Super Bowl Truck Ad Using Martin Luther King Speech Draws Backlash
A Ram truck ad that used a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., is drawing a backlash. The ad shows people doing service-oriented tasks set against audio of King’s speech,
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Linguistic Divide Poses Problem to Korea Olympic Hockey Team
North and South Korea face a widening linguistic divide after 70 years of division, and that is a challenge for the rivals’ first-ever joint Olympic team as it prepares for
Read MoreOscar Nominations Point to Strong Female Characters
This year’s Oscar nominees in the category of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress are complex and empowered. Their critical acclaim and success at the box office showcase the power
Read MoreStar Quarterback Could Break Records in Frigid Super Bowl
The biggest sporting event in the United States, the Super Bowl, kicks off later today when the Philadelphia Eagles play the New England Patriots for the championship of American football’s
Read MoreThousands of Football Fans Party in Countdown to Super Bowl Kick-off
It’s -11 degrees Celsius here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but it feels like -20. The sun has set and the wind is whipping — anywhere else and that would be the
Read MoreThousands of Football Fans Party in the Streets on the Eve of the Super Bowl
On the eve of the Super Bowl, football fans from near and far have descended on host city Minneapolis, in the Midwestern U.S. state of Minnesota. They spent the night
Read MoreLuxe Event Aims to Change Haiti’s Image Through Fashion
Dozens of designers from Haiti and around the world showcased their spring-summer collections against a lush tropical background during the recent Haiti Fashion Week. The January 28-31 event in Petionville
Read MoreNew Movie Highlights Racism, Tension in Inter-War Australia
A provocative film that chronicles racism and brutality in the 1920s has been released in Australia. Set in the red dust of the outback, “Sweet Country” is the story of
Read MoreAmericans Gear Up for Football’s ‘Super Bowl’
Super Bowl LII is almost here. In the week leading up to the biggest sporting event in the United States, the National Football League kicked-off the Super Bowl Experience at
Read MoreJames Ivory, 89, May Set an Oscar Record, But He’d Rather Work
James Ivory didn’t see “Call Me By Your Name” with an audience until the week before he was nominated for its screenplay. He caught it at a New York theater
Read MoreViva Forever? Ex-Spice Girls Meet Up Amid Reunion Rumors
All five former members of the Spice Girls have met up amid rumors of a plan to reunite the girl-power group. Photos posted by several group members on social media
Read MoreOctober Wedding Date Set for Britain’s Princess Eugenie
Britain’s Prince Andrew says an Oct. 12 wedding date has been set for his daughter, Princess Eugenie. Andrew, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II, announced the date Friday on
Read MoreMinneapolis Residents Take to the Sky
February in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is cold — the kind of cold that stings your face and burns your lungs as soon as you walk outside. Today’s temperature is minus 10
Read MoreWorld’s Longest Skyway Gives Minneapolis Residents a Break From Harsh Winter
Minneapolis is known for being cold — extremely cold. But when the temperatures drop and the wind chill bites, how do local residents cope and still carry on with their
Read MoreInvestigators: Actor Robert Wagner a ‘Person of Interest’ in Wife Natalie Wood’s Death
Investigators in the unsolved 1981 drowning death of actress Natalie Wood have named her husband, actor Robert Wagner, as a “person of interest” in a case that stunned the nation.
Read MoreAudiobook of Actors Reading Martin Luther King out April 3
Wanda Sykes, Gabourey Sidibe and Danny Glover will be among the readers for an audio edition of speeches and essays by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Radical King”
Read MoreIce-Sculpting Champion Carves Up Competition
To say winter gets really cold in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in the midwestern, American state of Minnesota is an understatement. On this day, with temperatures
Read MoreBeyonce Photo Captures Grandmother’s Star-Struck Reaction
A Massachusetts grandmother worried that no one would believe her story of meeting Beyonce before the Grammys — until a picture of her star-struck reaction appeared on the singer’s Instagram
Read MoreUS Officials: No Specific Threats to Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
The United States says it is not aware of any specific threats to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month, despite nuclear tensions with neighboring North Korea. Senior
Read MoreUSA Gymnastics: All Directors Have Resigned After Abuse Scandal
USA Gymnastics, the sport’s U.S. governing body, said Wednesday that all its remaining directors have resigned following revelations that the longtime team doctor had sexually abused numerous athletes under his
Read MoreRare Picasso Painting Starts Tour Before Next Month’s Auction
A rare Picasso painting will be auctioned off in London next month. The 1937 work titled “Femme au beret et a la robe quadrillee” (Woman in beret and checked dress),
Read MoreBeirut Guide Gives Walking Tours of City’s History and His Own
Tour guide Ronnie Chatah, 36, is once again doing what he loves after a four-year hiatus – telling the stories that have shaped Beirut’s history from ancient to modern times.
