More than 150 million people in the central and southern United States were under winter storm warnings or advisories Monday, with record-breaking cold temperatures gripping the nation from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.   The south-central state of Texas may be takin g the worst of the winter weather.  Hit by ice storms last week that led to a deadly, 100-vehicle pileup on a freeway, on Sunday much of the state saw snow, more ice and unusually cold temperatures. The thermometer at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport early Monday read –8.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature there in 32 years.   Officials in charge of the state’s electricity grid said the storms and frigid temperatures locked up wind turbines on Sunday, reducing power output.  Meanwhile, the cold weather created excessive energy demand prompting electric companies to implement rolling blackouts.   Officials say at least 2.5 million people were without power early Monday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott reached out to U.S. President Joe Biden, who, Sunday, declared a state of emergency for Texas, authorizing U.S. agencies to coordinate.   While forecasters say Texas and the rest of the central U.S. are likely to see more record-breaking cold into Tuesday, the …

To every sport, there’s a season, a spot on the calendar that fans mark for the big event. World Series, October. College hoops, March. Indy 500, Memorial Day. For dog owners, it’s right around Valentine’s Day. That’s when they normally cuddle up on the couch with their precious pooch to watch the Super Bowl of Dogs — the Westminster Kennel Club show. This year, they’ll have to wait for the coveted best in show. Because of coronavirus concerns, the competition was moved from Madison Square Garden this weekend to mid-June at an outdoor estate about 25 miles north of New York City. For now, AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and wife Ginger Tidwell share their fondest memories from the green carpet over 20 paws-itively wonderful years covering Westminster: Uno, a 15-inch beagle, poses with his trophy after winning Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 12, 2008.He’s Numero Uno! Beagles had always been in the Westminster doghouse. No matter how cute, poor ol’ Snoopy had never, ever won the grand prize. Bow-wow bummer. That changed in 2008 when perhaps the greatest show dog of all time showed up. A …

The line between politics and entertainment is increasingly blurred in America, where a former reality TV star recently served as president and entertainment has become more political. The content people choose to watch and listen to reflects a politically divided country, and as VOA’s Elizabeth Lee shows, the division often cuts across families.Produced by: Elizabeth Lee …

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their second child, their office confirmed Sunday. A spokesperson for Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, said in a statement: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are pictured in this undated handout photo supplied to Reuters, following an announcement that they are expecting their second child.In a black-and-white photo of themselves, the couple sat near a tree with Harry’s hand placed under Meghan’s head as she lies on his lap with her hand resting on her bump. The baby will be eighth in line to the British throne. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.” The duke told chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall in 2019 that he would only have two children for the sake of the planet. Goodall said: “Not too many,” and Harry replied: “Two, maximum.”   Harry and American actor Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie …

Larry the cat, a four-legged inhabitant of London’s 10 Downing St., is marking a decade as Britain’s mouse-catcher in chief on Monday.   The tabby cat was recruited by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to deal with a pack of rats seen scuttling close to the British leader’s official residence and entered Downing Street on Feb. 15, 2011.   The former stray, adopted from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, was given the title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, an unofficial pest control post. He was the first cat to hold the rat-catching portfolio since the retirement of Humphrey in 1997 and has loyally served three prime ministers.   But it seems like yesterday that Larry was just another cat — as opposed to a media superstar — said Lindsey Quinlan, the head of cattery of Battersea.     “Throughout his time at Number 10, Larry has proven himself to not only be a brilliant ambassador for Battersea but also demonstrated to millions of people around the world how incredible rescue cats are,” she said. “His rags to riches tale is yet more proof of why all animals deserve a second chance — one minute they may be an overlooked …

The search for three climbers, who went missing on Pakistan’s K2 mountain earlier this month, has found no trace of them.Iceland’s John Snorri, 47, Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr, 33, and Pakistan’s Muhammad Ali Sadpara, 45, lost contact with base camp on February 5 during their ascent of what global mountaineers describe as the killer mountain. K2 is the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 meters.”An unprecedented search in the history of mountaineering has been ongoing,” Vanessa O’Brien, the first British-American mountaineer to climb K2, said Sunday.She is assisting the search effort as part of the virtual base camp comprising family members in Iceland, Chile, and specialists from around the world, including in Pakistan.”It has been nine long days. If climbing the world’s second-tallest mountain in winter is hard, finding those missing is even more of a challenge,” said O’Brien.When asked whether the men could still be alive despite harsh winter conditions, O’Brien told VOA, “That I don’t know. But on Valentine’s Day, I guarantee you they were loved by their families and their nations.”She explained that specialists, with “devoted support” from Pakistani, Icelandic and Chilean authorities, have scrutinized satellite images, used synthetic aperture radar technology, scanned hundreds of pictures, and checked …

