A new museum opening at the Statue of Liberty is giving visitors another opportunity to explore its history and the impact the iconic structure has had on the world.

The 26,000-square-foot (2,415-square-meter) museum on Liberty Island, scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, is the new home for the statue’s original torch and other artifacts which had previously been in a smaller museum space inside the statue’s pedestal, which is accessible only to the fraction of the more than 4 million annual visitors who manage to get limited-availability statue entry tickets.

“We looked at this small museum and thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to … move it out to a place where more people could experience it,” said John Piltzecker, National Park Service superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island.

The new space, located somewhat away from the entrance to the statue, is open to anyone who comes to Liberty Island, with admission included in the price of the ferry ticket. From the outside, the glass walls and copper-colored roof appear to be rising out of the earth, with a giant staircase rising to a rooftop terrace at the center.

The entire structure is meant to connect to Lady Liberty, using the same granite that’s part of the statue pedestal and including copper as a nod to the material the statue is made of, said Cameron Ringness, the project designer at FXCollaborative, which created the museum’s overall design.

“It’s really trying to belong to the site and the landscape and not feel like this building that just got placed here out of nowhere,” Ringness said. “We wanted to enhance the feeling that it’s really special to be in proximity to the statue.”

Inside, there are three main gallery spaces, starting with a theater where visitors walk through as they watch a film that goes into how the idea for the statue came about, the efforts that went into its making in France and its arrival in the New York harbor, as well as talking about what liberty meant then and what it means in the current day.

The film uses unusual footage taken by drones, including an interior shot rising up through the inside of the statue.

Another gallery goes into the building of the statue, with exhibits meant to show what it would have been like in Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi’s studio, and the models and molds used to make it, as well as a replica of the statue’s foot. Another section shows how iconic the statue has become, not only in American culture but around the world, with items like a menorah where each candle holder is a small Lady Liberty, as well as comic book covers, decorative plates, and dolls.

In the final section, visitors are encouraged to take digital self-portraits and add their thoughts on what liberty means to them, as they look at the original torch and a replica of the statue’s face.

Including that last part was vital, said Edwin Schlossberg, president and principal designer at ESI Design, which created the exhibition spaces.

“This statue was built to congratulate the United States for fighting the Civil War to free the slaves,” he said. “It is based on this idea that liberty was a critical thing that we all had to struggle for, so that idea had to continue as a core value in this experience.”

In conjunction with the museum’s opening, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which spearheaded the effort to raise the $100 million in private-sector funds for the project, also developed an app with Apple to bring aspects of the museum to people who cannot visit in person.

Users will be able to explore the museum’s life-size replica of the statue’s foot, for instance. With augmented-reality technology, which superimposes animation over a real-life setting, users will be able to walk around and see the virtual replica from different perspectives. Other features include a look at the city skyline through the decades from the Statue of Liberty’s eyes, as well as how the statue itself looked before its copper exterior turned green.

The app is available only on Apple mobile devices, not Android. Some features, including an audio tour, will be available only on location.

The foundation is also launching a three-part podcast exploring the statue’s history and symbolism. The podcast won’t be limited to Apple’s podcast distribution channels.
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More than one million plant and animal species are likely to become extinct due to human activity, according to a new report by the United Nations. 

That threat to Mother Earth and other climate change concerns inspired folks at Washington’s recent Smithsonian Craft Show — one of the most prestigious events of its kind in America — to highlight and reward artists who are creating environmentally sustainable work. 

Art that’s good for the planet 

“In recent years we’ve noticed that the artists in our shows have been working with more renewable materials and methods that are environmentally safe,” said JoAnn Symons, president of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. “So we’ve decided we would reward those efforts by offering the Sustainability Award every year in our show.”

In this year’s show, 120 crafters from across the country presented art in 12 different media, from basketry, leather and glass, to ceramics, wood and decorative fiber.

Twenty-one of them met the sustainability criteria and were eligible to compete for the “Honoring the Future® Sustainability Award,” which included a cash prize of $1,000.

Barns into birdhouses

Michigan woodworker John Guertin is one of the artists who met the requirements.

Each of his painstakingly crafted birdhouses is made with wood he recovers from the remains of old barns that have fallen into disrepair.

“If you can use recycled material from old sources to bring new generations of birds into the world — and other creatures — it makes a wonderful statement about our purpose in the world, that we don’t just exploit it, but rather we give something back,” he explained.

