Latest news bulletin | August 21st – Midday
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00:00Zelensky says the supply of new air defense systems to Ukraine are being discussed with
00:06its partners. Rescue teams deploy an underwater robot to help search for six missing passengers
00:16after a yacht sunk off the coast of Sicily.
00:22Ukraine's population boom has led to a housing shortage.
00:35Ukraine is discussing the supply of new air defense systems with its partners. Ukrainian
00:40President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this in his nightly address. It comes after he
00:45urged Ukraine's allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons. He says
00:50that as a result, troops would not have to physically enter the Kursk region.
01:14The Ukrainian army ordered residents of Pokrovsk to evacuate within two weeks as Russian soldiers
01:20are advancing towards the strategic node. Every day, roughly 500 to 600 people leave
01:26the city, but over 50,000 still remain in the risk area. Evacuations are also still
01:33ongoing in Russia's Kursk region. Local authorities confirm 122,000 citizens left from nine border
01:41regions since the start of the incursion. There are currently 179 temporary accommodation
01:48centers spread over 27 regions.
01:55The rescue team looking for six missing people after their luxury yacht sunk off the coast
02:00of Sicily have deployed a remote-controlled underwater vehicle to assist with their search.
02:06The missing passengers are believed to be trapped in the hull of the Bajan, which is
02:10a British-flagged superyacht. The ship lies at a depth of 50 meters. That's about 10 meters
02:16deeper than what recreational divers are certified for. As a result, each diver can go down for
02:23no longer than 12-minute shifts. The Italian Fire and Rescue Service said its divers managed
02:28to gain access to the inside of the wreck, but that obstacles in tight spaces add a layer
02:33of difficulty to the search.
02:37Italian civil protection officials believe the water conditions could have led to a water
02:41spout as the result of a sudden storm. Fifteen people survived and one body was found close
02:48to the wreck, who was confirmed to be chef Riccardo Thomas.
02:52Among the missing passengers are tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, as
02:57well as chairman of Morgan Stanley Jonathan Bloomer.
03:05The European Union has taken first steps in imposing higher import tariffs on Chinese
03:10electric vehicles. If approved by EU member states, the draft duty rates would mean that
03:18Chinese producers would be forced into longer-term price hikes.
03:24Discussions over electric vehicles between Brussels and Beijing have intensified in recent
03:29months as concerns that China will retaliate and trigger a trade war loom.
03:35It is for China to propose a solution that is WTO compatible and that addresses the issues
03:45and subsidies, illegal subsidies as we see them, that the European Commission has identified
03:52in its painstaking evidence-based investigation.
03:59The proposed duty rates are between 17% and 36%.
04:07Other companies would be taxed between 21% and 36%.
04:12The American brand Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, would also be impacted, having
04:18to pay 9% for vehicles they export from Chinese territory.
04:24The Chinese government now has 10 days to respond to the proposed tariffs.
04:31A trade defence investigation was opened after Chinese vehicles flooded the European market.
04:39Subsidies made Chinese cars cheaper and their market share in the European Union has grown
04:44from around 4% in 2002 to 25% at the end of 2023, according to the Commission.
04:54The higher duty rates are intended to protect the European electric vehicle industry, but
04:58the Commission has said it is open to negotiating with China.
05:06Ukraine's parliament approved a ban on religious groups tied to Moscow.
05:11One church in Ukraine has become a target, as it historically has been tied to the Russian
05:16Orthodox Church.
05:18We have not banned anyone, not even the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
05:20We have banned ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian army, the FSB and Putin.
05:27The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, or UOC, insists it is independent from Moscow.
05:33The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is independent and self-governing in its governance.
05:38It is not subordinate to any centre in Ukraine, apart from the Kyiv metropolis.
05:48But the Ukrainian government claims the UOC remains tied to the Russian Church, who called
05:53the Russian invasion into Ukraine a holy war.
