Euro News

Bordeaux, France just surpassed Paris in a new ranking of the world's most beautiful cities, with Europe dominating nine out of the top 10 spots. The rankings are based on buildings that adhere to the 'golden ratio' for balanced and harmonious structures. Venice takes the lead as the most beautiful city, followed by Rome and Barcelona in second and third place respectively. Despite iconic landmarks, Paris lands at 12th place. In fifth place is the only non-European city to make the top 10: New York City.

9 Out of 10 of the World’s Most Beautiful Cities Are in Europe, Says New Ranking

The Guardian

For the first time in years, conservationists in the Scottish Highlands are talking about the capercaillie with something close to optimism. After decades of decline, the species has seen a modest but meaningful rise at one of its most important sites.

At RSPB Abernethy, the population of male capercaillies has increased by 50 percent, moving from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025. It is a small shift, but for a bird whose numbers have collapsed to 532 in the wild, any increase is significant. In the 1970s, more than 20,000 capercaillies lived across Scotland’s pine forests. The drop since then has been severe enough that the bird is often described as being on the edge of local extinction.

The latest count focused on the spring lekking season. A lek, from the Old Norse word for play, is where males gather to perform elaborate displays to attract female birds. For capercaillies, this involves dramatic flutter jumps, puffed out black plumage, and rhythmic popping and clicking sounds meant to impress the smaller, camouflaged females. These gatherings offer conservation teams the most reliable way to track the male population each year.

The challenges pushing the species toward decline remain substantial. Wetter springs and summers make survival harder for chicks. High quality forest habitat continues to shrink. Eggs and chicks face predation. Birds collide with deer fences. Human disturbance, including spikes in foot traffic driven by social media attention, has added new pressure. Researchers also worry that low genetic diversity in the surviving population could affect recovery.

Even so, Abernethy’s increase is linked to hands on efforts to rework the forest floor. Conservationists have been trialling a remote controlled mower that removes dense heather in steep areas. Cutting back the heather allows blaeberry to grow. Blaeberry is a key food source for adult capercaillies and it supports moth caterpillars, which provide essential protein for chicks. Clearing patches of ground also gives chicks places to warm themselves after rain.

Another intervention involves virtual fence collars on cattle, a way to direct grazing without installing physical fences that could threaten flying birds. The controlled grazing helps reshape the forest in ways that benefit capercaillie habitat.

Abernethy holds more than 20 percent of the 143 lekking males recorded in the 2025 national count. The site is now a central part of efforts to keep the species from sliding further.

Richard Mason, conservation manager at RSPB Abernethy, said: “The increase in the number of lekking male capercaillie is thanks to the huge amount of work we are undertaking to improve habitat quality. The combination of cutting and extensive cattle grazing has dramatically improved conditions in the forest. We are seeing many chicks reaching full size and whilst the future of capercaillie remains in the balance, we are hopeful that these techniques can support their recovery in Scotland.”

He added: “There is still a lot of work to be done for capercaillie, not just at RSPB Abernethy, but across all capercaillie sites in Scotland. By enhancing these native pinewood forests, we can collectively work towards the recovery of this incredible bird.”

Other forests are starting to show encouraging signs too. Strathspey reported an increase in males during its 2023 count, suggesting that targeted habitat work may be paying off across parts of the Highlands.

For now, experts see a fragile but real lifeline for a species that has been inching toward disappearance for decades.

Endangered Capercaillie Shows Rare Signs of Recovery in the Scottish Highlands

BBC News

Chester Zoo has been recognised as an internationally important botanic garden, becoming the first zoo in the UK to receive accreditation from Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The endorsement highlights the zoo’s growing role in protecting rare and threatened plants from across the world.

The accreditation follows a detailed assessment of the zoo’s education work, sustainability efforts, research and hands on conservation. Hundreds of plant species are cared for on site, from UK natives to rare tropical flora, many of which are at risk in the wild.

Head of plants Philip Esseen said the recognition will help the zoo expand its conservation impact. “We are caring for species that are threatened with extinction in the wild, and that carries a responsibility to protect them, propagate them and share our expertise with others,” he said.

Chester Zoo’s plant collection spans public gardens and behind the scenes nurseries where thousands of specimens are housed for research and long term conservation. The zoo also maintains five National Plant Collections through a UK wide scheme aimed at preventing the loss of important cultivated plants.

