Taylor Swift wins big and Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at MTV awards

Taylor Swift wins big and Rita Ora pays tribute to Liam Payne at MTV awards

Manchester, England —  Taylor Swift came out top at the 2024 MTV EMAs on Sunday, walking away with best artist, best U.S. act, best live act and best video for “Fortnight” (featuring Post Malone). Swift, who is currently finishing up her Eras tour on the other side of the Atlantic, thanked the fans for the … Read more

Jazz saxophonist Donaldson dies at 98

Jazz saxophonist Donaldson dies at 98

new york —  Lou Donaldson, a celebrated jazz saxophonist with a warm, fluid style who performed with everyone from Thelonius Monk to George Benson and was sampled by Nas, De La Soul and other hip-hop artists, has died. He was 98. Donaldson died Saturday, according to a statement on his website. Additional details were not … Read more

Locals move to protect Chile’s giant desert geoglyphs scarred by off-roaders 

Locals move to protect Chile’s giant desert geoglyphs scarred by off-roaders 

IQUIQUE, Chile —  Over a thousand years ago, the hundreds of giant geoglyphs carved into the desert in northern Chile were a bustling scene. They marked sources of water in the vast arid landscape and were where locals came together to trade skins, animals and fish. Now the carvings are scarred with hundreds of tire … Read more

With holidays approaching, US stores stock more supersize TV sets

With holidays approaching, US stores stock more supersize TV sets

NEW YORK —  For some television viewers, size apparently does matter. Forget the 165-centimeter TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 2.4 meters diagonally. That’s wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed. … Read more

Mexico City’s floating gardens in peril

Mexico City’s floating gardens in peril

MEXICO CITY —  Cassandra Garduño squinted in the sunlight, her pink boots smudged by dirt as she gazed out over her family’s chinampa — one of the islands first built up by the Aztecs with fertile mud from the bottom of a lake that, later drained, would one day become Mexico City. Food from these … Read more

India’s ban on Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ may end — thanks to missing paperwork

India’s ban on Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ may end — thanks to missing paperwork

NEW DELHI —  The decadeslong ban of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses in his native India is now in doubt — not because of a change of heart more than two years after the author’s near-fatal stabbing, but because of what amounts to some missing paperwork. Earlier this week, a court in New Delhi closed … Read more

Turkish authorities ban screening of LGBTQI-themed film ‘Queer’

Turkish authorities ban screening of LGBTQI-themed film ‘Queer’

Washington/Istanbul —  Local authorities in Turkey’s metropolitan Istanbul province banned a screening of the LGBTQI-themed movie “Queer” on Thursday because of concerns that it would endanger public peace and security. The screening of “Queer,” a film directed by Italian director Luca Guadagnino and starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, was scheduled to open a film … Read more

Argentine prosecutors charge 3 linked to death of former One Direction star Liam Payne

Argentine prosecutors charge 3 linked to death of former One Direction star Liam Payne

BUENOS AIRES —  Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction who died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday. Prosecutor Andrés Madrea charged the three suspects, whose identities were not … Read more

At 50, Hello Kitty is as ‘kawaii’ — and lucrative — as ever

At 50, Hello Kitty is as ‘kawaii’ — and lucrative — as ever

tokyo —  Hello Kitty turned 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character’s fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour. And that’s just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed in her official biography. Confused? Welcome to the party. If … Read more

America’s holiday calendar is increasingly diverse

America’s holiday calendar is increasingly diverse

NEW YORK —  John Albert’s daughter didn’t go to school on Friday. And he couldn’t be happier about it. For the first time, the high school senior and all of New York City’s public school students have the day off to mark the holiday of Diwali, celebrated in India and among the global Indian diaspora … Read more