Annual Winter Fishing Festival Under a Frozen Lake in China
Atop a lake covered by thick ice, fishermen in Northeast China cast out the first net for this year’s winter fishing festival. It’s an ancient yearly tradition that these days
Read MoreAuthor: Svitart
‘Sound of Music’ Actress Heather Menzies-Urich Dies at 68
Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing von Trapp children in the 1965 hit film, “The Sound of Music,” has died. She was 68. Her son, actor Ryan
Read MoreSomalia Once Again to Host International Soccer Matches
The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has announced plans to host international games beginning next year because of improving security, the head of the body has announced. President of the SFF,
Read MoreGerman Employers Use Music to Spur Workplace Harmony
Management experts are always coming up with innovative ideas to improve the work environment, inspire employees and raise productivity. Big companies in Germany, like Lufthansa, Siemens, Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen’s
Read MoreKhmer Rouge Survivors Create ‘Bangsokol’ to Offer Hope, Warning
Quietly, Bonna Neang Weinstein wept. Her husband, Howard Weinstein, sitting next to her, held her hand, comforting her. “It reminded me of everything and myself,” she said of a December
Read MoreGuinea-Bissau Writers Want to Help Country Turn a New Page
The Guinea-Bissau Writers Association gathers dozens of people from different backgrounds who share the same goal: to improve the literature of a small West African country with one of the
Read MoreAmid Political Tensions, Visiting Barcelona Bests Real Madrid
Spectators at the home stadium of Real Madrid saw its team’s hopes to keep La Liga title fade away Saturday as Barcelona rolled to a 3-0 El Clasico victory, opening
Read More‘Doctor Who’ Gets a New Star
For millions of Britons, a traditional Christmas Day includes turkey, Brussels sprouts, Christmas pudding, and a special seasonal episode of “Doctor Who.” The global success of the venerable sci-fi series
Read MoreBell Ringers Collect Money for the Needy at Christmas
The sounds of the holidays have a familiar ring in cities across the United States, and in cities in South Korea, Japan, Chile and many European countries. In November and
Read MoreSpain’s Christmas Lottery Awards $2.8 Billion
Mention “the fat one” in the United States in December, and someone might think you were referring cheekily to Santa Claus. But say it in Spain, and it’s a reference
Read MoreUS Jury Convicts Two at FIFA Trial
A U.S. jury has convicted two former soccer officials from South America on charges of corruption, the first trial verdicts in a U.S. investigation into world soccer’s governing body, FIFA.
Read MoreWhat Makes a Christmas Movie Classic?
Every year around the holidays, there is a spike in the viewership of Christmas movie classics. According to the American Film Institute, Frank Capra’s 1947 heartwarming drama It’s A Wonderful
Read MoreChristmas Movies Classics – What Makes a Classic?
Every year around the holidays there is a spike in the viewership of Christmas movie classics. According to the American Film Institute, Frank Capra’s 1947 heartwarming drama It’s A Wonderful
Read MoreFamed Conductor Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Three opera singers and a classical musician say that world-renowned conductor Charles Dutoit sexually assaulted them — physically restraining them, forcing his body against theirs, sometimes thrusting his tongue into
Read MoreFans Say Farewell to S. Korean Singer Who Died in Suspected Suicide
Grief-stricken fans braved Seoul’s winter cold on Thursday to bid farewell to Kim Jong-hyun, the lead singer of top South Korean boy band SHINee, who died in hospital in a
Read MoreNew York Gets Ready for Christmas
Cities around the United States are getting ready for Christmas. And when it comes to the season’s decorations, New York City stands out for turning Manhattan’s streets into a big,
Read MoreClifford Irving, Author of Howard Hughes Literary Hoax, Dies at 87
Clifford Irving, whose scheme to publish a phony autobiography of billionaire Howard Hughes created a sensation in the 1970s and stands as one of the all-time literary hoaxes, died after
Read MoreLaurie Metcalf Gets her First Oscars Shot With ‘Lady Bird’
Laurie Metcalf has won three Emmys and a Tony Award in her nearly 40-year year career, but the veteran stage and screen actress still feels uncomfortable in front of a
Read MoreChilled Music: Performer Makes Instruments Out of Ice
While most musicians seek to avoid a frosty reception at concerts, for Norwegian composer and performer Terje Isungset a chilly feeling is nothing to fear: he performs with instruments he
Read MoreWhen It Comes to Holiday Cards, Which Celebs Do It Right?
