Voice of America Arts & Entertainment

1. Puerto Rico bans discrimination against those who wear Afros, other styles

   SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's governor on Wednesday signed a law that prohibits discrimination against people wearing Afros, curls, locs, twists, braids and other hairstyles in the racially diverse U.S. territory. The move was celebrated by those who had long demanded explicit protection related to work, housing, education and public services. "It's a victory for generations to...

2. Former US diplomat and author Martin Indyk dies at 73

   NORWICH, Conn. — Veteran diplomat Martin S. Indyk, an author and leader at prominent U.S. think tanks who devoted years to finding a path toward peace in the Middle East, died Thursday. He was 73. His wife, Gahl Hodges Burt, confirmed in a phone call that he died from complications of esophageal cancer at the couple's home in New Fairfield, Connecticut. The Council on Foreign Relations,...

3. Video game performers to strike over artificial intelligence concerns

   LOS ANGELES — Hollywood's video game performers voted Thursday to go on strike, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections.  The strike — the second for video game voice actors and motion capture performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of...

4. YouTube star sets Domino installation world record

   YouTube star Lily Hevesh has been mesmerizing viewers with domino creations for 15 years. Last weekend, at the National Building Museum in Washington, she completed her most ambitious project yet: she brought down an installation of 100,000 dominoes and set a world record. Maxim Adams reports. Camera: Dmitry Shakhov, Artem Kohan.

5. Drill team cultivates sense of identity for Chinese American girls

   In the Pacific Northwest, there is a marching group that has thrilled parade audiences for more than 70 years. The Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team has brought a sense of community and identity for generations of Chinese American girls. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya reports.

6. Toronto Film Festival lineup includes movies from Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh

7. Ukraine's largest music festival returns with break from inescapable reality of war

   Kyiv, Ukraine — This year, Ukraine's largest music festival struck a different chord. Gone were the international headliners, the massive performance halls and the hundreds of thousands of visitors. Instead, beloved local artists graced the stage this past weekend at the Atlas Festival — the first since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 — for a smaller but still ebullient crowd....

8. Hemingway fans celebrate the author's 125th birthday

9. 'Twisters' whips up $80.5M at box office, while 'Deadpool & Wolverine' looms

10. Malaysia honors new king in coronation marked by pomp

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Traditional pomp and cannon fire Saturday marked the coronation of Malaysia's billionaire King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who pledged to govern fairly during the five-year term he will serve under a unique rotating monarchy system. Ibrahim, 65, was sworn in on January 31. Saturday’s coronation at the national palace formalized his role as Malaysia’s 17th king in a...