PARIS — In front of political and tech leaders gathered at a summit in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a strategy on Monday to make up for the delay in France and Europe in investing in artificial intelligence (AI) but was faced with a “counter-summit” that pointed out the risks of the technology. The…
read morePentagon — New U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is headed to Europe, his first international trip since taking office last month. Hegseth departed from Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington, early Monday, for stops in Germany, Belgium and Poland. In Germany, the defense secretary is scheduled to visit the headquarters for U.S. European Command, and…
read morePresident Donald Trump’s point person for making rapid changes at U.S. governmental agencies is Elon Musk, the chief executive of carmaker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX. Congressional Democrats say that the Trump-backed multibillionaire’s attempt to reduce federal government spending is wrong. Michelle Quinn looks at what Musk has been doing in Washington. …
read moreCAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — Europe’s Euclid space telescope has detected a rare halo of bright light around a nearby galaxy, astronomers reported Monday. The halo, known as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away, considered close by cosmic standards. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. Astronomers have known about this galaxy for more…
read moreMayville, New York — Lawyers began delivering opening statements Monday at the trial of the man charged with trying to fatally stab author Salman Rushdie in front of a lecture audience in western New York. Rushdie, 77, is expected to testify during the trial of Hadi Matar, bringing the writer face-to-face with his knife-wielding attacker…
read moreConcord, New Hampshire — A third federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante in New Hampshire comes after two similar rulings by judges in Seattle and Maryland last week.…
read morePARIS — Major world leaders are meeting for an AI summit in Paris, where challenging diplomatic talks are expected as tech titans fight for dominance in the fast-moving technology industry. Heads of state, top government officials, CEOs and scientists from around 100 countries are participating in the two-day international summit from Monday. High-profile attendees include U.S.…
read morePARIS — Nearly all nations missed a UN deadline Monday to submit new targets for slashing carbon emissions, including major economies under pressure to show leadership following the U.S. retreat on climate change. Just 10 of nearly 200 countries required under the Paris Agreement to deliver fresh climate plans by Feb. 10 did so on time,…
read moreALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal court on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants held in New Mexico to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba as part of the president’s immigration crackdown. In a legal filing earlier in the day, lawyers for the men said the detainees “fit the profile of those the…
read moreThe Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chief in this year’s Super Bowl, defeating the reigning champions by a score of 40-22. The Chiefs had been slightly favored to win the game, going into the American football showdown with hopes of winning their third consecutive National Football League title. But the Eagles held the Chiefs…
read moreClimate change is rapidly altering the Arctic region, creating environmental danger, economic opportunity and geopolitical tension as the world’s major powers scramble to control newly accessible shipping lanes and resource deposits. …
read moreDid a wide-open Oscar race just get a front runner? Sean Baker’s Brooklyn comedy “Anora” took top honors at both the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards on Saturday night, catapulting it to Oscar favorite status with wins from a pair of closely watched Academy Awards precursors. Hollywood’s award season has been uncharacteristically…
read moreMost of the commercials airing during this year’s Super Bowl are going for laughs, with advertisers betting that America could use a little break. As the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs hit the field in New Orleans, a parade of silly ads will hit airwaves Sunday. Many companies put their ads online ahead…
read moreThe presidents of Ukraine and the United States are looking to make a deal. This comes as world leaders meet later this week in Munich to discuss, among other issues, the future of Ukraine’s security. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
read moreWhite House national security adviser Michael Waltz on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s plan to shut down the country’s chief foreign aid agency, contending that “all too often” it was not aligned with U.S. strategic interests and wastes money. Waltz told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the U.S. Agency for International Development programs, often food…
read moreThe Petersen family’s two-bedroom apartment in northern California is starting to feel small. Four-year-old Jerrik’s toy monster trucks are everywhere in the 1,100-square-foot unit in Campbell, just outside of San Jose. And it’s only a matter of time before 9-month-old Carolynn starts amassing more toys, adding to the disarray, said her mother, Jenn Petersen. The…
read moreJAKARTA, INDONESIA — Economists are raising concerns about the viability of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s program launched this year to combat child nutrition. According to an Indonesian Ministry of Health Nutritional Status Study report, 21.6% of children ages 3 and 4 experienced stunting caused by malnutrition in 2022. The first stage of the Free Nutritious Meal…
read moreTOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed optimism on Sunday that his country could avoid higher U.S. tariffs, saying President Donald Trump had recognized Japan’s huge investment in the U.S. and the American jobs that it creates. At his first White House summit on Friday, Ishiba told public broadcaster NHK, he explained to Trump how…
read moreEditor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Historical precedent, legal questions swirl around Trump plan to detain migrants at Guantanamo The Trump administration’s expansion of migrant detention facilities, notably its use of the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay,…
read moreWASHINGTON — Before President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress can enact much of their legislative agenda, they must deal with some unfinished business — completing work on the current budget year’s spending bills. It’s a task that by all accounts is not going well. The current stopgap measure lasts through March 14. After that, without…
read moreUkrainians Yevhenia and Kostiantyn Mukhin fled Kherson in 2022 with nothing but a backpack. They made their way to Denver, Colorado, determined to rebuild their lives, but also to spread the joy of Ukrainian culture. Svitlana Prystynska reports the story narrated by Anna Rice. …
read moreCAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Groups representing some of South Africa’s white minority responded Saturday to a plan by President Donald Trump to offer them refugee status and resettlement in the United States by saying: thanks, but no thanks. The plan was detailed in an executive order Trump signed Friday that stopped all aid and financial…
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