The Associated Press recently caught up with a few celebrities and asked them about their favorite holiday cards from fellow notables. Hugh Jackman of The Greatest Showman wouldn’t name any
Read MoreLos Angeles Muralist Aims to Make a Big Mark
Brushstroke by brushstroke, muralist Robert Vargas is telling the story of this changing metropolis, using the facade of a 14-story downtown apartment building as his canvas. Vargas suggests the massive
Read MoreLady Gaga Achieves ‘Dream’ with Las Vegas Residency
Pop star Lady Gaga is swapping touring for a two-year stint in Las Vegas, joining the likes of music divas Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Shania Twain who have recently
Read MorePostcards of DC Daily Life from a Mexican Immigrant
Artist Carlos Carmonamedina is curious about his surroundings. Since growing up in Mexico, traveling around to Europe for school, he’s always seen the cultures in a city’s periphery. When he
Read MorePostcards of DC Daily Life by a Mexican Immigrant
In the two years since he came to Washington, D.C., Carlos Carmonamedina has created almost 100 postcards of everyday scenes in the nation’s capital. Many have DC landmarks in the
Read MoreSalt Lake City Targets Bid for 2030 Winter Olympics
Utah officials studying the possibility of Salt Lake City making a bid to host another Winter Olympics said Monday they would rather host the games in 2030, but could be
Read MoreJazz Superstar Keely Smith Dies at 89
Jazz superstar Keely Smith, best known for her immortal duets with her late husband Louis Prima, has died of heart failure at 89. Smith began her professional career her hometown
Read MoreEgypt Reopens Ancient Library at St. Catherine Monastery
Egypt reopened on Saturday an ancient library that holds thousands of centuries-old religious and historical manuscripts at the famed St. Catherine Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in South Sinai.
Read MoreHollywood, Business Team Up to Combat Harassment, Advance Equality
Top entertainment and business executives have agreed to found and fund a Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. The new group was established at a meeting
Read MoreAmericans Get Creative With Holiday Decorations
The biggest holiday of the season is in full swing, and holiday decor provides an important background for all the festivities. Cities, public buildings and most private homes are made
Read MoreA Winter Wonderland Made of 2 Million Pounds of Ice
It’s a winter wonderland near Washington this holiday season, as it has been for nine years. It’s an exhibit called ICE!, and to it took more than 2 million pounds
Read MoreGraduation Ceremony for US Park Police Officers on Horseback
It’s one of the country’s first branches of law enforcement. Founded in 1791 by George Washington, the U.S. Park Police oversee all federal parks, but only a few officers get
Read MoreSinger Inspires Peace and Unity Among Young Audiences
They say young children are like sponges. They soak up information from all around them unconsciously, and build on that core foundation for the rest of their lives. Baba Ras
Read MoreWalmart, Book Distributor Suspend Ties with Tavis Smiley
Walmart and a book distributor distanced themselves from Tavis Smiley on Thursday after PBS said an investigation found “troubling allegations” of sexual misconduct by the radio and TV host. The
Read MoreRetiring ‘New York Times’ Publisher to Be Replaced by His Son
The publisher of The New York Times Co. is stepping down after 25 years and will be succeeded by his 37-year-old son, the Times announced Thursday. Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr.
Read MoreIndia Orders Movie Moguls to Avoid the Weinstein Effect
India has issued a rare diktat to its powerful movie moguls, reminding Bollywood to keep women safe from the sort of sex abuse allegations poisoning the U.S. film industry. India’s
Read MoreDisney to Buy Fox Film, TV Businesses for $52 Billion
Walt Disney Co on Thursday agreed to buy film, TV and international assets from Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc for $52.4 billion as Disney seeks greater scale to tackle
Read MoreHomes Go All Out with Christmas Light Displays
Christmas is not Christmas, for some people, unless there are colorful lights and decorations. Some homes have spectacular outdoor displays. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us to Alexandria, Virginia, to show
Read MoreUltra-rare Prince Vinyl ‘Black Album’ Resurfaces
One of the world’s rarest records has resurfaced — several vinyl copies of Prince’s “Black Album,” which the eccentric pop legend had demanded destroyed 30 years ago. Recordmecca, a collector’s
Read MoreGlacier National Park Offers More Than Glaciers
There was a time — in this northwest corner of Montana — when glaciers ruled the land. Crown of the Continent The abundance of the massive rivers of ice —
Read MoreA Landscape Carved in the Last Ice Age
How many places are there in the U.S. where visitors get to see nature in all its abundance within a single setting? National parks traveler Mikah Meyer thinks Glacier National
Read More‘A Fantastic Woman’ Director Celebrates Golden Globe Nod
Director Sebastian Lelio feels that A Fantastic Woman has gone beyond the cinematic experience with its social message, to a great extent thanks to the performance of its star, Daniela Vega.
Read MoreA Breakthrough Year for Brooklynn Prince of ‘The Florida Project’
Seven-year-old Brooklynn Prince is sitting in a darkened TV studio with lights, cameras and control panels all around her. “Mission to Mars, mission to Mars,” she says. “This is Apollo.”
Read More‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Mostly Finds Its Force With Critics
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” won warm reviews from most critics on Tuesday, a day before the latest installment in the sci-fi saga begins hitting movie theaters worldwide in what
Read MoreLanguage of ‘First They Killed My Father’ Resonates With Cambodian-Americans
Propelled by the power of hearing their stories in their own language, some Cambodian American audience members fled in tears from a screening of First They Killed My Father, the Angelina
Read MoreFemale Directors Snubbed, Plummer Surprises at Golden Globe Nominations
Women were shut out of the directors race at the 2018 Golden Globe nominations Monday, while Ridley Scott’s scramble to reshoot All the Money in the World led to a
Read MoreMary Blige, Mariah Carey, Nick Jonas Get Golden Globe Nods
Mary J. Blige is dancing into the Golden Globe Awards as a double nominee — for her acting and songwriting — while Mariah Carey, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Nick Jonas
Read More