Amid War, Syria Hopes to Reach World Cup for First Time
In the midst of a long-running and ruinous war, millions of Syrians may finally have something to be joyful about. Syria’s national soccer team has a chance to qualify for
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Steely Dan Co-founder, Guitarist, Walter Becker Dies at 67
A rock and roll fan with a penchant for harmony and obtuse references, Walter Becker, the guitarist, bassist and co-founder of the 1970s rock group Steely Dan, which sold more
Read MoreJohn Ashbery, Celebrated and Challenging Poet, Dies at 90
John Ashbery, an enigmatic genius of modern poetry whose energy, daring and boundless command of language raised American verse to brilliant and baffling heights, died early Sunday at age 90.
Read MoreGrand Canyon Lives up to its Name
The Grand Canyon — one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World — is one of nature’s most stunning creations. Located in the southwestern state of Arizona, the majestic site
Read MoreCoach: Serena Williams Gives Birth to Baby Girl
Serena Williams has given birth to a baby girl, the first child for the former world’s No. 1 tennis player, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou said via Twitter Friday. The 35-year-old
Read MoreNew York Musician’s Studio Dubbed ‘Little Pakistan’
American musician Eric Alabaster loves Pakistani food, culture, speaks Urdu, and plays “Desi” music. His music studio in Brooklyn, New York, is known as “Little Pakistan.” VOA Deewaa’s Samin Ahsan
Read MoreComedian Berman Dies at 92
Comedian Shelley Berman, who won gold records and appeared on top television shows in the 1950s and 1960s delivering wry monologues about the annoyances of everyday life, has died. He
Read MoreMiley Cyrus, Beyonce Join Harvey Storm Relief Effort
Pop star Miley Cyrus and Oscar-winning actors Sandra Bullock and Leonardo DiCaprio pledged funds to help victims of storm Harvey, while Beyonce on Thursday said she was sending a team
Read MoreLike Destiny’s Child, Fifth Harmony Bounces Back After Drama
It’s been a year of transition for Fifth Harmony: The pop stars parted ways with member Camila Cabello, switched management teams, negotiated a new contract with their label and won
Read MoreDel Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ Makes Waves in Venice
Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is an aquatic Beauty and the Beast, a transgressive fairy tale about a young woman’s love for a scaly creature from the Amazonian
Read MoreMatt Damon Goes Mini in Venice Opener ‘Downsizing’
Downsizing has generated jumbo-sized buzz at the Venice Film Festival — not least as viewers debate how to describe it. Is it a science fiction film, a romantic comedy, a
Read MoreUS Hosts World Cup Qualifier in New York Area for 1st Time
The U.S. is playing a World Cup qualifier in the New York metropolitan area for the first time, a critical match against Costa Rica on Friday night at Red Bull
Read MoreNotre-Dame’s Crumbling Gargoyles Need Help
The Archbishop of Paris is on a 100 million-euro ($120 million) fundraising drive to save the crumbling gargoyles and gothic arches of the storied Notre-Dame cathedral. Every year, 12 million
Read MoreKardashian Women Give $500,000 to Help Harvey Victims
Kim Kardashian West and her famous siblings are donating $500,000 to help Harvey victims. A spokeswoman for the reality star says she and her mother and sisters have given $250,000
Read MoreHouston Native Beyonce Planning to Aid Those Hurt by Harvey
Beyonce says she’s working with her charity to assist those in her hometown affected by Tropical Storm Harvey. The Houston native says in a statement to The Houston Chronicle
Read MoreUN Panel Urges Russia to Fight Racism by neo-Nazis, in Sports
A United Nations human rights panel called on the Russian Federation on Monday to step up prosecutions of racist attacks by ultra-nationalists and neo-Nazis and of hate speech by politicians.