Many of his creations, which include homes for bats and owls, have a Victorian theme. Former President Gerald Ford commissioned a birdhouse with a stars and stripes theme. Other boxes are replicas of real buildings, including one created for the Mission San Luis Rey Museum in Oceanside, California, which resembles the Spanish-style building. “If you look at the real design of the mission, it has a rose window exactly in the position perfect for a birdhouse,” Guertin pointed out.

His artistic goal is simple.

“Make collectible bird houses that are functional, architectural and scientific works that will serve the needs of songbirds and other cavity-nesting species such as owls and bats, that will hopefully make some small impact on the environment,” he said. 

Whimsical whirligigs and hipster characters

“She’s a mix of new and reclaimed fabrics,” says Mimi Kirchner, as she holds up a cloth dog doll that’s sporting a mustard-colored cashmere scarf and a tiny matching felt satchel filled with shreds of recycled paper.

The Massachusetts artist qualified for the sustainability category because she makes “art” toys made out of used and “rescued” fabrics. They come from thrift stores, and people’s collections, she explained, so “a lot of it is vintage, and I give it a new life.” 

“I have always been most interested in depictions of people – in any art,” she once wrote on her blog. “Painting, sculpture, life-drawing.” 

Those elements come together nicely in her work, whether she’s making one-of-a-kind animal characters, whimsical people figures, or intricate Tiny World pin cushions which fit perfectly into a tea cup.

Shaking things up

Tim Arnold’s wooden boxes are inspired by the Shakers, a religious group known for its sturdy and simply designed furniture.

“These are items that the Shakers used to store dry goods back in the 19th century,” he said, pointing to a collection of oval boxes made with thin, light-colored wood. Similar to modern-day Tupperware sets, the Shakers also produced boxed sets “to sell to what they referred to as ‘the world,’ which was everybody outside their communities,” Arnold said. 

The Nashville, Tennessee artist says he tries to honor that tradition, but at the same time, “interject a little bit of my own personality into some of the boxes, particularly on the tops.”

Arnold adds to those tops some interesting objects, like a pair of magnetized scissors for a box designed for sewing, and uses unusual materials, like exotic wood, copper and animal skins.

“I’m buying python skins from the bounty hunters that are trying to eradicate the pythons in the Everglades,” he said, which makes him feel part of the solution to a huge python crisis in that area of Florida.

Wearable art

Textile artist-designer Mary Jaeger, who works in a 1920 factory in Brooklyn, New York, blends the time-honored elegance of Japanese textiles with contemporary Western designs.

She won the “Honoring the Future® Sustainability Award” for her stylish silks, which she makes by hand using leftover materials from bolts of fabric, and past projects. Those repurposed products include custom cut and hand-dyed cotton shirt dresses, accordion scarves, and coats and jackets with 3D textures and hand-dyed Shibori patterns.

“When I look at these beautiful silks that I’ve acquired over the years of designing, I wanted to repurpose them into something that was truly beautiful, but completely different than the original product that I purchased them originally to construct,” she said.

The award comes from Honoring Our Future, a nonprofit organization “that was launched to harness the power of art to educate and engage the public on climate change,” says its director, Fran Dubrowski.

“We’re trying to encourage the craft artist to really discuss sustainability with the visitors to their show, not just practice it at home,” she said. “They’re in constant contact with the public, and I think they can be wonderful ambassadors for climate education.” 
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More than one million plant and animal species are likely to become extinct due to human activity, according to a new report by the United Nations. That threat to Mother Earth has inspired one of the most prestigious craft shows in America to highlight — and reward — artists who are creating environmentally sustainable work. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.
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Singer and actress Doris Day, whose films and smooth jazz and pop style made her a Hollywood legend, died Monday at her home in Carmel Valley, California. She was 97.

Her Doris Day Animal League announced her death, saying she had been in excellent health but recently came down with pneumonia.

With her blonde freckle-faced good looks and silky voice, Day’s image was of a fun-loving girl-next-door.

She once described herself as having “the unfortunate reputation of being miss goody two-shoes, America’s virgin, and all that.”

But her life away from the cameras was one of heart break, abusive marriages, and financial ruin.

Day was born in Cincinnati and began singing on local radio, in nightclubs, and eventually in New York, where she became a star with bandleader Les Brown. 

Her version of Brown’s theme song “Sentimental Journey” became a huge hit, followed by a number of top-selling records.

Day moved to Hollywood, starred on network radio, and became a fixture in Hollywood musicals.

