It was a life that took him from peanut farming to the presidency. While former President Jimmy Carter ‘s time in the White House lasted only one term, the decades afterward were defined by humanitarian work that affected people all around the world. Founding the Carter Center with his wife, Rosalynn, he became a global …
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — An Argentine judge confirmed charges against five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction, and ordered preventive prison for two of them for having supplied him with drugs. A judicial officer confirmed Monday the judge’s decision and said that one of the …
Read more “Argentine judge charges 5 people over death of former One Direction star Liam Payne”
NEW YORK — Linda Lavin, a Tony Award-winning stage actress who became a working class icon as a paper-hat wearing waitress on the TV sitcom “Alice,” has died. She was 87. Lavin died in Los Angeles on Sunday of complications from recently discovered lung cancer, her representative, Bill Veloric, told The Associated Press in an email. …
Read more “Linda Lavin, Tony-winning Broadway actress who starred in sitcom ‘Alice,’ dies at 87”
Two family films dominated the holiday box office this week, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” winning the three-day weekend over “Mufasa” by a blue hair. Paramount’s Sonic movie earned $38 million, while “Mufasa” brought in $37.1 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. On a normal weekend counting Friday, …
Read more “‘Sonic 3’ and ‘Mufasa’ battle for No. 1 at holiday box office”
MEXICO CITY — On a Sunday afternoon in Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood, Rosa María Espinosa joins nearly 80 men under a park pavilion to play poleana, a board game requiring mental dexterity that was born in the city’s prisons nearly a century ago. Espinosa blows smoke rings with her cigarette and laughs with the others. Today …
Read more “Mexican prison board game brings together people from all walks of life”
LONDON — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73. Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account said. Hussey was 15 when director …
Read more “Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies at 73”
The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages, from …
Read more “NORAD’s Santa tracker was Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids”
Washington — The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor Tuesday: It officially became the country’s national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United States Code to correct what had long …
Read more “Biden signs bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the US “
As Christians celebrate Christmas, Pope Francis, in his traditional Christmas message, urges “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions,” from the Holy Land to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. …
NEW DELHI — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90. His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films — Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan …
Read more “Legendary Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90”
For 92 years, the Hollywood Christmas Parade has featured celebrities and performers. This year, the parade includes the Divas and Drummers of Compton, a nonprofit working to give inner city kids an opportunity to learn performing arts. Genia Dulot reports from Los Angeles. …
Singer and actress Sofia Carson closes 2024 with her first action film role and a duet of the holiday classic “White Christmas” with Andrea Bocelli. Carson reflected on her bicultural roots and humanitarian work to VOA’s Veronica Villafane. …
The magic of Christmas is lighting up New York City, and nowhere is it more dazzling than in Dyker Heights, a neighborhood famous for its extravagant holiday displays. VOA’s Aron Ranen takes us to this festive wonderland. …
TAIPEI — A Chinese war plane goes missing near Taiwan. China sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei. The premise of “Zero Day,” a new Taiwan TV drama envisioning a Chinese invasion, is a topic that has for years …
Read more “Makers of Taiwan’s ‘Zero Day’ TV series set around invasion fear backlash from China”
Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900. For some rabbis, the intersection of the two religious holidays provides an auspicious occasion for interfaith engagement. “This can be a profound opportunity for learning and collaboration and togetherness,” said Rabbi Josh Stanton, a vice …
Read more “In a calendar rarity, Hanukkah starts this year on Christmas Day”
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Capitol buildings are almost always an imposing presence. As the seat of government, they tend to be elegant and stately — and frequently capped by a dome. Visitors to Pennsylvania ‘s Capitol are drawn to its priceless artwork, polished marble and intricate carvings, but hidden behind the doors of some of its most …
Read more “Custom clocks designed for Pennsylvania’s Capitol a century ago still ticking”
As another turbulent year ends, New Yorkers are finding an outlet for their emotions in an unusual place — a subway station wall. A public art project called Subway Therapy invites people to share their thoughts and feelings via colorful sticky notes, creating a collage of hopes, frustrations and reflections. Nina Vishneva has the story, …
Read more “New York subway art project lets riders share worries, hopes, dreams”
New York — In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” sped past the Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” debuted with $62 million in ticket sales …
The group behind a proposed breakaway European football competition is back. They have a new name for their tournament, too, calling it the Unify League this time. The latest idea for an elite competition for the biggest teams in Europe is being put forward by Madrid-based A22 Sports Management, which is seeking to change the …
Read more “Group behind new European football competition has resurfaces; here’s what they propose”
SAO PAULO — For decades, they have scrounged for food on streets across the country — undesired, abandoned and overlooked. But today, the caramel-colored mutts of Brazil are having a major moment. The “vira-lata caramelo” (literally: caramel trashcan-tipper) is being exalted in memes, videos, petitions, an upcoming Netflix film, a Carnival parade and draft legislation to …
Read more “Once overlooked, Brazilian caramel-colored stray dogs having a major moment”
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball’s leadoff position, has died. He was 65. Henderson died on Friday. The Athletics said Saturday they were “shocked and heartbroken by his passing,” but did not specify a cause of death. Known as baseball’s “Man of Steal,” Henderson had a …
Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning musical artist whose latest project tells the story of the U.S. transcontinental railroad — a story told through the eyes of its builders, including African American, Chinese, Japanese, Irish and Native American workers. It’s called “American Railroad,” and Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: …
Read more “New musical project tells 1800s story of US transcontinental railroad”
When Pope Francis left the Vatican earlier this month for his traditional Christmastime outing downtown, he acknowledged what many Romans have been complaining about for months: That his big plans for a Holy Year had turned their city into a giant construction pit, with traffic-clogging roadworks tearing up major thoroughfares, scaffolding covering prized monuments and …
Read more “Amid pope’s big Holy Year, overtourism aggravates housing crisis”
BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA — On Christmas Eve in 1741, Moravian settlers named this Pennsylvania city after the biblical birthplace of Jesus. Nearly 300 years later, Moravians continue celebrating their Christmas season traditions in Bethlehem. They include the “putz,” a Nativity scene that tells the story of Christ’s birth with miniature wooden figurines, the making of thousands of …