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00:003 Israeli hostages that were held by Hamas since October 2023 have been freed and returned
00:06for over 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
00:10Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was not happy that Donald Trump called
00:14Vladimir Putin first to discuss the war in Ukraine.
00:21Thousands of climate activists participate in nationwide protests in Germany ahead of
00:26the upcoming February 23 federal election.
00:30Tens of thousands gather to watch as Venice's carnival festivities opened with a Casanova
00:35opera pop.
00:42Three Israeli hostages that were held by Hamas since October 2023 have been freed and returned
00:47for over 300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
00:53The three hostages have since been in Israeli care after they were handed to the Red Cross
00:57in Khan Yunis in Gaza.
01:00It comes as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that began four weeks
01:04ago, a truce that had been jeopardized in recent days.
01:09Earlier this week, Hamas had threatened to delay the release of the hostages as it accused
01:13Israel of violating terms of the ceasefire.
01:16In response, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the ceasefire agreement would be cancelled
01:21if they didn't release all the remaining hostages by midday on Saturday.
01:26Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped avert the standoff and pledged to remove all hurdles
01:32to ensure Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into Gaza.
01:44Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the Munich security conference that he
01:48was not happy that Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin first to discuss the war in Ukraine,
01:54saying it was dangerous for the first meeting to be with the Russian president.
01:59His comments come after the U.S. and Russia agreed to hold peace talks.
02:05They can discuss everything they want, but not about Ukraine without us.
02:10Yes, but I think that more dangerous if first meeting will be with Putin and then with Ukraine.
02:19And there are things I shared with the President Trump that first of all we have to see common
02:25view and I said also that at the table we need Europe also.
02:30Zelensky said there was a lot of different voices coming from the new U.S. administration,
02:36saying he wasn't sure all these voices were on Ukraine's side.
03:07Climate activists in Germany say the crisis has been completely ignored and overshadowed
03:12by other issues like the economy and immigration in the upcoming vote.
03:17Polls currently project the far-right Alternative for Germany party to secure second place with
03:22just over 20 percent of the vote, which would be their strongest performance to date.
03:27The party has often dismissed the climate crisis and have routinely called to end all
03:31major climate action efforts in Germany.
03:35Activists say they're determined to continue protesting to raise awareness to the issue
03:39and push for change.
03:45The Venice Carnival opened with a performance marking the 300th anniversary of Casanova,
03:51the city's famed writer, adventurer and legendary lover.
03:55Crowds gathered in the famous Piazza San Marco on Valentine's Day for performance of a Casanova
04:01opera pop.
04:02This year's carnival will run until March 4th and will include costumed balls, water
04:07parades and theatre performances.
04:10It takes place in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras and the start of Lent.
04:13For the Catholic Church, Lent is a period of reflection, repentance and fasting.
04:19So Carnival developed as a last gasp wild party before the Lenten period.
04:24Carnival began in Venice in the 11th century and the Venetians extended the period to roughly
04:28two months of festivities.
04:30Over the centuries, the Venetian Carnival attracted nobility from around Europe allowing
04:35them to participate in all sorts of fun, both legal and illicit.
04:39Now it attracts revellers from all around the world.