“In some cases, we are caring for plants that barely exist anywhere else,” said Richard Hewitt from the zoo’s plant nursery. He pointed to three species from the Madeiran archipelago that have all but vanished from botanical gardens. The Madeiran government has entrusted the zoo with their seeds in an effort to stop them disappearing entirely.

One of those species, Musschia isambertoi, is critically endangered after losing much of its natural habitat. “As we know it has never successfully produced seed outside its natural habitat,” Hewitt said, stressing how precarious the species’ future remains.

The zoo’s conservation work also includes threatened UK species such as the black poplar, an endangered timber tree being propagated and replanted through restoration programmes.

Patricia Malcolm from BGCI said the zoo’s contributions made it one of only two zoos in Europe to achieve Conservation Practitioner status.

For the staff at Chester Zoo, the new accreditation is both recognition and responsibility. It marks a step forward in efforts to protect plants that, in some cases, survive in only a handful of places on Earth.

UK Zoo Earns Prestigious Botanic Garden Status for Plant Conservation Efforts

ABC News

A quiet Milan church swapped its usual hymns for cheers on February 9, using the excitement around the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics to teach children that the meaning of sport goes far beyond competition. Inside the Church of Sant’Antonio, just steps from Milan’s Duomo, dozens of kids received snowflake shaped medals, a small reminder that they are champions in their own lives.

“This is not about changing lives through elite performance,” said Valentina Piazza, project manager for CSI for the World, an organization that brings sports programs to children in developing countries. “It’s about how sport helps young people learn from being together.”

The ceremony marked the launch of the Tour of Sports Values, an initiative led by the Catholic Archdiocese of Milan during the Winter Games. Through workshops, exhibitions, athlete talks and hands on sports activities, the program highlights the values of excellence, friendship and respect. Letters written by Archbishop Mario Delpini anchor the effort, building on themes he has shared in recent years as the region prepares for the Olympics.

Organizers expect the initiative to reach about 13,000 young people across schools, parish youth centers and local sports clubs through February 20.

The kickoff event mixed reverence with playful energy. Children sat in the pews of the 16th century church before meeting Giordano Bortolani, a professional basketball player who came through the youth system of Olimpia Milano and has played in both of Italy’s top divisions. He also volunteers in programs for people with disabilities through Milan’s Catholic network.

“Since becoming a professional athlete, I often go around talking to kids,” Bortolani said. “With the Winter Olympics happening here in Milan, it’s all about Olympic values. The values of sport, and of life as well.”

Behind him hung banners designed by high school seniors, each reflecting Olympic inspired themes connecting past and present. Matilde Napoli, deputy head of the school, said the project encourages students to see sport “not only as competition or performance, but also as a vehicle for ethical principles such as cooperation, respect, solidarity and inclusion.”

Much of the program unfolds in oratories, the parish based spaces that are central to youth life in Italy. After school, they serve as gathering spots for sports, games and community activities. The foundation that supports these oratories, FOM, is coordinating efforts across the archdiocese. According to Massimo Aquino, president of CSI, the archdiocese oversees nearly 1,000 oratories.

“The most beautiful thing is that, for generations, Italians have grown up learning the values of life in oratories, chasing after a ball,” Aquino said. He noted that several major Italian athletes began in these settings, including Olympic canoe champion Antonio Rossi and sprinter Filippo Tortu, part of Italy’s gold winning 4x100 meter relay team in Tokyo.

Bortolani is one of those athletes shaped by oratory life. His first experience with sport was at age five, playing in a parish courtyard. “Church was part of it,” he said. “Sometimes, between training sessions, they would take us to pray.” Even after turning professional, he has stayed connected to the places that helped raise him. “There is a beauty in sport itself, but sometimes a young person may be interested in hearing the point of view of an athlete. That’s how it was for me when I was younger.”

During the Winter Games, organizers hope these everyday spaces can bring the Olympic spirit down to earth, turning familiar parish halls into simple classrooms for reflection, play and community. The medals handed out in Sant’Antonio may not come with international fanfare, but the message behind them is clear. For the kids in the pews, the values they practice together matter just as much as anything that happens in an arena.

Milan Churches are Swapping Hymns for Cheers, Teaching Olympic Values To Kids During the Winter Games

People

A family of six, including four young children, was pulled from the Pacific Ocean after their boat capsized off the Santa Cruz coast on February 7. Local surfers and the Santa Cruz Fire Department worked together to reach the family in rough waters near Steamer Lane, a popular spot for experienced surfers.

