Madrid’s tree-lined Paseo del Prado boulevard and the adjoining Retiro park have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list.The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, holding an online meeting from Fuzhou, China, backed the candidacy on Sunday that highlighted the green area’s introduction of nature into Spain’s capital. The influence the properties have had on the designs…
Jackie Mason, Comic Who Perfected Amused Outrage, Dies at 93
Jackie Mason, a rabbi-turned-comedian whose feisty brand of standup comedy led him to Catskills nightclubs, West Coast talk shows and Broadway stages, has died. He was 93. Mason died Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan after being hospitalized for more than two weeks, celebrity lawyer Raul Felder told The Associated Press. The…
Somali-American Designer Debuts Hijabs at Nordstrom
A Somali-American fashion designer is launching a line of headscarves with a major North American retailer to give Muslim women more options and to make hijabs more visible to U.S. shoppers. VOA Somali’s Maxamud Mascadde has our story from the Midwest state of Minnesota, narrated by Radhia Adam. …
Cleveland’s Major League Baseball Team Goes from Indians to Guardians
Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will be called Guardians.The ballclub announced the name change Friday — effective at the end of the 2021 season — with a video on Twitter narrated by actor and team fan Tom Hanks. The decision ends months of internal discussions triggered by a national…
UN Chief Calls on Warring Parties to Observe Olympic Truce
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all warring parties to observe the traditional Olympic truce during the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan, and to pursue cease-fires and lasting peace after the competitions end.The U.N. chief said in a video message Thursday that athletes from around the world have had to overcome “enormous obstacles”…
Unvaccinated US Swimmer Sparks Debate as Olympics Start
A debate is brewing between former gold medalist Maya DiRado and some American swimmers over U.S. medal threat Michael Andrew’s decision not to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as he prepares to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.DiRado sparked the discourse this week with a lengthy thread on Twitter in which she wrote that she’s…
Flagbearers to Send Messages of Equality and Justice at Olympic Opening Ceremony
Many Olympic nations are expected to demonstrate their support for gender equality and racial justice on Friday night with their selections of athletes to carry flags at the opening ceremony.The International Olympic Committee changed it rules and asked each nation to select two flagbearers in an effort to increase gender equality at the Tokyo Games.Gold-medal…
Olympic Games an Afterthought for Some Americans
Barring another postponement, Friday’s opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will launch competitions overshadowed by a pandemic that has already forced a major delay, has interfered with the pageantry ahead of the Games, and will keep spectators from the stands and prevent some athletes from competing at all.For casual observers in the United States, excitement…
Midler, Gordy Among New Kennedy Center Honorees
The Kennedy Center Honors will return in December with a class that includes Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, “Saturday Night Live” mastermind Lorne Michaels and actress-singer Bette Midler.Organizers expect to operate at full capacity, after last year’s ceremony was delayed for months and later conducted under COVID-19 restrictions.This 44th class of honorees for lifetime achievement…
Brisbane Picked to Host 2032 Olympics Without Rival Bid
Brisbane was picked Wednesday to host the 2032 Olympics, the inevitable winner of a one-city race steered by the IOC to avoid rival bids.The Games will go back to Australia 32 years after the popular 2000 Sydney Olympics. Melbourne hosted in 1956.“We know what it takes to deliver a successful Games in Australia,” Prime Minister…
Athletes Expected to Speak Their Minds at Tokyo Games
Since the last Summer Olympics in 2016, a global Black Lives Matter protest movement has resurfaced. The “Me Too” movement sprung up in support of women’s rights. And both may influence the Tokyo Games, which are expected to be a major platform for athlete activism.Several high-profile athletes competing at the Games have been at the…
Milwaukee Bucks Win NBA Championship
Giannis Antetokounmpo had the Larry O’Brien Trophy in one arm, the NBA Finals MVP trophy in the other and there was a cigar on the table in front of him.All the work it took to lift the Milwaukee Bucks from a team that won 15 games when he was a rookie to one with 16…
Women’s Softball Leads Off Postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics
The Japanese women’s softball team posted an 8-1 rout of Australia Wednesday to usher in the Tokyo Olympic Games. The Games, delayed for a year by the pandemic, got off to a quiet start when Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno tossed the first pitch to Australian leadoff hitter Michelle Cox at a near-empty stadium in the northwest city…
Muslims Mark Eid Al-Adha Holiday in Pandemic’s Shadow
Muslims around the world were observing Tuesday yet another major Islamic holiday in the shadow of the pandemic and amid growing concerns about the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus.Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” is typically marked by communal prayers, large social gatherings, slaughtering of livestock and giving meat to the needy.…
In Mecca, Women Take Part in Hajj as ‘Guardian’ Rule Dropped