Her series of light sex comedies and bedroom farces, including “Pillow Talk,” “The Thrill of It All,” and “The Glass-Bottom Boat,” made Day Hollywood’s top money-making star in the early 1960s.

She also proved to be a superb dramatic actress — playing the victim of a stalker in the suspenseful “Midnight Lace” and the mother of a kidnapped child in the Hitchcock thriller “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” where she introduced her theme song “Que Sera Sera.”

Day discovered her third husband lost tens of millions of dollars of her show business fortune, leaving her broke and in debt. She reluctantly starred in a television situation comedy from 1968 to 1973 to recoup some of those losses.

Day gradually retired from show business to start a California-based animal protection charity in 1987, The Doris Day Animal League, which lobbied strongly for federal laws protecting animals from abuse, torture, and unnecessary scientific research.
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Doris Day, whose wholesome screen presence stood for a time of innocence in `60s films, has died, her foundation says. She was 97.

The Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed Day died early Monday at her Carmel Valley, California, home. The foundation says in an emailed statement she was surrounded by close friends and “had been in excellent physical health for her age, until recently contracting a serious case of pneumonia.”

She was known for her honey-voiced singer and actress whose film dramas, musicals and innocent sex comedies made her a top star in the 1950s and `60s and among the most popular screen actresses in history.

Day’s lilting voice, wholesome blond beauty and ultra-bright smile brought her a string of hits, first on records, later in Hollywood.

She celebrated her 97th birthday on April 3.
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Police in a Washington suburb are searching for the killer of Bettie Jenifer, wife of popular Ghanaian actor Chris Attoh.

Police say Jenifer was shot and killed Friday afternoon in Greenbelt, Maryland, as she left the office building where she worked.

Witnesses say Jenifer saw a man with a gun standing in the parking lot. As she tried to run away, the gunman chased her, shooting her twice.

Police say they believe she was the victim of a targeted killing and that the gunman is at large. 

Attoh was in Los Angeles working on a film and immediately flew to Maryland.

Reports say investigators are studying Attoh’s social media posts after he deleted all photographs of him and Jenifer together on his websites — leading to speculation in Ghana that the couple was splitting up.

Attoh and Jenifer were married for just seven months.
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Every year on May 4 – which echoes the Jedi blessing from “Star Wars,” May the Force be with you – fans celebrate the unofficial holiday dedicated to their favorite movie. Observances include binge watching the legendary films. But some people think one day a year is not enough. Maxim Moskalkov met with volunteers at Garrison Tyranus, which contributes to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.
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“Laughter is the best medicine” is a common phrase often found printed on plaques and sewn onto pillows at your grandma’s house. But the practice of yoga has taken it in a whole new direction over the years. We found a laughter yoga class in Richmond, Virginia. Ali Orokzai was there and has the story. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.
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Peggy Lipton, a star of the groundbreaking late 1960s TV show “The Mod Squad” and the 1990s show “Twin Peaks,” died of cancer Saturday. She was 72.

Lipton died surrounded by her family, her daughters, Rashida and Kidada Jones, said in a statement.

“We are heartbroken that our beloved mother passed away from cancer today,” they said. “She made her journey peacefully with her daughters and nieces by her side. We feel so lucky for every moment we spent with her. We can’t put all of our feelings into words right now but we will say: Peggy was, and will always be our beacon of light, both in this world and beyond. She will always be a part of us.”

Lipton played one of a trio of Los Angeles undercover “hippie cops” on “The Mod Squad,” which aired on ABC.

The Los Angeles Times says it was one of pop culture’s first efforts to reckon seriously with the counterculture and one of the first TV shows to feature an interracial cast. Lipton was nominated for Emmys and won a Golden Globe in 1971 for her performance. The show addressed issues such as the Vietnam War, drugs and domestic violence.

Lipton married music producer Quincy Jones in 1974, and they had two daughters. The couple divorced in 1989.

In the 1990s, she played the role of Norma Jennings in the TV series “Twin Peaks.”

“It was very scary,” Lipton told The Times in a 1993 interview. “I had a push-pull thing inside me that I wanted to do it. I had become so insulated in my world as a mother, that I didn’t know how to pick up the phone and call anybody to put myself out there.”
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Robert Kyagulanyi, the Ugandan singer and legislator better known as Bobi Wine, has vowed to continue using music to denounce longtime President Yoweri Museveni. But, as Halima Athumani reports from Kampala, his music is now facing stiff control from the state.
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President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Boston Red Sox — well, some of them — at the White House on Thursday, but made no mention of the controversy that shadowed the visit.

