Latest news bulletin | August 9th – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Transcript
00:00 Wildfires in Portugal and Spain are burning hundreds of hectares of land as heat waves continue to fuel the fires.
00:09 The European Union says there's still hope for diplomacy in Niger, but coup leaders in Niamey refuse to meet with negotiators.
00:19 Italy brings in a one-off 40% windfall tax on banks' extra profits, a move that sent European market shares falling.
00:29 UEFA has postponed a Champions League qualifier after a man was stabbed to death in fighting between fans of AEK Athens and Dynamo Zagreb.
00:39 In the Odemira region of Portugal's southwest, close to 1,000 firefighters are battling a wildfire, local authorities say.
00:51 At least nine have been injured so far tackling the flames. About 7,000 hectares have burned.
00:58 As a precautionary measure, more than 1,400 people had to be evacuated from villages and a campsite on Monday.
01:04 The fire broke out on Saturday as the country was hit by soaring temperatures and high winds.
01:09 In Santarém, about 80 kilometres northeast of Lisbon, the mercury reached a record 46.4 degrees Celsius on Monday.
01:18 Neighbouring Spain is experiencing its third heatwave this summer and is also battling a number of wildfires.
01:24 One of the regions currently affected is Extremadura. In Valencia de Alcántara, a fire has burned around 300 hectares.
01:31 We have hosted our clients in a hotel in Valencia de Alcántara.
01:38 We are worried and anxious because we have a huge forest mass, hundreds of trees, and we are very sorry.
01:46 We have animals, cows, and that worries us.
01:49 We are trying to gather them in places where it doesn't burn to be more calm about the fire.
01:56 Spain's AEMET weather agency said temperatures will continue to rise until at least Friday.
02:11 Rain, wind and storms are wreaking havoc in eastern Sweden, causing damage to roads and towns across the region.
02:18 Three people were injured when a passenger train derailed near the town of Sundsvall after the embankment was partially washed away.
02:27 And in neighbouring Norway, dozens of people have been evacuated.
02:32 Extreme rainfall brought to the country by the low-pressure system known as Storm Hans has forced flight cancellations and road closures.
02:41 We are especially concerned about areas in Bygdadsund that are vulnerable to landslides.
02:48 We are following this up. It's difficult to protect ourselves against it, but we are on alert.
02:54 Severe weather also hit Denmark with gusts of wind disrupting rail, air and sea traffic.
03:01 Dozens of holidaymakers on the west coast of the country had to leave the area as beach houses were swept into the ocean.
03:09 Meanwhile, on the other side of the Baltic Sea, Latvia continues to endure weather more reminiscent of autumn than summer.
03:16 A violent storm caused severe damage to crops and some houses in the town of Dobile, with trees falling on highways and roofs torn off by the wind.
03:28 Life is returning to normal in Niger's capital, Niamey, two days after the end of an ultimatum from West African regional group ECOWAS to restore the democratically elected government.
03:39 But politically, things remain uncertain. The coup leaders have named a new prime minister, but the international community isn't ready to move on.
03:47 On Tuesday, Brussels stressed that it won't work with what it calls the "illegitimate authorities" in Niger, and is still pushing for diplomacy.
03:56 One thing is certain, there will be no positive consequences if this military coup is allowed to proceed and be established as a fact on the ground.
04:04 We still believe that there is a space, there is a room for mediation efforts. ECOWAS is the main actor, the main regional actor in this. Whatever ECOWAS decides will then be implemented.
04:14 But leaders of the junta in Niger have refused to receive a negotiating mission from the United Nations, ECOWAS and the African Union.
04:23 And citing security concerns, ECOWAS is due to meet on Thursday to discuss next steps.
04:28 At dawn on Tuesday, rescue workers resumed their search for survivors in the rubble of a residential building where at least seven people were killed the previous day by two Russian missiles in Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, a region where the Russian army claims to be gaining ground in recent days.
04:51 The authorities announced 67 people had been injured, including 29 police officers, seven rescue workers and two children.
05:15 Russia's defence ministry made no reference to civilian casualties as it claimed its army had made significant advances while also repelling a dozen assaults by Ukraine's forces.
05:26 Ukraine announced 22 of its POWs had been freed.
05:30 Draped in Ukrainian flags, one of the groups said they'd returned from hell.
05:41 Russia made no mention of a prisoner exchange of its own soldiers.
05:45 Ukrainian forces continued counter-offensive operations on at least two sectors of the front.
