Alice Munro, Canadian Nobel Prize-winning author, dies at 92

ottawa — Nobel Prize-winning Canadian writer Alice Munro, whose exquisitely crafted tales of the loves, ambitions and travails of small-town women in her native land made her a globally acclaimed master of the short story, has died at the age of 92, [..]

Iranian director Rasoulof urges film world to support colleagues

cannes, france — Film director Mohammad Rasoulof, who has secretly fled Iran for an undisclosed location in Europe, urged the world film community on Tuesday to provide strong support to his colleagues

Haitians seeking solace from unrelenting gang violence turn to Vodou

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Vodou faithful sing, their voices rising above the gunfire erupting miles away as frantic drumbeats drown out their troubles

Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with Nemo's 'The Code'

MALMO, Sweden — Switzerland won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on Saturday in the Swedish host city Malmo, beating runner-up Croatia

President Biden cheers Las Vegas Aces and women's basketball

washington — President Joe Biden welcomed the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to the White House on Thursday, celebrating what he called a banner year for women's basketball

Met Gala in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among stars

New York — It's Met Gala time and the fashion parade of A-listers Monday included a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet surrounded by foliage

Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio beach into a massive dance floor

RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans

French Iranian author wins top Spanish prize for graphic novel

Barcelona, Spain — French Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel Persepolis tells the story of a girl growing up in post-revolutionary Iran, was awarded Spain's prestigious Princess of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanity on Tue[..]

Rolling Stones show no signs of slowing down as they begin their latest tour

houston — Time marches on and all good things must come to an end

Prince Harry due in London, then Nigeria with Meghan

London — Prince Harry will return to Britain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Invictus Games in May, before joining his wife Meghan on a visit to Nigeria, his spokesperson said Sunday

Iran bans Egyptian TV drama on historical Islamic leader

Tehran, Iran — Iranian authorities have banned an Egyptian TV series depicting a medieval Persian figure over historical distortions and a biased approach, state media reported Sunday

Iran Risks Further Backlash for Death Sentence of Dissident Rapper, Says German MP

Washington — Iran's handing of a death sentence this week to dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has drawn outrage from the Islamic republic's domestic and international critics, including a German lawmaker who says Tehran risks fueling the backlash if i[..]

Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover while many remain captive

JERUSALEM — Every year, Alon Gat's mother led the family's Passover celebration of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago

Instagram blurring nudity in messages to protect teens, fight sexual extortion

LONDON — Instagram says it's deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages

US newsman who created no-frills PBS newscast dies

new york — Robert MacNeil, who created the even-handed, no-frills PBS newscast The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour in the 1970s and co-anchored the show with his late partner, Jim Lehrer, for two decades, died on Friday