Malta Restores Forgotten War Rooms, Hewn into the Rocks in WWII
In a vast network of tunnels carved into the rocks under the Maltese capital Valletta, faded maps of the Mediterranean hint at the place’s role in directing key battles in
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Joining Some Arab States, Israel Says it Plans to Ban Al-Jazeera TV
Israel said Sunday it plans to ban Qatar’s flagship Al-Jazeera network from operating in the country over allegations it incites violence, joining Arab nations that have shut down the broadcaster
Read MoreUS Exhibit on Khmer Rouge Atrocities Aims to Prevent Another Genocide
As a steady flow of visitors slowly made their way through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on a recent morning, some contemplated a special exhibition on the Khmer Rouge terror
Read MoreRocks Are Star Attraction at Utah National Parks
The Western state of Utah is home to stunning red rock formations shaped by geological forces over millions of years. Some of the most beautiful are at five of the
Read MoreTech Visionary Steve Jobs’ Life Played Out on Opera Stage
Steve Jobs – who helped usher in the era of personal computers – has been the subject of movies and books, but his complicated life, and the ubiquitous objects he
Read MoreIn the Ruins of an Iraqi City, Memories of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie lived here once, but only memories remain of the time the world’s best-selling fiction writer spent among the ruins of the ancient Iraqi city of Nimrud. The mud-brick
Read MoreVietnamese Artists Explore Impact of Politics, Ideologies on Life, Death
A New Orleanslike musical funeral procession with a band set in Vietnam and a transgender fire-eater are all a part of a multimedia traveling exhibit by a Ho Chi Minh
Read MoreNorman Leer, LL Cool J Among Kennedy Center Honorees
This year’s Kennedy Center honorees will include two singers, a television writer, a dancer — and for the first time, a hip-hop artist. The John F. Kennedy Center for the
Read MoreMeet Vogue’s Latest Model — London’s First Female Police Chief
Upmarket fashion magazine Vogue has featured an unexpected new model in its latest edition — London’s first female police chief. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has posed in her uniform
Read MoreTop 5 Songs for Week Ending Aug. 5
We’re in the mix with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending August 5, 2017. Lo and behold, we get
Read MoreArtist Creates Unique Bead Sculptures on Social Injustices
The art of beadwork goes back centuries. In Baltimore, Maryland, American artist Joyce Scott continues the art form by creating elaborate beaded pieces that often focus on social and political
Read MoreMichelangelo’s Unrealized Marble Dream Comes True in Italian Quarry
In 1517, Michelangelo climbed Mount Altissimo in Tuscany and found the marble of his dreams. It was, the Renaissance master wrote, “of compact grain, homogeneous, crystalline, reminiscent of sugar.” He
Read MoreProducer: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Delayed to Maintain Quality
The premiere of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS’s subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told
Read MoreUsain Bolt Ready to Race, and Really Ready to Retire
Just in the unlikely case that the world of athletics did not know what they will be missing once Usain Bolt walks away in less than two weeks, the Jamaican
Read MoreJohn Updike’s Pennsylvania Childhood Home to Become Museum
The Pennsylvania childhood home of author John Updike is nearing its transformation into a museum and literary center. The future of the Shillington home had been uncertain until The John
Read MoreAmerican Musician Preserves Syrian Religious Music
The war in Syria destroyed more than its cities. It destroyed its soul, says American drummer and photographer Jason Hamacher, who has recorded a large collection of Syrian religious music
Read MoreNo Visa, No Veil? Saudi Arabia May Ease Rules for Tourists
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to build a “semi-autonomous” visa-free travel destination along its northwestern Red Sea coast. The Red Sea area will include diving attractions and a nature
Read MoreDid Alexander Hamilton Hold This Coin?
