Latest news bulletin | March 17th – Midday
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Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/17/latest-news-bulletin-march-17th-midday
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00European leaders offer condolences and assistance to North Macedonia after a nightclub fire claimed the lives of 59 people and injured 155 more.
00:10US President Donald Trump flout George's order and deport more than 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
00:21The rule of law is deteriorating across the EU, says an extensive report by human rights organizations.
00:31Parents of teenage victims who died in a nightclub fire in North Macedonia gathered outside a hospital to prevent coroners from taking away the bodies of their children.
00:41A massive fire tore through an overcrowded club in Kojani, killing 59 people and injuring 155 others.
00:49They yelled and shouted at officials, demanding explanations for the negligence that led to the death of their loved ones.
01:00There is a door. There is a door. There is a door.
01:11The tragic fire drew messages of support from around the world.
01:15European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her condolences to the victims and their relatives in a post on X.
01:22Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky wished a speedy recovery to those wounded.
01:27Pope Francis, who's been hospitalized for more than a month for double pneumonia, also offered his profound condolences.
01:34Skopje says it had accepted offers of assistance from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Turkey to send patients with life-threatening injuries for treatment.
01:43But for many of those who survived, the wounds cannot be treated.
01:48I thought there was a way out, but it was closed.
01:53Some stayed in the hospital, because they couldn't get out.
01:57I crawled down the stairs, and everyone passed me by.
02:03I barely managed to breathe.
02:09In the end, my sister died.
02:14Officials say the club was carrying more than double its maximum occupancy of 250 at the time of the fire.
02:2015 people were detained to investigate possible corruption and bribery after it was discovered the venue was operating without a proper license.
02:28A week of national mourning was declared in the country to honor the victims.
02:34More than 250 Venezuelans have been deported by the United States and sent to El Salvador, where they were transferred to a maximum-security prison.
02:44Salvadoran President and U.S. Secretary of State confirmed deportations on Sunday, despite a judge's order blocking the move.
02:52The Trump administration accused them of being members of the Tren de Aguirre criminal gang.
02:59invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport them.
03:03I don't know where we are, because you can't see anything.
03:07When they put us in the place, we looked around, and there was a wall.
03:13I turned around, and there was another big wall with a pipe and everything.
03:18You can't see anything.
03:19They put us in there, and it was just doors, doors, doors.
03:23When I look down, I see a carpet that says Guantanamo.
03:27The Trump administration has not identified the migrants deported or provided any evidence they are members of the Tren de Aguirre
03:36or that they committed any crimes in the U.S.
03:39The Alien Enemies Act has been used only three times in U.S. history.
03:47Yemen's Houthi rebels claim to have launched 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones
03:53on the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in a retaliatory attack.
03:58A Houthi military spokesman said that they will not hesitate to target all American warships in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Sea.
04:07The attack comes after the U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Saturday,
04:14targeting locations including the capital Sana'a and Saada province.
04:19The Houthis claim the strikes killed at least 31 people, mostly women and children.
04:24Last week, the Houthis said they would renew attacks against Israeli vessels
04:29after Israel cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza this month.
04:34U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told local media on Sunday that attacks will go on
04:40until the Houthis stop controlling maritime traffic.
04:44On Sunday, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied his country was involved in the Houthis' attacks,
04:51according to a state-run TV.
05:05The situation of the rule of law is deteriorating every year in the EU.
05:11Cornerstones of democracy, such as the justice system, anti-corruption measures and media freedom
05:17are facing persistent and systematic challenges and deficiencies.
05:23The rule of law report published on Monday by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe reveals that,
05:28while individual countries exhibit variations,
05:31a broader observation shows that all fundamental aspects of the rule of law
05:35have encountered similar and deepening challenges over the past few years.
05:41We see a large number of countries where the rule of law continues to decline,
05:46most notably Italy, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, of course.
05:52The reason behind this is because the EU is not strong enough in its responses to rule of law declines.
