Los Angeles — Fantasy musical “Wonka” bounced back to the top of the North American box office this New Year’s weekend as an otherwise pallid film year came to an end, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The Warner Bros. film took in an estimated $24 million for the three-day weekend …
your ad hereOscar-Nominated Actor Tom Wilkinson Dies at 75
london — Two-time Oscar-nominated actor Tom Wilkinson, who starred in “The Full Monty” — a movie about a group of unemployed steel workers who launched new careers as strippers — died suddenly on Saturday. The British actor’s death was confirmed in a statement released by his agent on behalf of his …
your ad hereUS Seizes Illegal E-Cigarettes, as Thousands of New Ones Are Launching
WASHINGTON — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press. The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping …
your ad hereNew Year’s Tradition of Watch Night Services Dates to Civil War
Lebanon to Seek UNESCO Recognition for Pioneering TV Archive
Beirut, Lebanon — For decades, Tele Liban has been a mainstay of Lebanese living rooms. Now the country is seeking UNESCO recognition for the archives of its pioneering Arab broadcaster. Information Minister Ziad Makary told AFP that Beirut would apply to have the full archives of Tele Liban added to the …
your ad hereVenice Limits Tourist Groups to 25 People to Protect Canal City
MILAN — The Italian city of Venice announced new limits Saturday on the size of tourist groups, the latest move to reduce the pressure of mass tourism on the famed canal city. Starting in June, groups will be limited to 25 people, or roughly half the capacity of a tourist bus, …
your ad here‘Extinction Rebellion’ Climate Activists Block Part of Amsterdam Highway
AMSTERDAM — Climate activists blocked part of the main highway around Amsterdam near the former headquarters of ING bank Saturday to protest its financing of fossil fuels. Amsterdam Municipality said in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that traffic authorities closed part of the road and diverted traffic “to prevent a …
your ad hereLegendary Restaurant Reopens, Overlooking Paris 2024 Olympics, Reborn Notre Dame
PARIS — The Tour d’Argent already boasts a 320,000-bottle wine cellar, a world-famous duck recipe and a storied 441-year history. Now, the legendary Paris restaurant is about to serve up its “plat de résistance”: a front-row view of two of the biggest events of 2024 — the renaissance of Notre Dame …
your ad hereMost US Endangered Species Money Goes to Handful of Species
BILLINGS, Mont. — Since passage of the Endangered Species Act 50 years ago, more than 1,700 plants, mammals, fish, insects and other species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered with extinction. Yet federal government data reveals striking disparities in how much money is allocated to save various …
your ad hereBrazil Pays Tributes to Pelé 1 Year After His Death
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilians paid several tributes to soccer legend Pelé on Friday, one year after the three-time World Cup winner’s death at age 82 due to a colon cancer. A ceremony held at Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the redeemer, one of the South American nation’s most famous postcard locations, …
your ad hereCalifornia Expanding Health Care for Low-Income Immigrants in 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 700,000 immigrants living illegally in California will gain access to free health care starting Monday under one of the state’s most ambitious coverage expansions in a decade. It’s an effort that will eventually cost the state about $3.1 billion per year and inches California closer to …
your ad hereHundreds Dance In Bearskins For Romania’s ‘Dancing Bear Festival’
COMANESTI, Romania — Centuries ago, people in what is now northeastern Romania donned bearskins and danced to fend off evil spirits. That custom is today known as the Dancing Bears Festival, drawing crowds of tourists every December. Hundreds of people of all ages, clad in bear costumes, dance every year around …
your ad hereGoogle Agrees to Settle Lawsuit Over ‘Incognito’ Mode
san francisco, california — Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately. The object of the lawsuit was the “incognito mode” on Google’s Chrome browser that the …
your ad hereMexican President Says ‘Super Pharmacy’ to Supply Medicines to All
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president inaugurated a huge “super pharmacy” Friday in a bid to help patients throughout the country who are told they need a specific medicine, but their hospital doesn’t have it. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s solution was to outfit a big warehouse on the outskirts of Mexico …
your ad hereChina’s Fireworks Bans Spark Fiery Debate Ahead of Lunar New Year
BEIJING — Chinese lawmakers Friday weighed in on a fiery online debate on whether fireworks should be used to ring in the Lunar New Year in February, saying a total ban on pyrotechnics in the country credited with inventing them would be hard to implement. In an unusually frank response, lawmakers …
your ad hereAP Investigation: Toxins Lurked in Nuclear Missile Capsules
Chile Granny Finds Solace, Celebrity in Online Gaming
Llay-Llay, Chile — Few players of the online video game Free Fire would know that one of their most ferocious opponents — a lithe, gun-wielding warrior in a short kimono and fang mask — is in reality an 81-year-old grandmother from rural Chile. From her professional gaming chair at home in …
your ad hereAs Tree Species Face Decline, ‘Assisted Migration’ Gains Popularity in Pacific Northwest
portland, oregon — As native trees in the Pacific Northwest die off due to climate change, the U.S. Forest Service, the city of Portland, Oregon, and citizen groups around Puget Sound are turning to a deceptively simple climate adaptation strategy called “assisted migration.” As the world’s climate warms, tree growing ranges …
your ad hereLegal Battles Loom as First Mickey Mouse Copyright Ends
Los Angeles — Almost a century after his big-screen debut, Mickey Mouse enters the public domain Monday, opening the floodgates to potential remakes, spin-offs, adaptations … and legal battles with Disney. The copyright on Steamboat Willie — a short, black-and-white 1928 animation that first introduced audiences to the mischievous rodent who …
your ad hereUS Military’s Secretive Spaceplane Launched on Possible Higher-Orbit Mission
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The U.S. military’s secretive X-37B robot spaceplane blasted off from Florida on Thursday night on its seventh mission, the first launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket capable of delivering it to a higher orbit than previous missions. The Falcon Heavy, composed of three rocket cores strapped …
your ad hereStigma Against Gay Men Could Worsen Congo’s Biggest Mpox Outbreak, Scientists Warn
Kinshasa, Congo — As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse. In November, the World Health Organization reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, was being spread via sex in Congo for the first time. …
your ad hereLooking Back at the Year in Space
An out-of-this-world Christmas greeting from the past. Plus, the Sun reminds humans who’s boss, and a look back at this year in the cosmos. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …
your ad hereChina OKs 105 Online Games Days After Hitting Industry with Draft Rules
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese authorities approved 105 new online games this week, bolstering support for the industry just days after proposing regulatory restrictions that sent stocks tumbling. The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) announced approval of the 105 games Monday via WeChat, describing the move as a show of support …
your ad hereChina Pressures Influential Taiwanese Band Ahead of Elections, Sources Say
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China has pressured an influential Taiwanese rock band called Mayday to make pro-China comments ahead of Taiwan’s key elections next month, according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation and a Taiwan security note reviewed by Reuters. China’s National Radio and Television Administration had asked Mayday to …
your ad hereIn Colombia, Illegally Felled Timber Repurposed to Help Bees
Socorro, Colombia — In northeast Colombia, police guard warehouses stacked high with confiscated timber with a noble new destiny: transformation into homes for bees beleaguered by pesticides and climate change. The illegally harvested wood is used in the Santander department’s “Timber Returns Home” initiative, building hives since 2021 to house the …
your ad here