Tours and Travels
Participants of the Extreme Chainsaw Carving Show have just a few hours to turn a cedar block of wood into a beautiful work of art. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya reports from Arlington, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. …
LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas will be flooded with so many pre- Super Bowl events that Shaquille O’Neal lowered the prices to his popular carnival-themed “Shaq’s Fun House.” Instead of raising the rate, O’Neal decided to offer potential attendees more bang for their buck to the NBA legend’s sixth annual event planned for Friday in Sin …
Read more “Stars, Athletes Plan to Flock Las Vegas for Super Bowl Events”
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Annette Bening, a two-time Golden Globe winner who recently received her fifth Oscar nomination, was feted Tuesday with a raucous parade full of colorful costumes and drag performers as part of festivities honoring her as Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2024 Woman of the Year. A few hours later, Benning endured a celebrity …
Read more “Annette Bening Honored as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year”
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LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift won album of the year at the Grammy Awards for “Midnights,” breaking the record for most wins in the category with four. She began her speech by thanking her producer and friend Jack Antonoff and added, “I would love to tell you this is the happiest moment of my life,” she …
Read more “Taylor Swift Wins Album of the Year At The Grammy Awards for 4th Time”
Karachi, Pakistan — There’s a scrum of people trying to get photos with the married couple at the Radiance banquet hall, and you can barely hear someone talk above the din of 400 guests tucking into biryani and chicken tikka, music and the drone whirring around the room. The bejeweled bride and her natty groom are …
Read more “Pakistan’s Wedding Season Heats Up in Cool Weather”
A new documentary called “Vishniac” tells the story of 20th century Jewish photographer Roman Vishniac, who was born in Russia, escaped the Holocaust, and eventually settled in America. His iconic photographs later helped inform the movie “Schindler’s List.” Anna Nelson has this report, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by: Elena Matusovsky, Natalia Latukhina. …
LOS ANGELES — The 66th Grammy Awards are set to take place Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Women outpace men in the major categories, so expect to see a spotlight on its female nominees. “That’s the same throughout the show, really — it’s dominated by …
Read more “2024 Grammys: SZA, Phoebe Bridgers, Victoria Monet Leading Nominations “
New York — Apple has had its first box office flop. “Argylle,” the $200-million star-studded spy thriller from Apple Studios, debuted with $18 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film, directed by Matthew Vaughn, managed to lead the weekend box office, but still found little interest from moviegoers. Although Apple has been …
Read more “‘Argylle,’ With Checkered Reviews, Flops With $18M for Big-Budget Apple Release”
New York — A collection of sneakers that superstar Michael Jordan wore as he and the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships has fetched $8 million at auction, setting a record for game-worn sneakers, Sotheby’s said. The six Air Jordan shoes — one apiece from the last games of the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and …
Read more “6 Shoes, $8 Million: Auction of Michael Jordan’s Sneakers Sets Record”
“Our Big Chief told us he doesn’t want us out there this Mardi Gras because of COVID,” Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley told VOA. “He said it wasn’t safe for our members or for the public watching us.”Until this year, Hartley took part in a festive New Orleans tradition dating back to the 1800s, the Mardi …
Read more “For This Year’s Mardi Gras, New Orleans Lets the Good Times Roll at Home”
Аграрії на більш ніж половині території України вже мають справу з наслідками змін клімату, заявив міністр аграрної політики та продовольства Роман Лещенко під час обговорення проєкту Національної економічної стратегії-2030 16 лютого. Лещенко перелічив ключові перетворення, які належить пройти аграрному сектору: фіналізацію земельної реформи, реалізацію національного проєкту зрошення та меліорації та створення інституту агрострахування, «щоб аграрії …
Міністр аграрної політики і продовольства Роман Лещенко анонсував запуск геопорталу відкритих даних у найближчі кілька тижнів. Про це він заявив під час обговорення проєкту Національної економічної стратегії-2030 16 лютого. Лещенко звернув увагу на реформи в агропромисловій галузі, які уряд здійснив протягом 2020 року. Серед них – скасування мораторію на продаж сільськогосподарських земель і закон про …