06:01 Here in the south, in western Donetsk and eastern Zaporizhia region in the Berdyansk direction and also in western Zaporizhia region in the direction of Melitopol.
06:15 Ukrainian Southern Operational Command spokesperson Natalia Gumenyuk noted that Ukrainian strikes on the Chunhar and Gnichysk bridges here were intended to specifically target Russian plans and strategies and inhibit the ability of Russian forces to bring supplies and supplies.
06:31 and personnel to the front.
06:34 The Institute for the Study of Warsays, Russian forces and occupation administrators continue to seek to mitigate the impact of recent Ukrainian strikes on logistics nodes along the key Russian ground lines of communications connecting annexed Crimea and occupied Kherson region.
06:52 The Institute also emphasized that Russian forces must now reroute supplies and personnel through Armyansk directly on the border between Kherson and Crimea within just about 80 kilometers to the front line.
07:07 Moscow appointed Kherson regional occupation head Vladimir Saldo reported that his administration has temporarily changed the logistics and vehicle crossing routes between occupied Kherson and Crimea due to the damage to the Chunhar bridge including the suspension of the bus traffic between Simferopol in Crimea and Gnichysk here in the region of Kherson.
07:31 The Institute for the Study of War ads that Russian mill bloggers notably did not comment on the aftermath of this strike further supporting the think tank's previous assessment that Russian officials may have directed Russian correspondents to not offer commentary on Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics nodes in Crimea to avoid generating panic within the informational space.
07:56 Italy has introduced a one-off 40% windfall tax targeting banks extra profits from higher interest rates a move that sent European market shares tumbling.
08:06 Banks need to pay the levy if their 2022 net interest income exceeds the value of the year before by at least 3%.
08:14 If activated it could add 2 to 3 billion euros to government coffers.
08:19 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney called for the windfall tax to help ease the pressure on households.
08:25 She says a series of interest rate hikes from the European Central Bank has seen banks reap the benefits while consumers pay the price.
08:32 In a post on social media Maloney praised parliament for voting in favour of the motion saying Italy has been waiting 50 years for such a measure.
08:40 Meanwhile European shares dropped on Tuesday morning as the market considered Italy's new tax.
08:46 The reaction led to Italian banks taking a considerable hit too with UniCredit, Intensa Sao Paolo and Monte dei Paschi, the Siena stocks dipping.
08:55 Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC gave the go-ahead on Tuesday for the construction of its first European plant in the eastern German city of Dresden.
09:07 Total investment is expected to exceed 10 billion euros.
09:13 Foreign countries are striving to tighten their control over the manufacture of chips which are crucial to the production of everything from laptops and cars to missiles.
09:21 Tensions with China over Taiwan where TSMC is based have heightened concerns over the global supply of microchips.
09:29 Thousands of fans gathered on the streets of Bray on Tuesday to pay tribute to Sinead O'Connor as her funeral procession passed through the Irish town.
09:42 Some threw flowers while others left handwritten notes thanking the singer and activist whose lyrics and actions touched so many people's lives.
09:50 Her funeral cortege included a vintage Volkswagen van playing Bob Marley music.
09:56 O'Connor was found dead at her home in London in July. She was 56. Police have not given a cause of death but say it was not suspicious.
10:10 A 62-year-old Greek football fan died on Tuesday after being stabbed in disturbances outside the AEK football stadium in Athens.
10:18 Eight people were injured and there were 88 arrests after violence flared between home supporters and fans of Dynamo Zagreb, the visiting team.
10:28 Greek fans paid tribute to the dead man in social media posts and flowers were laid outside the stadium.
10:39 The Champions League qualifier between the two teams was cancelled by UEFA.
10:43 The planned second leg in Croatia next week will now count as the first leg.
10:50 Athens will host the second leg with the date for the fixture still to be agreed.
11:02 France has made it through to the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup after an emphatic 4-0 win over Morocco on Tuesday.
11:09 Goals from Khadija Toudiani, Kenza Daly and a brace from Eugénie Le Sommer rounded off a dominant performance in Adelaide.
11:17 Captain Wendy Rennard's team will play co-hosts Australia in the last eight in Brisbane on Saturday.
11:23 Elsewhere, Colombia kept their composure to edge out Jamaica in a fiercely contested battle.
11:30 Catalina Ousmé's goal in the 51st minute proved to be the difference between the two sides in Melbourne.
11:35 This is the first time Colombia have reached the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup.
11:40 They will take on England next in Sydney on Saturday.
11:43 Saturday.
11:45 (whooshing)