Latest news bulletin | July 22nd – Evening
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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00:00Antonio Costa, the incoming president of the European Council, met with the Italian Prime
00:05Minister ahead of officially starting in the role later this year.
00:11At least six people have been killed and seven others injured in a shooting in an old people's
00:17home in Croatia.
00:23The incumbent president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, kick-started his tenure by
00:29visiting Italy, a country that voted against his appointment.
00:34Costa met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, choosing Rome as the first stop of
00:39his tour of European capitals.
00:42As a founding country of the EU, he said it was important to take note of Italy's priorities.
00:49In a statement, Costa said it was paramount for him to assess the perspectives and priorities
00:55of EU member states.
00:58Meloni hosted him at the Prime Minister's official residence in the Italian capital,
01:03where the pair sat down for talks.
01:06They discussed the priorities for EU actions for the next institutional cycle, according
01:11to the Italian Prime Minister's office.
01:14Costa, the former Prime Minister of Portugal, will replace Charles Michel as the Council's
01:19president from the start of December.
01:25At least six people have been killed and seven were injured in a shooting in an elderly
01:31people's home in the central Croatian town of Daruva, according to authorities.
01:37People said that a man using firearms killed and wounded several people.
01:42A nurse working in the home said as soon as they heard shots fired, they ran.
01:47The suspect who fled the scene was later caught by police.
02:18According to local media, the man is believed to have killed his mother.
02:23Authorities are now investigating the attack.
02:33This is no ordinary walk in the park.
02:35This is forest bathing, where people immerse themselves in nature, typically for a couple
02:41of hours.
02:42So we're just going to walk really slowly and start to pay attention to everything that's
02:49coming into our senses and just really slow down.
02:54Fiona McDougall is a guide specialized in the practice that has its roots in Japan.
02:59Unlike hiking, it's not about going to a particular destination or getting a workout.
03:04It's about connecting with nature in all its elements, from the sights, to the sounds,
03:12to the smells, to the textures.
03:15So I hope that through practices like this, people feel a stronger connection to the natural
03:22world, which is where we're all from, really.
03:25And so in feeling that connection, I hope people just feel better, a stronger relationship
03:31to nature and, you know, a greater appreciation for it and their place within it.
03:37There's science backing up the idea that nature has a positive impact.
03:42One study in Germany found that a walk in the forest can help the brain process stress
03:47better.
03:49Even the sounds of nature can be a boost.
03:53So essentially, we showed a group of healthy participants, we exposed them to bird songs
03:58versus traffic noise.
03:59And we found that those people exposed to bird songs showed a decrease in anxiety, depression
04:05and paranoia.
04:06I invite you to either close your eyes or soften your gaze.
04:11Forest bathing is centered around relaxation, so Fiona ends the walk with a meditation.
04:16One of the parks she chooses is in central Berlin.
04:20She says she hopes to convince people connecting with nature can be convenient, and it has
04:25benefits even if done briefly in the city.
04:29There's science to support that as well.
04:31A report by the World Health Organization says that green spaces in urban environments,
04:36such as parks and trees on streets, have a wide range of positive effects, including
04:41protecting against poor mental health.
04:48Thousands of people have demonstrated in Majorca against what they say are the negative impacts
04:52of overtourism.
04:55Organizers of the march say uncontrolled tourist numbers are causing a drop in wages, loss
04:59of quality of life and an increase in the price of housing.
05:14Last year, Majorca's airport authority AENA said departures and arrivals at Palma Airport
05:19for July alone were up 5.9 percent compared to the same month in 2022, with 4.3 million
05:26people passing through.
05:28That meant Palma was the third most popular summer destination in Spain, behind Madrid
05:32and Barcelona.
05:35And in Barcelona earlier this month, around 3,000 people protested against the impact
05:40of overtourism.
05:42They were calling for action before a summer season that experts say will set new records
05:46in the city.
05:48Barcelona is Spain's most visited city, receiving 12 million people a year, many of whom arrive
05:54via cruise ship.
05:57But tourism is big business in Spain.
06:00The tourism lobby group Excel Tour said tourism accounted for 71 percent of real growth in
06:05the Spanish economy last year.
06:08But many locals say they're not reaping the benefits and want more action to better manage
06:13the number of arrivals.
06:20Tributes have been paid from across Europe to Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday he was
06:24pulling out of the presidential race.
06:27Biden said it had been the greatest honor of his life to serve as president, adding
06:31that he was endorsing his vice president Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket.
06:38He said he would speak to the nation later this week in more detail about his decision.
06:45From Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden for his unwavering support in
06:50the two years since the Russian invasion.
06:53We will always be thankful for President Biden's leadership, he said, adding we respect today's
06:59tough but strong decision.
07:03Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised Biden for his difficult decisions, which he
07:08said made Poland, America and the world safer.
07:12He also said the decision to drop out of the presidential race was probably the most difficult
07:17decision Biden had had to make.
07:21UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said I respect President Biden's decision and I look forward
07:26to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.
07:31Starmer added that he knew that Biden had made his decision based on what he believes
07:35is best for the American people.
07:39Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz referred to Biden as my friend, adding thanks to him
07:44transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable
07:50partner for us.
07:52His decision not to run again deserves recognition.
07:57All my admiration and recognition for the brave and dignified decision of the President
08:02began Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
08:05A great gesture from a great president who has always fought for democracy and freedom,
08:10he said.
08:15A Lebanese photojournalist who was wounded in an Israeli strike has carried the Olympic
08:20torch in Paris to honour press workers wounded and killed in the field.
08:25Christina Assi, who works for the AFP, was one of six journalists struck by Israeli shelling
08:31in southern Lebanon last year.
08:33The Israeli military said the incident was under review, maintaining that it didn't target
08:38journalists.
08:39The torch relay started in May and saw around 10,000 people carry the flame across France.
08:46Can the North Sea become a refuge for vacationers in need of freshness?
08:53With global warming, the Belgian coast might become the French Riviera of tomorrow.
09:00While part of southern Europe is hit by heatwaves, some tourists prefer to walk by 25 degrees
09:05Celsius in July in Knokk Heist, a posh seaside resort in the Flemish coast on the North Sea.
09:12And this phenomenon already has a name, Caucasians, which means holiday destinations chosen for
09:18their cooler climate, to offer a respite in the summer heat.
09:43Vacationers crossed on the pier come from Belgium or neighbouring countries.
10:04But I honestly believe our coast has a lot to offer because it's close, like here in
10:08close to a village.
10:09You have the shopping street where you can do some shopping.
10:12You can visit some art galleries.
10:18For others, it is out of the question to turn their back to the Mediterranean sun.
10:22Some will adapt their habits, shift their holidays in May or September in the south
10:26and favour a cooler destination like Knokk in July and August.
10:38However, the phenomenon of Caucasians could increase in the coming decades.
10:48In a trajectory of plus 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the heatwave will
10:54be unbearable in summer around the Mediterranean, while temperatures will remain pleasant in
10:59Belgium, says Xavier Fettweis, climatologist at the University of Liège.
11:08At the end of the century, we would have the climate of Toulouse.
11:11It is a very pleasant Mediterranean climate.
11:14But the sea water of the Manche will take much longer to warm up.
11:18So we won't have water like we have in the Mediterranean at 27-28 degrees.
11:23Located further north, however, Belgium enjoys lower luminosity than the Mediterranean region,
11:28which could overshadow its tourism ambitions.
11:31Another challenge is coastal erosion and rising sea levels that could significantly reshape
11:36coastal landscapes.