Harold Prince, a Broadway director and producer who pushed the boundaries of musical theater with such groundbreaking shows as “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cabaret,” “Company” and “Sweeney Todd” and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, has died. Prince was 91.Prince’s publicist Rick Miramontez said Prince died Wednesday after a …

South Africa hosted the world’s largest marimba and steelpan festival July 27 and 28, with nearly 2,000 musicians from around Africa, including Botswana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The festival — now in its eighth year — mixes traditional African, classical and even rap music.    “As Africans, we encourage our students also …

Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will not defend her 800-meters title at the World Championships in September after the Swiss Federal Tribunal reversed a ruling that temporarily lifted the IAAF’s testosterone regulations imposed on her, a spokesman for the athlete said Tuesday.Semenya is appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s …

American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy. Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man …

A multi-day international music festival in Lebanon said Tuesday that it’s cancelled a planned concert by a popular Mideast rock band whose lead singer is openly gay, apparently caving to pressure after weeklong calls by some Christian groups to pull the plug on the show, as well as online threats …

U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a charge of assault on the first day of a trial in Sweden that has drawn international attention and prompted President Donald Trump to intervene on the artist’s behalf.The 30-year-old performer, producer and model, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, …

Iraqi officials are displaying stolen artifacts from the country’s rich cultural heritage that were recently recovered from Britain and Sweden.Many archaeological treasures from Iraq, home of the ancient “fertile crescent” considered the cradle of civilization, were looted during the chaos that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion and whisked out of …

In the world of combat sports, only one emerges with a consensus thumbs-up vote.  This weekend in Britain, judges crowned the strongest digits in this year’s men’s, women’s and children’s World Thumb Wrestling Championships.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi points the way to victory. …

Updated July 27, 4:25PMTwenty-two-year-old Egan Bernal has become the first Colombian to win the Tour de France — and the youngest cyclist to place first in more than a century.Welshman Geraint Thomas placed second and Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk third.The 2019 edition of the Tour de France was marked by high …

Twenty-two year old Egan Bernal was set to make history Sunday, as the first Colombian to win the Tour de France—and the youngest cyclist to place first in more than a century. The 2019 edition of the Tour de France was marked by high drama, including sharp weather swings and …

LAS VEGAS — Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi want their USA Basketball legacy to be more than just winning medals.    The four-time Olympic gold medalists came up with an idea for a training plan for USA Basketball leading up to next year’s Tokyo Olympics that would help the Americans …

Life is a constant struggle for hundreds of residents in Mosul, Iraq, who were impaired during the Iraqi war to remove the Islamic State (IS) from the city. Kawa Omar reports for VOA.  …

The Swedish indie pop duo, Flora Cash, is new in the pop/rock world but has been gaining popularity with a hit song on the charts and a newly-released record.  It also has been gaining a following, especially among Albanian-American fans because one of its members, Shresa Lleshaj, is of Albanian …

Like other summer camps in America, AileyCamp helps its participants learn valuable leadership skills. But it has something that others probably don’t: rhythm. That’s because the camp was created by world-renowned dancer, choreographer and director Alvin Ailey. As Faith Lapidus reports, the program is now in its 31st summer.   …

An extraordinary diplomatic dispute between the United States and Sweden has escalated with President Donald Trump alleging unfair treatment for a jailed American rap musician.Sweden is rejecting demands from Trump that it free Rakim Mayers, known as A$AP Rocky, who along with two other men, has been formally charged with …

Swedish authorities have released court documents in the assault case in which American rapper A$AP Rocky and two other men are charged, with prosecutors saying that the victim was punched and kicked while on the ground and attacked with a bottle.Rakim Mayers, the 30-year-old rapper’s real name, and two other …

Nestled in the mist-covered foothills of Taiwan’s central mountain range, Ruan Chiao village is virtually devoid of young people, but artist Wu Tsun-hsien is coaxing the Instagram generation back by transforming local homes into a canvas of color.Dipping his brush into a tin of beige emulsion, he carefully applies new …

John Fogerty has pulled out of Woodstock 50 just weeks before the troubled anniversary event is supposed to take place.A representative for the singer tells The Associated Press that Fogerty, who performed at the original 1969 festival with Creedence Clearwater Revival, will now only perform at a smaller anniversary event …

Drake has two new partners: SiriusXM and Pandora.The two companies which merged earlier this year announced Thursday that they have signed a new creative partnership with the superstar rapper.   The new deal includes “a dedicated station, curated music, and collaborations with creative talent.” The roll-out will start later this …

The clamor from “Game of Thrones” fans for a do-over of the drama’s final season has been in vain.HBO programming chief Casey Bloys said Wednesday there was no serious consideration to remaking the story that some viewers and critics called disappointing.There are few downsides to having a hugely popular show …

ASAP Rocky will be tried for an alleged assault next week over a June street brawl, a Swedish court said Thursday, in a decision likely to infuriate fans already indignant over his three weeks in custody.”Today I have pressed charges against the three suspects for assault, because in my judgement …

The first episode of a possible prequel series to HBO’s global hit “Game of Thrones” has completed filming in Belfast, a network executive said on Wednesday.HBO executives will review the episode before deciding whether to make a full season but Casey Bloys, president of programming at the network owned by …

Holding a violin, saxophone or clarinet with handcuffed hands, some two-dozen prisoners were transported in an armored bus to learn music alongside the symphony orchestra in the national theater in Lima, the Peruvian capital.The recent excursion is part of a pioneering project to rehabilitate criminals, some convicted of murder, robbery …

Meek Mill, a rap artist from Philadelphia who has become an advocate for reform of the U.S. criminal justice system, is entitled to a new trial on drugs and weapon charges that have kept him on probation for a decade, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Wednesday.A three-judge Pennsylvania Superior Court …

Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande each received 10 nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) on Tuesday, leading the race in the youth-orientated awards show, which this year includes two new categories, best K-pop and video for good.Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish scored nine nominations, including video of the year, best …