The organizers of Grand Slam tennis tournaments released a statement Tuesday expressing concern for top player Naomi Osaka after she had withdrawn from the French Open. Osaka had stated she would not be doing media interviews for the duration of the tournament to protect her mental health. Tournament organizers said this would not be…
Thailand Welcomes Back Stolen Artifacts After San Francisco Forfeiture
Thailand held a welcoming ceremony Monday to mark the return of two ancient handcarved artifacts that were stolen decades ago and smuggled out of the country to the United States.The two 680-kilogram Khmer-style stone carvings had been on display at the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, which was required to forfeit them when a…
Osaka: ‘Best Thing’ for French Open Would Be Her Withdrawal
Naomi Osaka wrote on Twitter on Monday that “the best thing for the tournament” would be if she withdrew from the French Open, a dramatic turn of events for the four-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player.She had declared she would not speak to the media during Roland Garros and was fined $15,000…
Brazil to Host Copa America as Pandemic-Hit Argentina Withdraws
Next month’s Copa America soccer tournament will take place in Brazil, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Monday, as it thanked President Jair Bolsonaro for stepping in after original host Argentina pulled out after a surge of COVID-19 cases. The surprise decision, which relocates the competition from one South American coronavirus hot…
Fueling Box Office Rebound, ‘Quiet Place’ Opens With $58.5M asso
Moviegoing increasingly looks like it didn’t die during the pandemic. It just went into hibernation. John Krasinski’s thriller sequel “A Quiet Place Part II” opened over the Memorial Day weekend to a pandemic-best $48.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Including the Monday holiday, the studio forecasts the film will gross $58.5 million in…
‘Tarzan’ Actor Joe Lara Among 7 Presumed Dead in US Plane Crash
All seven passengers aboard a plane, including “Tarzan” actor Joe Lara and his diet guru wife, are presumed dead after it crashed in a lake near the U.S. city of Nashville, authorities said. The small business jet crashed at around 11:00 am local time Saturday, shortly after taking off from the Smyrna, Tennessee airport…
Most Medical Staff Needed for Olympics Secured, Games Official Says
The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have secured about 80% of the medical staff needed to stage the Games, a top Olympic official told Reuters on Monday, amid worries over infections and the slow rollout of vaccinations in the Japanese capital. Toshiaki Endo, vice president of the Games organizing committee, said some domestic spectators could be…
Brazil’s Castroneves Wins Indianapolis 500 for 4th Time
Helio Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday for a record-equaling fourth time, in front of the largest crowd to attend a sporting event in the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The 46-year-old Brazilian surged to the front with two laps to go and held off a challenge from hard-charging Spanish young…
Egypt Bets on Ancient Finds to Pull Tourism out of Pandemic
Workers dig and ferry wheelbarrows laden with sand to open a new shaft at a bustling archaeological site outside of Cairo, while a handful of Egyptian archaeologists supervise from garden chairs. The dig is at the foot of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, arguably the world’s oldest pyramid, and is one of many recent excavations…
Actor MacLeod, ‘Love Boat’ Captain, Dies at 90
Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved stardom as Murray Slaughter, the sardonic TV news writer on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” before going on to even bigger fame as the cheerful Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90. MacLeod died early Saturday, his nephew, Mark See, told Variety. MacLeod’s health had…
New Paris Museum Offers Dazzling Display of Contemporary Art
As French cultural institutions reopen after months of coronavirus restrictions, a spectacular new museum has made its debut in Paris, housing the contemporary art collection of French billionaire Francois Pinault, including a number of prominent Black artists.A wax replica of The Rape of the Sabine Women by 16th century artist Giambologna at the Pinault Collection.…
‘In the Heights’ Celebrates Diversity in America
In the Heights, a film about the dreams and struggles of the Latino community in a New York neighborhood, is Lin Manuel Miranda’s love letter to the place where he grew up. It also represents Miranda’s high-stakes bet that people will flock to the theater after months of COVID restrictions. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more…
Hollywood Actors Say Local Theaters in California Under Threat
Some veteran Hollywood actors say a law intended to help gig economy workers has the unintended consequence of threatening nonprofit theaters. Mike O’Sullivan has the story from Los Angeles. Camera: Roy Kim, Rodmy Dorcil and Arturo Martinez …
Actor John Cena Faces Backlash in China over Taiwan Comment
Actor and professional wrestler John Cena has apologized to fans in China after he called Taiwan a country in a promotional interview for his upcoming film and became the latest celebrity to face the fury of Chinese nationalists. In a short video posted Tuesday on Chinese social media site Weibo, Cena did not refer to…
HBO Max Airs Highly-Anticipated ‘Friends’ Reunion