Read more “Лещенко анонсував геопортал даних про природні ресурси «найближчими тижнями»”
France says it will not draw down its troop presence in Africa’s Sahel region, despite earlier reports that it could bring home hundreds of soldiers following significant gains against extremists.Addressing via videoconference regional leaders from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Chad, French President Emmanuel Macron said there would be no immediate reduction of French troops …
British police in the central city of Birmingham have issued thousands of dollars in fines after raiding two makeshift clubs hosting revelers in violation of COVID-19 restrictions. The West Midlands Police department released video of the February 14 raid on an illegal club, with about 150 people partying on two floors, complete with VIP area, …
Read more “British Police Raid Clubs that Violate COVID-19 Restrictions”
“Our Big Chief told us he doesn’t want us out there this Mardi Gras because of COVID,” Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley told VOA. “He said it wasn’t safe for our members or for the public watching us.”Until this year, Hartley took part in a festive New Orleans tradition dating back to the 1800s, the Mardi …
На українському міжбанківському валютному ринку котирування в парі гривня-долар 16 лютого стабілізувалися поблизу позначки 27,80. Це сталося після значних коливань 15 лютого, коли на малооб’ємному через вихідний день у США ринку спекулянти спершу підвищили котирування до 28 гривень за долар і навіть більше, а потім опустили до 27 гривень 78 копійок. За даними Finance.ua, станом …
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing her commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, a White House statement said on Monday. “Vice President Harris and President Macron agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVID-19, climate change, and support democracy at home and around the world,” the statement said. Since President Joe …
Read more “VP Harris and France’s Macron Discuss Cooperation”
More than 150 million people in the central and southern United States were under winter storm warnings or advisories Monday, with record-breaking cold temperatures gripping the nation from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. The south-central state of Texas may be takin g the worst of the winter weather. Hit by ice …
Read more “Winter Weather, Record Cold Grips Much of Central-Southern US”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday suggested he would support a global treaty on pandemics that would establish standards for data-sharing and transparency. Johnson made the comment during his usual COVID-19 briefing from his office in London, when asked about the World Health Organization team’s recently concluded visit to Wuhan, China, to investigate the source …
To every sport, there’s a season, a spot on the calendar that fans mark for the big event. World Series, October. College hoops, March. Indy 500, Memorial Day. For dog owners, it’s right around Valentine’s Day. That’s when they normally cuddle up on the couch with their precious pooch to watch the Super Bowl of …
Read more “Good Dogs! 20 Years of Covering Westminster Kennel Club Show”
Приватизувати Одеський припортовий завод та інші об’єкти зі списку «великої приватизації» можна буде тільки після рішення парламенту – наразі законопроєкт про зняття мораторію розглядається у Верховній Раді. Про це журналістам, відповідаючи на запитання Радіо Свобода, повідомив керівник регіонального відділення Фонду державного майна України в Одеській і Миколаївській областях Олександр Славський. «Кабінет міністрів разом із Фондом …
Larry the cat, a four-legged inhabitant of London’s 10 Downing St., is marking a decade as Britain’s mouse-catcher in chief on Monday. The tabby cat was recruited by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to deal with a pack of rats seen scuttling close to the British leader’s official residence and entered Downing Street on Feb. …
Read more “UK’s Chief Mouser Celebrates 10 Years On the Prowl”
У 2020 році обсяги іпотечного кредитування зросли на третину до 3,8 мільярда гривень, повідомила у понеділок пресслужба Національного банку України з посиланням на результати опитувань банків щодо виданих іпотечних кредитів у листопаді та грудні 2020 року. «За результатами останнього опитування банки повідомили, що в грудні 2020 року вони видали 743 кредити на загальну суму 521 …
Read more “Торік обсяги іпотечного кредитування зросли на третину – НБУ щодо опитування банків”