'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…

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,…

Halloween superfans see the culture catching up to them

'Downton Abbey' colleagues, fellow actors mourn death of Maggie Smith

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

'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…

From street football in Ethiopia to the US Super League

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…

Japan hails record Emmy success for 'Shogun' as cultural win

TOKYO — Japan's government and people cheered the record trophy haul for period drama "Shogun" at the annual U.S. television Emmy Awards as yet another win for their history and culture,…

'Shogun' and 'Hacks' win top series Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — "Hacks" won the comedy series at Sunday's Emmy Awards, topping "The Bear," which took home several of the night's honors. "Shogun" won the best drama series win, collecting a…

The winners: 76th annual Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — The 76th annual Emmy Awards were handed out Sunday at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. “Shogun” set a single season record for most wins with 18. “Shogun” won best…

Emmys return with 'Shogun' and 'The Bear' leading the pack

Los Angeles — Hollywood will dole out the annual Emmy Awards, the highest honors in television, Sunday at a red-carpet ceremony where the historical drama "Shogun" and restaurant tale "The Bear"…

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ No. 1 again; ‘Am I Racist’ cracks top 5 

Chainsaw art - turning tree stumps into masterpieces

What is Art? It’s an age-old question: is it paint on canvas, ceramics or sculpture? The fun part is -- art can be anything – and can even be created with…

Hispanic Heritage Month puts diversity and culture at the forefront

Muralists paint over traces of violence in Salvadoran neighborhood

MEJICANOS, El Salvador — From the window of her tin-sided shop outside El Salvador's capital, San Salvador, Esmeralda Quintanilla watches artists get to work in her neighborhood on walls still pockmarked…

Brazilian dog plays footvolley by passing, driving ball with his snout

rio de janeiro — Rio de Janeiro's main beaches bustle with commotion on sunny weekends. But activity ground to a near standstill on one stretch of sand. People held up their…

Nightlife now rules in Iraq's former IS bastion

Mosul, Iraq — If they had tried to do this a few years ago, the group of Iraqi women enjoying a night out in Mosul would probably have risked severe punishment. The…

Ballerina DePrince, whose career inspired many after she was born into war, dies at 29

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — Ballet dancer Michaela Mabinty DePrince, who came to the United States from an orphanage in war-ravaged Sierra Leone and performed on some of the world's biggest stages,…

Prince Harry turns 40 as the royal scamp moves to middle age

LONDON — Prince Harry was always something different. From the moment he first appeared in public, snuggled in Princess Diana’s arms outside the London hospital where he was born in 1984, Harry…

Animal rights groups object to Buckingham Palace guards' bearskin caps

london — An animal rights group trying to get real fur out of the bearskin caps worn by King's Guards at Buckingham Palace took aim Thursday at the cost of the…

Brazil officially welcomes return of sacred Indigenous cloak from Denmark

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil formally received on Thursday the return from Denmark of an Indigenous cloak made with 4,000 red feathers of the scarlet ibis bird, a sacred mantle that…

Smithsonian honors long-running US TV show

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" has just been renewed for its 25th season. It is the longest-running prime-time drama on U.S. television. The show’s lead character, Captain Olivia Benson,…