NEW YORK (AP) — In one of her first public appearances on behalf of her newly published memoir, “Lovely One,” Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson didn't make a lot of news, but she did make a little history: She can add her name to James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson among...

Gaudreau's wife thanks him for 'the best years of my life' in Instagram tribute to fallen NHL player

The widow of Johnny Gaudreau called her husband “the absolute best dad in the world” and thanked him for “the best years of my life” in two Instagram posts paying tribute to the NHL player who was killed when his bicycle was struck by a car on the eve of his sister’s wedding. ...

She's a Norwegian princess. He's an American self-professed shaman. Their wedding is this weekend

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Norwegian king’s eldest child, Princess Märtha Louise, will marry American self-professed shaman Durek Verret on Saturday in a picturesque corner of southern Norway. The wedding comes amid widespread criticism of the couple's actions and waning...

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck may not have had a prenuptial agreement, but you should consider one

NEW YORK (AP) — Longtime celebrity watchers may not have been shocked when Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, but what was surprising was that Lopez's divorce petition did not include any mention of a prenuptial agreement. A prenup is a legal document for...

Australian penguin Sphen, one half of famed same-sex couple, dies at 11 years old

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Sphen, the elder partner in a world famous same-sex penguin couple celebrated in Australian schoolbooks and an annual gay rights parade, has died at 11 years old, a Sydney aquarium said on Thursday. Sphen and his male gentoo penguin partner Magic, now...

One woman's custody battle highlights the challenges facing same-sex couples in China

BANGKOK (AP) — It's been more than four years since Zhang Peiyi last saw her son, one of two children from her former marriage. Denied custody of both kids, Zhang finally settled in June for visitations with her daughter. But after seeing her only once, Zhang's ex-wife called the...

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck after 2 years of marriage

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a relationship that spanned two decades, two engagements, two weddings and headlines too numerous to count, Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. The filing Tuesday in Los Angeles brought to an apparent end a celebrity coupling — or at...

Who pays for the wedding? Traditional etiquette doesn't always hold

NEW YORK (AP) — Attire, travel, food, liquor, flowers: There's no end to expenses when it comes to traditional weddings. Through time, though certainly not always, it was the bride's parents who were expected to pay the bulk of expenses, but like so many aspects of weddings, the...

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck after 2 years of marriage, 2 decades after they first split