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…
Ivory Coast Strives to Save Architectural Treasures in Former Colonial Capital
The Ivory Coast resort town of Grand-Bassam is known for its beaches and French colonial architecture. Recent flooding and the passage of time have taken a toll on the city’s historic buildings, but some people are determined to fix things, as Yassin Ciyow found in this report narrated by Carol Guensberg.Camera: Yassin Ciyow Produced by: Robert Raffaele …
Star Charles Grodin, of ‘Midnight Run,’ ‘Heartbreak Kid’ Fame, Dies
Charles Grodin, the droll, offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in “The Heartbreak Kid” and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro’s counterpart in the comic thriller “Midnight Run” to the bedeviled father in the “Beethoven” comedies, has died. He was 86. Grodin died Tuesday in Wilton, Connecticut, from bone marrow…
Eurovision Song Contest is Back, Ready to Defy the Pandemic
Pounding beats? Check. Uplifting lyrics? Check. Huge, backlit white wings? Check. After last year’s Eurovision Song Contest was canceled amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is roaring back to life this year with coronavirus bubbles added to its heady mix of music and melodrama. National delegations traveling to the Dutch port city of Rotterdam are abiding by…
Rwandan Supporters Welcome Basketball Africa League Games Spotlight
The first game of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) tips off on Sunday in Rwanda, and fans of the sport say they hope the new league, and playing host to the games, will shine a spotlight on African players and help promote the sport in Africa.Competition was to have begun last year but was put…
Broadcaster Conover Remembered as Jazz Ambassador
May 17 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Willis Conover, the Voice of America broadcaster who helped popularize American jazz worldwide. Mike O’Sullivan looks back on his career and global impact on music and diplomacy.Producer (opening segment): Jimi Cook. …
Rombauer Scores Upset in Preakness Stakes
Rombauer romped to an 11-1 upset victory Saturday in the Preakness, denying Bob Baffert-trained Kentucky Derby winner Medina Sprint the chance at a Triple Crown that would have come with a giant asterisk.Medina Spirit finished third in the 1 3/16-mile race and was passed for the first time in his career after starting as the…
Africa Hits the Court with Professional Basketball League Debut
Twenty-six games, writing a major chapter of African sports history. That’s the narrative of the inaugural season of the new Basketball Africa League, an offshoot of the U.S. National Basketball Association. The action tips off Sunday, in Rwanda’s capital. Basketball is not currently the continent’s favorite sport. That trophy goes to…
Top US Squash Player Trains for Major Tournaments, While Fasting
A Pakistani immigrant who is now an American citizen is working hard to bring glory to U.S. professional squash in upcoming tournaments. Training was especially hard for Shahjahan Khan during Ramadan, as Saba Shah Khan reports.Producer: Saba Shah Khan. Camera: Matt Dibble, Qazafi Babar. …
Millions of African Muslims Mark Eid Holiday Amid Uncertain Times
Eid al-Fitr is a special time of year for nearly half of Africa’s population, who are adherents of Islam. But this year’s celebration is different amid a continuing pandemic and the devastation it has caused across the continent. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Johannesburg.Camera: Zaheer Cassim, Amos Wangwa Produced by: Marcus Harton …
Champions League Final Moved from Istanbul to Porto Due to COVID-19 Risks
The Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea on May 29 has been moved from Istanbul to Porto to allow English fans to travel under COVID-19 restrictions, European soccer’s governing body UEFA said on Thursday. The final was scheduled for Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium, but Turkey was last week put on Britain’s travel ‘red…
International Olympic Committee Confident of Successful Tokyo Games Despite Opposition
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday said it supported Japanese measures to counter COVID-19 and was confident the Tokyo Olympics would be a “historic” event, despite wide public opposition. With less than three months to go before the games begin on July 23, Japan is battling a surge in coronavirus infections. A majority of its population…
Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Go-Go’s in Rock Hall on first try
Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and the Go-Go’s were elected Wednesday to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame their first time on the ballot, leading a class that also includes Tina Turner, Carole King and Todd Rundgren. Each will be honored during an induction ceremony in Cleveland on Oct. 30 before what organizers hope is a…
