Daily Archives: February 21, 2022


Chile Museum to Return Easter Island ‘Head’

Chile’s National Museum of Natural History said Monday it will return to Easter Island an enormous stone statue taken from the Rapa Nui people and brought to the mainland 150 years ago.  The monolith is one of hundreds, called Moai, carved by the Rapa Nui in honor of their ancestors and sometimes referred to as the Easter Island heads.  The statues are today the island’s greatest tourist attraction, sculpted from basalt more than 1,000 years ago.  The one being returned, dubbed Moai Tau, is a 715-kilogram (1,500-pound) giant brought by …


Storm Franklin Batters Britain and Northern Europe, Leaves 14 Dead

Northern Britain and parts of France and Germany were battered Sunday and Monday by Franklin — the third major storm to strike the region in less than a week. The severe weather has flooded roads, knocked out power and left at least 14 people dead.  Storm Franklin brought heavy rains and high winds that disrupted travel and prompted more than 140 flood warnings across England and Wales as of Monday.   The storm moved through Northern Ireland and northern Britain before moving on to France, where a couple in their …


Kamau Bell Addresses Bill Cosby’s Complex Legacy in ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’

Kamau Bell’s four-part documentary “We Need to Talk About Cosby” addresses the rise and fall of African American comedian Bill Cosby from revered ‘America’s Dad’ to an alleged sexual predator. Bell, a comedian himself and a show host, told VOA’s Penelope Poulou that countless people, especially African Americans, were shocked when Cosby, who promoted family values and education, was accused by dozens of women of sexually assaulting them. …


Huge Opal Sells for Nearly $144,000 at Alaska Auction

A gemstone, billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence, was sold for $143,750 at auction in Alaska on Sunday.  The opal, dubbed the “Americus Australis,” weighs more than 11,800 carats, according to the auction house Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals. It also has a long history. Most recently, it was kept in a linen closet in a home in Big Lake, north of Anchorage, by Fred von Brandt, who mines for gold in Alaska and whose family has deep roots in the gem and rock business.  The …