Being the preferred choice of footwear for many, flip-flops — typically made of plastic or rubber — break easily and don’t get disposed of properly. Millions of them, therefore, end up in oceans, waterways, dumpsites and landfills all over the world. A Kenya-based company has found creative and functional ways to reuse them. VOA Nairobi…
Norman Jewison, Director of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘Moonstruck,’ Dead at 97
NEW YORK — Norman Jewison, the acclaimed and versatile Canadian-born director whose Hollywood films ranged from Doris Day comedies and “Moonstruck” to social dramas such as the Oscar-winning “In the Heat of the Night,” has died at age 97. Jewison, a three-time Oscar nominee who in 1999 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement, died “peacefully”…
‘Mean Girls’ Fetches $11.7M in Second Weekend to Stay No. 1 at US Box Office
New York — On a quiet weekend in movie theaters, “Mean Girls” repeated atop the box office with $11.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, while a handful of awards contenders sought to make an impact ahead of Oscar nominations Tuesday. With a dearth of new releases in cinemas, Paramount Pictures’ Tina Fey-scripted…
India Prepares to Inaugurate Ram Temple on Site of Demolished Mosque
In Video, North Korea Teens Get 12 Years’ Hard Labor for Watching K-Pop
SEOUL, South Korea — Video footage released by an organization that works with North Korean defectors shows North Korean authorities publicly sentencing two teenagers to 12 years’ hard labor for watching K-pop. The footage, which shows the two 16-year-olds in Pyongyang convicted of watching South Korean movies and music videos, was released by the South and…
2 Artworks Returned to Holocaust Victim’s Heirs
NEW YORK — New York prosecutors on Friday returned two pieces of art they say were stolen by Nazis from a Jewish performer and collector murdered in the Holocaust. The artworks were surrendered by museums in Pittsburgh and Ohio, but prosecutors are still fighting in court to recover third artwork by the same artist, Austrian expressionist…
Kidnapping That Police Called Hoax Gets New Attention with Netflix Documentary
VALLEJO, Calif. — The ordeal of Denise Huskins, whose kidnapping from her boyfriend’s Northern California home was first dismissed as a hoax by law enforcement, is getting renewed attention as the subject of a new Netflix docuseries, American Nightmare. Here’s a look at the facts of the case, which captivated the country: The kidnapping On March…
Devotees Splurge on Jets, Gold Idols for Hindu Temple Opening in India
AYODHYA, India — The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invitation-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism’s holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, are among the…
Baldwin Indicted on Involuntary Manslaughter Charge in Movie Set Shooting
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO — A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on Friday on an involuntary manslaughter charge in a 2021 fatal shooting during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico, reviving a dormant case against the actor. Special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in the city of Santa Fe in…
In Documentary, Director Ivory Portrays Beauty of Afghanistan
Paris — The oldest person ever to win an Oscar, renowned director James Ivory, is still making films at 95, with a documentary about his formative trip to Afghanistan in 1960. Though American, Ivory is best-known for a string of costume dramas about the repressed emotions of Brits, including Remains of the Day and Howard’s End,…
Malaysian Filmmakers Charged with Offending Religious Feelings in Banned Film
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The director and producer of a banned Malaysian film that explores the afterlife were charged Wednesday with offending the religious feelings of others in a rare criminal prosecution of filmmakers, slammed by critics as an attack on freedom of expression. Mohamad Khairianwar Jailani, the director and co-scriptwriter of Mentega Terbang, and producer…
Professional Riders Brave Eight Seconds on a Bucking Bull
In the Western United States, professional bull riders risk serious injury on the back of bulls that can weigh more than 700 kilograms. But eight seconds on a bucking beast can mean thousands of dollars. VOA’s Scott Stearns takes us to the show. …
List of Top Emmy Award Winners
LOS ANGELES — List of the top winners of the prime-time Emmy Awards. BEST DRAMA SERIES: “Succession” BEST COMEDY SERIES: “The Bear” BEST LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES: “Beef” ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Kieran Culkin, “Succession” ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear” ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Sarah Snook, “Succession” SUPPORTING ACTRESS…
‘Succession’ Dominates Drama Emmys, ‘The Bear’ Claims Comedy, Brunson Makes History
LOS ANGELES — “Succession” secured its legacy with its third best drama series award, “The Bear” feasted as the night’s top comedy, and the two shows about squabbling families dominated the acting awards at Monday night’s Emmys. Historic wins also came for Quinta Brunson of “Abbot Elementary” and Steven Yeun and Ali Wong of “Beef” at…
Messi, Bonmati Win FIFA Best Player Awards
london — Lionel Messi has been named FIFA’s best men’s player after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami and leading the David Beckham-owned team to a little-known Leagues Cup title — all while single-handedly elevating soccer’s relevance in the United States. The 36-year-old Argentine on Monday was selected over Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, the…
Emmys Finally Arrive for Changed Hollywood, as ‘Succession’ and ‘Last of Us’ Vie for Top Awards
Los Angeles — The time has finally come for a most unusual Emmys. The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards are arriving four months past their due date on Monday night at the Peacock Theater, coming after a year of historic Hollywood turbulence in an industry whose upheavals are evident everywhere. Strikes by both actors and writers, seismic…
‘Mean Girls’ Takes 1st Place at Box Office
‘The Honeymooners’ Actress Joyce Randolph Dies At 99
New York — Joyce Randolph, a veteran stage and television actress whose role as the savvy Trixie Norton on “The Honeymooners” provided the perfect foil to her dimwitted TV husband, has died. She was 99. Randolph died of natural causes Saturday night at her home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, her son Randolph Charles…
Russia Designates Popular Writer A ‘Foreign Agent’ Over Ukraine Stance
Archaeologists Map Lost Cities in Ecuadorian Amazon
WASHINGTON — Archaeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest, an area that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago. A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain. But at the time, ” I…
Hundreds Honor Ukrainian Poet-Soldier Killed in Action
KYIV, Ukraine — Hundreds of people attended a ceremony Thursday honoring the memory of renowned Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov, who was killed in action while serving as a soldier in the war Russia started in Ukraine nearly two years ago. A large crowd gathered in the courtyard of Kyiv’s St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, where ceremonies are…
NFL’s Patriots Part Ways with Coach Bill Belichick, Who Led Team to 6 Super Bowl Championships
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Six-time National Football League champion Bill Belichick agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, ending his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the league’s Super Bowl era. Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft announced the move to the media Thursday at Gillette Stadium.…