After so many years — and episode re-watches — could there BE anything left to learn about “Friends”?As the highly-anticipated, almost two-hour reunion special for HBO Max shows (and with apologies to Matthew Perry for continuing to borrow his lines), “Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.”One thing that we didn’t need to learn (because we…
Howard University Names College of Fine Arts for Chadwick Boseman
While studying at Howard University, young Chadwick Boseman helped lead a student protest against plans to merge his beloved College of Fine Arts into the College of Arts and Sciences. He failed in that goal, but 20 years later, the acclaimed actor is being posthumously honored as the namesake of Howard’s newly re-established Chadwick…
Amazon to Buy MGM, Studio Behind James Bond and ‘Shark Tank’
Amazon is going Hollywood. The online shopping giant is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, “Legally Blonde” and “Shark Tank,” with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch. Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it the company’s second-largest acquisition after it bought grocer…
‘Screenlife’ Films Gain Traction During Pandemic
Profile, a film by Timur Bekmambetov about an investigative journalist infiltrating recruitment practices online by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, is the latest of a series of ‘screenlife’ films, where everything the viewer sees happens on a computer or smartphone screen. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmaker and the cast. Camera: Penelope Poulou Produced by: Penelope Poulou …
Japan Says US Travel Warning for Virus Won’t Hurt Olympians
The Japanese government Tuesday was quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan would have an impact on Olympians wanting to compete in the postponed Tokyo Games. U.S. officials cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan caused by virus variants that may even be risks to vaccinated people. They didn’t…
Italy Eurovision Winners Return Home to Cheers, a Drug Test
The Italian glam rock band that won the Eurovision Song Contest returned home Sunday to the adulation of fans, congratulations from the government and so much speculation that the lead singer had snorted cocaine during the show that he vowed to take a drug test. “We want to shut down the rumors,” Maneskin lead singer…
Drake, Pink, The Weeknd Win Big at Billboard Music Awards
It was a family affair at the Billboard Music Awards: Pink twirled in the air in a powerful performance with her daughter, and Drake was named artist of the decade, accepting the honor alongside his 3-year-old son. Drake, who extended his record as the most decorated winner in the history of the awards show to…
China Probes Deaths of 21 Runners After Freak Weather Hits Ultra-marathon
An investigation was underway Monday into the deaths of 21 runners during a mountain ultra-marathon in northwest China, as harrowing testimony emerged from survivors who battled to safety through freezing temperatures and bone-chilling winds. The extreme weather struck a high-altitude section of the 100-kilometer (62-mile) race held in the scenic Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu province Saturday afternoon. Provincial…
Ageless Wonder Mickelson Wins PGA to Be Oldest Major Champ
Phil Mickelson has delivered so many thrills and spills over 30 years of pure theater that no one ever knows what he will do next.His latest act was a real stunner: A major champion at age 50.Mickelson captured his sixth major and by far the most surprising Sunday at the PGA Championship. He made two…
Rome Band Brings Eurovision Back Where Song Contests Began
Italy woke up Sunday to news that a glam rock band who got their start busking on Rome’s main shopping drag had won the Eurovision Song Contest and was bringing next year’s competition back to the place where Europe’s song contests began. From the premier’s office on down, congratulations poured in Sunday from the Italian establishment…
Italian Eurovision Singer to Take ‘Voluntary Drug Test,’ Organizers Say
The singer for Italy’s Eurovision Song Contest winning rockers Maneskin will take a voluntary drug test after denying speculation that he was snorting cocaine during the broadcast, organizers said Sunday. Red lederhosen-clad vocalist Damiano David will be tested after going back to Italy, following viral footage of him leaning over a table in the hospitality area…
Rock Band Maneskin Wins Eurovision Song Contest for Italy
Move over sequins, disco beats and power ballads. A four-piece band of Italian rockers won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday.Maneskin’s win was only the third victory for Italy in the immensely popular contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990.Italy, the bookmakers’ favorite, trailed Switzerland, France…
IOC VP: Tokyo Olympics to Go Ahead Even if State of Emergency
The IOC vice president in charge of the postponed Tokyo Olympics said Friday the games would open in just over two months even if the city and other parts of Japan were under a state of emergency because of rising COVID-19 cases. John Coates, speaking from Australia in a virtual news conference with Tokyo…
BBC, Journalist Bashir Criticized Over 1995 Princess Diana Interview
An inquiry into how the BBC secured the 1995 interview with Britain’s Princess Diana in which she disclosed intimate details of her failed marriage concluded on Thursday that the journalist involved had acted deceitfully. The BBC set up the investigation, headed by former senior Court judge John Dyson, in November following allegations from Diana’s brother Charles…