Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The European Parliament approved an initiative to issue a 35-billion-euro loan for Ukraine
00:06backed by frozen Russian assets.
00:12At least three people, including one child, were killed in a Russian drone strike on Ukraine's
00:17Sumy.
00:21Israel's military spokesperson claims a bunker full of cash and gold belonging to Hezbollah
00:26was found under a hospital in Beirut.
00:31The former Albanian President Ilir Mita has been forcefully arrested in Tirana on alleged
00:36corruption charges.
00:43The European Parliament approved an initiative to issue a 35-billion-euro loan for Ukraine
00:49backed by frozen Russian assets.
00:51The plan received 518 votes in favour, 56 against and 61 abstentions in Strasbourg on
00:58Tuesday.
00:59It will be part of a framework that will make future revenues from Russian central bank
01:03assets frozen in the EU available to Ukraine.
01:07Some 210 billion euros in assets have been held in the European Union territory since
01:12the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
01:21At least three people, including a child, were killed in a Russian drone strike on the
01:25city of Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine, officials said on Tuesday.
01:30The attack was part of a mass overnight strike on Ukraine and targeted a residential neighbourhood
01:36and critical infrastructure, according to the regional governor.
01:42Forty-five explosions were recorded in the Sumy region and the Ukrainian military said
01:47air defences destroyed 42 out of 60 drones launched by Russia over several parts of Ukraine.
01:56Russia's defence ministry released footage claiming to show combat work in Ukraine's
02:00Donetsk region.
02:02Meanwhile, Ukraine also launched a drone attack hitting several areas around Russia, including
02:08a biochemical plant and two distilleries.
02:12Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that it shot down several Ukrainian drones
02:16over the Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions.
02:25The leaders of India, South Africa and China arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for the
02:30BRIC summit, which will be hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
02:34China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa were greeted
02:40by an honour guard and platters of Russian delicacies when they touched down at Kazan's
02:44airport.
02:46After reportedly suffering a head injury at his home, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio
02:50Lula da Silva cancelled his plans to attend the summit, but will attend by video link.
02:56The original BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are joined by
03:02newcomers Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which were
03:08added to the alliance in January.
03:11UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also set to attend the summit, a decision
03:16blasted by Ukraine's foreign ministry in light of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
03:22The summit is expected to be a huge success for Russia, with 32 countries confirming participation
03:28and more than 20 heads of state attending.
03:31This defies predictions that the war in Ukraine and an international arrest warrant would
03:35turn Vladimir Putin into a pariah.
03:46This statue on a quiet residential street in Berlin is at the center of an international
03:52row. It memorializes women, mostly from Korea, who were forced to have sex with Japanese
03:59soldiers during World War II, known as comfort women.
04:04Japan has called for the statue to be brought down. Some politicians in Berlin are siding
04:09with Tokyo.
04:11The local Korean NGO behind the memorial, known as the Statue of Peace, says it will
04:16sue the local district of Mitte to keep it in place.
04:21The group says it's not just about defending the rights of Korean women.
04:27In the history, I think every woman can imagine what can be happened in the wartime if you
04:35are not protected and the soldiers are coming and raping you. So every woman can identify
04:43with the Statue of Peace.
04:47The memorial was put up four years ago. Japan has been raising the issue with the German
04:52government as well as local officials. The local district said that the statue needs
04:58to be taken down by the end of this month, setting time limits for temporary art in public
05:04places.
05:05The district told Euronews that Japanese and Korean officials have visited its office,
05:11threatening to worsen relations with Germany. The district says that there was a questioning
05:16of aid to Ukraine as well as a possible termination of the sister city relationship between Tokyo
05:24and Berlin. Japan says that it never suggested ending the relationship.
