‘The Fall Guy’ gives Hollywood muted summer kickoff with $28.5M opening
New York — “The Fall Guy,” the Ryan Gosling-led, action-comedy ode to stunt performers, opened below expectations with $28.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, providing a lukewarm start to a
Read MoreFirst patient to get gene-edited pig kidney transplant dies
Washington — The first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the procedure, the US hospital that carried it out said. “Mass General
Read MorePrada focuses generational transition on Italian artisans
TORGIANO, Italy — The Prada Group is expanding its production footprint in Italy, including dozens of new jobs at its knitwear factory in Umbria, leaning into “Made in Italy” as integral
Read MoreDogs entering US must be 6 months old, microchipped to prevent rabies spread
New York — All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new
Read MoreVatican and Rome begin dash to 2025 Jubilee with papal bull, construction
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican crossed a key milestone Thursday in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year. It’s a once-every-quarter-century
Read MoreUS dedicates $60 million to saving water along the Rio Grande
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — The U.S. government is dedicating $60 million over the next few years to projects along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico and West Texas to make
Read MoreIt’s not a matter of if a hurricane will hit Florida, but when, forecasters say
SANFORD, Florida — With the start of hurricane season less than a month away, U.S. officials who predict, prepare for and respond to natural disasters had a message for Floridians on
Read MoreSwitzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision contest
MALMO, Sweden — Switzerland on Saturday won Eurovision 2024 in the Swedish host city Malmo, beating runner-up Croatia, after having been among bookmakers’ top-three to win the competition. Billed as a
Read MoreDutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before final
MALMO, Sweden — The Netherlands’ contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday’s final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests
Read MoreUrgent needs of refugees, vulnerable people surge in flood-hit Brazil
GENEVA — As Brazil’s heavily flooded southern state of Rio Grande do Sul braces for a weekend of intense rain, the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, is calling for greater support to
Read MoreUN reports 300 deaths from flash floods in northern Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The United Nations and Taliban authorities said Saturday that the death toll from flash floods following heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province had risen to a least
Read MoreHaitians seeking solace from unrelenting gang violence turn to Vodou
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Vodou faithful sing, their voices rising above the gunfire erupting miles away as frantic drumbeats drown out their troubles. They pause to swig rum out of small
Read MoreLiam, Olivia still the most popular US baby names
WASHINGTON — Liam and Olivia have for a fifth year together topped the list of baby names for brand new boys and girls born in the U.S. in 2023. And Mateo
Read MoreFirst ‘extreme’ solar storm in 20 years brings spectacular auroras
Washington — The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies from Tasmania to Britain — and threatening possible
Read MoreCountries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid COVID-era mistakes
geneva — After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later,
Read MoreFlash floods kill 72 people in one day in northern Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — Taliban officials have reported that heavy seasonal rains caused flash floods in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, killing at least 72 people on Friday. Hedayatullah Hamdard, the head of the
Read MoreScores of sick, starving pelicans found along California coast
NEWPORT BEACH, California — Scores of sick and starving pelicans have been found in coastal California communities in recent weeks and many others have died. Lifeguards spotted a cluster of two
Read MorePresident Biden cheers Las Vegas Aces and women’s basketball
washington — President Joe Biden welcomed the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to the White House on Thursday, celebrating what he called a “banner year” for women’s basketball. “It matters
Read MoreTorchbearers in Marseille kick off Olympic flame’s journey across France
MARSEILLE, France — Joyful crowds gathered along the streets of France’s southern port of Marseille on Thursday to see torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame through the city’s most emblematic sites, a
Read MoreNigerians turn to unproven asthma treatments as inhaler costs rise
ABUJA, NIGERIA — In Nigeria, soaring inhaler costs pose a significant challenge for asthma patients, especially as the world marked Asthma Day this week. The departure of multinational firms like GSK,
Read MoreHeavy metal music finds a home in Indonesia
Heavy metal music is controversial in some conservative societies but quite popular in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. As VOA’s Dave Grunebaum reports, heavy metal has a home in Indonesia.
Read MoreHeavy metal music has a home in Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia — The sounds from guitars strumming and drums beating sears through the air. Crowds dance in circles while thumping their heads back and forth. Some 38,000 fans attended Hammersonic
Read MoreMet Gala in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among stars
New York — It’s Met Gala time and the fashion parade of A-listers Monday included a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet surrounded by foliage. Jennifer Lopez
Read More‘The Fall Guy’ gives Hollywood a muted kickoff with $28.5M
New York — “The Fall Guy,” the Ryan Gosling-led, action-comedy ode to stunt performers, opened below expectations with $28.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, providing a lukewarm start to a
Read MoreMadonna’s biggest-ever concert transforms Rio beach into a massive dance floor
RIO DE JANEIRO — Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a
Read MoreChinese hip-hop performers seek a voice that reflects their lives
CHENGDU, China — In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nation’s entertainment industry: Don’t feature artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any
Read MoreIraq rainstorm flooding kills hikers, officials say
Sulaimaniyah, Iraq — Floods caused by torrential rainstorms have killed four hikers in the Sulaimaniyah region of northern Iraq, local officials told AFP. “Four members of a hiking team drowned because
Read MorePakistan records its wettest April since 1961 with above average rainfall
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has recorded its wettest April since 1961, with more than double the usual rainfall for the month, the national weather center said. The country experienced days of extreme
Read MoreKentucky Derby could be a wet one
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Twenty horses stampeding toward the first turn in a battle for position. A screaming crowd of 150,000 and maybe some showers that dampen the Churchill Downs dirt strip.
Read MoreWhat could a woman president in Mexico mean for abortion rights?
MEXICO CITY — If a woman wins Mexico’s presidency on June 2, would she rule with gender in mind? The question has been raised by academics, humans rights organizations and activists
Read MoreParis Olympic athletes’ meals will have French flair
PARIS — Freshly cooked bread, select cheeses and a broad veggie offer will be among the meals to be offered to athletes and visitors during the 2024 Paris Olympics — including,
Read MoreSanctions, hobbled economy hit Iran’s traditional carpet weavers hard
KASHAN, Iran — The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell
Read MoreIn Ukraine, damaged church rises as a symbol of faith, culture
LYPIVKA, Ukraine — This Orthodox Easter season, an extraordinary new church is bringing spiritual comfort to war-weary residents of the Ukrainian village of Lypivka. Two years ago, it also provided physical
Read MoreChina sending probe to less-explored far side of moon
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China is preparing to launch a lunar probe Friday that would land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into
Read MoreArizona’s governor signs bill to repeal 1864 abortion law
phoenix — Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has relegated a Civil War-era ban on most abortions to the past by signing a bill Thursday to repeal it. Hobbs said the move
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