In Aleppo, Syria, while the Assad regime destroyed the city and its inhabitants, many civilians risked their lives to rescue the injured and pull the dead from the rubble. Since 2013, these volunteers have created the Syrian Civil Defense, known as The White Helmets. Syrian filmmaker Feras Fayyad delivers a …

Donkey Kong, the iconic 1980s video game, has been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. According to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, the arcade game quickly sold over 100,000 units in the United States alone, in addition to unknown quantities of home versions. …

A multimillion-dollar development project outside Washington has been put on hold pending an archaeological investigation to determine if the project is being built on top of a historically significant century-old black cemetery. VOA’s Chris Simkins reports from Bethesda, Maryland, that a fight over the site has uncovered the history of …

Three young Ethiopian girls use their superpowers to stop harmful practices against girls in rural areas and to promote access to school. That is the story behind “Tibeb Girls,” a new animated series developed in Ethiopia. “Tibeb Girls” is the first animated cartoon in which Ethiopian girls play not only …

Nepalese Sherpa workers are fixing the final route to the summit of Mount Everest and the first climb of the season could be days away, an official said.   High winds and snow near the summit Friday were slowing the work, but the first climb could begin as early as …

New York City can be a daunting place for first-time visitors, and a culture shock for foreigners. But at the heart of one of the most prestigious higher-education scenes in the country, students from more than 100 countries have the opportunity to connect under one roof, and find their place …

For years, Yazmin Irazoqui Ruiz saw Cinco de Mayo as a reason to eat tacos and listen to Mexican music. The 25-year-old Mexican-born medical student left Mexico for the U.S. as a child and celebrates the day to honor a homeland she hardly remembers. But the Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident …

Jerry Garcia’s custom-made guitar is truckin’ to auction in New York City.   The Grateful Dead frontman’s guitar is called Wolf. Guernsey’s auction house says it’ll be offered May 31 at Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, restaurant and venue for music shows.   The proceeds will go to the Alabama-based …

May the 4th be with you, Laura Dern, and darn all the mystery surrounding the character you’ll play as one of the latest additions to the Star Wars galaxy. The actress, in New York on Thursday to support a family health-focused global initiative, was tight-lipped about her role in Star …

Cafe Tacvba is embracing its newfound independence with the release of its first album without a label in its nearly three-decade career.   The Mexican rock band has always been committed to its creative freedom, jumping from folk to techno to ska, sometimes all in one song. “Jei Beibi,” out …

Dozens of Star Wars fans dressed like Jedi knights, Galactic Empire storm troopers and other characters from the sci-fi series paraded through central Taipei on Thursday, part of a worldwide celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the film franchise. Costume parties, movie marathons and fun runs were among the …

Laura Poitras announces early in her Julian Assange documentary Risk: “This is not the film I thought I was making.” “I thought I could ignore the contradictions,” the Oscar-winning Citizenfour filmmaker says in a voiceover. “I thought they were not part of the story. I was so wrong. They are …

The National Basketball Association opened its first training academy in Africa on Thursday in a push to expand its presence on the continent and prepare more African players to enter the league, its vice president for Africa said. The academy is in Senegal, where a sports development program in partnership …

Daddy Yankee feels streaming his music online has finally revealed a hidden reality about Latin artists’ popularity.   The reggaeton icon, who this week reached the No. 4 spot in Billboard’s Hot 100 with a new version of his and Luis Fonsi’s megahit “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber, also saw it …

We’re holding court with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending May 6, 2017. All we can say is “wow” – yet another big song debuts in the Top Five this week. In fact, we get two new tracks. Number …

Basketball’s international governing body has approved a new rule that will allow players to wear headgear that complies with their religious faith. The Switzerland-based body, known as FIBA, says the rule will take effect in games from on Oct. 1. Then, players can wear hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes after a …

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus first wowed audiences in the 19th century. For the iconic American spectacle’s final act, it will broadcast the final performance on a 21st century medium: Facebook Live.   The company told The Associated Press this week that the final circus show on the …

Major League Baseball is reviewing its security protocols in all 30 stadiums after Orioles outfielder Adam Jones complained of fans shouting racial slurs in Boston this week and other black players reacted by saying it’s a common reality. League officials are starting by figuring out how individual clubs handle fan …

In a dimly lit university auditorium in the Colombian capital, not far from where the country’s largest rebel group once launched bomb attacks, Julian Conrado sings to eager-eyed students about the pain of war. “Instead of a rifle in my hands I’d like to carry a flower,” he croons, wearing …

Alec Baldwin welcomes the chance to share the screen with President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. “I think if he came it would be a great show,” Baldwin said in an interview Wednesday. “I think it would be better for everybody. It’s always fun to defuse some of the …

Kylie Jenner’s star-studded Instagram picture is coming close to Ellen DeGeneres’ all A-list Twitter selfie in social media popularity.   Jenner’s bathroom mirror shot posted Monday night from the Met Gala in New York included Jenner’s sisters Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian, as well as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Frank Ocean, …

Royal Caribbean International has announced it will resume weeklong cruises from New Orleans to the Bahamas and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. News outlets report Royal Caribbean said in a news release Monday that their 2,435-passenger Vision of the Seas cruise ship will relocate in December 2018 to the Port of New …

A tearful Jimmy Kimmel turned his show’s monologue into an emotional recounting of his newborn son’s open-heart surgery — and a plea that all American families get the life-saving medical care they need. “It was a scary story and before I go into it, I want you to know it …

The surviving members of the legendary rock band The Eagles, are suing a Mexican hotel that calls itself Hotel California, which is also the title of what is likely the band’s most famous song. The suit was filed Monday against the 11-room hotel in Baja California Sur, saying the hotel …

A thunderous drumbeat echoed through the cocktail reception at the Met Gala. Either an earthquake was hitting the Upper East Side of Manhattan, or the glittering assembly of guests was being called in to dinner.   Hasan Minhaj, a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” was standing with the …