Singer-songwriter Bill Withers has died. He wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.”     According to a statement released from his family to The Associated Press, the 81-year-old …

The director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Health, Anthony Fauci, considered by many to the be the face of the U.S. battle against the coronavirus, will be immortalized Friday with his own bobblehead figurine.The bobblehead figures are being created and marketed by the the National Bobblehead Hall …

American country music singer Dolly Parton has launched “Good Night with Dolly,” a 10-week read-aloud series for children on YouTube and other internet platforms.“This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while, but the timing never felt quite right,” Parton said.  “I think it is pretty clear that now is the time …

Medical authorities say public education will play a key role in stopping the spread of the coronavirus in Africa. VOA’s Salem Solomon has a look at how prominent figures are using music as a tool to reach people …

Postponing the Tokyo Olympics to 2021 will make the event more costly for all parties, the International Olympic Committee acknowledged on Thursday, although it offered few details on what the final bill might be.Four directors of the Olympic body held a conference call three days after Tokyo’s new dates were …

Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist, teacher and patriarch of a New Orleans musical clan that includes famed performer sons Wynton and Branford, has died after battling pneumonia brought on by the new coronavirus, one of his sons said late Wednesday.He was 85.Ellis Marsalis III confirmed in an Associated Press phone …

A growing number of Americans are being ordered to stay home to help contain the spread of Covid-19. So musicians who can’t stop playing are finding creative ways to share their music, both online and in places close to home. VOA’s Julie Taboh found several Washington area musicians who are keeping the music flowing for audiences everywhere. …

The Wimbledon tennis championships in London — widely considered to be the world’s premier tennis event — will be canceled this year due the coronavirus pandemic. In statement Wednesday, the All England Tennis Club (AELTC) and the committee of management of the championships said the 2020 Grand Slam tournament — scheduled …

66-year-old Helen White doesn’t believe in stereotypes. She is sure anyone can do anything – regardless of age. That’s why she is a pickleball coach, and promotes this unusual sport based loosely on tennis as way for the elderly to have fun and exercise.  Maxim Moskalkov caught up with this …

With professional sports leagues all over the world on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak, stars from the National Basketball Association are turning to video games for some competition. Kevin Durant leads a roster of 16 active players set to compete in an NBA2K20 tournament starting Friday. Games will be shown on sports television network …

Officials at a Dutch museum which was closed to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak say a painting by Vincent van Gogh was stolen during an overnight break-in. Singer Laren museum director Evert van Os told reporters Monday the 1884 painting called “Spring Garden” had been on loan from the …

Organizers for Tokyo’s rescheduled Olympics have announced that the new dates for the Summer Games will be July 23, 2021, to Aug. 8, 2021.The head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, announced the decision Monday, after consultations with the International Olympic Committee.The IOC announced last week the decision …

The family of Grammy- award winning singer/song writer John Prine says the artist is in critical condition with COVID-19 symptoms.The family made the announcement Sunday from the 73-year-old artist’s Twitter account, saying he had been originally hospitalized Thursday and that he had been intubated – a breathing tube was inserted …

Football leagues around the world have canceled soccer games for the foreseeable future as one of the measures to slow a rapid COVID-19 spread. But soccer, or football, as it is called in much of the world, continues to be played in Belarus where the number of confirmed infections is …

Singer-songwriter Jan Howard, who had a No. 1 country hit “For Loving You” with Bill Anderson and wrote hits for others like Kitty Wells’ “It’s All Over But the Crying,” has died at age 91, according to the Grand Ole Opry.The Opry, of which she was a member for nearly …

Krzysztof Penderecki, an award-winning conductor and one of the world’s most popular contemporary classical music composers whose works have featured in Hollywood films like “The Shining” and “Shutter Island,” died Sunday. He was 86.In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, the Ludwig van Beethoven Association said Penderecki had a …

Museums across the U.S. have closed to the public to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But that hasn’t stopped the guardians of some of the greatest art collections in the country from sharing their national treasures with people around the world. VOA’s Julie Taboh spoke with the director …

Fred “Curly” Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, has died. He was 77. The Globetrotters said Neal died in his home outside of Houston on Thursday morning. “We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” …

Baseball stadiums across the U.S. were uncharacteristically empty and silent Thursday — no cheers, no beers, no jeers for the umpires. The coronavirus outbreak forced Major League Baseball to cancel the springtime tradition of Opening Day, when teams play the first of what are supposed to be 162 games for the right to go to the World Series in October. The 30 …

The Louvre is closed tight, but visitors can still see its most popular masterpieces — including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — without being sandwiched between selfie-snapping tourists.     The Berlin Philharmonic is similarly shuttered, but classical music buffs can relive Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, under chief conductor Kirill Petrenko’s baton.  The Berlin Philharmonic’s website announcing its temporary closure and …

A restaurant in Vietnam has created a way for its customers to “take a bite” out of the coronavirus that has disrupted much of the world — by serving burgers designed to look like the actual virus.Hanoi pizza shop owner and chef Hoang Tung said he wanted to make something …

The coronavirus has shut down movie theaters and postponed movie releases in the two largest film markets in the world, the U.S. and China.The film industry in the two countries has become more closely tied in recent years, and the economic impact of the coronavirus in one country will be …

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down movie theaters and caused movie releases to be postponed in the U.S. and China, the two largest film markets in the world. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has details on how the pandemic is affecting moviegoers and movie producers in both countries. …

In Uganda, authorities have confirmed five new cases of COVID-19, among them an eight-month-old baby and two Chinese nationals who left their quarantine.  Ugandan officials are trying to raise awareness of the coronavirus, including one well-known opposition lawmaker who, not surprisingly, issued his warning in song.Legislator and musician Robert Kyagulanyi, …

Neighbors on British street this week pulled together to help an eight-year-old girl celebrate her birthday after coronavirus lockdown regulations left her stuck in her house. The entire street in a Southhampton neighborhood Wednesday sang “Happy Birthday” out their windows for the girl — named “Sophia” — who stood outside her home in …