BRUSSELS — European Union leaders agreed Monday to do more to bolster their defenses against Russia and other threats by hiking spending and filling gaps in their military capabilities. “A lot has been done already but we need to do more. We need to do it better, stronger, faster – and we need to do it …
Tbilisi, Georgia — Jailed journalist Mzia Amaghlobeli gets weaker every day as her hunger strike has reached three weeks in Rustavi, a town near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, her lawyer says. Now the 49-year-old is having difficulty walking the short distance from her cell to the room where they usually meet, and human rights officials, …
Read more “A Russia-like crackdown has jailed dozens in Georgia”
PARIS — France hosts top tech players next week at an artificial intelligence summit meant as a “wake-up call” for Europe as it struggles with AI challenges from the United States and China. Players from across the sector and representatives from 80 nations will gather in the French capital on February 10 and 11 in the …
Read more “France pitches AI summit as ‘wake-up call’ for Europe”
LONDON — It was quite the journey for such tiny froglets: traveling thousands of miles from the forests of southern Chile to London, carried and brooded inside their fathers’ vocal sacs for safety. London Zoo said Monday that 33 endangered Darwin’s frogs, named after scientist Charles Darwin, who discovered the species, were born in their new …
Read more “Scientists hope these tiny froglets can save their species”
NEW YORK — A violin made by the famed Antonio Stradivari in 1714 has the potential to become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold when it goes up for auction Friday at Sotheby’s in New York. The auction house is estimating the value of the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” at $12 million to $18 million. If it …
Read more “1714 Stradivarius violin could become most expensive instrument ever auctioned”
LOS ANGELES — The Super Bowl isn’t just a game on Sunday, it’ll involve a nearly weeklong spectacle taking over New Orleans with non-stop entertainment leading up to the big showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. While the Chiefs and Eagles gear up for their championship rematch, the Big Easy will be the …
Read more “Stars, athletes bring buzz to New Orleans before Super Bowl”
Multiple earthquakes are rattling Santorini, a volcanic island in Greece, prompting authorities to dispatch rescuers with tents, a sniffer dog and drones, and to shut schools on four islands. Residents have been warned to avoid indoor gatherings, check escape routes, stay away from cliffs and to drain swimming pools to reduce potential structural damage to …
Read more “Multiple earthquakes rattling Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini”
BANGKOK — A journalist who covers environmental issues from Cambodia has been banned from entering the country where he has been based for the past five years. British reporter Gerry Flynn told VOA that immigration officials denied his re-entry to Cambodia on Jan. 5, when he tried to return after a vacation in Thailand. The journalist …
Read more “British environmental journalist denied entry to Cambodia”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its call for the United States to reverse its decision to withdraw from the U.N. health agency, warning of potential global health consequences and budget concerns. In his opening remarks at an executive board meeting on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told attendees the health agency regrets …
Read more “WHO urges US to reconsider withdrawal, warns of budget impact”
The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to freeze most foreign aid has left Ukrainian organizations that provide humanitarian aid and other services scrambling. Myroslava Gongadze has the story from Warsaw, with reporting from Anna Chernikova in Kyiv. VOA footage by Serhii Rozov and Vladyslav Smilianets. …
Madrid — A female Spanish soccer player told a court Monday that her boss kissed her against her will as millions watched on television, then pressured her to say it was consensual, in a case widely seen as putting machismo in sport on trial. Jenni Hermoso testified before Madrid’s High Court as Luis Rubiales, the former …
Read more “Spanish soccer boss pleads not guilty in ‘kiss’ trial “
Paris — Film director found guilty of sexual assault in France’s first big #MeToo trial PARIS (AP) — A Paris court found a filmmaker guilty of sexual assault on French actor Adèle Haenel when she was between 12 and 15 in the early 2000s, in the country’s first big #MeToo trial. Filmmaker Christophe Ruggia was …
Read more “Film director found guilty of sexual assault in France’s first big #MeToo trial “
Russian officials said Monday that Ukrainian drone attacks targeted energy facilities in two regions in southwestern Russia. Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defenses sparked fires at an oil refinery. Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin said the Ukrainian attacks focused on fuel and energy facilities, starting a fire in …
Read more “Russia says Ukrainian drone attacks targeted energy sites”
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders gather on Monday to discuss how to bolster the continent’s defenses against Russia and how to handle U.S. President Donald Trump after his decision to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China. At a royal palace-turned-conference center in Brussels, the leaders of the EU’s 27 nations will also lunch …
Read more “EU leaders to huddle on defense against Russia, economy, and US”
LOS ANGELES — Chappell Roan was named best new artist at the 2025 Grammys. She read a speech from a notebook, beginning by addressing her fellow nominees. “BRAT was the best night of my life this year,” she said, as her hat fell off her head, referencing Charli xcx. Then her speech changed course. She directed …
Read more “Chappell Roan wins best new artist at the Grammys”
MADRID — Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales goes on trial on Monday over the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso with the player scheduled to take the stand. The 47-year-old provoked worldwide outrage after he cupped Hermoso’s head and gave her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women’s …
Read more “Trial of Spain’s ex-football chief over forced kiss to begin”
TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia arrested several anti-government protesters on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators demanding new parliamentary elections briefly blocked a motorway on the edge of the capital Tbilisi. A Reuters reporter saw three protesters being arrested, including Nika Melia, a leader of the country’s largest opposition party, the Coalition for Change. Interfax news …
Read more “Georgian police arrest opposition leaders at pro-EU protest”
Los Angeles — Former President Jimmy Carter has won a posthumous Grammy award. Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, died in December at age 100. Prior to his passing, Carter was nominated in the audio book, narration, and storytelling recording category at the 2025 …
Read more “Late President Jimmy Carter wins posthumous Grammy”
Rachel Handlin is an example of what’s possible when someone pursues their dreams. Handlin may be the first person on the planet with Down syndrome to earn a Master of Fine Arts. She also had her first public solo photo exhibit in Manhattan. Anna Nelson has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vladimir Badikov. …
Rome — Milena Bernabo, awarded one of Italy’s top civilian honors for saving three children from the Nazis during World War II, died Sunday aged 96, local authorities said. Bernabo was awarded the gold medal for civil merit for saving her young neighbors during the August 1944 massacre of Sant’Anna di Stazzema, in Tuscany, in which …
Read more “Italian who saved children from WWII massacre dies aged 96”
New York — DreamWorks Animation’s “Dog Man” fetched $36 million in ticket sales at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it the biggest debut yet in 2025. It was a big opening for the Universal Pictures release adapted from the popular graphic novel series by author Dav Pilkey. The big-screen launch for …
Read more “‘Dog Man’ bites off $36 million, taking No. 1 at box office”
Berlin — Tens of thousands took to the streets across Germany during the weekend to protest the center-right leader and front-runner in a Feb. 25 election for sending to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that received the backing of a far-right party. Angry protesters in Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Leipzig said that Friedrich Merz …
Read more “Protests against Germany’s Merz who supports migration proposal backed by far-right”
ATHENS — A series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini has led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and send instructions to residents including a request to drain their swimming pools. Even though earthquake experts say the more than 200 tremors that have hit the area since early Friday are …
Read more “Multiple tremors near Greek island of Santorini shut schools and put residents on edge “
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that he would seek a strong trade relationship with the U.S. after President Donald Trump suggested he would slap Europe with tariffs after he hit America’s biggest trading partners — Canada, Mexico and China — with import taxes. Starmer spoke to reporters while hosting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz …
Read more “UK’s Starmer seeks strong trade relations with the US in the wake of Trump’s tariffs “