Bushra Shah, a 35-year-old Pakistani, says she is realizing a childhood dream by making the great pilgrimage to Mecca, and under new rules she’s doing it without a male guardian.The hajj ministry has officially allowed women of all ages to make the pilgrimage without a male relative, known as a “mehrem,” on the condition that…
Dane Who Drew Controversial Muhammad Caricature Dies at 86
Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose image of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban was at the center of widespread anti-Danish anger in the Muslim world in the mid-2000s, has died. He was 86. Westergaard’s family announced his death to Danish media late Sunday and told the newspaper Berlingske that Westergaard died in his…
Teaching Others the Tradition of Making Babkas
Pastry chef Shimi Aaron fell in love with babkas — a dessert that originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Aaron started making his own, and today he is teaching others how to make this unusual pastry. Genia Dulot met with the chef to hear his story.Camera: Genia Dulot …
Chess Brings Hope to Kenya Youth in Informal Settlement
More than half of the Kenyan capital’s nearly five million people live in slums, where many young people are lured by drugs and crime. In one neighborhood, a group is using the game of chess to help transform the lives of young people. We are in Mukuru Kwa Njenga an informal settlement that is…
American Gymnastics Alternate Tests Positive at Olympics
An alternate on the United States women’s gymnastics team has tested positive for COVID-19 in an Olympic training camp in Japan.Olympic champion Simone Biles was not affected, nor were any of the other favorites to win the team gold, but another alternate was placed into isolation because of contact tracing, USA Gymnastics said Monday.”One of…
The ‘No Fun’ Olympics May Struggle to Attract Viewers
Cavernous, empty stadiums. Do-it-yourself medal presentations. A prohibition on athlete high-fives and hugs. Those are just a few of the ways the Summer Olympics will look different this year, as the pandemic forces organizers to forgo many Olympic traditions. The Tokyo Games, which start Friday, will instead rely on technological innovations, including fan selfies and other…
Hajj in Mecca Pared Back Due to COVID for 2nd Year
Tens of thousands of vaccinated Muslim pilgrims circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday but remained socially distanced and wore masks as the coronavirus takes its toll on the hajj for a second year running.The hajj pilgrimage, which once drew about 2.5 million Muslims from all walks of life around the globe, is now…
Пане Зеленський: “ДТЕК Київські електромережі” з порушенням правил підключила маєток Ахметова
Національна комісія, що здійснює державне регулювання у сферах енергетики та комунальних послуг заявила про несанкціоноване і неправомірне приєднання до мереж об’єкта в селі Плюти (Київська область), який є місцем проживання Ріната Ахметова. “У 2018 році компанія видала технічні умови на приєднання об’єкту, який знаходиться поза межами території здійснення ліцензованої діяльності компанії, а саме для…
Atikatrans.com.ua – шахраї! Українці – будьте обережні!
Кожне шахрайство – це поєднання довірливості людини та «майстерності» злочинця. Аферисти використовують відомі психологічні тактики, щоб змусити жертву добровільно віддати гроші. Наприклад, днями в Маріуполі жінці зателефонував незнайомець з шокуючою новиною: її син скоїв ДТП і щоб звільнити його від покарання, терміново потрібно 7’000 євро. Граючи на материнських почуттях, чоловік не давав їй покласти…
ТОВ ОРАНЖ ГРУП – друг путіна і злодій ЄГОРОВ, де СБУ?
В експлуатацію ще не здали, а тріщини вже є. Свою оцінку експерти пояснюють наступним чином: по-перше, замість вікон у квартирі встановлено звичайне скло. Та якщо вікна забудовник має замінити своїм коштом, то за батарею готуйтеся заплатити з власної кишені. Як стверджує будівельник, бренд нібито обрано непоганий, але на всю площу квартир обігріву від…
Колись зе-, тепер може бути твоєю. Мендель задекларувала зарплатню вдвічі більшу, ніж у свого власника
Прессекретар президента України Юлія Мендель задекларувала понад 684 тисячі гривень зарплати на своїй посаді за минулий рік. Про це свідчать дані щорічної декларації, яка оприлюднена в реєстрі НАЗК. Згідно з декларацією, зарплата Мендель у 2020 році, отримана за основним місцем роботи в Державному управлінні справами, становила 684 тис. 48 грн. Ця сума в два…
Петро Заставний з Тернополя потрапили у скандал через вакцинацію
Петро Заставний та його дружина, відома блогерка Аліна Френдій вакцинувалися в київській клініці Син збанкрутілого мера Тернополя та народного депутата Романа Заставного Петро потрапив у скандал з вакцинацією у приватній клініці. Він з дружиною, так званою блогеркою (а насправді шль) Аліною Френдій, кілька днів тому отримали щеплення в київській приватній клініці Verum Expert Clinic.…
Director Lee Jumps Gun at Cannes, Says ‘Titane’ Wins Cannes Prize
Titane, a wildly imaginative film about a serial killer by French director Julia Ducournau, won the top Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, jury head Spike Lee told a ceremony Saturday before the award was slated to be revealed.In a moment of confusion when asked in French to reveal what one of the prizes was,…
Maryland-Based Visual Artist Finds Inspiration in US Social Issues
Suzanne Firstenberg is a self-described social issues artist who finds inspiration in America — economic inequality, racism and climate change, among other issues. She doesn’t limit herself to any particular medium but instead uses whatever she thinks works best to draw attention to the most pressing issues of our time. Maxim Moskalkov talked to the artist…