A Japanese broadcaster canceled a live TV appearance of the Korean band BTS after a photo went viral of a band member wearing a T-shirt showing an atomic bombing juxtaposed with the celebration of Korea’s liberation from Japan after World War II. Japanese social media was filled with chatter over …

Netflix Inc plans to make 17 more original productions in Asia as it seeks to boost international subscriber numbers, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said on Thursday. The plan, announced at Netflix’s content showcase event in Singapore, comes after the U.S. firm reported bumper quarterly earnings last month, driven by …

How do you spell success? For T.V. Ramakrishna, it’s spelled B-E-E. The retired civil engineer from Bangalore had the opportunity to attend college in the United States, where he settled and raised a family. He became familiar with spelling bees, in which students spell increasingly difficult words to win prizes …

School students across the U.S. are familiar with spelling bees. On stage, in front of an audience of fellow students and judges, participating students compete by spelling difficult words. These competitions inspired T.V. Ramakrishna to start a similar contest for poor kids in Bangalore, India. A new documentary, “Bee the …

Scientists have found the oldest known example of an animal drawing: a red silhouette of a bull-like beast on the wall of an Indonesian cave.  The sketch is at least 40,000 years old, slightly older than similar animal paintings found in famous caves in France and Spain. Until a few …

Attempted drone attacks at this year’s World Cup in Russia were thwarted by government authorities, the head of the host country’s Federal Security Service said Wednesday. Alexander Bortnikov said his officers “took measures to detect and foil attempts by terrorists to use drones during the preparation and hosting of various …

Since the start of the #MeToo Movement in late 2017, the hashtag has been used to demonstrate sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace around the globe. American actor Rose McGowan and South Korean poet Choi Young-me discuss the movement and the challenges that still remain. VOA’s Steve Miller reports …

A sprawling complex of four theaters billed as the biggest performing arts center in the world has opened in southern Taiwan.   The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts houses a 1,981-seat concert hall, a 2,236-seat opera house, a play house and a recital hall under a single roof covering …

Michael Douglas celebrated his 50th year in show business on Tuesday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame near that of his screen legend father, Kirk Douglas, now 101. Douglas, 74, best known for his Oscar-winning turn as Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street,” was accompanied by his father …

Elton John said he stood by the stage and sobbed at his foundation’s gala last year as Aretha Franklin made her final public performance. “I was shocked to see how thin she was, and she just smiled her sweet smile at me and said, ‘I didn’t want to let you …

Fox News said Tuesday that it has addressed the “unfortunate distraction” of Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro speaking at President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Missouri the night before, and that it doesn’t condone such behavior. The network did not say what, if any, discipline that the two network personalities …

There is now a museum for pizza lovers everywhere that’s popped-up in arguably America’s pizza capital, New York City. The Museum of Pizza is dedicated to all things cheese and sauce, but there’s more to it than meets the tongue. “It’s often that the simplest ideas are the best. And …

The Nigerian Mona Lisa, a painting lost for more than 40 years and found in a London flat in February, is being exhibited in Nigeria for the first time since it disappeared. “Tutu”, an art work by Nigeria’s best-known modern artist, Ben Enwonwu, was painted in 1974. It appeared at …

The music industry is honoring Ariana Grande. Billboard on Tuesday named the 25-year-old award-winning singer its 2018 Woman of the Year. Grande will receive the award at Billboard’s 13th annual Women in Music event on Dec. 6 in New York City.   Previous recipients include Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Madonna …

The northern Indian city of Ayodhya broke a Guinness World Record on Tuesday by lighting 300,150 earthen lamps and keeping them burning for at least 45 minutes on the banks of the river Saryu as part of the annual celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. South Korean first …

People magazine has named Idris Elba as 2018’s Sexiest Man Alive, and the British actor says the honor has given him a boost of self-confidence. Elba, who starred in “The Wire” and “Luther,” was surprised after being crowned this year’s winner, the magazine said.   “I was like, ‘Come on, …

Actor Idris Elba, who James Bond fans are campaigning to be the next person to play 007, was named the sexiest man alive on Monday by People magazine. The London-born actor, 46, said he didn’t believe it when the magazine told him. “I was like, ‘Come on, no way. Really?’” …

January will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of Motown Records, which became world famous for its distinct sound and star performers such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and numerous others. The Detroit-based company was topping the record charts during the 1960s, and its success continued after …

More than 46 years after it was shot, the Aretha Franklin concert film “Amazing Grace” will finally be released, ending one of the most tortured and long-running sagas in documentary film.   The late gospel singer’s estate and film producers said Monday that “Amazing Grace” will premiere Nov. 12 at …

The U.S. Olympic Committee is moving to revoke USA Gymnastics’ status as the governing body for the sport at the Olympic level, meting out the nuclear option to an organization that has botched its own reorganization in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal involving former team doctor Larry Nassar. In …

Sephardic Jews in Bosnia have kept their language alive ever since they were expelled from Spain in the late 15th century and found a home in Sarajevo, but today it is spoken by only a handful of the city’s aging Jews. Yet Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, is becoming an inspiration to …

Ludacris and Migos will represent Atlanta and hip-hop culture when they perform at the EA SPORTS BOWL days before the Super Bowl next year. Electronic Arts Inc. and OnLocation Experiences announced Monday that Lil Yachty and Lil Baby will also hit the stage at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta …

The Spice Girls are coming back for a British stadium tour next summer. The band plans to take the stage without fashion designer Victoria Beckham, who performed as “Posh Spice” during the group’s 1990s pop heyday. The band said Monday that Beckham would not take part because of business commitments …

A coroner has ruled rapper Mac Miller’s death an accidental overdose due to a combination of drugs and alcohol.   A Los Angeles County coroner’s report released Monday named the 26-year-old Miller’s cause of death as “mixed toxicity,” saying cocaine, alcohol and the powerful opioid fentanyl were found in his …

Eva Longoria, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Saldana, America Ferrera and Gina Rodriguez took to the streets of Miami, leading hundreds of people while chanting “Si se puede” or “Yes we can” in attempt to rally people to vote ahead of Election Day. While the actresses were looking to improve voter turnout …