Justify, the favored horse going into Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, won the 2-kilometer race on a rain-soaked track. Justify, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, held off Audible and Good Magic in the final stretch of the race. The 144th annual Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs, the legendary …

A parliamentary inquiry in Australia is investigating fake Aboriginal art and craft.  The committee has heard from campaigners in Western Australia that up to 90 per cent of Indigenous art sold in souvenir shops was fake and imported from overseas. Indigenous artists say that current laws protecting Aboriginal art in …

A Malaysian businessman and his Chinese partners have set their sights on a traditional American pastime — horse racing. As VOA’s Abby Sun reports, two horses partly owned by the China Horse Club are among the top contenders to win this weekend’s Kentucky Derby. Robert Raffaele narrates. …

A group of Cuban artists plans on Saturday to launch a biennial independent of state institutions on the Communist-run island, despite fierce opposition from the government, which has called it a “provocative maneuver.” Organizer Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara said he came up with the idea of the “00Biennial” when the …

We’re unwrapping the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending May 5, 2018. Last week, we had a Hot Shot Debut in the Top Five … that doesn’t happen this time, but we do get a new entry. Number 5: Zedd, …

A prosecutor says more people will be charged in the criminal investigation of a cult-like group that included former “Smallville” actress Allison Mack. At a court hearing on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza told a judge the government plans to file a new indictment naming more defendants, but he …

Meghan Markle’s divorced parents will meet with Queen Elizabeth II and other royals before her May 19 wedding to Prince Harry and will have special roles in their daughter’s wedding, a palace spokesman said Friday. At the wedding, the royal couple also plan to honor the memory of the late …

It’s Star Wars Day. Fans of the movie franchise are celebrating because Friday is May the Fourth, which sounds like the famous line from the movie, “May the force be with you.” It has been 41 years since the original movie premiered, and its fans celebrate across the galaxy. Tickets …

Antwerp has long been known as the world’s greatest diamond city. Now it has a new museum to go with a vibrant diamond trading scene that goes back six centuries. The DIVA museum opened its doors in the Belgian city Friday to highlight the beauty and dazzle of the precious …

Until Thursday, Roman Polanski had been a film academy member for over 40 years since pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977. In his 40 years as a fugitive the “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby” filmmaker had been nominated for three additional Oscars, one for “Tess” and two …

The Nobel Prize in literature will not be awarded this year following sex-abuse allegations and other issues that have damaged the public image of the Swedish Academy that selects the winner.   The academy said Friday the 2018 prize will be given in 2019. The decision was made at a …

Bombs. Destruction. Chaos. This is what it’s like to be in Syria. It’s a part of the world many will never visit, but a virtual reality experience called “Hero,” puts viewers on the ground there.  “Hero” was part of the Immersive program at the recent Tribeca Film Festival in New York, …

Twin brothers Brandon and Bradley Deyo used a camera to highlight their basketball skills while they were in high school and posted the videos online, hoping to draw the attention of college recruiters. They ended up creating a sports site for young athletes and their fans, with backing from NBA …

A new media channel created by two brothers who are athletes is shining the spotlight on young basketball players and gaining growing attention in the sports world. Mike O’Sullivan spoke with Bradley and Brandon Deyo, the creators of web-based channel Mars Reel. …

Every day, U.S. customs officers have the power to decide which travelers will be allowed into the country and which won’t. But what if you had to make that decision? Attendees at the Tribeca Film Festival had a chance to see for themselves in an augmented reality documentary set in …

Actress Rose McGowan will face indictment in Virginia on a felony drug-possession charge after a judge found probable cause Thursday to send the case to a grand jury. McGowan unsuccessfully sought to have the charges dismissed at a preliminary hearing in Leesburg. A grand jury will hear the case June …

The group that hands out Oscars for excellence in the movies expelled actor-comedian Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski on Thursday because of cases of sexual assault. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying its board of governors “continues to encourage ethical standards that require members …

Bill Cosby’s wife of more than 50 years jumped to his defense Thursday, blaming his sexual-assault conviction last week on a corrupt prosecutor, a pliant press and a lying accuser that she said led to a false verdict and stirred a lynch mob against him. Camille Cosby said her husband, …

The International Olympic Committee will appeal to Switzerland’s supreme court against rulings that cleared some Russian athletes of doping sanctions from the Sochi Games. The Olympic body is “not satisfied at all” by the verdicts and written explanations from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, IOC President Thomas Bach said …

With 27 more women accusing former news anchor Charlie Rose of sexual misconduct, a report Thursday calls into question CBS News’ claims that his behavior was a surprise before he was fired last November. The Washington Post said that on least three occasions prior to that, women reported discomfort about …

Superhero movie Black Panther scored a leading seven nominations Thursday for the MTV Movie & TV awards, delivering a knockout punch to box-office blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War. Supernatural television show Stranger Things landed six nods, MTV announced, including a best performance nomination for 14-year-old Millie Bobby Brown who will also …

Virtual reality experiences are becoming more physical and more interactive. No longer just a “lean back” experience, the immersive technology is taking viewers out of the living room and into entirely new worlds. At the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, VOA’s Tina Trinh met with creators who are pushing …

Is the #metoo movement coming to Uganda’s largest university? The school recently suspended a staff member accused of demanding sexual favors from a female student. Meanwhile, trial preparations are underway for a landmark civil suit filed by a former student who says the university failed to protect her from sexual …

A new documentary about U.S. Public Diplomacy during the Cold War premieres Friday on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) television in the United Sates. Jazz Ambassadors, a remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race, features a group of now high-profile and legendary jazz performers, including trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. ​Gillespie, who died …

Rapper Kanye West’s remarks about slavery being a choice were criticised on Wednesday by campaigners as disrespectful to victims and damaging to global efforts to eradicate the crime. The U.S. award-winning musician’s comments on the transatlantic slave trade came in a video interview on Tuesday at the California offices of …