Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel Wins Miss Universe Competition

R’Bonney Gabriel, a fashion designer, model and sewing instructor from Texas who competition officials said is the first Filipino American to win Miss USA, was crowned Miss Universe on Saturday night. Gabriel closed her eyes and clasped hands with runner-up Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel, at the moment of the dramatic reveal of the winner, then…

Let’s Waltz! Vienna Ball Season Back in Full Swing

After COVID-19 restrictions had wiped out Vienna’s glamorous winter ball season for two years in a row, 50-year-old Wahyuni couldn’t wait any longer to get dolled up and put on her dazzling floral-patterned ballgown to once again waltz the night away. “We love to come here, because the very nice decorations are made out of…

International Writers Groups Call for Release of Detained Iranian Writers

The American and Sydney Pen Associations have issued a joint statement calling for the release of Ali Asadollahi, an Iranian poet, and other writers imprisoned in Iran. “Asadollahi has been an inspiring and leading poet of his generation,”   the statement said, and his work has been translated into English, Italian and French. Ali Asadollahi, who…

Iranian Chess Referee Spars with Governing Body Over Women’s Solidarity

Iranian chess referee Shohreh Bayat says a gesture of solidarity with female compatriots at a tournament in Iceland has caused a feud with the game’s global body and seen her kicked off a commission. Bayat wore a “Women, Life, Freedom” T-shirt at a prestigious tournament in October, soon after protests began in Iran over the…

China’s Reopened Borders Raise Hopes for Soccer Resurgence

After three years of isolation and financial struggles in Chinese soccer, the country is reopening its borders and economy to the outside world. With it, frustrated fans, financially challenged clubs and unpaid players in the Chinese Super League might receive some long-awaited good news. The 2022 season was unrecognizable from the 2019 edition, the last…

Lisa Marie Presley, Singer and Daughter of Elvis, Dies at 54

Lisa Marie Presley, a singer-songwriter, Elvis’ only daughter, and a dedicated keeper of her father’s legacy, died Thursday after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. She was 54. Her death in a Los Angeles hospital was confirmed by her mother, Priscilla, a few hours after her daughter was rushed to the hospital after having a…

‘Woman King’ Statue Has Role in Sanctions Controversy

A statue in Benin of one of the female warriors of Dahomey, which appeared in the Hollywood film ‘The Woman King,’ was likely built by a sanctioned North Korean company, according to evidence discovered by VOA’s Korean Service. In an exclusive interview with VOA, the Beninois government denies the statue was constructed by North Korea.…

Jeff Beck, Star Guitarist Who Influenced Generations, Dies at 78 

Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78.  Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday. The location…

Steven Spielberg Autobiographical Drama Wins Top Honors at Annual Golden Globes

U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg was among the honorees at the annual Golden Globes awards ceremony Tuesday night.  The director of such classics as “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” won the best director trophy for his autobiographical film “The Fabelmans,” which was named best movie drama. It was the third Golden Globes award for…

‘M3gan’ Dolls Up With $30.2 Million While ‘Avatar’ Stays No. 1

The Blumhouse evil-doll horror film “M3gan” got off to a killer start, debuting with $30.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued its box-office reign in the top spot.  Universal Pictures’ “M3gan,” about a robot companion built for a young girl after her parents are killed in…

Nature Photographers’ Images Highlight Beauty, Fragility of Mother Earth

Nature photographers from around the world expressed their sentiments about an ever-changing planet in a contest sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, a U.S.-based environmental nonprofit. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more on the winning images. …

Bills’ Hamlin Breathing on His Own, Joins Team Via Video

It was uplifting enough for the Buffalo Bills staff and players to see Damar Hamlin appear on the video screen in the team’s meeting room Friday — “larger than life,” as coach Sean McDermott put it — for the first time since the safety collapsed and had to be resuscitated on the field. What sent…

Historically Black US School Leaps Into College Gymnastics

Jordynn Cromartie entered her senior year of high school facing a daunting choice, one countless other Black gymnasts have faced for decades. The teenager from Houston wanted to attend a historically Black college or university. And she wanted to compete in the sport she’s dedicated most of her life to. One problem. She knew she…

