A 59.60-carat diamond known as “The Pink Star” is returning to auction next month and could fetch a record $60 million, three years since it was sold for even more – only for the buyer to pull out of the deal. The diamond was presented by Sotheby’s in London ahead of the auction in Hong …

Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country in a new report released on Monday that called on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the well-being of their citizens. The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a …

Robots are becoming commonplace in many areas of society — from manufacturing to medicine to our homes. But now, a robot has taken to the stage, in a British play called Spillikin, where a humanoid robot plays the male companion of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease.  The “Robothespian,” as the droid is being called, plays …

Robots are becoming commonplace in many areas of society — from manufacturing to medicine to our homes. Now, a robot has taken to the stage, in a British play called “Spillikin.” A humanoid robot plays the male companion of a woman with Alzheimer’s disease. VOA’s Deborah Block tells us more about it. …

Folks on Sesame Street have a way of making everyone feel accepted. That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes — and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is one of the gang. Look: …

The eastern U.S. city of Philadelphia has canceled this year’s celebration of Cinco de Mayo, an event that attracts as many as 15,000 people. Edgar Ramirez, one of the event’s organizers, said the unanimous decision by the planners was “sad,” but it was the “responsible” thing to do because of “the severe conditions affecting the …

There’s a bromance brewing between actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.    The Hollywood stars say they hit it off so well during the filming of their new sci-fi thriller called Life that a genuine friendship has blossomed. The movie, about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station who find an alien life form …

Musicians have been paying tribute to American rock n’ roll icon Chuck Berry, who died Saturday at the age of 90. In a series of tweets, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger thanked Berry for “all the inspirational music he gave to us.”   Legendary American singer Bruce Springstein said Berry was “rock’s greatest practitioner, guitarist, …

Police in St. Louis, Missouri, say rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry has died at age 90. Berry was an American music legend, a pioneer of the rock ‘n’ roll style, which blended rhythm and blues with pop music in a blend that became synonymous with the developing culture of  American teenagers in the 1950s. …

Mention New Orleans and most people will immediately associate it with jazz, a genre of music that originated among African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And that distinctly American music can be heard everywhere throughout the famed city – and in most other areas of the state of Louisiana. The ‘Big …