Gauff rallies to reach China Open final; Sinner, Alcaraz win in Shanghai

BEIJING — Coco Gauff rallied Saturday from a set down for the third consecutive match as she beat Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final of the China Open. The sixth-ranked Gauff will play Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in Sunday’s final as the 20-year-old American bids for her second WTA-1000 level…

Peru celebrates 2 decades of a fast-growing breed of guinea pigs eaten as a delicacy

LIMA, Peru — Peru on Thursday celebrated two decades since the creation of a genetically modified breed of guinea pig, a rodent whose meat has formed a part of the diet of people in the Andean nation for thousands of years. The genetically modified breed of guinea pig — known as cuy locally — is called…

German church is tallest in the world — until Spain’s La Sagrada Familia is done

ULM, Germany — The Ulmer Münster in southern Germany is the world’s tallest church. For now, anyway. The Gothic-style Lutheran church’s reign — begun in May 31, 1890 — could end in 2025, when La Sagrada Familia Basilica’s “Tower of Jesus Christ” in Spain is set to be completed. At an eventual 172.5 meters high, the…

Grace period for US student loan payments is over. Here’s what you need to know

NEW YORK — The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The “on-ramp” period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score. “The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are…

Boston university relaunches journalism curriculum to encompass humanities

Washington — As the fall semester begins, a women’s college in Boston, Massachusetts, has retooled its media-related curriculum to best reflect the ideals of the school’s namesake, the late journalist Gwen Ifill. Simmons University announced it would relaunch the media school as the Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities and Social Sciences. A search committee also…

John Amos, patriarch on ‘Good Times’ and Emmy nominee for blockbuster ‘Roots,’ dies at 84

LOS ANGELES — American actor John Amos, who starred as the family patriarch on the hit 1970’s sitcom Good Times and earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the seminal 1977 miniseries Roots, has died. He was 84.  Amos’ publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the news of his death Tuesday. No other details were immediately available. …

Pete Rose, baseball’s banned hits leader, has died at age 83

NEW YORK — Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83. Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada, confirmed on behalf of the medical examiner that Rose died…

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88

Los Angeles — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died. Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokesperson Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88. McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by…

‘Megalopolis’ flops, ‘The Wild Robot’ soars at box office

New York — Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making, self-financed epic “Megalopolis” flopped with moviegoers, while the acclaimed DreamWorks Animation family film “The Wild Robot” soared to No. 1 at the weekend box office. “The Wild Robot,” Chris Sanders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestseller, outperformed expectations to launch with $35 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canada…

Alcohol-free beer is gaining popularity, even at Oktoberfest

MUNICH — The head brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, has a secret: He really likes alcohol-free beer. Even though he’s quick to say he obviously enjoys real beer more, Tobias Zollo says he savors alcohol-free beer when he’s working or eating lunch. It has the same taste but fewer calories than a soft drink,…

Women’s choir promotes Ukrainian culture in Brussels  

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Yuliia Lebedynska moved to Brussels with her daughter and granddaughter. She was an entrepreneur in Ukraine but in Belgium, she found herself in a Ukrainian women’s choir.  Valentina Vasileva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: David Gogokhia   …

Statue of American music legend Johnny Cash unveiled at US Capitol

Washington — Johnny Cash now stands among the most famous politicians, trailblazers and activists of American history as he became the first professional musician to be honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol. Congressional leaders from both parties and members of the Cash family were among the several hundred guests who gathered Tuesday for the…

China’s youth unemployment fuels rise in postgraduate studies

Taipei, Taiwan — Youth unemployment in China climbed to nearly 19% in August, its highest level so far this year, according to official data. Analysts say that the higher level of youth unemployment is driving more college graduates to enroll in graduate schools to escape the job search as the world’s second-largest economy struggles. According to…

Micro dramas shake up China’s film industry, aim for Hollywood

ZHENGZHOU, China — On a film set that resembles the medieval castle of a Chinese lord, Zhu Jian is busy disrupting the world’s second-largest movie industry. The 69-year-old actor is playing the patriarch of a wealthy family celebrating his birthday with a lavish banquet. But unbeknownst to either of them, the servant in the scene is…

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ scares off ‘Transformers’ for third week as box office No. 1

Los Angeles — It’s a three-peat for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The Tim Burton legacy sequel to his 1988 horror comedy topped the North American box office charts for the third straight weekend with $26 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. It edged out the animated new release “Transformers: One,” which brought in $25 million.…

Japan cracks down on bad-faith buyers as temple, shrine sales surge

SANBAGAWA, Japan — Benmou Suzuki’s dilapidated 420-year-old temple, located deep in the forest near a tiny Japanese mountain village, hardly looks like prized real estate. Yet the monk was recently approached by two men, who said they were real estate brokers and wanted to know if he was interested in selling. He suspects they weren’t really…

Dedicated artists keep Japan’s ancient craft of temari alive

KAWARAMACHI, Japan — Time seems to stop here.  Women sit in a small circle, quietly, painstakingly stitching patterns on balls the size of an orange, a stitch at a time.  At the center of the circle is Eiko Araki, a master of the Sanuki Kagari Temari, a Japanese traditional craft passed down for more than 1,000…

As traces of Pakistani megacity’s past vanish, flamboyant pink palace endures

KARACHI, Pakistan — Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds. The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets look like they’ve been plucked…

‘Souls of Ancestors’ display stirs new interest in Cambodian antiquity

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Nhem Liza made her first visit to the National Museum of Cambodia after learning about the August return from the United States of dozens of looted Cambodian artifacts, including important Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces dating from the ninth to 14th centuries. “Those artifacts are amazing,” said 15-year-old Nhem, a 10th grade Phnom…

Board approves more non-lethal weapons for UCLA police after Israel-Hamas war protests

LOS ANGELES — The University of California board of regents approved Thursday additional non-lethal weapons requested by UCLA police, which handled some of the nation’s largest student protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Clashes between protestors and counter-protestors earlier this year on the campus led to more than a dozen injuries, and more than 200 people were…

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with racketeering, sex trafficking

NEW YORK — Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with three federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to an indictment unsealed on Tuesday.   Combs, 54, was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents on Monday night, following a year in which his career was derailed by several…