Michigan Museum Reveals Complex Heritage of Cambodian Art

New York — Six years ago, Nachiket Chanchani visited Angkor Wat for the first time. Inspired, the architectural historian began thinking about the relationship between the complexities of modern post-genocide Cambodia and the ancient temple complex. Chanchani, an associate art history professor at the University of Michigan, kept reflecting on Angkor Wat, juxtaposing the temple complex…

Czech Republic’s Krystyna Pyszková Crowned Miss World in India

MUMBAI, India — Krystyna Pyszková of the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World at a glittering contest held in India on Saturday night. Yasmina Zaytoun of Lebanon was the first runner-up among 112 contestants in the competition held in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital. “Being crowned Miss World is a dream come true. I am…

‘Game of Thrones’ Makers Turn to Iconic Chinese Sci-Fi

Paris — The makers of “Game of Thrones” return with “3 Body Problem,” the adaptation of an iconic Chinese sci-fi trilogy.   It premieres this weekend at the South by Southwest Festival in Texas before launching on Netflix on March 21.  Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, coming off their huge hit with “Game of Thrones,”…

Activists See India as New Front in Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

Washington — A U.N. report released Friday about the prevalence of female genital mutilation around the globe is drawing attention to the practice among the Dawoodi Bohra community, a Muslim minority sect based in India. India is not on the UNICEF list of 31 countries released Friday. But the extent of FGM in India, although small…

US Muslims to Begin Ramadan Observance as War Rages in Gaza

WASHINGTON — The Islamic holiday of Ramadan is being observed this year as the Israel-Hamas war surges in Gaza, where the United Nations is warning of a growing humanitarian crisis. Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque, in Washington said there will be differences in how Muslims observe this year because of the conflict.…

Tennis Player Halep’s Doping Ban Cut From 4 Years to 9 Months

GENEVA — Former Wimbledon and French Open champion Simona Halep had her four-year doping ban cut to nine months by the top court for global sport on Tuesday, making the former world number one eligible to return to competition immediately.  Halep was initially banned for four years for two separate anti-doping rule violations. But the Lausanne-based…

Sinead O’Connor’s Estate Tells Trump: ‘Stop Playing Her Music at Rallies’

LONDON — The estate of Sinead O’Connor asked Donald Trump Monday not to play her music at campaign rallies, saying the late singer considered the former president a “biblical devil.” Trump has played O’Connor’s biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at events as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. In a joint statement, O’Connor’s estate…

Israel to Revise Eurovision Entries Said to Allude to Hamas Attack 

Jerusalem — Israel on Sunday said it had asked lyricists to revise its proposed Eurovision Song Contest entries, potentially heading off a dispute with organizers over political content. Authorities last week said Israel would not be able to participate in this year’s edition of the popular competition if organizers rejected the song choice, which reportedly referenced…

Raye Sets Record at BRIT Awards, Britain’s Pop Music Honors

LONDON — Singer-songwriter Raye was the big winner Saturday at the BRIT Awards, the biggest night in British music, setting a new record for most prizes in one night at the annual ceremony. Raye won six awards, including for artist of the year, album of the year for My 21st Century Blues and song of the…

Pope Francis Asks Aide to Read Ceremonial Speech Due to Bronchitis

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who has been suffering from influenza, said he delegated the reading of a speech at a ceremony Saturday to an aide because he was unable to read it due to bronchitis.  “I have prepared a speech but as you can see, I am unable to read it because of bronchitis. I…