The team’s manager, Alex Cora, did not attend the ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration’s efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. And nearly a dozen members of the team, all players of color, skipped the opportunity to shake Trump’s hand. Meanwhile, every white player on the team — as well as outfielder J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent — attended.

The Red Sox repeatedly denied there was any sort of racial divide caused by the White House visit, which has been transformed from moment of celebratory ritual to hyper-politicized event under Trump. And there was no sign of discord during the rained-upon ceremony on the White House South Lawn. 

Marine band plays team ‘anthems’

The U.S. Marine Corps band played versions of “Dirty Water” and “Sweet Caroline,” two unofficial Red Sox anthems. A derogatory shout about Boston’s rival, the New York Yankees, was heard. Trump was presented with a Red Sox jersey with No. 18 on the back. 

The day was not without mishaps: The White House first incorrectly labeled the team as the “Red Socks” on its website and then later, in an email, dubbed them the champions of something called the “World Cup Series.” But Trump himself stuck to the correct script, honoring the team’s dominant run to the title.

“Frankly, they were unstoppable. I watched,” said Trump, who noted that the squad had now won more World Series titles than any other franchise this century. He laughed when Martinez teased him for being a Yankees fan.

The president was accompanied by two of the team’s stars, Martinez and pitcher Chris Sale, from the Oval Office and joined the rest of the team assembled under the South Portico. The team’s third base coach, Carlos Febles, who is from the Dominican Republic, stood two rows behind the president. And dozens of administration officials and members of government, many of whom hail from the six New England states, stood on the lawn to cheer.

Tom Werner, the team’s chairman, downplayed the no-shows, saying it was each player’s personal decision whether to attend.

“We don’t see it as a racial divide,” he said after the team received a post-ceremony tour of the Lincoln Bedroom. “I think, to the extent that we can, baseball is apolitical.”

Manager issues statement

A championship team’s manager or head coach rarely, if ever, misses the White House visit, a tradition that began in earnest in 1924 when then-President Calvin Coolidge invited the Washington Senators. Cora had considered attending Thursday’s White House event to call attention to the plight of those in Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Maria is estimated to have caused nearly 3,000 deaths. But in the end, he opted not to go.

“Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting,” Cora said in a statement. “Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.”

Before the visit, Trump defended his stance on Puerto Rico, falsely asserting once again that the territory received $91 billion in hurricane relief money, which he claimed was “the largest amount of money ever given to any state.”

In fact, Congress has allocated Puerto Rico just a fraction of that figure. The White House has said Trump’s $91 billion estimate includes about $50 billion in speculated future disaster disbursements that could span decades, along with $41 billion already approved. Actual aid to Puerto Rico has flowed more slowly from federal coffers, with about $11 billion given so far. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 cost the U.S government more than $120 billion — the bulk of it going to Louisiana.

Trump nonetheless told reporters, “the people of Puerto Rico should really like President Trump.”

Wanted to meet Trump

Those around the Red Sox locker room stressed that a player’s decision to attend was a personal choice and not, in many cases, political.

“Politically, it didn’t matter who was in the White House. If I have an opportunity to go to the White House and meet the president, I’m going to go,” relief pitcher Heath Hembree said Wednesday. “Nobody tried to persuade me. They have their reasons why not to go.”

For some players, it may be their only chance for a White House invite. It also reflects a larger trend across baseball: A number of players hail from Trump-friendly states like Texas and Florida, while the sport has also seen a surge in Latino players and a decline in African Americans.

Having also won World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, the Red Sox _ who also visited wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday — have been honored at the White House under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But the events have taken on sharp political overtones since Trump took office.

Patriots visited in 2017

When the New England Patriots visited in 2017, Trump’s first year in office, far fewer players attended than when the franchise won a title under President Barack Obama. After several players on the Philadelphia Eagles and Golden State Warriors publicly declared that they would skip White House ceremonies, Trump disinvited the teams. Trump has also instituted a new tradition for the ceremonies, scrapping gourmet meals in favor of offering plates of fast food to the athletes. The Red Sox were not at the White House for a meal, Werner said.

Moreover, the optics of the Red Sox visit are certain to receive additional scrutiny due to the history of racially charged moments for both the team and the city it calls home.

The Red Sox, infamously, held a failed tryout for Jackie Robinson before he broke the sport’s color barrier. They were the last team in the major leagues to integrate. And an Elks Club in the team’s former spring training home of Winter Haven, Florida, invited only white players to events, a practice that stopped only in the 1980s, when black players complained.

