1. Pope's makes waves in Cuba
Pope Francis will make political waves when he lands in Cuba Saturday, traveling the island for four days before heading to the U.S. The Cuba trip carries historic weight since the pontiff played a key role in the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. The trip comes as the Cuban government, which controls the economy, has slowly allowed more Cubans to own property and run businesses. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Havana has been at the forefront of some of those liberalized moves, organizing business workshops and taking other initiatives. Francis is scheduled to visit one of those workshops on his trip.
Cuban Catholics praise the third visit of a pope in less than 20 years ahead of the arrival of Pope Francis who played a key role in the communist nation's recent rapprochement with the United States. Video provided by AFP Newslook
2. Amazon, Netflix shows in the pool for 2015 Emmys
There is a lot of "new" to behold at Sunday’s Emmy awards on Fox. Host Andy Samberg will help deliver the verdicts for TV’s hottest shows and best actors. This year, Amazon and Netflix play an expanding role in the nominations — new shows such as Better Call Saul, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Transparent hope to take their place with the winners — and new rules that opened up the voting pool to the entire Television Academy could mix up the results. Top actors to watch for include Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, How to Get Away With Murder’s Viola Davis and Transparent’s Jeffrey Tambor.
The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards are chockfull of fresh faces. Krystin Goodwin has a rundown of this year's Emmy newbies. Buzz60
3. Greeks are going to the polls to elect a parliament — again
Sunday marks the third time this year that weary Greeks go to the polls with the economic fate of their country again on the line. The next prime minister will have to shepherd through the austere measures of the bailout deal with European creditors. The Greek economy could collapse without the bailout money, and Greece could be forced out of the eurozone if it fails to enact the changes. The left-wing Syriza party, led by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and conservative New Democracy were well ahead of other parties in the polls in the run-up to the election. Tsipras stepped down last month and called for elections, hoping to receive a new mandate, as his party splintered in support of the bailout deal.
Greek voters head to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Sunday. Bloomberg looks at how the election could unfold, and what it means for the country's bailout program. Bloomberg
4. Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off fall series
NASCAR’s 10-race playoff starts Sunday with 16 drivers competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway. Drivers will look to unseat reigning champion Kevin Harvick. He said his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team are in an even better spot than last year. He had eight top-five finishes entering the Chase last year; this season, he has 18. The Chase series includes four sections: Challenger, Contender, Eliminator and Championship. USA TODAY motorsports reporters predict Kevin Harvick or Joey Logano to cross the finish line first in the final race on Nov. 22.
5. Longest-running TV variety show signs off
TV show Sábado Gigante signs off Saturday as the longest-running variety show. Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday) has been an institution in Latin and North American homes for 53 years. During the show’s 2,600 consecutive weeks on the air there has never been a single rerun. The show’s reputation for wildly over-the-top comedy skits and cheeky contests made it popular with non-Spanish-speaking viewers, too. You didn’t have to understand the language to be joyfully transfixed by their competition featuring a hooded judge whose name translates to Trumpet Jackal.
Model Alina Robert and the infamous El Chacal de la Trompeta scout out the next contestant to perform during Sábado Gigante's singing competition. (Photo: Rodrigo Varela)
And, the weekend essentials:
Giving those eyes of yours a weekend break? Listen to the top stories:
Which movies are worth your popcorn? Here's what's new in theaters this weekend.
Ready for some football? Here's the college football TV schedule and USA TODAY Sports' picks for Week 2 of the NFL.
Need a break? Try playing some of our games.
You can subscribe to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox, or find us on the Yo! app: justyo.co/usatoday.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Kmoeez
1. Pope's makes waves in Cuba
Pope Francis will make political waves when he lands in Cuba Saturday, traveling the island for four days before heading to the U.S. The Cuba trip carries historic weight since the pontiff played a key role in the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. The trip comes as the Cuban government, which controls the economy, has slowly allowed more Cubans to own property and run businesses. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Havana has been at the forefront of some of those liberalized moves, organizing business workshops and taking other initiatives. Francis is scheduled to visit one of those workshops on his trip.
Cuban Catholics praise the third visit of a pope in less than 20 years ahead of the arrival of Pope Francis who played a key role in the communist nation's recent rapprochement with the United States. Video provided by AFP Newslook
2. Amazon, Netflix shows in the pool for 2015 Emmys
There is a lot of "new" to behold at Sunday’s Emmy awards on Fox. Host Andy Samberg will help deliver the verdicts for TV’s hottest shows and best actors. This year, Amazon and Netflix play an expanding role in the nominations — new shows such as Better Call Saul, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Transparent hope to take their place with the winners — and new rules that opened up the voting pool to the entire Television Academy could mix up the results. Top actors to watch for include Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, How to Get Away With Murder’s Viola Davis and Transparent’s Jeffrey Tambor.
The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards are chockfull of fresh faces. Krystin Goodwin has a rundown of this year's Emmy newbies. Buzz60
3. Greeks are going to the polls to elect a parliament — again
Sunday marks the third time this year that weary Greeks go to the polls with the economic fate of their country again on the line. The next prime minister will have to shepherd through the austere measures of the bailout deal with European creditors. The Greek economy could collapse without the bailout money, and Greece could be forced out of the eurozone if it fails to enact the changes. The left-wing Syriza party, led by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and conservative New Democracy were well ahead of other parties in the polls in the run-up to the election. Tsipras stepped down last month and called for elections, hoping to receive a new mandate, as his party splintered in support of the bailout deal.
Greek voters head to the polls for the third time in less than a year on Sunday. Bloomberg looks at how the election could unfold, and what it means for the country's bailout program. Bloomberg
4. Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off fall series
NASCAR’s 10-race playoff starts Sunday with 16 drivers competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway. Drivers will look to unseat reigning champion Kevin Harvick. He said his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team are in an even better spot than last year. He had eight top-five finishes entering the Chase last year; this season, he has 18. The Chase series includes four sections: Challenger, Contender, Eliminator and Championship. USA TODAY motorsports reporters predict Kevin Harvick or Joey Logano to cross the finish line first in the final race on Nov. 22.
5. Longest-running TV variety show signs off
TV show Sábado Gigante signs off Saturday as the longest-running variety show. Sábado Gigante (Gigantic Saturday) has been an institution in Latin and North American homes for 53 years. During the show’s 2,600 consecutive weeks on the air there has never been a single rerun. The show’s reputation for wildly over-the-top comedy skits and cheeky contests made it popular with non-Spanish-speaking viewers, too. You didn’t have to understand the language to be joyfully transfixed by their competition featuring a hooded judge whose name translates to Trumpet Jackal.
Model Alina Robert and the infamous El Chacal de la Trompeta scout out the next contestant to perform during Sábado Gigante's singing competition. (Photo: Rodrigo Varela)
And, the weekend essentials:
Giving those eyes of yours a weekend break? Listen to the top stories:
Which movies are worth your popcorn? Here's what's new in theaters this weekend.
Ready for some football? Here's the college football TV schedule and USA TODAY Sports' picks for Week 2 of the NFL.
Need a break? Try playing some of our games.
You can subscribe to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox, or find us on the Yo! app: justyo.co/usatoday.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1Kmoeez
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