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their second child, their office confirmed Sunday.A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”  The baby will be eighth in line to the British throne.Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie was born a year later.In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.In November, Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others. …

Archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old brewery that could produce thousands of liters of beer in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said. The site in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate likely dates back to the reign of King Narmer around 3,100 BC, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Dr. Matthew Adams, one of the leaders of the Egyptian-American mission that made the discovery, said they believe the beer was used in royal burial rituals for Egypt’s earliest kings. The brewery, which had a production capacity of 22,400 liters, was split into eight sections each containing 40 clay pots used to warm mixtures of grain and water. Officials are keen to show off newly discovered artefacts as they try to revive visitor numbers after Egypt’s tourism industry received a painful blow during the coronavirus pandemic. The number of tourists visiting the country dropped to 3.5 million last year from 13.1 million in 2019.  …

Diamond cloning is said to be a vocation, an artform and a rare skill. New York artist John Hatleberg creates precise reproductions of famous diamonds, but one copy became his life’s work – the Blue Diamond of the French Crown. Vladimir Lenski has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Aleksandr Barash and Natalia Latukhina …

As 17-year-old Darius Jackson watched TV, listening in rapt attention to 22-year-old Amanda Gorman recite her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden last month, he was struck by the “powerful words” of the young Black woman.It was a “defining moment in history,” said Jackson, who is a high school senior at Central Visual and Performing Arts School in St. Louis, Missouri.With her reading on Jan. 21, televised nationally and around the globe, Gorman has sparked additional interest in an art form that spans millennia, now drawing a new generation of enthusiasts.Jackson told VOA he saw some similarities in her poem to Martin Luther King Jr.’s stirring I Have a Dream speech in 1963 that called for an end to racism.One of two books by Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman that are set to be released in September.“There’s been tension and racial divide in America,” Jackson explained, “and in this poem I feel she was trying to put a Band-Aid on the wound we’ve been going through” to try to bring the country together.His English teacher, Maggie Schuh, said the inspirational poems Gorman recited at the inauguration and, more recently, at the Super …

After Navy veteran Maxwell Moore returned home to Los Angeles following numerous tours to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the local Veterans Affairs office urged him to find a hobby to help him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. His therapy eventually turned into a business, as reporter Angelina Bagdasaryan found in this story narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian .  …

More than 180 human rights groups are calling for diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games to protest Beijing’s abuses of racial and ethnic minorities.  The coalition of FILE – International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound, Nov. 1, 2010.”The games are not Chinese Games, the games are the IOC Games,” FILE – Extending gloved hands skyward in racial protest, U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos stare downward during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the 1968 Mexico City Games.Since then, South Africa was expelled from the 1970 Games for the country’s policy of apartheid. It was not readmitted to competition until the 1992 Barcelona Games. In 1980, 66 countries, led by the United States, boycotted the Moscow Games because of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. Daryl Adair, an associate professor of sports management at the University of Technology Sydney, told VOA via email that the IOC has a responsibility to be sure that the principles that underpin the Olympics are appropriately reflected in countries that host the games.  “For example, would the IOC and the international sporting community be comfortable with an Olympics hosted by Myanmar, given its treatment of the Rohingya people, followed more recently by a …

“Ailey,” a documentary about the life and creative spirit of iconic African American dancer, director and choreographer Alvin Ailey, weaves an immersive portrait of Ailey as a creative genius and a complex individual, who emoted his life experience through movement. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. VOA’s Penelope Poulou spoke with the filmmaker about how Ailey’s modern dance reflected the Black cultural experience.  Camera: Penelope Poulou   Produced by: Penelope Poulou      …

Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died. He was 79.Corea died Tuesday of a rare form of cancer, his team posted on his website. His death was confirmed by Corea’s web and marketing manager, Dan Muse.On his Facebook page, Corea left a message to his fans: “I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.”A prolific artist with dozens of albums, Corea in 1968 replaced Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis’ group, playing on the landmark albums “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew.”Wide varietyHe formed his own avant-garde group, Circle, and then founded Return to Forever. He worked on many other projects, including duos with Hancock and vibraphonist Gary Burton. He recorded and performed classical music, standards, solo originals, Latin jazz and tributes to …

The president of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee reportedly will resign after making sexist remarks about women that were disclosed to media.   Japan’s Kyodo news agency and other news outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported Thursday that Yoshiro Mori would step down on Friday after concluding he could not let the ensuing controversy continue.   A committee spokesman declined to comment on the reports.   The former prime minister reportedly said at an Olympics board of trustees meeting on Feb. 3 that “board meetings with lots of women take longer” because “if one member raises her hand to speak, others might think they need to talk, too.”   Mori retracted his comments and apologized the next day, saying he would not resign.   His remarks, which were leaked to a Japanese newspaper, sparked public debate in the country about gender equality.   The 83-year-old’s reported pending resignation has fueled concerns over the feasibility of holding the games later this year.     More than 80% of the Japanese public believe the games should be canceled or postponed, according to recent polls.   A meeting of the organizing committee executive board is planned for Friday.     In an interview …

The Oscars ceremony, delayed until April 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic that has rocked the entire film industry, will be broadcast live from “multiple sites,” including Hollywood, the Academy announced on Wednesday.Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, which still places restrictions on the Los Angeles area, “the Academy is determined to present an Oscar ceremony like no other, while emphasizing the public health and safety of all the participants,” said a spokesperson for the Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences, which presents the prestigious golden statuettes.”To create the live performance that our global audience wants to see while adapting to the constraints of the pandemic, the ceremony will be broadcast live from multiple venues, including the iconic Dolby Theater” which traditionally hosts the Oscars in the heart of Hollywood, according to the statement sent to AFP.The Academy has not given more details at this stage on the ceremony or the distribution of sites for this 93rd edition, the culmination of a season of film awards upset by the health crisis, between closure of cinemas and postponement of many big productions.This is not the first time that the Oscars ceremony has been held simultaneously in several locations. In the 1950s, the broadcast …

Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Tina Turner and Iron Maiden lead this year’s nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a female-heavy list of 16 acts that includes for the first time The Go-Go’s, Mary J. Blige and Dionne Warwick. Artists are eligible for a nomination 25 years after the release of their first official recording. There are two newly eligible acts in Jay-Z and Foo Fighters while artists nominated for the first time include Blige, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Warwick and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Several candidates are looking for a second spot in the hall. Turner would be inducted for a second time, having gone to the hall as part of Ike & Tina Turner in 1991. Nominee Carole King is already in the hall as a songwriter and she would go in again this time as a performer. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is already in the hall as a member of Nirvana. If elected, King and Turner would become the second and third female artists inducted twice, following Stevie Nicks’ 2019 election; she was also in as a member of Fleetwood Mac.   “This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music …

The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are celebrating their victory Wednesday with a boat parade amid continued concern over the coronavirus pandemic. The parade will be held on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. Mayor Jane Castor is again emphasizing that people attending the parade must wear masks outdoors and observe social distancing rules. After Tampa Bay’s 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s title game, throngs of people gathered in the city’s entertainment districts. Many were seen maskless despite the ordinances requiring them. Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Buccaneers, said in video announcement that fans should heed the rules as they celebrate the team’s victory. “It’s essential we do it the right way,” Ford said. “We want to do our part to ensure it’s done in a safe and responsible manner.” The boat parade is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday. …

Deep into this pandemic winter, it can be hard to remember what a refuge gardens were last spring and summer. In those frightening early days of COVID-19, victory gardens and household vegetable plots sprang up all over. Seed companies reported shortages. Hardware stores saw a run on garden tools. Millions found comfort, release and a sense of safety outdoors with their hands in the dirt. That feels like a long time ago. We dreaded this winter, and we weren’t wrong: January was the deadliest month yet from the virus. Political violence shook Americans’ sense of security and shared purpose. Businesses and household incomes are struggling. And the human interactions that might help us process all this anxiety and grief are discouraged. Yet the garden is still there, hunkering down too. And it can still help. Even in winter, it can provide solace, inspiration and perspective. Fresh air. And an assurance that spring is coming. “From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens — the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye,” Katherine S. White, an editor and writer at The New Yorker and an avid …