 
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham was banned from driving for six months on Thursday after admitting using his mobile phone while driving, the BBC reported.

Beckham, who played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, admitted using his mobile phone as he drove his Bentley through central London in November last year, the BBC said.

The 44-year-old was sentenced in Bromley Magistrates Court, it added.

Famous for his devastating free-kicks, he captained England 59 times and scored in three World Cups before retiring from international duty in 2009.

He also played for LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint Germain before he stopped playing club football in 2013 and is currently setting up a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Miami.

He is married to Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl turned luxury fashion designer.
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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced the name of their newborn baby in an Instagram post.

” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” @sussex royal posted, along with a photo of Prince Harry, Meghan, the baby and his grandparents.

“This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle. The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion,” the couple said.

The baby was born early Monday morning, weighing 7 lb 3oz (3.26 kg). The location of the birth was not disclosed. 

During their first public appearance at St. George’s Hall in Windsor castle Wednesday, Prince Harry and Meghan described having a baby as “magic”.

As the prince held his son, wrapped in a white blanket and matching hat, new mom Meghan said

“It’s magic – it’s pretty amazing and I have the two best guys in the world so I am really happy.”

The baby is seventh in line to the British Throne. 
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George Clooney says the media should “be a little kinder” to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after she gave birth to a baby boy.

Clooney told The Associated Press Tuesday at the Hollywood premiere of his miniseries “Catch 22” that the media scrutiny will intensify now that she and Prince Harry are parents. The actor says the media coverage is part of being members of the royal family.

However, Clooney says the coverage steps “into a really dark place” when the media interviews people’s parents. He says “the press turned on them” and he thinks people should be kinder because “she’s a young woman who just had a baby.”

Clooney’s wife, Amal, attended the duchess’ baby shower and the Clooneys have vacationed with the royal couple.
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Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan showed off their newborn son on Wednesday, describing having a baby as “magic”.

Cradling his son, wrapped in a white blanket and wearing a hat, Harry and Meghan appeared before a small group of media at St George’s Hall in Windsor castle where they held their wedding reception just under a year ago.

“It’s magic – it’s pretty amazing and I have the two best guys in the world so I am really happy,” Meghan said when asked how she was finding being a new mother.

She said the boy, the seventh-in-line to the British throne who has not yet been publicly named, had the sweetest temperament and was sleeping well.

“He’s just been a dream so it’s been a special couple of days.”

The baby was born in the early hours of Monday morning, weighing 7 lb 3oz (3.26 kg), but few other details have been given about the birth.

“It’s great, parenting is amazing,” Harry said. “It’s only been two-and-a-half days, three days, but we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy, to be able to spend some precious time with him as he slowly starts to grow up.”

The couple said they were about to visit 93-year-old Elizabeth, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, at the castle to allow her to meet her eighth great-grandchild.

Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland is staying with the couple at their home Frogmore Cottage, on the castle’s estate.

“It will a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family and my mom’s with us as well,” Meghan said.
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This year, Russia marks 30 years since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. The nine-year long military campaign that claimed the lives of nearly 15 thousand Soviet servicemen even today is the subject of a heated debate in Russian society. The upcoming release on May 10th of Russian director Pavel Lungin’s Leaving Afghanistan, a film on events the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, are adding to the controversy. VOA’s Igor Tsikhanenka in Moscow reports.
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Rachel Varn worked as a salesperson in the bicycle industry, but last year, she quit her job to become a certified cycling instructor. She founded PedalPower Kids to teach bicycle education. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, Varn’s goal is getting more kids on two wheels. Faith Lapidus narrates.
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Senior members of the British royal family said on Tuesday they were delighted and thrilled at the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby as the couple considered a name for their son.

Meghan gave birth in the early hours of Monday morning to the boy, the seventh-in-line to the British throne, leaving his father, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, and royal fans across the world enthralled.

“We couldn’t be more delighted at the news and we’re looking forward to meeting the baby when we return,” Prince Charles, the baby’s grandfather and heir-to-the-throne, said to well-wishers while on a trip to Berlin.

Harry’s elder brother Prince William and his wife Kate said they were absolutely thrilled at the news.

“I’m very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting,” he said. “I hope the next few days they can settle down and enjoy having a newborn in their family and all the joys that come with that.”

Kate added: “As William said, we’re looking forward to meeting him and find out what his name’s going to be so it’s really exciting for both of them.”

