Days are left before the 91st Academy Awards ceremony that’ll take place in Los Angeles. But before actors and directors walk the red carpet and talk about the films they made, an exhibition showcasing costumes from the Oscar-nominated movies opened in Los Angeles. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by …
your ad hereMusician Peter Tork of Monkees Fame Dies at 77
Musician Peter Tork, the perpetually cheerful keyboard-playing member of the 1960s rock group The Monkees, has died at 77. Tork’s family and his Facebook page gave no cause of death, but he was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer in 2009. Tork was a bass guitarist and an …
your ad hereAnalysts: Insurance Can’t Offset Risks of Climate Change
From homeowners facing higher flood insurance premiums to investors putting money into coal-fired power plants, financial risks related to climate change are growing, analysts say. But working out how a switch to lower-carbon train travel could affect an airline or what an insurance firm should do to weather more flood claims is neither clear nor simple, …
your ad hereNike Stumbles into Social Media Storm After Basketball Star’s Shoe Splits
A Nike Inc sneaker worn by a college basketball superstar split in half less than a minute into a highly anticipated game between Duke University and North Carolina, prompting an outcry on social media as the company sought to figure out what caused the problem. Zion Williamson, a 6-foot-7-inch freshman …
your ad hereNewcomer Aparicio Discusses Her Oscar-Nominated Performance
A newcomer to acting, Yalitza Aparicio is in the running for Best Actress this Sunday at the Academy Awards. She plays a domestic worker in the Mexican film “Roma” and recently sat down with VOA’s Arturo Martinez to talk about her role. …
your ad hereSigns Point to China, US Deal to Avert Further Tariff Hike
As China and the United States resume high-level talks in Washington Thursday, there are signs that the two may be closing in on a deal. Reuters news agency is reporting that top trade officials from both sides are trying to hammer out the details of six broad agreements aimed at …
your ad hereMeasles Epidemic in Madagascar Kills More Than 900, Says WHO
The World Health Organization says that an epidemic of measles in Madagascar has caused more than 900 deaths. According to WHO figures, there have been more than 68,000 cases of the disease in which 553 deaths were confirmed and another 373 suspected from measles since the outbreak began in September. …
your ad hereReuters Data Show Google’s New Cloud Boss Has Big Task to Catch Rivals
Google has a new cloud computing boss and big ambitions to someday produce more revenue from that business than from advertising. Now comes the hard part: winning over big-spending customers. Alphabet Inc’s cloud computing division remains a distant third behind Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp in terms of global revenue, …
your ad herePolice Charge ‘Empire’ Actor for Staging Racist Attack
Police in Chicago say a U.S. actor who claimed he was attacked and beaten by two masked men shouting racist and homophobic slurs staged the incident because he was because he was dissatisfied with his salary and wanted to promote his career. Chicago police department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi issued a …
your ad hereSamsung’s Folding Phone Aims to Rejuvenate Smartphone Market
Ten years after launching its Galaxy line of smartphones, Samsung Electronics unveiled a new form of the ubiquitous device — a phone that seamlessly turns into a tablet — to create some new excitement in the sluggish global smartphone market. At an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Samsung unveiled …
your ad hereSamsung Rolls Out New Smartphones
Samsung has unveiled its newest line of smartphones. The top-selling smartphone maker hopes to inject excitement into a sluggish global smartphone market. Michelle Quinn attended the event in San Francisco on Wednesday and gives us a look. …
your ad hereGreen Book Mapped Safe Route Through Era of Discrimination
Scenes from the Oscar-nominated film Green Book depict post-World War II America as a land of wide prosperity, big cars, nation-spanning highways, and easy travel. But this was the Jim Crow era, before civil rights reforms, and discriminatory laws of the time made it challenging, even dangerous, for black motorists …
your ad hereGreen Book Mapped a Safe Route Through Era of Discrimination
The film “Green Book,” starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen is nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. The story, set in the early 1960s, centers on an interracial friendship. But it also shows the discrimination African-Americans faced while traveling across the country during …
your ad hereResumption of High-level US-China Trade Talks Raises Hopes
The Trump administration is set Thursday to resume high-level talks with Chinese officials, aiming to ease a trade standoff that’s unnerved global investors and clouded the outlook for the world economy. A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He will meet in Washington with a U.S. team led by …
your ad hereWhat Makes for an Oscar-Winning Best PIcture?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated 8 movies in the category of Best Picture. What are the elements that make a movie the best picture of the year? VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with award winning playwright and director Murray Horwitz about the chances of some of …
your ad hereWhatsApp Bug Lets Users Bypass New Privacy Controls
A security bug is allowing users to bypass new privacy controls introduced by Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp on iPhones this month, the service said Wednesday after users posted about the problem on social media. The disclosure came as messaging and other applications race to improve security and privacy and as Facebook Inc. is addressing …
your ad hereSamsung Unveils Folding Phone With 5G — at $1,980
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday said it will release a folding smartphone in April that works with the next-generation 5G networks and will cost almost $2,000, a move to entice consumers to upgrade their phones. The Galaxy Fold will go on sale on April 26, Samsung officials said at …
your ad hereVenezuela’s Health Care System Continues Downward Spiral
U.N. and international health agencies say Venezuela’s health care crisis is causing a rise in infectious diseases and the re-emergence of illnesses such as malaria and tuberculosis, once considered vanquished. The World Health Organization (WHO) blames Venezuela’s complex political and socio-economic situation for the virtual collapse of the country’s health …
your ad hereMeghan Markle Spotted in NYC for Rumored Baby Shower
Meghan Markle has been spotted at several swanky venues in New York City, cradling her baby bump as she visited friends for what is rumored to be a baby shower. . Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was seen Tuesday entering The Mark hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, at a …
your ad hereUS Trade Representative to Testify on China Next Week
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will testify next week at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on U.S.-China trade issues, a spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee said on Wednesday. Lighthizer has been the lead negotiator in ongoing trade negotiations with Beijing as the world’s two largest economies …
your ad hereChina Faces Challenges in Containing Swine Flu Infection
The Year of the Pig is getting off to a rough start in China as the world’s largest consumer of pork and home to half the world’s pigs struggles to contain the spread of the African swine fever (ASF) virus. Recent incidents, where traces of the virus were found in …
your ad hereObama Joined by Curry to Tell Minority Boys ‘You Matter’
Former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told a roomful of minority boys on Tuesday that they matter and urged them to make the world a better place. Obama was in Oakland, California, to mark the fifth anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative he launched …
your ad herePutin Announces Social Handouts in Bid to Stop Opinion Poll Slide
A year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin sailed to victory in what challengers dubbed a “filthy election.” Facing weak candidates — some likely encouraged to run by a Kremlin eager to give the poll a veneer of greater competitiveness — Putin basked in his re-election, promising a flag-waving rally of loyalists off …
your ad hereMicrosoft Detects Hacking Targeting Europe Democracy Groups
A hacking group has targeted European democratic institutions including think tanks and non-profit groups ahead of highly anticipated EU parliamentary elections in May, Microsoft said. The company said Tuesday that a group called Strontium targeted email accounts for more than 100 people in six European countries working for the German …
your ad hereOK for Direct US Flights Moves Vietnam Into Economic Fast Lane
The U.S. decision last week to permit Vietnam to fly its commercial aircraft directly to American airports is seen as a continuation of improving relations and follows other signs of international recognition for Hanoi. Observers say the breakthrough shows that major countries including the United States take Vietnam ever more …
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