Read MoreCuban Refugee Sets Cold War Stage in ‘Blind Date’
When U.S. President Ronald Reagan met Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 1985, it was the start of a thaw in Cold War tensions that had dramatically
Read MoreJordan Peele Talks Oscars, ‘Get Out’ and Whoopi Goldberg
Jordan Peele has been dreaming of his Oscar moment since he was 13, but now that it’s happened, he can hardly believe it. The 38-year-old received Academy Award nominations last
Read MoreNative Americans Applaud Removal of ‘Racist’ Sports Mascot
Native Americans took to social media Monday to celebrate the pending “death” of Chief Wahoo, the longtime logo of the Cleveland Indians baseball team which features a garish “Indian” caricature
Read MoreAt Long Last: Beckham’s MLS Team in Miami Is Born
David Beckham finally has his Major League Soccer team in Miami. Beckham and MLS announced Monday that the long-awaited franchise is now born. It took Beckham nearly four years to
Read MoreGrammy Awards TV Audience Drops Sharply, Nears Record Low
The U.S. television audience for Sunday’s Grammy Awards show on CBS Corp. fell by more than eight million viewers and could be one of the lowest audiences on record, early
Read MoreMusic and Politics Mixed at Grammys
Politics took the stage at the 60th annual Grammy awards this year, along with some great music. Hillary Clinton, who ran against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign, made
Read MoreGaga, Cardi B. Among Stars Wearing White Roses for Grammys
Stars, including Lady Gaga and Kelly Clarkson, turned out on the Grammys red carpet Sunday displaying white roses in solidarity with the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements against sexual misconduct
Read MoreIKEA Furniture Magnate Ingvar Kamprad Dies at 91
Ingvar Kamprad, who founded Sweden’s IKEA furniture brand and transformed it into a worldwide business empire, has died at the age of 91. Kamprad died Saturday of pneumonia in the
Read MoreBurkina Faso Music Honored at Grammys, but Artists Cry Foul
For musicians from the West African nation of Burkina Faso, a nomination for a Grammy Award should have been the crowning achievement of a musical career. Instead, musicians based in
Read More‘Beetle Bailey’ Cartoonist Walker Dies at 94
Comic strip artist Mort Walker, a World War II veteran who satirized the Army and tickled millions of newspaper readers with the antics of the lazy private Beetle Bailey, died Saturday.
Read MoreWozniacki Bests Halep to Win Australian Open
Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki won her first grand slam title Saturday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, besting Romanian Simona Halep, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4. “I have to take a
Read MoreThe Iconic Building-Block of Our Childhoods Celebrates 60th Birthday
One of the world’s most famous toys turns 60 on Jan. 28. The Lego building block, a tool of innovation and cause of severe pain to anyone who’s ever stepped
Read MoreCasino Mogul Steve Wynn Denies Allegations of Sexual Harassment
Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn is denying allegations of sexual harassment after a report in the Wall Street Journal detailed allegations of misconduct and caused shares of his casino company
Read MoreMichigan State University Athletic Director Resigns Amid Nassar Scandal
Michigan State University Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned Friday, two days after the school’s president stepped down amid a storm of criticism about how it handled the sexual assault scandal
Read MoreDefiant Moscow Cinema Shows Banned Stalin Comedy
A Moscow cinema has been warned after defying a government ban on showing The Death Of Stalin. (Please see related stories link for VOA story on “The Death of Stalin”)
Read MoreTop 5 Songs for Week Ending Jan. 27
This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re punching up the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Jan. 27, 2018. Some
Read MoreEveryone is a Hostile in Scott Cooper’s Revisionist Western
Scott Cooper’s western, Hostiles, starts at a U.S. army outpost in New Mexico, where Captain Joseph Blocker, played by Christian Bale, is ordered to escort a Cheyenne chief to his
Read MoreMuseum Offers Trump Toilet Instead of Van Gogh
When the White House asked to borrow a Van Gogh painting from New York’s Guggenheim Museum, the request was denied. Instead, curator Nancy Spector, offered another piece of art: an
Read MoreMusician Pushes Boundaries with Earth Harp
Los Angeles musician William Close holds the world record for the longest stringed instrument, a device he invented and has played around the world called the Earth Harp. Close
Read More2018 Grammys: Will Hip-Hop Finally Even The Score?
After several near misses and heaps of outrage, this could finally be hip-hop and R&B’s year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday where rappers Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar dominate nominations
Read MoreElton John Retiring, Says Upcoming Tour Will Be His Last
Elton John is retiring from the road after his upcoming three-year global tour, capping nearly 50 years on stages around the world. He calls it a “way to go out
Read MoreFilm About Kenya Terror Attack Up for an Oscar
A movie produced by a German film student about the 2015 Mandera bus attack in Kenya has just been nominated for an Oscar. The short film, Watu Wote, or Swahili
Read MoreLegendary Jazz Musician, Political Activist Hugh Masekela dies at 78
South African jazz trumpeter and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Masekela dies at the age of 78. Among his greatest hits were the anthem “Bring Him Back Home,” demanding Nelson Mandela’s freedom
Read MoreUrsula K. Le Guin, Best-selling Science Fiction Author, Dies
Ursula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, has died at 88. Le Guin
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