Angelina Jolie says she developed high blood pressure and Bell’s palsy last year. The actor-director told Vanity Fair that she credited acupuncture for her full recovery from the paralysis, which was caused by nerve damage and led one side of her face to droop. Jolie also opened up about her …

The lead singer of a Lebanese rock band, which has courted controversy for its songs dealing with homophobia and sexism, has urged more men to champion women’s rights in the Middle East. Hamed Sinno, the openly gay frontman of Mashrou’ Leila, also called for more women in politics and for …

In 2016, an Iraqi-American artist sat down with Bahjat Abdulwahed — the so-called “Walter Cronkite of Baghdad” — with the idea of launching a radio project that would be part documentary, part radio play and part variety show.   Abdulwahed was the voice of Iraqi radio from the late 1950s …

Stories of survival in turbulent times, including David Gordon Green’s world premiere of Stronger about a victim of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, are among the highlights in store at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father, set in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge …

Kathryn Bigelow hasn’t forgotten the out-of-body experience she felt when she won the best director Academy Award for her 2009 The Hurt Locker. At that moment, she became the first woman to win the award. None have been nominated since. “The gender inequity that exists in the industry, I thought …

Barbara Sinatra, the fourth wife of legendary singer Frank Sinatra and a prominent children’s advocate and philanthropist who raised millions of dollars to help abused children, died Tuesday at 90. Sinatra died of natural causes at her Rancho Mirage, California, home surrounded by family and friends, said John Thoresen, director …

Backstreet Boys got their first hit country song this year on a collaboration with country duo Florida Georgia and now the two powerhouse acts are teaming up for a “CMT Crossroads” episode airing Aug. 30. The cross-genre television show will feature all-star group performances of each other’s biggest singles, including …

Eight siblings who grew up in southwestern Indiana have amassed nearly 450 years of combined marriage.   Bruce Clinkenbeard of Freelandville, Indiana, and his wife Sally have been married for 53 years, but that’s just the tip of the Clinkenbeard family’s matrimonial iceberg.   Bruce and his seven siblings have …

Katinka Hosszu has a case full of medals. She wants so much more. From marketing marvel to ambitious businesswoman to fledgling union organizer, the Hungarian swimmer known as the “Iron Lady” knows how to make a splash – in and out of the pool. Along with American star Katie Ledecky, …

The shocking announcement on July 26, 1985, came via press release. Rock Hudson, age 59, tall, dark and undeniably handsome, was sick with AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a disease that was, at the time, disproportionately killing gay men in the United States. Just four months later, Hudson was dead.  AIDS …

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s attempt to use Latin hit “Despacito” – which means ‘slowly’ – to inject some cool into his controversial new congress has backfired quickly. Maduro’s unpopular leftist government on Sunday promoted a remixed version of “Despacito” to encourage Venezuelans to vote for the Constituent Assembly, which will …

Author George R.R. Martin has hinted at the possibility of not one but two new “Game of Thrones” books in 2018, whetting the appetites of fans who have been waiting for the next installment of the epic saga since 2011. Martin, whose “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels were …

James Bond is returning to movie theaters in November 2019, producers said Monday, but they did not say who will play Britain’s most famous fictional spy. Eon Productions and MGM studios said in a statement that the 25th Bond film will be released in U.S. theaters on Nov. 8, 2019, …

Jordan Spieth won golf’s British Open on Sunday, outdueling fellow American Matt Kuchar over the final holes to capture his third major championship. Spieth, just shy of turning 24 in the coming week, won the tournament at the Royal Birkdale course in Lancashire, England by three shots over the 39-year-old …

Chris Froome stands on the doorstep of the Tour de France’s greatest champions. Sewing up his fourth Tour crown with a cool-as-a-cucumber ride in a high-pressure time trial in heat-baked Marseille on Saturday means he needs just one victory more to join the record-holders who have five. His winning margin …

Actor John Heard, whose many roles included the father in the Home Alone series and a corrupt detective in The Sopranos, has died. He was 71. His death was confirmed Saturday by the Santa Clara Medical Examiner’s office in California. TMZ reported that Heard, who lived in southern California, was …

Food halls, communal dining spaces featuring a variety of food vendors under one roof, are becoming a popular option for dining out in New York City. In a city where high rents and operating costs have made it difficult for aspiring restaurateurs to establish themselves, food halls offer an alternative …

You may have seen her in magazines, modeling the latest fashions, whether they be for men or women. Rain Dove is becoming a fashion icon, and along the way, altering perceptions of masculinity and femininity. VOA’s Maxim Moskalkov profiles this gender-bending model. …

Nigeria’s top female golfer, Uloma Mbuko, has won more than 200 trophies in her 17-year career as an international player. Now, she’s passing on her crown, training the next crop of young golfers in Nigeria. VOA’s Chika Oduah reports. …

About 30 youngsters were on a golf course, practicing their swing on a hot Saturday morning in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The students were as young as 3 and as old as 16. For nearly a year, they’ve come out every Saturday to Abuja’s IBB International Golf and Country Club …

A team of forensics experts Thursday opened the tomb of famed Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali to take DNA samples to settle a paternity suit. In a spectacle that most likely would have pleased the eccentric Dali, a crowd stood outside the Dali Theater-Museum in Figueras, Spain, to watch the experts …

From the dragons of Westeros and the “Walking Dead” zombies to the deadly humanoid robots of “Westworld,” the golden age of television is dominating the limelight at San Diego’s annual Comic-Con. Kicking off on Thursday, this year’s four-day Comic-Con gathering of nerd and pop culture fans will see fewer films …

Rio de Janeiro’s port area may be one of the city’s most inviting spots since being renovated for the Olympic Games last year. But while the area is home to attractions that include two museums and an aquarium, its rich history remains unknown to most locals and tourists.   A …

The lead singer of rock group Linkin Park, Chester Bennington, was found dead in his California home Thursday. He was 41. According to news reports, Bennington committed suicide by hanging himself in his home. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office is investigating. Bandmate Mike Shinoda confirmed the news via Twitter, …

The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee has approved expanding the African Cup of Nations from 16 to 24 teams and moving the continent’s top tournament from the beginning of the year to June-July. CAF says the changes should come into effect for the next tournament in 2019 in Cameroon. …