05:57Considering the fact that Patriarch Kirill proclaimed the murder of Ukrainians and the
06:05destruction of the Ukrainian statehood, it is generally difficult to imagine how one
06:10can tolerate the activities of this organization on the territory of our country, which suffers
06:15from this war.
06:16The bill, voted in favour by 265 MPs, requires Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's signature,
06:24which is expected.
06:30Former US President Barack Obama told 50,000 attendees at the Democratic Convention in
06:36Chicago to not be complacent about politics and to vote for party candidate Kamala Harris.
06:42Obama used his time at the lectern to also warn of the dangers of re-electing former
06:47US President and Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
06:51We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.
06:58We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.
07:08America is ready for a new chapter.
07:11America is ready for a better story.
07:14We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.
07:19Obama, the first black President in US history, also praised his running mate, President Joe
07:25Biden, for stepping down from the race.
07:27If elected into office at the November ballot, Harris would be the first female President
07:32to sit in the White House.
07:35Hungary celebrated its largest firework display in Budapest, but rains meant the St. Stephen's
07:42Day celebrations were off to a slow start.
07:45Incorrectly forecasted rains led to delays.
07:53Hundreds of thousands of attendees dotted the Danube River to watch the event.
07:58The colourful explosion of firecrackers, lasers and drones turned into a story by narration.
08:05Although many considered the spectacle unforgettable, others thought the money could have been better
08:10spent elsewhere.
08:16For example, we could have spent this money on air-conditioning.
08:19We could have made this firework display 5 billion HUF, not 15 billion HUF.
08:29Event organisers say a record number of pyrotechnic products, as well as a bigger viewing area,
08:36made the Hungarian holiday special.
08:39Due to the rain and the one-hour slide, there were fewer people at the lower part of Budapest
08:43than usual.
08:44However, the majority agreed that the firework display was beautiful, but perhaps it shouldn't
08:49have lasted this long.
08:51Zoltán Siposegyi, Euronews, Budapest.
08:59This intersection in central Berlin is a typically busy spot for people heading to one of the
09:05city's trendy neighbourhoods.
09:07It's also where a 26-year-old cyclist was hit by a truck last month and later died.
09:13Activists say people on their bicycles are being killed because there isn't enough space
09:18given to them.
09:20People who cycle in Berlin are often facing life and death situations and are often scared
09:27for their lives when cycling and the government currently fails to protect cyclists.
09:33Five people are suing Berlin's government for not providing protected space for cyclists.
09:40Protesters demonstrated last week against Berlin's local government, putting on hold
09:45the majority of planned cycling superhighways.
09:48The city's local government told Euronews that it's not cancelling plans for the superhighways,
09:53but delaying them because they need more time to plan them out.
09:56They said that these routes take time because they're such long distances, they're complicated
10:01and may not be safe for cyclists to use, plus they need to fit into the city's budget.
10:07Last year, 446 cyclists were killed in Germany, according to a cycling NGO.
10:14Experts say part of the problem is the national government decides important road rules.
10:19That restrains cities from implementing strategies that make sense for them.
10:24A transportation expert says it's a crucial factor, putting Germany behind other European countries.
10:31It holds back even cities that would like to go further than others and maybe by going further
10:38they could show that these things can work, they're not a big deal and set the example for others.
10:45Some want to see Germany follow the example of Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has been
10:50introducing infrastructure and spending millions to increase space for cyclists.
10:56A member of Berlin's local government says she wants her city to find inspiration in the mayor's work.
11:03That we have more space for greener outskirts, for pedestrians, for cyclists,
11:09and in that way she changed the city to something positive, so I think Berlin can go the same way.
11:16Activists say more lanes wouldn't just help cyclists, but drivers too.
11:21The streets would get emptier because more people would be able to choose the bike.
11:26It is also for car drivers very stressful to share road space with cyclists.
11:31More demonstrations are planned across Germany to protest for more safety for children cyclists.