So far, Harry and his aides have merely confirmed the boy weighed 7 lb 3oz (3.26 kg) and that Meghan and the couple’s first child were both healthy and well.

“I am so incredibly proud of my wife and, as every father and parent would ever say your baby is absolutely amazing, this little thing is absolutely to die for,” Harry said on Monday.

Few details about the birth have been released by Buckingham Palace with the announcement itself a mix of traditional and modernity which many say the baby himself represents, being the first mixed race child to be born into a senior position in British royalty in recent history.

The news was relayed on a ceremonial easel outside the palace after “It’s a Boy!” was trumpeted on the couple’s Instagram account, attracting more than 2.6 million “likes”.

It was not clear whether the birth took place at the couple’s home, Frogmore Cottage on the estate of Windsor Castle where they married in a lavish ceremony in May last year, or if Meghan had been rushed to a London hospital as a number of British newspapers reported.

Congratulations Flood In

Celebrities and world leaders were among those to send messages, a reflection of the star status of Harry, 34, and former U.S. actress Meghan, 37.

“Congratulations, Meghan and Harry! Barack and I are so thrilled for both of you and can’t wait to meet him,” former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama said on Twitter.

Harry and Meghan decided to eschew the recent royal tradition of posing for photographs with their new baby hours after the birth, leaving the world’s media and royal fans waiting for a first glimpse of the boy who is entitled to both

British and American citizenship.

It is expected that the couple will hold a limited photo call on Wednesday to show off their son.

“We’re still thinking about names,” Harry said. “The baby’s a little bit overdue so we’ve had a little bit of time to think about it … that’s the next bit.”

Bookmakers have James, Alexander, Albert, Philip, and Arthur as the favorite names, although other suggestions include Spencer, which was the surname of Harry’s late mother Princess Diana.

The baby, the eighth great-grandchild of 93-year-old Elizabeth, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, will not automatically be a prince or a princess or be known as “His Royal Highness” unless the queen issues a decree.

However, when Elizabeth is succeeded by Prince Charles, royal rules mean the boy would then have such titles.

“It is possible that Harry might want his child not to have the burden of a royal title but I think the rest of the world would like the child to have (one),” said Ingrid Seward, editor of “Majesty” magazine.

“Harry always says how much he didn’t want to be a prince and he’d rather be almost anything else but when you’re in that world it’s very difficult to step out of it.”
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What do famous Americans such as author Edgar Allan Poe, Wild West outlaw Jesse James and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein have in common?

They all reportedly married their first cousins.

The legality of cousin marriage in the United States varies from state to state. The practice is illegal in 25 states. A first cousin is the child of either parent’s brother or sister.

In some societies around the world, marrying a first cousin is often preferable, not only to keep property or money within the family, but in some cases to keep a “good catch” from going off with a stranger.

But the practice is generally viewed as taboo in the United States.

Opposition to first-cousin marriage in the U.S. dates back to the Puritans, among the earliest European settlers in America, who opposed such unions as far back as the 17th century, according to the book “Consanguinity in Context” by medical geneticist Alan Bittles.

Marriages are considered “consanguineous” when couples are either second cousins or more closely related.

The first actual laws against first-cousin marriage appeared during the Civil War era, with Kansas banning the practice in 1858, followed by Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wyoming in the 1860s.

While first-cousin marriages were once favored by the upper classes in the U.S., such alliances declined sharply in the mid-to-late 19th century, possibly because advances in transportation and communication offered perspective brides and grooms greater access to a wider pool of marital prospects.

Also, as families grew smaller, so did the number of marriageable cousins. And women became more independent during that period, so their marital options increased.

One of the earliest people to influence American public opinion on the issue was the Rev. Charles Brooks of Massachusetts. Brooks delivered a paper at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1855 that asserted first-cousin marriage led to birth defects among the children of such unions.

Alexander Graham Bell, best known for inventing the telephone, also waded into the debate. He suggested introducing legislation to ban consanguineous marriages in families with deaf-mute members so that the condition would not be inherited by children of such marriages.

A seven-year Columbia University study published in 2018 found that children whose parents are first cousins have a 4% to 7% probability of birth defects, compared with 3% to 4% when the parents are distant relatives who marry.

From 1650 to 1850, the average person was fourth cousins with their spouse, according to the study. By 1950, the average person was married to their seventh cousin. The researchers believe that today, many couples are 10th to 12th cousins.