As the world grappled with COVID-19, a recession and a racial reckoning, the ultrawealthy gave to a broader set of causes than ever before — bestowing multimillion-dollar gifts on food pantries, historically Black colleges and universities and organizations that serve the poor and the homeless, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual rankings of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity last year.Another cause that got outsize attention from billionaire philanthropists: climate change. Jeff Bezos topped the list by donating $10 billion to launch the Bezos Earth Fund. Bezos, who last week announced he was stepping down as Amazon CEO to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects, also contributed $100 million to Feeding America, the organization that supplies more than 200 food banks.FILE – In this March 4, 2018, file photo, then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. MacKenzie Scott is one of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2020.No. 2 on the list was Bezos’s ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, who gave $5.7 billion in 2020 by asking community leaders to help identify 512 organizations for seven- and eight-figure gifts, including food banks, human-service organizations, and racial-justice …

As the world grappled with COVID-19, a recession and a racial reckoning, the ultrawealthy gave to a broader set of causes than ever before — bestowing multimillion-dollar gifts on food pantries, historically Black colleges and universities and organizations that serve the poor and the homeless, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual rankings of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity last year.Another cause that got outsize attention from billionaire philanthropists: climate change. Jeff Bezos topped the list by donating $10 billion to launch the Bezos Earth Fund. Bezos, who last week announced he was stepping down as Amazon CEO to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects, also contributed $100 million to Feeding America, the organization that supplies more than 200 food banks.FILE – In this March 4, 2018, file photo, then-MacKenzie Bezos arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. MacKenzie Scott is one of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2020.No. 2 on the list was Bezos’s ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, who gave $5.7 billion in 2020 by asking community leaders to help identify 512 organizations for seven- and eight-figure gifts, including food banks, human-service organizations, and racial-justice …

When Cameroonian golf champion Issa Nlareb Amang lost his legs and most of his fingers to meningitis in 2018, many thought his life in the sport was over.  But, thanks to donors, he was able to get prosthetics that allowed him to return to the game and become the only disabled professional golfer in West Africa.   As a child,  Issa Nlareb Amang, now 30,  liked to play at his neighborhood golf course.      He quickly went from being a ball boy to a caddy, and then from playing golf to becoming a champion of Cameroon and West Africa.   Amang was the first African to gain entry to the ALPS Tour, a non-profit by Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland to improve young golf professionals’ tournament skills. But during a 2018 tournament in Egypt, Amang caught meningitis, an inflammation of brain and spinal cord membranes.   He went into a coma and, suffering from septic shock, had to have most of his fingers and both legs amputated.    Despite the traumatic loss, Amang says he has never given up.  He says it was very complicated to have prosthetics and to be standing, he says.  But it was possible because people put their hands together, says Amang, they have contributed.   Amang got prosthetic limbs thanks to golf federations and other donors and was able to get back on the golf course.    Pharmacist Aude Bahounoui, one of Amang’s donors, says that when Amang was sick, she had her doubts.  But as the golfer was abroad, he was sending photos to her, showing his training.  She says little by little she became confident that Amang was going to make …

Super Bowl 2021 in now history – and it also made history for a number of reasons. Maxim Moskalkov has the story.Camera:  Yuriy Zakrevskiy    …

The head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others apparently violated federal safety standards by flying into clouds. The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was taking the passengers to a youth basketball tournament amid heavy fog in January 2020 when it crashed into hilly terrain outside Los Angeles. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt made the revelation at the beginning of a meeting to determine the likely cause of the crash. Pilots can experience “spatial disorientation” when they are unable to see the sky or landscape around them, NTSB investigator-in-charge Bill English said.  FILE – Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are honored along with all of the other helicopter crash victims, in Miami Gardens, Fla., Feb. 2, 2020.The board said in June that Pilot Ara Zobayan told air traffic controllers the helicopter was climbing out of heavy clouds when it was, instead, descending immediately before crashing into a hillside near the town of Calabasas. Some attendees at the hearing traded blame for the crash. Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, faulted the pilot, while she and relatives of the other victims blamed the companies that owned and …