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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...

Jannik Sinner at the US Open. Photo: photosport By Amy Tennery, Reuters Italian top seed Jannik Sinner took down ailing Briton Jack Draper 7-5 7-6(3) 6-2 to reach the US Open final, overcoming muggy conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sinner appeared to have suffered a wrist injury when he fell over in the second set but rallied to reach his second major final after winning the Australian Open earlier this year. Little went right for Draper, who vomited three times in the second set as he struggled with the heat and humidity that also left his shirt soaked in sweat. Jack Draper of Great Britain is through to the semi-finals of the US Open. Photo: Afp/Matthew Stockman Ten double faults also failed to help the 22-year-old's bid to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time. "It was ...

By Joey Roulette, Reuters In this screen grab from a NASA livestream, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft can be seen pulling away from the International Space Station for its unmanned return to the surface of Earth. Photo: NASA / AFP Without astronauts, Boeing's Starliner undocks from space station Starliner undocks from ISS for six-hour return trip to Earth Boeing's Starliner faces technical issues, costing $125 million Boeing's future in space questioned amid Starliner struggles Boeing's Starliner spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on Saturday (NZ time), leaving behind its first crew of US astronauts to return to Earth empty and finish a drawn-out test mission fraught with technical issues. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who became the first t...

The attack was to be in support of Islamic State, prosecutors alleged. Photo: 123RF By Jasper Ward and Anna Mehler Paperny, Reuters A Pakistani citizen living in Canada was arrested on Wednesday and charged with planning an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State, the Department of Justice said on Friday. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around 7 October, 2024, nearly one year after Hamas' attack in Israel. US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Khan, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, aimed to kill "as many Jewish people as possible". The Department of Justice was not able to confirm if Khan had obtained legal counsel. Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the United States where he intended to use au...