The data on consanguineous marriage in the U.S. is “scant and incomplete,” according to Bittles. CousinCouples.com, a website for people who are romantically involved with their cousin, estimates that about one out of every 1,000 U.S. marriages is between first cousins.

However, Bittles finds that number to be unrealistically low.

“The recent large-scale migration to the USA of couples from countries where consanguineous marriage is traditional may not reveal their premarital relationship,” he told VOA via email. “In terms of numbers, this particularly applies to immigrants from Arab countries … where 20-plus percent of marriages are consanguineous, and South Asian countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan where more than 50% of marriages may be consanguineous.”

Some states allow first-cousin marriages only if the couple can’t have children because they are too old or one of the parties is found to be infertile.

When you look past first cousins, there are a number of prominent Americans who married more distant cousins. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both said “I do” to their third cousins. President Franklin Roosevelt was married to his fifth cousin, once removed. And the first wife of Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and President Donald Trump’s lawyer, was his second cousin once removed.

Worldwide, only a handful of countries prohibit first cousin marriages.

“Besides the USA, they comprise the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Philippines,” Bittles says. “Even in the People’s Republic of China, the ban on first-cousin marriages is not enforced in officially recognized ethnic minorities where consanguineous marriage has been traditional.”

Bittles expects the number of cousin marriages in the U.S. to diminish over time as family sizes decline and there are fewer cousins available to marry, and as the children of migrants internalize negative mainstream U.S. views on marrying your cousin.
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Yuuka Hasumi put high school in Japan on hold and flew to South Korea in February to try her chances at becoming a K-pop star, even if that means long hours of vocal and dance training, no privacy, no boyfriend, and even no phone.

Hasumi, 17, joined Acopia School in Seoul, a prep school offering young Japanese a shot at K-pop stardom, teaching them the dance moves, the songs and also the language.

She is one of an estimated one million other K-pop star wannabes, from South Korea and abroad, hoping to get a shot at super competitive auditions by major talent agencies that will take on just a select few as “trainees.”

“It is tough,” Hasumi said in Japanese, drenched in sweat from a dance lesson she attended with 15-year-old friend Yuho Wakamatsu, also from Japan.

“Going through a strict training and taking my skill to a higher level to a perfect stage, I think that’s when it is good to make a debut,” she said.

Hasumi is one of 500 or so young Japanese who join Acopia each year, paying up to $3,000 a month for training and board.

The school also fixes auditions for its candidates with talent management companies that have been the driving force behind the “Korean-wave” pop culture that exploded onto the world stage in the past decade with acts such as global chart topping boy band BTS.

The influx of Japanese talent that is reshaping the K-pop industry comes at a time of increasingly bitter political acrimony between the two countries that has damaged diplomatic ties.

That the tension has done little to dent the K-pop craze among Japanese youth, and the willingness by Korean agencies to take on Japanese talent, speak to the strength of the ties between their people, according to one long-time observer.

“They’re nuts about BTS over there in Japan,” said Lee Soo-chul, board member of Seoul-Tokyo Forum, a private foundation with members of diplomats and business executives from both countries.

K-pop groups, and veteran Korean musicians, are selling out concert halls throughout Japan, said Lee, a former head of Samsung Group’s Japanese operations. “There is no Korea-Japan animosity there.”

Deep Freeze

Tensions rooted in Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of Korea have risen after South Korean court rulings against Japanese firms for forced labor, and amid a perception in Korea that Japan’s leadership has not adequately atoned for its colonial past.

But the popularity of Korean culture and K-pop music is on the rise in Japan, with many fans and artists saying they are not bothered by the diplomatic tension.

“I might get criticized for being Japanese, but I want to stand on a stage and make (South Koreans) know Japanese can be this cool,” said Rikuya Kawasaki, a 16-year-old Japanese K-pop star hopeful who auditioned unsuccessfully in Tokyo for Acopia School.

For schools and agencies, Japan’s music market – the second largest after the United States and bigger than China – is a big prize and many have been on a campaign to recruit Japanese talent.

“It will be good if Japan and South Korea will get along through music,” Hasumi told Reuters during a break from her Korean language class.

Some Japanese transplants have already made it big. The three Japanese members of the girl band Twice helped make the group the second most popular act in Japan, after BTS.

Their success has prompted JYP Entertainment, the South Korean agency backing Twice, to plan the launch of an idol group comprising only Japanese girls.

JYP declined to comment for this story.