05:30In a press release in May, the mayor of Berlin called the statue a one-sided portrayal after
05:36a meeting in Tokyo with the Japanese foreign minister. Berlin's local government told Euronews
05:42that it is talking to the district and federal government to replace the statue with a more
05:47general memorial for women who face sexual violence during conflicts. It also stated
05:54that it will be expanding its relationship with Tokyo. An expert on German-Japanese relations
06:00said the government is prioritizing its economic and security ties with Japan over South Korea.
06:08Both partners should be treated quite equally. And so far, this case of the Comfort Women
06:16statue in Berlin lacks a bit of that cautious and balanced approach.
06:23A source with the foreign office told Euronews that freedom of opinion and of the arts are
06:28fundamental to Germany's constitution. However, they said that what happens with the statue
06:34is up to the district and the foreign office cannot provide instructions on the subject.
06:40Japan's embassy told Euronews that the statue serves as a symbol to denounce its country
06:46and that the memorial has caused unrest in Berlin. Like the mayor of Berlin, the embassy
06:53also called the statue one-sided. A petition arguing to keep the statue up has garnered
07:003,000 signatures.
07:02It's not only our wish, but many people who are living in this area, they want to keep
07:12the statue of peace.
07:23Israel's military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, claims Israeli intelligence discovered a bunker
07:28belonging to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah under a hospital in southern Beirut.
07:34He said the bunker, reportedly under the Al-Sahel Hospital in Beirut's Tahiyeh neighborhood,
07:39holds millions of dollars in gold and cash. This comes as Israel accuses Iran of sending
07:45money by planes to Iran's embassy in Beirut before sending it to Hezbollah.
07:51Now, Hezbollah's financial network is based on two main sources of income. Money from
07:58the Iranian regime and money from the Lebanese people. Iran's Quds forces transfer money
08:06to Hezbollah from Iranian oil sold in Syria. Iran also sends suitcases of cash and gold
08:13by planes to the Iranian embassy in Beirut and then directly it goes to Hezbollah.
08:20Israeli strikes hit several branches of a financial institution linked to Hezbollah
08:25in recent days, but Hagari said it won't strike the Al-Sahel Hospital. Meanwhile, an Israeli
08:31strike near Beirut's Rafik Hariri University Hospital killed at least four and injured
08:3732 late on Monday, according to Lebanon's health ministry. It was the first strike on
08:42the Lebanese capital in 10 days.
08:49The former Albanian President Ilir Meta has been forcefully arrested in Tirana on alleged
08:55corruption charges. Meta has previously been under investigation for allegedly hiding wealth
09:02as well as illegal lobbying in the United States. Meta has denied the allegations against
09:08him.
09:20Meta is the leader of Albania's left-wing Freedom Party and served as the country's
09:25president from 2017 until 2022. He has been a vocal opponent of the government of Prime
09:32Minister Edi Rama, accusing it of running a kleptocratic regime. The President of the
09:38Democratic Party believes Rama orchestrated the arrest and believes he targets his political
09:44opponents. The Prime Minister has denied this. Corruption has marred Albanian politics since
09:50the fall of communism, hindering the country's democratic, economic and social development.
10:02The counterfeit banknote, after dismantling an operation for its production, the fake
10:07money with denominations of 50 Bulgarian leva, 50 US dollars and 500 euros, had been released
10:14into circulation. According to the investigators, the super-fake banknote were also seized in
10:20some European Union countries. Investigators called it a very serious attack against the
10:26entire financial system of Bulgaria and the European Union.
10:35Heavy rainfall swept across Cuba as Tropical Storm Oscar made landfall. It comes as the
10:41country's capital has been largely paralyzed by massive blackouts, leaving 10 million people
10:47without electricity.
10:57The power outage caused unrest for many. Cuba is in the middle of an economic crisis and
11:03many already suffer from food, water, medicine and fuel shortages. As a result, the prolonged
11:09blackouts led to a handful of small protests.
11:26The Cuban government has a low tolerance for civil disobedience and President Miguel
11:40Díaz-Ganel warned protesters that they would not allow any vandalism.