Read MoreUS Top Women’s Basketball World Cup Lineup Joined by Nigeria, Senegal
The lineup for the first women’s basketball World Cup in 2018 has been completed by African champion Nigeria and runner-up Senegal. The top-ranked United States, which qualified as the 2016
Read MoreStatue of Martin Luther King Jr. Unveiled in his Hometown
The daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. stood beside her father’s newly unveiled statue Monday, just a few blocks from where he grew up, handing out hugs
Read MoreCountry star Chris Young Donates $100,000 to Disaster Relief
Country music star Chris Young is donating $100,000 for disaster relief efforts in Texas. Nashville-based Monarch Publicity says in a news release that Young lived in Arlington, Texas, before
Read MoreMTV VMAs Full of Emotional, Political Moments; Lamar Wins 6
Kendrick Lamar was the king of the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, winning six awards on a night full of emotional performances, political moments and a new, eye-popping Taylor Swift
Read MoreSwift to Be in Spotlight at VMAs, Along with Kendrick, Katy Perry
Taylor Swift isn’t nominated for an award, but she could own the night at the MTV Video Music Awards. The pop star who made headlines all week as she
Read MoreEmirati Filmmaker Unsettles Traditions, Exposes Hidden Lives
An Emirati filmmaker is pushing boundaries and bypassing state censors by delicately unraveling a story about a traditional Arab family grappling with issues of homosexual love, gender identity, sectarianism and
Read MoreFloyd Mayweather Dominates Conor McGregor
Floyd Mayweather Jr. figured out a 50th opponent, letting Conor McGregor have the early rounds before stalking him late and leaving the mixed martial artist defenseless and exhausted on the
Read MoreTaylor Swift Sets Records for Spotify Streams, YouTube Views
Spotify says Taylor Swift has set a new global first day streaming record. The music delivery site said Saturday it had logged more than 8 million same-day streams for her
Read MoreTop 5 Songs for Week Ending Aug. 26
We’re interfacing with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending August 26, 2017. We greet a new song this week,
Read MoreUK Police Slammed for Missing Clues to Stop Rock Star’s Sex Abuse
Detectives missed chances to stop pedophile rock star Ian Watkins in the years before he was charged with child sex abuse, Britain’s police watchdog said Friday. Watkins, lead singer of
Read MoreRosa Parks’ House May Be Returned to US From Germany
Section by section, American artist Ryan Mendoza painstakingly disassembled the small wood-frame home of civil rights icon Rosa Parks after learning that the struggling city of Detroit was going to
Read MoreUS Interior Chief Says He Won’t Eliminate Protected Lands
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced Thursday he won’t seek to rescind any national monuments carved from the wilderness and oceans by past presidents. But he said he will press for
Read MoreAfrica to Break New Ground with World Championships Bid
One of six African nations will bid to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships as the continent hopes to stage the global meet for a first time, the Confederation of
Read MoreOnce Banned, Lotteries are Big Money for US States
A lottery player in the U.S. state of Massachusetts won the $759 million Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, the second highest in the game’s history and an amount that prompted millions
Read MoreIn Germany, Graffiti Activists Turn Nazi Symbols Into Humorous Art
The Nazi symbol known as the swastika was on display in Charlottesville, Virgina, during a white supremacist rally earlier this month that led to violence and division in the U.S.
Read MoreTaylor Swift Announces New Album in November
Yes, Taylor Swift fans, Wednesday was a lucky one for you. The pop star who whipped her army of Swifties into a frenzy with video snippets of slithery snake
Read MoreVillage Voice to End Print Edition
The Village Voice, the alternative weekly newspaper co-founded by Norman Mailer and known for its culture coverage and investigative reporting, said Tuesday that it would end its print version and
Read MoreMorgan Freeman to Get Screen Actors Lifetime Award
Morgan Freeman, the versatile actor known for playing gods, presidents and pimps, will be honored with the 2017 lifetime achievement award by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) at its annual
Read MoreMark Wahlberg Tops Forbes List of Highest-paid Actors
“Transformers: The Last Knight” star Mark Wahlberg has outmuscled Dwayne Johnson to become Hollywood’s highest-paid actor in the past year with a transforming income of $68 million, according to Forbes
Read MoreGeorge, Amal Clooney Donate $1M to Fight Hate Groups
George and Amal Clooney are donating $1 million to fight hate groups. The couple announced Tuesday that their Clooney Foundation for Justice is supporting the Southern Poverty Law Center
Read MoreCosby Back in Court With New Legal Team for Sex Assault Trial
Bill Cosby was due back in court on Tuesday to seek a judge’s approval to have a lawyer who successfully defended the late singer Michael Jackson against child molestation charges
Read MoreDudamel Calls Venezuela Orchestra Tour Cancellation Heartbreaking
Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, a fierce critic of President Nicolas Maduro, said on Monday that the government-backed Venezuela National Youth Orchestra’s tour of the United States has been canceled, calling
Read MoreMoon Blots Out the Sun in Historic US Eclipse
Americans gazed in wonder through telescopes, cameras and protective glasses Monday as the moon began blotting out the midday sun in the first full-blown solar eclipse to sweep the U.S.
Read MoreStifled in Middle East, Lebanese Band Finds Audience in West
Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila’s blend of indie rock and lyrics about social and political injustice has won a passionate following among fans seeking an alternative to Arab pop with its
Read MoreComedy Legend Jerry Lewis Dies at 91
Jerry Lewis, the manic, rubber-faced showman who jumped and hollered to fame in a lucrative partnership with Dean Martin, settled down to become a self-conscious screen auteur and found an
Read MoreFashion Entrepreneur Drives Her Boutique
Danelle Johnson started designing her own clothes when she was a teenager. Not just because sewing was her hobby. She wanted to stand out among her classmates with a personal,
Read MoreComedian, Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory Dies
Dick Gregory, the comedian and activist and who broke racial barriers in the 1960s and used his humor to spread messages of social justice and nutritional health, has died. He
Read MoreReligious Leader, Digital Economy Advisers Sever Ties With Trump
The head of New York City’s largest evangelical church has resigned from President Donald Trump’s unofficial panel of evangelical advisers, one of the latest resignations in a string of high-profile
Read MoreTrump to Skip Ceremony Celebrating Artists’ Lifetime Achievements
U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not attend an annual ceremony at Washington’s Kennedy Center honoring the lifetime achievements of select artists to avoid distraction, a
Read More‘Recruiting for Jihad’ Examines Islamic Extremist Groups in Europe
Recruiting for Jihad is a Norwegian expose on the practices extremist Jihadists follow to recruit young men to fight for ISIS. During filming, Adel Khan Farooq, one of the two
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