Old inns along the Revolutionary War trails boast of George Washington sleeping there. But coin experts say they have found the first silver piece minted by the United States —
Read MoreSam Shepard, Pulitzer-winning Playwright, Dead at 73
Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Oscar-nominated actor and celebrated author whose plays chronicled the explosive fault lines of family and masculinity in the American West, has died. He was
Read MoreLos Angeles Reaches Deal with Olympic Leaders for 2028 Games
Los Angeles reached an agreement Monday with international Olympic leaders that will open the way for the city to host the 2028 Summer Games, while ceding the 2024 Games to
Read MoreItalian Poster for "Casablanca" Attracts $478,000 at Auction
The only known surviving Italian issue poster for the classic movie “Casablanca” has sold for $478,000 in Dallas at a public auction of vintage movie posters. The firm Heritage
Read MoreMongolian Melody: Hip-hop Duo Splices Traditional Singing and Urban Beats
Ulaanbaatar’s urban music scene is buzzing with a new vibe created by a hip-hop duo mixing into their sound the traditional art of throat singing, or “Khoomei,” as Mongolians refer
Read MoreCelebrated Photo Editor John Morris Dies at 100 in Paris
John Morris, a celebrated American photo editor who brought some of the most iconic photographs of World War II and the Vietnam War to the world’s attention, has died at
Read MorePope’s Choir Tours US as It Recaptures Its Glory
The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir is embarking on its first U.S. tour in 30 years, hoping to show audiences in New York, Washington and Detroit that it has abandoned the
Read MoreJessica Williams Says It’s a Great Time to Be Actor of Color
Jessica Williams says it’s a great time to be an actress of color, and applauds Netflix for leading the way in promoting diversity. Williams, who cut her teeth as
Read MoreShik Shik’s Storefront Art Draws In Customers in Mogadishu
A collection of yawing mouths and extracted teeth, booming stereo speakers and colorful hookah pipes adorn shop fronts in Somalia, a colorful contrast to the airbrushed artworks of big business.
Read MoreFrom Art to Aliens – Austrian Bodypainting Festival has Colorful Characters
Models endured waits of up to six hours in their quest to become elaborate human canvases in an Austrian town this weekend, as the 2017 World Bodypainting Festival and world
Read MoreNepal Woodcarvers Inspired to Restore Quake-toppled Temples
In the rubble of Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, a team of dedicated woodworkers is finding inspiration to re-create what was lost. The centuries-old Char Narayan and Hari Shankara temples were destroyed
Read MoreNational Parks Traveler Celebrates One Year Milestone
In June of 2016, Mikah Meyer set out on an ambitious journey — to visit all 417 national park sites in America. He estimates it will take him three years
Read MoreLOL to Heart Eyes: New Emojis Must Pass Muster
Cheery Hi-5, a snobbish Poop and a conflicted Meh have starring roles in the animated The Emoji Movie, which imagines a world inside cellphones where emojis rebel against portraying just
Read MoreHitler Exhibition in Berlin Bunker Asks: How Could It Happen?
More than 70 years after Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker in the final days of World War II, an exhibition in the capital examines how he became
Read MoreMick Jagger Releases 2 Tracks in New Audio-visual Project
Mick Jagger has released two songs which he says are urgent responses to the “confusion and frustration with the times we live in.” The Rolling Stones leader released the
Read MoreHBO Announces Five-part Miniseries on Chernobyl Accident
HBO says production will begin next year on a miniseries about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The five-part series will star Jared Harris as a Soviet scientist tapped by the
Read MorePolice: Bieber Accidentally Hits Photographer with Pickup Truck
Justin Bieber left a photographer with minor injuries after police in California say the singer accidentally hit the man with his pickup truck. Beverly Hills police Sgt. Matthew Stout
Read MoreMadonna Accepts Damages from Publisher Over Privacy Invasion
A lawyer for Madonna says the star and her twin daughters Stella and Estere have accepted damages form the publisher of the Mail Online website over an article that was
Read MoreLebanese Rock Singer Urges Men to Champion Women’s Rights in Middle East
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
Read MoreArtist Uses Iraq Refugees, War Veterans in Radio Project
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
Read MoreStories of Survival, Women to Highlight Toronto Film Festival
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
Read MoreIn ‘Detroit,’ Bigelow Revisits Still-burning Flames of 1967
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
Read MoreBarbara Sinatra, Frank’s 4th Wife and Philanthropist, Dies
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.
Read MoreVenezuela Maduro’s ‘Despacito’ Political Remix Backfires Quickly
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
Read More‘Game of Thrones’ Author Teases 2 Possible New Books in 2018
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
Read MoreNext James Bond Film Set for November 2019, No Word on 007 Star
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
Read MoreUS Golfer Jordan Spieth Wins British Open
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
Read MoreSpecial Place in Tour de France History Draws Nearer for Froome
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
Read MoreActor John Heard, Dad in ‘Home Alone’ Movies, Dies at 71
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
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