A photograph of Harriet Tubman, believed to be the earliest-known image of the anti-slavery crusader and showing her as younger than she is normally depicted, will go up for auction Thursday in New York. The photograph, previously unseen by scholars, shows Tubman in her late 40s, wearing an intricately decorated …

Vice Media is bringing its edgy style of journalism to the Middle East to tap what it thinks is an underserved market of young, digital-hungry consumers. Vice announced its arrival with a party Wednesday at the glitzy Armani Hotel in the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, the …

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will receive his Nobel Literature Prize diploma and medal in the next few days in Stockholm, where is he due to perform this weekend, the secretary of the Swedish Academy said on Wednesday. The Academy’s decision to give the bard of “Blowin’ in the Wind” the literature …

Best-selling British superstar singer George Michael was buried in London on Wednesday in a private funeral some three months after his death on Christmas Day, his publicist said. Several luxury cars with blacked-out windows arrived and later left Highgate Cemetery in north London, Reuters reporters said. British media said Michael’s …

Too often young Somali-Americans in Minnesota have made headlines for all the wrong reasons: a small number have fallen prey to the lure of drugs, gangs and extremist ideology. But youth organizations in the state are trying to change that. A group of 12 youth basketball teams representing mosques around …

Leonardo da Vinci is, simply put, one of the greatest artists of all time. The world still marvels at his genius and some of his most famous works, such as the Mona Lisa. One of his uncompleted works, Adoration of the Magi, had fallen on hard times, but thanks to …

“Migration Blues”, a new album from veteran bluesman Eric Bibb, uses the sounds of the American South to tell the tale of everyone from 1920s farmers fleeing the Dust Bowl for California to refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Europe in the 2010s. Along the way are Mexicans seeking a future …

Political satire dates back to the ancient Greeks, 2,400 years ago when Aristophanes made fun of the Peloponnesian War. It’s a staple of late night American television talk shows and the editorial pages of most newspapers. Successful political cartoonists are able to draw biting commentary with the stroke of a …

Russia’s nationalist propaganda machine kicked into high gear after the 2014 annexation of Crimea sparked the worst East-West tensions since the Cold War.   State media quickly fell behind the Kremlin line while Russia’s few independent media came under increasing pressure to conform or self-censor.   As Russian authorities shrank …

The globally popular statue of a young girl will keep staring down Wall Street’s famed “Charging Bull” through February 2018 instead of being removed this coming Sunday, the mayor said. She’s “standing up to fear, standing up to power, being able to find in yourself the strength to do what’s …

With their gravity-defying trampoline flips, graceful acrobatics, juggling and tightrope walking, the children in San Francisco’s circus school are bringing a touch of Cirque du Soleil magic to this bohemian Pacific beach town. In jewel-colored leotards with feather headdresses and intricate makeup, they romp through seamless routines in an exuberant …

A Houston high school student has lost her battle with terminal cancer days after having a dream come true in a talk with Beyonce over a video chat.   Alief Independent School District spokeswoman Kimberly Smith says senior Ebony Banks died late Saturday night.   The teen’s Hastings High School …

Hollywood actress Shailene Woodley has reached a plea deal that calls for no jail time over her involvement in protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota.   The “Divergent” star was among 27 activists arrested Oct. 10. She livestreamed her arrest on Facebook.   Woodley initially pleaded …

Driving around the hallowed grounds at Vicksburg National Military Park in the state of Mississippi reminded National Parks traveler Mikah Meyer of another famous battlefield: Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War and where President Abraham Lincoln gave his immortal “Gettysburg …

Adele fans who didn’t catch her on her world tour that’s winding down may be out of luck in the future. The New Zealand Herald reports Adele told the audience during Sunday night’s show in Auckland that “touring isn’t something I’m good at” and she doesn’t know if she “will …

Authorities have made an arrest stemming from a shooting involving hip-hop star Fetty Wap in his New Jersey hometown that left three people wounded.   The shooting happened outside a 24-hour deli in Paterson at about 5 a.m. Sunday.   Authorities on Monday charged Raheem Thomas with assault and weapons …

Stars and fans will gather Saturday for a public memorial to honor late actresses Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher nearly three months after their deaths.    The ceremony honoring the lives of the mother-daughter duo will be at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, the storied cemetery that is their final resting place. …

Fallingwater is a house in rural southwestern Pennsylvania designed in 1935 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Although it is not easy to get to, Fallingwater is a must-see, and not just for architecture buffs. VOA’s Masha Morton takes us on a tour. …

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle reunites with his original Trainspotting cast twenty years later to make a sequel that deals with aging, accountability, friendship and, once again, betrayal. Trainspotting 2 becomes a worthy companion to the original, as VOA’s Penelope Poulou reports. …

Academy award-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle reunites with his original Trainspotting cast 20 years later to make a sequel that deals with aging, accountability, friendship and once again, betrayal. Those who saw the original film remember four friends in their twenties. They are up to no good, living on the fringes, …

Think your home furnishings are a dust magnet? New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine just spent 16 years cleaning and conserving its rare, supersize wall hangings.   Now the historic house of worship is inviting the public to enjoy the fruits of its labor – “The Barberini Tapestries, …

Bob Dylan’s new album “Triplicate” explores American standards from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, but the veteran singer-songwriter says that does not mean he is yearning for the past. Dylan also is unconcerned whether his fans like the album — the third in as many years that features cover versions …

A major World War II museum opened in northern Poland on Thursday amid plans by the conservative government to change its content to fit the government’s nationalist views. The Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk is at the center of a standoff between the historians creating it and …

We’re unlocking the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending March 25, 2017. The hit list continues to be in a generous mood, bestowing upon us another new song. It happens in fifth place where Ri-Ri is a chart-buster all around. …

Film legend Greta Garbo’s former longtime apartment in New York City is up for sale for nearly $6 million.   The New York Times reports  that the Swedish-born star’s seven-room Manhattan co-op overlooking the East River is on the market for $5.95 million, with monthly maintenance of nearly $9,100.   …