The small fishing boat began to sink near the Surfing Museum lighthouse on West Cliff Drive. Darryl “Flea” Virostko, a former Mavericks big wave champion, happened to be nearby and joined the rescue with 14 year old Ian Anderson and another young surfer identified as Emilio.

“Crazy. Unbelievable these small children made it out of this boat wreck,” Virostko told KRON4. Anderson said he spotted one of the children drifting in the water and yelling for help. “The surfing community is a pretty tight knit community. When someone’s in trouble, we always come together to help that person,” he told KSBW.

All four children, ages 3 to 9, were wearing life vests. The parents, who were not, were also brought to safety. Santa Cruz Fire Chief Rob Oatey praised the surfers for stepping in. “It’s not common or everyday that people want to get involved,” he told KSBW. “So it’s huge that we have people in the community who are willing to take that step and become involved in an emergency situation.”

Witnesses said the boat capsized after the operator should have turned sharply but continued straight into powerful surf. Swells were reaching between 8 and 12 feet at the time. One witness, Stephen, said the waves “picked him up, curled him over and threw the boat down, tumbling with the wave at the same time, because he chose to go straight ahead.”

Another bystander, Blake, said the outcome could have been far worse. “This could have been a tragedy of the worst kind. Fortunately, it wasn't. Everybody survived. But it's a really scary thought, looking at this boat and thinking what could have happened,” he told KSBW.

The family was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and sustained only minor injuries.

These Surfers Rescued a Family of Six After a Boat Capsized off the Coast of California

For Gabriel Enyi and Uloma Igwe, romance began quietly on the number 88 Stagecoach bus that runs from Northampton Bus Station to Silverstone. What started as shy glances during their daily commute has grown into a relationship they describe as joyful, loving and unexpectedly life changing.

Enyi first noticed Igwe in September 2024. Each morning, he saw her arrive at the bus station and sit on the same service. For months he kept silent. “There was a kind of fear or uncertainty, is she married or not, so I wasn't brave enough to approach her,” he said.

Igwe noticed him too. At one point she almost confronted him, half amused and half curious. “There was a day I nearly spoke to him: is there a problem, why are you always staring at me?” she said. She wondered whether he knew her from somewhere, but decided she would have recognised him.

What Enyi saw was someone he considered “a classy lady,” and eventually that pushed him to act. Their first conversation in late June was brief, a simple hello, but Igwe said she smiled because she had already noticed him. They exchanged numbers that day and soon went on their first date.

Igwe, who works as a customer service adviser for West Northamptonshire Council, said her now fiancé is “a loving gentleman.” She added, “I've never been this loved and appreciated. I'm really happy, it's such a beautiful relationship.”

The couple burst into laughter as they described the surprise proposal Enyi staged at Igwe’s sister’s house, surrounded by friends and family. For Enyi, the journey from shy commuter to future husband still feels surreal. “The bus gave me the love of my life and I'm so happy about it,” he said.

They even reached out to Stagecoach to ask if they could use one of its buses for pre wedding photos, a nod to the route that brought them together.

The pair plan to marry later this year, grateful that a simple commute turned into something far greater than either expected.

Valentine's Day Love Story: This Couple Who Exchanged Months of Shy Bus Glances is Now Set to Marry

The Cool Down

A small, spotted marsupial that had not been seen in more than eight decades has unexpectedly reappeared in northern Australia. A trail camera at Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary captured new images of a northern quoll, an endangered species whose numbers have collapsed due to habitat loss and feral predators.

The footage came after Nick Stock, the sanctuary’s manager, followed a hunch that the species might still be present. He set up a camera, and within days it caught the animal moving through the area. Researchers consider the find significant, since northern quolls, with their long tails and distinctive white spots, have been increasingly difficult to document in recent decades.

“It was a fantastic surprise!” said Dr. Helena Stokes from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. “After years of no sightings, to finally confirm a northern quoll on the sanctuary is hugely uplifting for our team.” The group later posted the news on Instagram and wrote, “It’s an exciting sign that targeted, science-led conservation is helping keep one of Australia’s most threatened marsupials hanging on.”

The sighting highlights the value of trail cameras in monitoring fragile wildlife populations. Conservation teams rely on this technology to confirm species that are disappearing from their historic ranges, especially when field sightings have become rare or impossible. These moments also serve as reminders of why continued habitat protection matters, since even small and elusive creatures help regulate ecosystems.

