Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Category
π
NewsTranscript
00:00Three Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Saturday have returned home to Israel.
00:07It was the fifth hostage release in the ceasefire deal that came into force on January 19th.
00:13Eli Shirabi, Ohad Ben-Ami and Or Levi were captured during the 7 October 2023 incursion
00:19into southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.
00:23Shirabi and Ben-Ami were taken from Kibbutz Berri, one of the hardest-hit communities
00:28of the attack.
00:30Including Saturday, Hamas has so far released 21 out of a total of 33 hostages set to be
00:36freed in the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal.
00:40In exchange for Saturday's release, Israel is releasing 183 Palestinians being held in
00:45Israeli prisons.
00:47Shortly after the hostage release in Gaza, a bus carrying a few dozen Palestinian prisoners
00:53headed to a meeting point in the West Bank, greeted by their families, friends and well-wisher
00:58s.
01:03The far-right Patriots for Europe party wants to be the new normal in Brussels and across
01:08the EU.
01:09Its leaders have gathered in Madrid for a two-day summit to map out a strategy to take
01:15over the Socialists, Liberal and European People's Party.
01:19Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV party in the Netherlands, sent a message to all world
01:25leaders saying that the times of Macron and Schulz were over and part of history now.
01:31Yes, we will make Europe great again because we are victors, we are victors, because we
01:41are winning the elections and our people are demanding change.
01:48Geert also said that the times of Macron and Schulz were over and part of history now.
01:53Patriots for Europe includes the likes of Marine Le Pen's National Rally, Viktor Orban's
01:59Fidesz, Matteo Salvini's Lega and Geert Wilders.
02:02But only Orban currently holds a seat in the Council of the EU.
02:06Patriots for Europe aim to gain majorities in national governments and EU decision-making
02:12to replicate Trump's Make America Great Again in Europe, adapting US and Latin American
02:18policies to EU member states.
02:24One person was killed and ten wounded in a Ukrainian strike on Makivka, a town in Ukraine's
02:34partially occupied Donetsk region, Moscow-installed officials said.
02:39Earlier in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, three civilians, including one child, were
02:43injured in a Russian shelling.
02:47The head of the city's military administration said several houses were damaged, with one
02:51catching fire.
02:53Ukraine's air force also reported on Saturday that its air defense shot down 67 Russian
02:58drones across the country overnight.
03:02Russia's defense ministry claimed it had shot down 36 Ukrainian drones over its own territory
03:07as well.
03:09One of the targets was an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd, according to its regional
03:14governor.
03:15Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday night that Russia has again
03:21deployed North Korean troops on the Kursk front line.
03:25The statement came just days after South Korea's intelligence service stated that North Korean
03:29troops had done the opposite and been pulled back.
03:39The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected their electricity systems from
03:44Russia's power grid on Saturday in order to integrate with Europe's system.
03:50Aimed at integrating the countries more closely with the EU and boosting security, the years-long
03:55process gained urgency with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
03:59Despite worries about possible sabotage and disinformation, no disruptions were reported
04:04during the switch.
04:24For a day and a half, the Baltic states are operating independently.
04:29Their power grids are being synchronized on Sunday afternoon with the continental European
04:33grid.
04:35At the same time, European commissioners, including President Ursula von der Leyen,
04:40are attending the Baltic Energy Independence Day celebration in Lithuania.