After devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the 97th Academy Awards are going forward. Like the Grammys and other awards shows this year, the ceremony will be transformed by the fires and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to help its members and the broader film …
your ad hereRoberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer with an intimate style, dies at 88
NEW YORK — Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style on Killing Me Softly with His Song, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and other hits made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, …
your ad hereApple to build 23,200-square meter facility in Texas
U.S. tech giant Apple has announced plans to create some 20,000 jobs and invest $500 billion over the next four years in the United States. Apple says it will expand teams and facilities in nine states across the country and that it aims to open a 23,200-square-meter server manufacturing facility …
your ad here‘Conclave’ triumphs at SAG Awards and Timothée Chalamet wins best actor, upending Oscar predictions
The papal thriller “Conclave” won best ensemble and Timothée Chalamet took best actor at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, a pair of twists that added a few final wrinkles to an unusually unpredictable awards season. In winning the guild’s top award, Edward Berger’s Vatican-set drama triumphed just …
your ad hereKamala Harris receives prestigious Chairman’s prize at NAACP Image Awards
Los Angeles — Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump. “While …
your ad hereAustralia fines Telegram for delay in answering child abuse, terror questions
Sydney — Australia’s online safety regulator fined messaging platform Telegram about $640,000 on Monday for its delay in answering questions about measures the app took to prevent the spread of child abuse and violent extremist material. The eSafety Commission in March 2024 sought responses from social media platforms YouTube, X and …
your ad hereHyperrealistic woolen dogs of Linda Facci
Linda Facci has a unique and charming job. Using just a few tools and a lot of felt, she makes hyper realistic sculptures that, if they weren’t so small, it would be hard to tell them apart from the real thing. Anna Nelson met up with Facci to talk about …
your ad here‘Captain America’ dives in 2nd weekend, ‘The Monkey’ boosts Neon’s successes
New York — “Captain America: Brave New World” soared on opening weekend but crashed down in its second go-around with audiences. “Brave New World,” the latest sign that the Marvel machine isn’t quite what it used to be, remained No. 1 at the box office in its second frame with $28.2 …
your ad hereRich in cash, Japan automaker Toyota builds city to test futuristic mobility
SUSONO — Woven City near Mount Fuji is where Japanese automaker Toyota plans to test everyday living with robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous zero-emissions transportation. Daisuke Toyoda, an executive in charge of the project from the automaker’s founding family, stressed it’s not “a smart city.” “We’re making a test course for …
your ad hereVatican: Ailing Pope Francis ‘rested during a peaceful night’
ROME — Pope Francis, in critical condition with a complicated lung infection, rested well during a peaceful night following a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican said Sunday. Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni’s one-line statement didn’t mention if Francis was up or eating breakfast. “The night passed quietly, the pope rested.” …
your ad herePhilippine village battles dengue by offering bounties for mosquitos — dead or alive
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A village in the densely populated Philippine capital region launched a battle against dengue Wednesday by offering a token bounty to residents for captured mosquitos — dead or alive. The unusual strategy adopted by the Addition Hills village in Mandaluyong City reflects growing concern after the nearby city …
your ad hereBeauty market targets young at heart in aging Japan
TOKYO — Yoshiko Abe is about to turn 89, but that hasn’t stopped her from going to the gym every day and trying the free-of-charge makeup course at her housing complex. “It was really helpful,” she said, all smiles and glowing after putting on foundation and pink lipstick, something she …
your ad hereThough his movie tops Spirit Awards, ‘Anora’ director says indie industry still struggles
LOS ANGELES — Sean Baker, whose low-budget movie “Anora” is the front-runner for next weekend’s Oscars, delivered an impassioned plea to “keep indie film alive” as he won top prize at the Spirit Awards on Saturday. The annual Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, held in a giant tent at Los Angeles’ …
your ad hereCholera kills 58, sickens 1,300 over 3 days in Sudanese city
CAIRO — A cholera outbreak in a southern Sudanese city killed nearly 60 people and sickened about 1,300 others over the last three days, health authorities said Saturday. The outbreak in the southern city of Kosti was blamed mainly on contaminated drinking water after the city’s water plant stopped due to …
your ad hereNew polio vaccination drive begins in Gaza
JABALIA, GAZA STRIP — A third mass polio vaccination campaign began in Gaza on Saturday, AFP journalists reported, with the aim of delivering the first dose to nearly 600,000 children across the Palestinian territory. Scores of children under the age of 10 received the dose at a mosque in Jabalia, in …
your ad hereVOA Spanish: Argentina prays for Pope Francis
Following the news of Jorge Bergoglio’s health, churches across the country are joining in prayer. In this video we visit the most emblematic places in his hometown. Argentine faithful share prayers and reflect on the importance of having an Argentine Pope. Click here for the full story in Spanish. …
your ad hereSoul singer Jerry ‘Iceman’ Butler dies at 85
new york — Jerry Butler, a premier soul singer of the 1960s and ’70s whose rich, intimate baritone graced such hits as “For Your Precious Love,” “Only the Strong Survive” and “Make It Easy on Yourself,” has died at age 85. Butler’s niece, Yolanda Goff, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Butler — …
your ad hereNearly 100 cases of measles reported in Texas, New Mexico
The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 90 cases across seven counties, the state health department posted online Friday, and 16 people are hospitalized. In neighboring eastern New Mexico, the measles case count is up to nine, though state public health officials said Thursday there’s still no …
your ad hereSuspect found guilty of attempted murder in author Salman Rushdie attack
MAYVILLE, NEW YORK — A New Jersey man was convicted Friday of attempted murder for stabbing author Salman Rushdie multiple times on a New York lecture stage in 2022. Jurors, who deliberated for less than two hours, also found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of assault for wounding a man who was …
your ad hereUS Treasury’s Bessent, China’s He trade economic complaints in call
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traded policy complaints with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday, with Bessent telling Beijing to do more to curb fentanyl trafficking and rebalance its economy, and He voicing concerns about President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, the two governments said. The top economic officials …
your ad hereHalf-billion people attend Hindu festival in India
MUMBAI, INDIA — Even for the world’s most-populous nation, the scale of a Hindu religious festival being held in India’s northern city of Prayagraj since mid-January is staggering. Surpassing previous numbers, the Maha Kumbh Mela that wraps up Wednesday has drawn more than half a billion devotees in the last six …
your ad hereGlobal glacier melt is accelerating, scientists say
PARIS — Ice loss from the world’s glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher. The world’s glaciers, which are important climate regulators and hold freshwater resources for billions, are …
your ad hereSouth Korea requests exclusion from US plan to increase tariffs
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from U.S. plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations. South Korea’s government on Friday …
your ad hereUS small businesses brace for effects of higher steel, aluminum tariffs
U.S. small businesses are waiting to feel the effects of President Donald Trump’s executive order imposing a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum. Michelle Quinn reports. …
your ad hereVOA Mandarin: How will China help developing countries promote AI?
After China’s DeepSeek gained global recognition, some argue that the U.S.-China rivalry in AI may be upended. In addition, the Chinese Communist Party is actively offering to help developing countries strengthen their AI capacity building. Observers said that China is selling its AI software to targeted regions, which can challenge …
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