Latest news bulletin | April 17th – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
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00:00 Israel's military chief said his country will respond to Iran's weakened attack, but did
00:05 not elaborate on when and how.
00:08 World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate, trying to avoid a spiral of violence in the
00:13 Middle East.
00:14 "Iran will face the consequences for its actions.
00:20 We will choose our response accordingly.
00:24 The IDF remains ready to counter any threat."
00:29 Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani visited the White House for talks intended
00:35 to focus primarily on U.S.-Iraq relations, which had been scheduled before the Iranian
00:40 attacks.
00:41 "The United States is committed to Israel's security.
00:50 We're committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and preventing conflict
00:56 from spreading beyond what it already has."
00:59 UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for the conflict in Gaza to end and for the world
01:04 to invest more deeply in the two-state solution.
01:07 "It is significant that other regional partners actually helped to prevent a much worse attack
01:16 over the weekend.
01:17 It reminds us how important the attempts to normalize relations between Israel and its
01:23 neighbors really are.
01:25 And it holds out precious hope for the region."
01:28 Hundreds of hardline supporters of the Iranian government gathered in central Tehran on Monday
01:33 to show support for Iran's recent attack against Israel.
01:46 Police in Brussels attempted to shut down a gathering of hard-right nationalist European
01:52 politicians.
01:53 The National Conservatism Conference had just kicked off, with Brexit Party founder
01:58 Nigel Farage addressing the audience when a police officer ordered it to stop.
02:03 "The authorities have decided to shut off the event and I'm here to signify you the
02:07 decision.
02:08 So I have the papers here and I'm here to enforce the decision.
02:12 So it's a decision of the burgomaster, the mayor, to shut off the event.
02:17 So the motivation lies within and you have different articles that explain the decision."
02:25 The decision was taken by Emir Kir, the mayor of Saint-Joste-en-Nord, a municipality in Brussels.
02:33 One of the reasons was the fear of a counter-protest organized by anti-fascist groups.
02:40 Police surrounded the venue and prevented anyone from entering, including keynote speakers
02:45 such as Member of the European Parliament Patricia Chagnon and the leader of the French
02:49 political party Reconquête, Eric Simon.
02:52 "Normally in Europe we invented freedom of expression, whatever that expression is.
02:57 That's why we call it freedom of expression.
03:00 Otherwise, if we are here to judge who has the right to speak and who doesn't, it's
03:06 called freedom of expression."
03:08 Attendees decided to stay inside the venue, allowing the conference to continue.
03:13 Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Kroo has condemned the police intervention as unacceptable.
03:18 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki,
03:23 who were both among the speakers, also weighed in with criticism.
03:26 "We were supposed to present our views on some other conference, but this was under
03:34 such a pressure and still is, under such a censorship type of approach that last time
03:41 I saw such a censorship was in the communist times, I can tell you."
03:47 The think tank that organized the event legally challenged the decision, claiming freedom
03:51 of speech was under attack.
03:53 The anti-fascist counter-protest that had sparked police intervention took place in
03:57 the afternoon with less than 100 participants.
04:05 Fourteen people have been detained in Georgia following mass protests.
04:11 Tens of thousands of Georgians gathered to protest the ruling party's so-called foreign
04:16 agent law.
04:19 The law has drawn controversy as it mimics legislation used by Russia to stifle independent
04:25 media.
04:27 "Georgian citizens are protesting against law which they claim mirrors Russian legislation
04:35 and contradicts Western values.
04:37 Georgians fear that adopting this law will threaten Georgia's integration with the EU.
04:43 That is why they decided to demonstrate and express their desire to be a part of the European
04:48 Union."
04:50 The draft bill calls for media and other organizations to register as being under foreign influence
04:56 if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
05:00 Authorities in Georgia attempted to pass the bill last year but backed down after pressure.
05:07 "The goal is that Georgian citizens receive at least $100 million from the EU and that's
05:16 enough to help us get out of the EU.
05:22 We need to get out of the EU and get out of the EU."
05:29 The bill has been criticized by foreign leaders across Europe.
05:33 Critics say the law would obstruct Georgia's aim of joining the European Union.
