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00:00When it comes to the rule of law, Italy has made little progress and more needs to be
00:05done. That's the sense of the European Commission's assessment in its latest report published
00:10on Wednesday. The European Commission has expressed doubt on a number of issues including
00:16the latest draft reform to introduce the direct election of the Prime Minister and whether
00:21it will indeed bring more political stability. There are also concerns about whether the
00:25role of the head of state could be weakened as a result of it. The European Commission's
00:30assessment also touches on the latest justice reform and whether the independence and the
00:37authority of judges could be affected as a result of this latest reform. Here is what
00:43a Brutus of Italy deputy, who's part of the ruling coalition, told us about the Commission's
00:48reports.
01:19The annual rule of law report, which examines all member states, has highlighted ongoing
01:24problems with press freedom in Italy. The debate over political influence in the media
01:28sector has been growing. A few months ago, riot reporters went on strike to protest against
01:34the government's control over editorial content. The Secretary General of the Italian Journalist
01:39Union, FNSI, says it's sad to see that Italy has been put on the same level as countries
01:44that face even more serious issues.
02:14Italian opposition parties have blamed Maloney's government for Italy's decline in democratic
02:40standards, arguing that they have long disagreed with some of the reforms at the heart of the
02:45report.
02:51Around 140 flights were cancelled at Germany's busiest airport, Frankfurt, after climate
02:58activists glued themselves to the tarmac. The group is demanding the German government
03:03negotiate and signed an agreement to eliminate the use of gas, oil and coal by 2030.
03:10The problem is that our government has to be honest. Our government supports the aviation
03:17industry by giving away billions of euros in taxes. And not just the aviation industry,
03:22but other climate-damaging industries as well. Our government has to communicate honestly
03:27that it can't go on like this, that the aviation industry has to be driven down socially.
03:33Flight operations began gradually resuming shortly before 8am. On Wednesday, Oil Kills
03:41activists staged a protest at Geneva and Zurich airports in Switzerland, calling for an end
03:48to the use of fossil fuels by entering the airfields and sitting down on the runways,
03:54as well as blocking access roads to the airports.
04:02In Portugal, young people up to 35 years old will be able to get a public guarantee
04:08to access 100% housing credit when buying their first home. This measure comes in addition
04:14to others designed by the government, such as the exemption of IMT and stamp duty.
04:33As the Governor of the Bank of Portugal warned, caution is needed in the implementation of
04:51these measures to avoid additional pressure on the market.
05:02There are also measures on the supply side that could be considered.
05:32We know very little about the waiting time that each person tries to have, a process
05:38of waiting time that takes a long time until their process of licensing advances. We know
05:43very little about what are the reasons for these waiting lists to be very long and everything
05:51that could be done to facilitate the licensing, to facilitate the creation, the construction
05:57could be very important. I would also like to see measures that, still in the scope of
06:03the offer, would help us to understand more about which houses are either private or,
06:09especially from the state, which houses are available or which housing can be available
06:15or which areas are available to be rehabilitated and transformed into housing, for example,
06:21for young university students.
06:23For now, the details of the regulation are unknown, but it must be published by September the 11th.
06:34Two Dutch companies have received over 2 million euros each for the development of Tidal Energies,
06:40which is the extraction of energy from tides. The company Equinox works with a turbine that
06:46looks a bit like an underwater windmill, while the second company, Sea Current, has created
06:51a kite that rotates figure-eights on a cable, which is connected to a generator on the seabed.
07:09For both companies, the current in the sea as a result of ebb and flow is then converted
07:14into electricity.
07:22We do not know what effect this has on nature, among other things, and then other things
07:27would have to be shifted so that there would be room for it.
07:30But there are concerns over the profitability.
07:36President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he pulled out of the presidential race over
07:40concerns about the future of US democracy.
07:45He said he was, quote, passing the torch to a new generation in his first public remarks
07:49since ending his re-election bid against Republican Donald Trump.
07:54He praised Vice President Kamala Harris who, after his endorsement, secured enough Democratic
07:59delegates to become the nominee in his place.
08:02During his speech, supporters gathered outside the White House in gratitude for his service.
08:13Vladimir Putin met with the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad in Moscow, according to a
08:18video published by Russian authorities.
08:23The Kremlin said Putin and Assad's meeting took place on Wednesday.
08:27The Russian leader evoked the situation in the Middle East as well as their bilateral relations.
08:33Your opinion on the situation in the region is very interesting.
08:37Unfortunately, it has a tendency to escalate, as we have seen.
08:41This also applies to Syria.
08:44Assad said his visit coincided with the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
08:48between the two countries.
09:03This meeting will be very hot to discuss all possible details, possibilities and solutions
09:12to face these problems.
09:17Russia is a key ally for Assad, with the Russian military intervention in Syria in 2015 saving
09:23his regime in the midst of a civil war.
09:26The US and Canada intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska.
09:33In a statement, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said the aircraft
09:39remained in international airspace but vowed to monitor future activity.
09:44The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that they carried out joint air patrols with China
09:49over the waters of the Chukchi, Bering and North Pacific seas, but they say it's simply
09:55part of their military cooperation plan.
10:02The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opened with a surprising 2-1 victory by Morocco's men's
10:09football team on the Pan-American champions Argentina in Saint-Étienne.
10:14The game was interrupted for nearly two hours after multiple individuals stormed the pitch
10:21as Argentina scored the equalizer then ruled offside in the 16th minute of stoppage time.
10:30Chaos also marred Israel's first Olympic game, as their national anthem was loudly
10:39cheered before the clash against Mali in Paris, which took place under tight security.
10:46Another stunning result came from Bordeaux, where Japan thrashed Paraguay 5-0, while France
10:54pleased the home crowds with a comfortable 3-0 win over the United States.
11:01The hosts got off to a slightly less sparkling start in men's rugby sevens as they beat Uruguay
11:0919-12 with a 3-0 win.
11:14In the second half of the second half, the hosts won the game with a 3-0 win.
11:20The hosts got off to a slightly less sparkling start in men's rugby sevens as they beat Uruguay
11:2819-12 but tied with the US.
11:33Current gold medalists Fiji defeated the US and Uruguay, while Ireland overcame reigning
11:40world champions South Africa 10-5, who also lost to New Zealand.