Similar camera traps around the globe have recently captured other elusive species like the Canada lynx, the Allegheny woodrat, and the Javan rhinoceros. Each instance offers a bit of optimism that some vulnerable animals can still persist despite environmental pressures and human activity.

Social media users welcomed the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s update. “Remarkable capture!” one person wrote. Another added, “So awesome!!”

A Trail Camera Just Caught an Endangered Marsupial Thought Missing for 80 Years

Science Alert

For years, a smooth white stone dug up in the Netherlands puzzled researchers. The circular piece of Roman era limestone is carved with straight and diagonal lines, but no one could say what it was for. Now, a mix of old fashioned archaeology and artificial intelligence has produced a compelling answer. Scientists think it was a board game, and they have even proposed a set of rules.

The key breakthrough came from analysing the stone’s surface. Using 3D imaging, researchers noticed that some carved lines were deeper than others. That pattern pointed to repeated movement along specific paths.

"We can see wear along the lines on the stone, exactly where you would slide a piece," said Walter Crist, an archaeologist at Leiden University who specialises in ancient games. That wear pattern became the foundation for reconstructing how the game might have been played.

Researchers at Maastricht University then turned to an AI system called Ludii. The program is designed to identify likely rule sets for ancient games by learning from existing examples. They trained it with rules from about 100 historic games found in the same region.

Dennis Soemers, from Maastricht University, said the computer "produced dozens of possible rule sets. It then played the game against itself and identified a few variants that are enjoyable for humans to play." After that, the team compared those possible versions against the stone’s wear marks to narrow down which movements made the most sense.

Soemers urged caution despite the excitement. "If you present Ludii with a line pattern like the one on the stone, it will always find game rules. Therefore, we cannot be sure that the Romans played it in precisely that way," he said.

Even with the uncertainty, the findings point toward a "deceptively simple but thrilling strategy game" where players tried to trap their opponent’s pieces in as few moves as possible. The proposed rules and the full research have been published in the journal Antiquity.

The discovery adds to a growing list of ancient artefacts that may have been early board games. It also shows how AI is becoming a useful tool for archaeologists as they revisit old mysteries and test new interpretations.

AI Just Unravelled a Mystery Of This Baffling Roman-Era Stone

NBC News

If you’ve watched even a few minutes of figure skating at the Winter Olympics, chances are you’ve seen Benoît Richaud.

He is the tall, slender, bald man sitting beside what feels like every athlete in the “kiss and cry” area, waiting as their scores flash across the screen.

One moment, he’s next to American Maxim Naumov. The next, he’s with France’s Adam Siao Him Fa. Then Canada’s Stephen Gogolev. Then Mexico’s Donovan Carrillo. And each time, he is wearing a different national team jacket.

That constant presence is no coincidence.

Richaud is the choreographer for 16 competitors in Milan: 12 singles skaters and four pairs from 13 countries. There is no rule preventing a coach or choreographer from working with athletes representing different nations. So he simply adjusts his wardrobe accordingly.

“I just come with all of the jackets and then I make quick changes,” Richaud told NBC News. “The people from the federation or team leaders, they help me and we make quick changes and that’s how it goes. Sometimes it’s quite slow and sometimes it’s quite crazy when it’s one after the other one.”

On one stretch, he might wear Mexico’s colors for Carrillo, then quickly switch into Japan’s jacket for Kao Miura. Later, he could be racing to remove Georgia’s colors after supporting Nika Egadze, before pulling on red, white and blue for Naumov.

For Richaud, the effort is deliberate.

“I know some coaches want to wear normal clothes,” he said. “But I think the Olympic Games is a special moment where you also need to cherish the difference of people. I think it’s something beautiful. Every different country has different cultures. When I go on the screen, I want to promote that.”

From “Nobody” to Olympic Mainstay

It was not always this way.

A former competitive skater from Lyon, France, Richaud never placed higher than seventh at the World Junior Championships. When he turned to coaching in 2013, the start was slow.

He had just one 25 minute session during his first week. “It was like that for the first four weeks of work,” he said.

“I didn’t start with high-level skaters because I was a nobody,” he explained. “My first job was literally working with people who were 70 years old. I started with a grandmother. I was teaching old people how to skate.”

Gradually, his reputation grew. He began working with Latvian standout Deniss Vasiļjevs at the junior level. Success followed. Word spread. Over the past decade, Richaud has become one of the most sought-after choreographers in the sport.

He attributes his rise to a mindset that embraces risk.