05:39 "Russian law is a threat to Georgian European Union and it is not a reason to be afraid
05:48 of the people who are not afraid of the law.
05:53 We are asking the people to understand that Russian law does not meet European standards."
06:02 Scuffles broke out on Monday in Georgia's parliament as the parliament debated the law.
06:13 A fire broke out at one of Copenhagen's oldest buildings.
06:18 The fire was first reported at 7.30am local time on Tuesday in the roof of the 17th century
06:25 old stock exchange.
06:27 It spread to much of the building and parts of the roof collapsed.
06:32 As firefighters battled the flames, passerby were seen helping rescue some of the country's
06:37 most cherished paintings and artifacts from inside.
06:40 The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
06:44 Ambulances were at the scene but there were no reports of casualties.
06:49 The building, which is situated next to the Kristianosberg Palace where the parliament
06:53 sits, is a popular tourist attraction.
06:56 Police said main road in Copenhagen was closed and people should expect the area to be cordoned
07:01 off for some time.
07:03 Several bus lines were rerouted and Danish media reported huge traffic jams in the surrounding
07:08 area.
07:09 "The Europe we want" is the slogan chosen by the Democratic Party for its political
07:19 manifesto.
07:20 In a press conference held on Monday at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, the party
07:24 leader Elie Schlein officially launched the party's European election campaign.
07:28 The aim is to promote social justice policies in a number of sectors.
07:32 According to Elie Schlein, Europe should become more social and lead the green transition.
07:38 These are some of the main takeaways from the Democratic Party's political programme
07:42 as outlined by its leader ahead of the European elections.
07:45 Raising the minimum wage and improving Italy's health system are also among the main priorities,
07:51 together with calling for more solidarity on migration in Europe.
07:54 And the warning Elie Schlein sent on Monday is very similar to the one already sent at
07:58 Europe's socialist campaign launch.
08:00 "We are the only margin for the advancement of European destiny.
08:08 I am the one who asks the people how far they are willing to go to flirt with nationalists.
08:14 They are betraying their own political tradition."
08:17 Schlein also highlighted the need to ensure equal rights for non-traditional families
08:22 and continue the fight against gender-based violence.
08:25 "I have found it very significant and important to continue fighting against gender-based violence.
08:31 It is a great step forward.
08:34 Last week's vote in the European Parliament granted women the right to choose their own bodies.
08:42 Abortion is a fundamental right, still too much denied in this country despite Law 194."
08:50 And while the Democratic Party leader hopes to gain more support,
08:53 she acknowledged that the main challenge could be low voter turnout.
08:57 Giorgia Orlandi for Euronews in Rome.
09:00 In 2018, architect Inaki Alonso and 17 other families took the initiative to build their own property
09:12 in response to the soaring housing and rental prices,
09:16 which have risen by up to 70% in the last decade.
09:20 They created the first cooperative in Madrid under Right of Use,
09:25 a formula halfway between buying and renting.
09:28 A building with common spaces and meeting spaces for neighbors
09:32 who enjoy two-bedroom apartments for about 650 euros per month.
09:48 But the Entre Patios cooperative was also born to show that it is possible to create housing
09:53 while eliminating speculation.
10:14 Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has met with representatives from the housing sector
10:18 and has announced an impactful measure, the end of the Golden Visa scheme,
10:22 which granted foreigners permanent residency by buying property in the country.
10:42 Access to housing is one of the main concerns for those under 35.
10:46 In the last decade, rental prices have risen 17 times more than wages.
10:52 We are facing a very acute housing crisis,
10:56 which is leading to two out of every ten households
11:00 being in a severe poverty situation after paying for their housing.
11:03 The problem is so serious that it is reaching middle classes.
11:07 We have more than 250,000 households with intermediate income
11:11 who are in this situation of poverty.
11:14 Spanish entities seek to import the Housing Association scheme,
11:18 a model that has proven to be effective in places such as Vienna,
11:21 where the affordable housing stock is 20% compared to Spain's 2%.
11:26 A model of housing provision managed by non-profit or limited-profit entities,
11:31 so that housing becomes a right again.
11:34 www.globalonenessproject.org
11:39 (whooshing)