NFL Player Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Remarkable Improvement’

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field.  “While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,”…

Iran Releases Oscar-Winning Film Actress Held Over Protests

Iran released a prominent actress from an Oscar-winning film on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after she was jailed for criticizing a crackdown on anti-government protests, local reports said. Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency said Taraneh Alidoosti, the 38-year-old star of Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning “The Salesman,” was released on bail. Her mother, Nadere Hakimelahi, had earlier…

Mastermind of Banksy Removal Could Face Years in Jail, Ukraine Says

The suspected mastermind behind the removal of a Banksy mural in a Ukrainian town could face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said Monday. The artwork, depicting a woman in a gas mask and a dressing gown holding a fire extinguisher, was taken off a wall in the town…

Brazil Bids Farewell to ‘King of Soccer’ Pele with 24-Hour Wake

The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pele turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, started bidding goodbye to its hero on Monday with a 24-hour wake. Mourners lined up to see Pele’s body in an open casket in the center of the field at the Vila Belmiro…

Looted Ancient Sarcophagus Returned to Egypt From US

An ancient wooden sarcophagus that was featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was returned to Egypt after U.S. authorities determined it was looted years ago, Egyptian officials said Monday. The repatriation is part of Egyptian government efforts to stop the trafficking of its stolen antiquities. In 2021, authorities in Cairo succeeded in getting…

Singer Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters Dies at Age 74

Anita Pointer, one of four sibling singers who earned pop success and critical acclaim as The Pointer Sisters, died Saturday at the age of 74, her publicist announced. The Grammy winner died while she was with family members, publicist Roger Neal said in a statement. A cause of death was not immediately revealed. “While we…

‘Avatar’ Sequel Again Dominates Box Office

Avatar: The Way of Water” is the box office king for a third straight week and shows no sign of slowing down. James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the first “Avatar” film brought in an estimated $63 million over the holiday weekend, roughly the same as the previous week, and now has made more than $400…

World Welcomes 2023, Leaves Stormy Year Behind 

The world welcomed the new year with a packed party in Times Square and fireworks soaring above European capitals, while hoping for an end to the war in Ukraine and a return to post-COVID normality in Asia. It was a year marked by the conflict in Ukraine, economic stresses and the effects of global warming.…

2023 Public Domain Debuts Include Last Sherlock Holmes Work

Sherlock Holmes is finally free to the American public in 2023. The long-running contested copyright dispute over Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of a whip-smart detective will finally come to an end as the 1927 copyrights expiring January 1 include Conan Doyle’s last Sherlock Holmes work. Alongside the short-story collection The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes,…

Final Goodbye: Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2022

Photo collage above: Top row, from left, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, singer Ronnie Spector, actor Sidney Poitier, Queen Elizabeth, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev. Bottom row, from left, actress Angela Lansbury, singer Jerry Lee Lewis, Pakistani doctor who championed women’s health and rights Nafis Sadik, Soviet…

Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Big-Money Move to Saudi Arabian Club

Cristiano Ronaldo completed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Friday in a deal that is a landmark moment for Middle Eastern soccer but will see one of Europe’s biggest stars disappear from the sport’s elite stage. Al Nassr posted a picture on social media of the five-time Ballon d’Or holding up…

Highlights from the Life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the first pope in 600 years to resign, has died. Below are highlights from his life. April 16, 1927: Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Germany, youngest of three children to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger. 1943-45: Assistant in Germany’s anti-aircraft defense and infantry soldier; imprisoned in 1945 in American…

The Pandemic, Rudeness, Crypto Craziness: We’re Over You, 2022

The rudeness pandemic, the actual pandemic, and all things gray. There’s a lot to leave behind when 2022 ends and uncertainty rules around the world. The health crisis brought on the dawn of slow living, but it crushed many families forced to hustle for their living. Rudeness went on the rise. Crypto currencies tanked. Pete…

Pioneering US Television Journalist Barbara Walters Dies at 93

Barbara Walters, one of the most visible women on U.S. television as the first female anchor on an evening news broadcast and one of TV’s most prominent interviewers, has died at age 93, her longtime ABC home network said on Friday. Walters, who created the popular ABC women’s talk show The View in 1997, died…