Amid Outcry, NBC Says it Will Not Air Golden Globes in 2022
Amid growing pressure on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association from studios, stars and large swaths of the film industry, NBC said Monday that will not air the Golden Globes in 2022, putting in doubt the viability of one of Hollywood’s oldest and most-watched award shows. In a statement, the network said it believes the press…
Emerging from Pandemic, Smithsonian Re-opens Eight of its Museums
After more than a year in shutdown brought on by the pandemic, eight Smithsonian Museum facilities in and around Washington are reopening this month. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Camera: Mike Burke Produced by: Julie Taboh / Mike Burke …
China Turns to Naturalized Players to Save World Cup Hopes
China on Monday named five foreign-born players for critical World Cup qualifiers starting later this month as the world’s most populous country steps up its controversial naturalization policy.China, who have big ambitions but are perennial underachievers ranked 77th in the world, began drafting in players born overseas in 2019 in a quick fix to reach…
Amid Opposition, Japan PM Says has ‘Never Put Olympics First’
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that he has never “put the Olympics first”, the same day an opinion poll showed nearly 60% of people in Japan want the Olympics cancelled less than three months before they begin. Japan has extended a state of emergency in Tokyo until the end of May and is…
Sunday is Mother’s Day in US
Sunday is Mother’s Day in the United States.The second Sunday in May is a day especially designated to show moms and other mother figures how much they are loved and appreciated. It is a day full of cards and flowers, telephone calls and acts of kindness for moms. Many moms enjoy breakfast in bed on…
Dogecoin Tumbles After Elon Musk Calls it a ‘Hustle’ on Saturday Night Live
The value of dogecoin dropped sharply in early U.S. hours on Sunday, after Tesla chief and cryptocurrency supporter Elon Musk called it a ‘hustle’ during his guest-host spot on the “Saturday Night Live” comedy sketch TV show. Dogecoin was quoted as low as $0.47 on crypto exchange Binance, down 28% from levels around $0.65 before the…
In the French Language, Steps Forward and Back for Women
The fight to make the French language kinder to women took steps forward, and back, this week. Warning that the well-being of France and its future are at stake, the government banned the use in schools of a method increasingly used by some French speakers to make the language more inclusive by feminizing some…
Netflix Series Signals Racial Breakthrough in Italian TV
The Netflix series “Zero,” which premiered globally last month, is the first Italian TV production to feature a predominantly Black cast, a bright spot in an otherwise bleak Italian television landscape where the persistent use of racist language and imagery is sparking new protests. Even as “Zero” creates a breakthrough in Italian TV history,…
Pfizer, BioNTech to Donate Coronavirus Vaccine to Olympians
Pfizer and BioNTech will donate their COVID-19 vaccine to athletes training for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday. Doses are expected to be delivered later this month, which would be in time for the athletes to be fully immunized for the games, starting July 23. “We are inviting the athletes and participating delegations…
Broadway Readies Imminent Ticket Sales for a Fall Reopening
Many Broadway productions are scrambling to resume ticket sales in the coming days to welcome theater-goers this fall after city and state leaders have green-lit a reopening of the Great White Way at full capacity by mid-September.”We remain cautiously optimistic about Broadway’s ability to resume performances this fall and are happy that fans can start…
Spain’s Bullrings Reopen and Reignite Fiery Debate
As its COVID-19 lockdown eases, Spain has resumed bullfights — and reignited a fiery political debate between right-wingers who defend the tradition and leftists who condemn it as animal cruelty. Jonathan Spier narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona.Camera: Alfonso Beato …
Tokyo Olympics Test Event Praised By Key Track & Field Official
An Olympic test event to evaluate COVID-19 safety protocols for the upcoming Tokyo Games has won praise from the head of the world governing body of track and field. Organizers of Wednesday’s test marathon race in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo pleaded with the general public not to attend the event, even deploying…