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00:00A political analyst says an EU shift in power is inevitable if Austrian far-right leader
00:05Herbert Kickl successfully forms a government.
00:11A sixth fire has broken out in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills area as authorities continue
00:16to fight blazes across the city.
00:22Lithuania says it's ramping up security around its power grid ahead of a planned decoupling
00:27from Russia's electricity grid next month.
00:30Lithuania's Prime Minister Gintotas Paluckas says the government has asked police forces
00:34to take over protection of the Litpol link.
00:38Security of the power link shared with Poland was outsourced to a private security company
00:42last month.
00:43The previous government had contracted them to guard some of the Litpol's assets until
00:48springtime.
00:49But Paluckas has opted to speed up that timeline to next week, assigning the country's public
00:54security service to take over.
01:11Vilnius says it's been observing attempts by its opponents to disrupt a planned decoupling
01:16from the Russian power grid.
01:19Officials provided assurances that the country has enough reserves, and all scenarios evaluated
01:23indicates that there will be no power outages.
01:27They've also issued a message to those attempting to disrupt their plans.
01:49Lithuania plans to disconnect from the Russian electricity grid on the 8th of February.
01:55They will then take over the responsibility of running their own national grids for their
01:59power needs.
02:06Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has returned to Rome.
02:10Sala was detained in the Iranian capital three weeks ago by police forces who accused her
02:14of violating the laws of the country.
02:17Her detention came three days after Italy arrested Iranian national Mohammad Abedini
02:22in Milan, who was wanted by the U.S.
02:25Washington accuses Abedini and another Iranian national of supplying drone parts that were
02:30used in a 2024 attack, killing three U.S. service members in Jordan.
02:35Italian analysts believe Iran was using Sala's arrest as a bargaining chip to secure the
02:39release of Abedini, though Tehran has refuted those claims.
02:43Sala was welcomed in Rome by her partner and family members.
02:47Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Maloney, was also present to welcome her back home.
02:52The Italian premier had personally called the journalist's parents to inform them of
02:55her release.
02:57She credited Sala's liberation to the government's, quote, intensive work on diplomatic and intelligence
03:02channels.
03:03Leader of Italy's largest opposition, democratic Eli Schlein, also hailed her release and thanked
03:08the incumbent government for their effort.
03:15A shift in power within the European Union is inevitable if Austrian far-right leader
03:20Herbert Kickl forms a government, according to a political analyst.
03:26Kickl and his Freedom Party are currently preparing for potential coalition talks with
03:30the conservative OVP party.
03:34No doubt, with Chancellor Kickl, there will be a slight shift in power within the European
03:43Union.
03:44Kickl's party secured victory in recent parliamentary elections, surpassing outgoing Chancellor
03:49Karl Nehammer and his party, which came in second.
03:53The Austrian president initially tasked Nehammer with forming a government.
03:56However, the OVP refused to enter a coalition with the Freedom Party under Kickl, leading
04:01to a political stalemate.
04:03Kickl was then green-listed to attempt to form a coalition.
04:27If Kickl succeeds in forming a coalition, it would be the first far-right government
04:31in Austria since World War II.
04:36Co-owner of the Jasmine Catering Company based in Berlin, Fahdi arrived as a Syrian refugee
04:42in Germany in 2013.
04:44Originally born in Damascus, Fahdi feels at home in Berlin and has even catered for former
04:50German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
04:52But how has his journey been over the past 12 years?
05:02With a big heart, we have opened up the whole city.
05:06They have supported us to learn the language, to start a business.
05:13The local community was very open.
05:16With the catering, the very first support was from the locals.
05:21We really want to be part of the society here in Berlin, in Germany.
05:28And how does Fahdi see Germany's recent decision to freeze asylum applications for Syrians?
05:58In Italy, despite processing fewer Syrian asylum requests than any other EU member state,
06:28the government decided to pause applications.
06:31Human rights organisations have condemned the move.
06:58France also announced a temporary freeze on Syrian asylum claims.
07:05As the country faces an uncertain future, organisations are requesting France put exceptional measures in place.
07:27The future US President's threats to Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, have received a timid response from Brussels.
07:51Although Donald Trump has not ruled out a military intervention to annex the island,
07:56a spokesperson for the European Commission has defined it as fairly wild hypothetical stuff.
08:02A question on the topic, Angela.
08:05Many threats which did not materialise.
08:15And we don't see any need at this moment in time to go beyond what we have said.
08:23Trump had already expressed interest in buying the Danish autonomous territory during his previous term in office
08:29and has now given his desire a new impetus with a visit by his son to Greenland.
08:35But both Denmark and Greenland's Prime Ministers have reiterated that Greenland is not for sale
08:40and that its sovereignty belongs to its citizens.
08:43Brussels also insists on this point.
08:47Just as a matter of principle for us it is clear the sovereignty of states has to be respected.
08:54The melting of the Arctic ice, which opens up the possibility of exploiting Greenland's natural resources
09:00as well as increasing maritime routes in the area, are key to understanding Trump's fixation.
09:06However, Brussels recalls that the mutual protection clause between member states
09:11in the event of military intervention would also apply for Greenland.
09:21No respite for Los Angeles.
09:23A sixth fire broke out in the iconic Hollywood Hills neighbourhood in the early hours of Thursday.
09:29Firefighters in the Los Angeles County area have been battling multiple wildfires
09:33that have been scorching the city since Tuesday morning.
09:36Officials say at least five people were killed in the blazes.
09:40Fires are spreading at a rapid rate due to the fast wind speeds.
09:45We are still facing strong and erratic winds.
09:49In Palisades and in Sylmar we are very much in an active firefight.
09:56And the celebrity favorite Pacific Palisades neighbourhood was hit the hardest.
10:00The Palisades fires estimated to have damaged more than 1,000 structures, mostly homes.
10:07Many Hollywood A-list celebrities suffered serious losses.
10:11Paris Hilton's beachfront Malibu family home was burnt to the ground in the fire.
10:16And hundreds of other properties succumbed to the same fate.
10:22About five of my friends' houses burned down that live up the street.
10:27And when it's a wind-driven fire, there's nothing, very little we can do.
10:38The fires have cast thick clouds of smoke and ash across multiple areas in L.A.
10:44Authorities say the air quality has worsened significantly
10:47and urge residents of the affected areas to stay indoors and remain alert.
10:57Rescue teams in Tibet continue to search for survivors
11:01after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck the country on Tuesday morning.
11:08So far, at least 126 fatalities have been reported in Dingri.
11:14It is one of the deadliest quakes to hit China in recent years.
11:18By Tuesday evening, a total of 407 individuals had been pulled out from beneath the rubble,
11:25while over 46,000 residents have been relocated.
11:31Rescuers fear harsh winter conditions and high altitudes could reduce the chance of people surviving.