Agency officials are reluctant to discuss their success in Japan and the infusion of Japanese talent, wary of fueling a politically charged backlash, industry sources said.

Hard Road to Stardom

There’s no shortage of Japanese hopefuls willing to train under talent agencies’ watchful eye, some having left successful careers back home in search of K-pop fame.

“I’ve heard stories about no free time or not being able to do what I want. But, I think all of K-pop stars who are now performing have gone down the same road,” said Nao Niitsu, a 19-year-old college freshman from Tokyo.

During a visit to Seoul paid for by her mother, herself a die-hard BTS fan, Niitsu auditioned for 10 agencies and was accepted by five.

Debut is elusive, unlike in Japan where it is easier for idols to get a start and then can hone their skills and work on their appeal with the fans.

Miyu Takeuchi said it wasn’t a difficult decision to leave a 10-year career with a top idol band AKB48 back home in Japan to sign with the K-pop agency Mystic Entertainment in March as a trainee.

Even with her experience, she has seven hours of vocal training a day and two-hour dance lessons twice a week, plus early morning Korean lessons.

She is not allowed to have a boyfriend but she says she has no regrets, despite the fact there is no guarantee she will make it.

“I don’t know how long my training period will be, but it has to reach a point where my coaches and management company say ‘Miyu, you are a professional!'”

($1 = 111.1600 yen)
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In the narrow alleys of a poor neighborhood of the Pakistani city of Karachi, known for drugs, gang wars and low literacy rates, children are learning about peace, love and interfaith tolerance from string puppets.

As the curtains open on stage, a narrator tells the story of “Sindbad the Sailor,” a hero of Middle Eastern origin and his journeys around the world in which he meets people of different faiths, languages and religions – who often do not have much tolerance for one another.

“A man is dying and you guys are talking about castes,” the protagonist puppet rebuked a fellow puppet who did not want to save a drowning marionette because it belonged to a lower caste.

“You should be ashamed calling yourself human beings. Humans save humanity not caste,” Sindbad says.

Writer Nouman Mehmood said the story came to mind when his group was conducting an education awareness campaign in some poor neighborhoods in the city.

They noticed religious and ethnic antagonism in those neighborhoods and decided to create a show to spread a message of peace, tolerance and harmony.

Pakistan, an overwhelmingly Muslim country of more than 200 million people, has seen repeated attacks on churches, Hindu temples and sufi shrines in recent years by hardline religious groups and Islamist militants.

Conservative religious schools or madrasas are regularly blamed for radicalization but they are often the only education available to millions of poor children, making alternative messages especially important.

“The basic thing is acceptance. You should have enough room to accept others regardless of whether he is a Christian, without considering he is a Hindu, without considering he is a Sikh,” Mehmood said. Organized by Thespianz Theatre, the show plans to travel to other poor Karachi neighborhoods and provinces after its run in the tough Karachi neighborhood of Lyari.

“There is a message that we should not interfere with others’ religions. We should help each other,” said eighth grade student Adul Rahim Arshad after watching the show. “If one deceives us, we should not deceive him back. Instead we should help him.”
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The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has rejected an appeal filed on behalf of Maximum Security, the horse that crossed the Kentucky Derby finish line first on Sunday only to then be disqualified.

The commission said that under the rules, the decision by race officials was not subject to an appeal.

Gary West said he was “stunned, shocked and in total disbelief” when 22 minutes after crossing the finish line in first place, officials disqualified Maximum Security for appearing to impede other horses.

Second-place finisher Country House — a 65-1 long shot — was declared the winner.

“Winning it was the most euphoric thing I have probably ever had in our lives and disappointment when they took the horse down for the first time in history,” West said.

Replays of Saturday’s dramatic race showed a muddy track as Maximum Security veered out of his lane and got in the way of other horses around him — a clear violation of the rules of thoroughbred racing in nearly every state where the sport is run.

West complained that the field was too crowded for Saturday’s race.

“Churchill Downs, because they’re a greedy organization, has 20 horses rather than 14 like you have … in every other race in America. Just because they can make more money, they’re willing to risk horses’ lives and people’s lives. It’s like a rodeo out there,” West said.

Track president Kevin Flanery sent an email to Reuters denying West’s allegations that a crowded track led to his horse’s violation. Flanery said the number of horses who run in the Kentucky derby has been consistent for many years.

West says he will not run Maximum Strength in the Preakness on May 18 in Baltimore, saying there is no chance of his horse winning racing’s Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes — and that two weeks is too soon to run him again. 
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