“I’m not scared. I’m not scared at all,” he said. “It means that I do whatever I want, and I never try to please judges or people. If we want to do a crazy idea, we do it. I always find a way to make things happen.”

“One of my big powers is that I do things very differently, and it’s all connected to fear. I want to push our sport forward and change the styles, change the way people think and see figure skating.”

Skating for More Than Scores

For Richaud, innovation is personal.

He has spoken about wanting to create routines that would draw in non-skating fans, including his own father. “I lost my dad, and I always think about making him fall in love with skating,” he said. “Nobody cares about skating where I live, and I always think about those people.”

That emotional connection has been especially powerful this week.

Naumov, now 24, lost his parents in a plane crash outside Washington, D.C., last year and nearly stepped away from the sport. Instead, he is now competing in the Olympic men’s singles final.

Richaud calls his perseverance “amazing.”

“He wanted to leave the sport, and now he’s making his dream come true, which was also the dream of his parents,” he said. “There’s something very unique about him. And knowing that he struggled so much, and to be able to do that, I think it’s just pure respect.”

Before each performance, Richaud offers final words of encouragement. Afterward, he sits beside his skater in the kiss and cry, sharing the tension of the score reveal.

Then he disappears into the corridors of the arena. There is another skater about to take the ice. 

And another jacket waiting to be zipped up.

The Coach With 10 Jackets: Benoît Richaud Is Everywhere at the Winter Olympics

Black News

Before she was choreographing halftime shows for Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Bad Bunny, Charm La’Donna was a three-year-old in Compton learning to dance. By kindergarten, she was already performing solos. Now, she’s one of the most in-demand choreographers in music — and the Emmy-nominated creative force behind some of the most memorable Super Bowl halftime performances in recent years.

La’Donna’s style doesn’t fit neatly into a single category. “Hybrid” is how she describes herself, blending hip-hop, krumping, ballet, jazz, and everything in between into a signature movement language that’s both high-impact and emotionally charged.

“I love the work that goes into creating the art for whoever to see,” she told The Grio. “You’re talking to the little girl who used to choreograph in her room by herself, and now I see my work all over the world.”

That journey took her through the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and eventually into the orbit of renowned choreographer Fatima Robinson, who mentored her early on. It wasn’t long before La’Donna was leading choreography for some of the most-watched performances on Earth.

Her credits are stacked. The Weeknd’s 2021 halftime show. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 set. Bad Bunny’s 2026 debut. Beyoncé’s now-iconic “Beyoncé Bowl.” In each one, La’Donna’s choreography carried her signature mix of storytelling and athleticism, drawing from both her formal training and lived experience.

What makes her work stand out is how it’s tailored to each artist. La’Donna builds trust with performers, studying their rhythms and quirks, and creating movement that feels organic — even as it electrifies stadium crowds and television audiences alike.

“I’ll probably still be up there dancing when I’m 60,” she said.

Despite her global reach, she hasn’t strayed far from her roots. She teaches, mentors young dancers and talks often about building an “empire of all arts” that lifts up future creatives. Her choreography might be seen by millions, but she’s still that little girl from Compton — only now, the stage is a lot bigger.

Meet the Choreographer Behind  Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Performance

ESPN

American curler Rich Ruohonen made history Thursday in Milan, becoming the oldest U.S. Winter Olympian ever at 54 years old.

He took the ice during the final moments of the U.S. men’s 8–3 loss to Switzerland. With the Americans down 8–2 and the game effectively decided, Ruohonen was brought in for a single end and helped the team put one point on the board before they conceded.

"It's awesome. It's hard to do it in that situation when we're getting beat," Ruohonen said after the match. "I would have rather done it when we were up 8-2 instead of down 8-2. I really appreciate the guys giving me a chance."

Ruohonen passed a record that had stood for more than 90 years. The previous oldest American Winter Olympian was Joseph Savage, who was 52 when he competed in pairs figure skating at the 1932 Lake Placid Games. The oldest American Olympian at any Games remains Thomas Scott, who was 71 when he competed in archery at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.

A longtime figure in U.S. curling, Ruohonen has been serving as the alternate for skip Danny Casper’s team in Milan. That squad earned its Olympic berth by beating five-time Olympian John Shuster’s team at the U.S. trials and later winning a last-chance qualifier to claim a spot at the Games.

For Ruohonen, the moment was bittersweet—a personal milestone set against a difficult match. But it’s also a reflection of the long path he’s taken in curling, and a rare Olympic honor that few athletes at any age ever get to experience.

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