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Sergio Mendes Photo: AFP / ROBYN BECK Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who brought bossa nova to international audiences in the 1960s, died on Friday at the age of 83 in Los Angeles, his family said. In a statement posted on his website, the family said Mendes, who had been suffering from the effects of long Covid, died peacefully surrounded by his wife and children. One of the most successful Brazilian artists internationally, Mendes recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum. A three-time Grammy award winner and Oscar nominee, Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona. Mendes leaves "an incredible musical legacy from more than six decades of a unique sound first showcased by his band Brasil ...

By Ricardo Brito, Luciana Magalhaes and Luana Maria Benedito, Reuters Photo: MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL A preliminary report into the August crash of an airliner in Brazil found signs of ice buildup on the plane but no definite cause for the accident, the country's Centre for Research and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (Cenipa) said. The document pointed out that icing detectors had been activated on airline Voepass' aircraft, and a Cenipa official told a press conference that cockpit recordings showed the copilot said there was "a lot of icing" during the flight. According to investigators, that comment indicates that the plane's de-icing system might have failed, but Cenipa said that information still needed to be confirmed. Three experts interviewed by Reuters suggested that icing ...

By Ali Sawafta, Reuters Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita, in the occupied West Bank Photo: Supplied / International Solidarity Movement Israeli troops shot and killed a Turkish-American woman who had been taking part in a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday local time, Palestinian and Turkish officials said. The White House said it was deeply disturbed by the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi and called on Israel to investigate. Turkey's foreign ministry said she was shot in the head, and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for her death. Palestinian officials described her as a 26-year-old activist from Seattle who held US and Turkish citizenship. Eygi had r...

By Ali Sawafta, Reuters Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita, in the occupied West Bank Photo: Supplied / International Solidarity Movement Israeli troops shot and killed a Turkish-American woman who had been taking part in a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday local time, Palestinian and Turkish officials said. The White House said it was deeply disturbed by the death of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi and called on Israel to investigate. Turkey's foreign ministry said she was shot in the head, and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for her death. Palestinian officials described her as a 26-year-old activist from Seattle who held US and Turkish citizenship. Eygi had r...

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 06: Taylor Fritz of the United States celebrates after defeating Frances Tiafoe of the United States in their Men's Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP Photo: SARAH STIER Taylor Fritz survived an epic fight against American compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-1 to reach his first major final at the US Open. The home fans packed Arthur Ashe Stadium for the all-American semi-final, where 12th seed Fritz used his monster serve to his advantage, closing out the match with one of 16 aces. Tiafoe got off to a terrific start but gradually ran out of energy and had no...

By Joshua McElwee, Reuters Pope Francis in Papua New Guinea. Photo: PNG Government Pope Francis called for better treatment of workers in Papua New Guinea, a nation of some 600 islands in the Southwestern Pacific that has become a major target of international companies for its gas, gold and other reserves. In a speech to political authorities in the country, which is home to hundreds of tribal groups and more than 800 spoken languages, the 87-year-old Catholic pontiff also made a heartfelt appeal for an end to a spate of ethnic violence that has killed dozens in recent months. The pope, visiting as part of an ambitious 12-day trip to four countries, said PNG's natural resources were "destined by God" for the whole community. "Even if outside experts and large international companies...

By Rich McKay of Reuters Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray, 14, enters the Barrow County courthouse. Photo: Getty Images Less than an hour after his 14-year-old son appeared in a courtroom in the US state of Georgia on murder charges, Colin Gray found himself in the same courtroom seat, anxiously rocking back and forth as prosecutors accused him of bearing responsibility for the deaths caused by the boy's rampage. The initial appearances by Colin Gray, 54, and Colt Gray, 14, in the Barrow County courtroom came two days after an attack that killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, a city of 18,000 some 80 km northeast of Atlanta. Nine others were wounded. Colt Gray, an Apalachee student, has been charged as a...