05:59If rule of law violations are permitted, even tacitly,
06:03it encourages government leaders to further deteriorate the rule of law.
06:10It is the sixth year the substantially independent report has been published.
06:14It comes to 1,000 pages and is the result of a collaboration between 43 human rights organizations
06:20from 21 EU countries.
06:23Experts have categorized countries into different groups.
06:27Stagnators are countries that stayed at the same situation
06:30or made only minimal progress in their rule of law indicators.
06:34In this category, Greece, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain can be found.
06:41Sliders are role model democracies like Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden,
06:45which demonstrated an isolated but still troubling decline in a few dimensions.
06:52And dismantlers, the governments of Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia,
06:57who systemically and intentionally undermine the rule of law in nearly all aspects.
07:03The weakest link is once again Hungary.
07:07We must realize that the EU faces its internal rule of law challenges
07:12in a changing political landscape.
07:14The rise of the far-right populism in Europe,
07:17political decline, democratic decline in the United States
07:21and Russia's war on Ukraine weakens the EU's unity
07:27and its resilience to authoritarian threats.
07:31According to the report, it would be absolutely crucial for the European Commission
07:35to link the annual rule of law report to other rule of law enforcement mechanisms,
07:40such as Article 7 infringement proceedings or EU conditionality.
07:51The French champagne industry is bracing itself for a major blow
07:55after US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday
07:58to slap tariffs of up to 200% on European alcohol
08:03if the EU's new tariffs on bourbon are not lifted.
08:09The US is France's top client when it comes to champagne exports,
08:13causing panic among winemakers of an already weakened sector.
08:17Champagne sales have been sinking for more than two years now
08:21as inflation-weary consumers, both in France and abroad,
08:25cut back due to rising prices.
08:28A trend this Parisian wine shop owner has definitely noticed.
08:42Instead, her clients turn to other bubbly alternatives,
08:45like a sparkling Vouvray wine that she sells for approximately 10 euros.
08:50Other more affordable alternatives are threatening the champagne sector internationally.
09:00It's a much-needed wake-up call for the industry, according to an expert.
09:21For the moment, Europe and France seem unwilling to back down to Trump's threats.
09:26The French Federation of Wine and Spirits exporters, on the other hand,
09:30said that they're fed up with being systematically sacrificed in the wake of the trade war.
09:51The Vatican released the first photograph of Pope Francis
09:55since his hospitalization just over a month ago.
09:58The pontiff was pictured in a view from behind
10:01wearing a purple stole typical of Lenten liturgical vestments.
10:05Francis was sat down in a wheelchair facing an altar
10:09at the Gemelli Hospital Chapel in Rome.
10:12The Vatican says the 88-year-old pontiff was celebrating Mass with other priests.
10:18The Pope was hospitalized on the 14th of February
10:21after a week-long bout with bronchitis quickly turned into double pneumonia.
10:26Supporters have been visiting the Rome hospital where he's at to pray for his recovery.
10:31On Sunday, a group of dancers gathered at the hospital to dance the tango for the Pope.
10:37The dancers say they wanted to make the Argentine pontiff feel the energy of the tango.
10:47I said, Holy Father, can I give a tango hug?
10:50And he said, how nice it is for me to dance a tango with you.
10:54And I died.
10:56When he hugged me, I said...
10:59It's a beautiful emotion to know that he's Argentine,
11:03that he loves tango as we tango-lovers love it.
11:06It's a wonderful thing.
11:08I think we deserve to give him our energy.
11:12Last week, doctors overseeing Francis' treatment
11:15said he was no longer in critical condition,
11:17but underlined that it remained complex.
11:20They say the Pope's age, lack of mobility,
11:23and the loss of part of a lung as a young man
11:25still pose concerns warranting constant monitoring.
11:28They also confirmed that an x-ray revealed that his respiratory infection was clearing,
11:33but added that he was still requiring high-flow supplemental oxygen.