Wheelchair basketball is growing in popularity in South Sudan, offering hope for athletes with disabilities, some of whom lost legs from unexploded ordnance left from decades of conflict. U.S. professional wheelchair basketball players, including Sudanese American Malat Wei, this month helped eighty South Sudanese players take part in a week-long …

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” stayed on a strong glide path in North American theaters, taking in an estimated $73.6 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.The Disney film, marketed as a grand finale of the nine-film “Skywalker Saga,” has had mixed reviews and was …

Lee Mendelson, the producer who changed the face of the holidays when he brought “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to television in 1965 and wrote the lyrics to its signature song, “Christmas Time Is Here,” died Christmas day, his son said.Mendelson, who won a dozen Emmys in his long career, died …

Disc jockey Don Imus, whose career was made and then undone by his acid tongue during a decades-long rise to radio stardom and an abrupt public plunge after a nationally broadcast racial slur, has died . He was 79. Imus died Friday morning at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, …

Cambodian cuisine, often overshadowed by its similar Thai and Vietnamese counterparts, is relatively unknown to the world, but a Cambodian chef is working to change that. VOA’s Chetra Chap reports. …

In 2008, the Newseum — a private museum dedicated to exploring modern history as told through the eyes of journalists — opened on prime Washington real estate.Sitting almost equidistant between the White House and the Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue, the glass-walled building became instantly recognizable for its multi-story exterior rendition …

Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the cheerful, good-natured music and lyrics for such classic shows as “Mame,” “Hello, Dolly!” and “La Cage aux Folles,” died Thursday. He was 88.His goddaughter Jane Dorian confirmed his death to The Associated Press early Friday. He died of pulmonary complications in Miami, …

To tourists they are a time-honored, charming way of seeing the sights, but animal rights activists say Montreal’s horse-drawn carriages are a cruel and unnecessary relic of yesteryear.A longstanding feud between the coachmen and their critics looks set to end however with the unique mode of transport set to disappear …

War Dracula is a stage play by a group of Afghan theater actors in Kabul. The theme of the play revolves around the damage and consequences of the decades-long war in Afghanistan. VOA’s Haseeb Maudoodi filed this report from Kabul, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. …

During his later years, the acclaimed German author and Nobel laureate Thomas Mann would tell a story about riding a train across the United States during a lecture tour to rally support for the effort to defeat the Nazis during World War II.“He was sitting there, then another man came …

A quilt is a multi-layered blanket, often used as a home decoration or as a baby blanket. Quilts are an ancient craft but really took off in the United States in the late 1600’s. Today, in the northwest state of Oregon quilting remains vital by incorporating all kinds of new …

The holiday season is a beautiful time of year in the nation’s capital with many amazing holiday light displays from the National Zoo to the White House Christmas tree. However, this year it is extra special with “Enchant Christmas at Nationals Park,” where visitors get a chance to help Santa …

Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus.But those who believe all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are on Christmas Eve.For the 64th time, …

The Christian faithful flocked to Palestinian-governed Bethlehem in the West Bank to celebrate Christmas.Christmas Eve celebrations got off to a festive start at Manger Square.Palestinian Boy and Girl Scouts marched past a giant Christmas tree in front of the ancient Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.Local Palestinians …

Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Visitors converged on the town’s large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus’ birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing yellow and gold capes …

The Christmas spirit encompassing the old and the new is alive in historic Williamsburg, Virginia. The colonial town dates back to the 1600s, while nearby Busch Gardens amusement park opened in the 1970s. Both places are displaying different but unique holiday decorations, making Williamsburg one of the best places in …

Baba Ram Dass, the 1960s counterculture spiritual leader who experimented with LSD and traveled to India to find enlightenment, returning to share it with Americans, has died. He was 88.Dass’ foundation, Love Serve Remember, announced late Sunday that the author and spiritual leader died peacefully at his home earlier in …

A huge Christmas display is lighting up the Washington Nationals baseball stadium in the nation’s capital. Some two and a half million Christmas lights, a 30 meter high artificial Christmas tree, and an ice skating trail have turned the stadium into a glowing winter wonderland. Visitors can also go through …

Moviegoers in the U.S. and much of the world can now see “Star Wars, Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker.” The final installment of the “Skywalker Saga” ends a story that spawned the most successful movie franchise of all time, with more than $9 billion in global box office receipts …

Star Wars Reporter’s Notebook …

At the end of a difficult year, Queen Elizabeth has posed for photographs with her son Prince Charles, grandson Prince William and great-grandson Prince George in an apparent message about the continuity of the British royal family.Buckingham Palace released photographs on Saturday of the Queen and the three immediate members …

Robert Glenn “Junior” Johnson, the moonshine runner turned NASCAR driver described as “The Last American Hero” by author Tom Wolfe in a 1965 article for Esquire, died Friday. He was 88.NASCAR announced the death of Johnson, the winner of 50 races as a driver and 132 as an owner. He …

Organizers wanted to make it clear the 99th Miss America competition isn’t your grandmother’s beauty pageant, and their winner did just that on Thursday.Virginia biochemist Camille Schrier won the crown just minutes after wowing the crowd with science. Dressed in a lab coat, she gave a colorful chemistry demonstration of …

The legal thriller “Dark Waters” by filmmaker Todd Haynes, follows corporate defense attorney Rob Billot as he investigates over a 20-year period the causes of widespread illness and death of cattle and people in a farm community of West Virginia. In the movie, health problems emerge after the chemical company …

The legal thriller “Dark Waters” by filmmaker Todd Haynes follows corporate defense attorney Rob Billot as he investigates over a 20-year period the causes of widespread illness and death of people and cattle in a farm community of West Virginia. In the movie, health problems emerge after the chemical company …