Brazil to waive visa requirement from June 1 to Sept. 18 for 2016 Olympics
Brazil announced that U.S., Australian, Canadian and Japanese citizens will not need visas during a 90-day period that includes the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics, from the lead-up to the end of the Paralympic Games. The waiver program is an attempt to increase leisure travel to Brazil by 20 percent. Many Latin American countries and European Union members do not need a visa to travel to Brazil. Normally, U.S. citizens must pay $160 to obtain a tourism visa in Brazil. The Summer Olympics will take place from Aug. 5-21, and the Paralympics will be from Sept. 7-18.
Rhett Ellison out with knee injury
Ellison, tight end for the Minnesota Vikings, is out for the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He will undergo surgery and is expected to need six months of recovery time. Ellison came from USC in the round four of the 2012 draft, and his rookie contract expires in March.
NBA fines players involved in Pacers, Pistons scuffle
The NBA fined Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris $15,000 for shoving and Indiana Pacers forward Paul George $10,000 for retaliating during the Jan. 2 game in Indianapolis. Morris shoved George at the end of the game while attempting to retrieve a loose ball, and George chest-bumped him. The Pacers won 94-82.
Zimmerman, Howard suing Al Jazeera for steroid scandal
Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals infielder, and Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, are suing Al Jazeera for the news organization’s claims that the players used steroids. The players are suing for defamation. Al Jazeera claimed that that the two players, along with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and other NFL players, were connected to a clinic that distributed steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) in a documentary titled “The Dark Side.” Zimmerman and Howard deny using any banned substances.
