Latest news bulletin | August 2nd – Morning
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00:00Dozens have been freed in the largest Russia-US prisoner exchange since the Cold War.
00:12Europe continues to battle wildfires as extreme weather conditions persist.
00:25Up to 26 Russian-held prisoners have been freed as part of the largest swap between
00:31Washington and the Kremlin since the Cold War.
00:34Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are among
00:40the almost two dozen freed by Russian forces as part of the deal, according to the Turkish
00:45government.
00:46Footage released from the Ilis News Agency shows a plane believed to be used in the exchange
00:52idling on the tarmac at Ankara airport.
00:56Turkish officials state the multinational arrangement took place in the capital, with
01:01the trade occurring over years of back-channel negotiations.
01:04U.S. President Joe Biden lauded the deal, saying Russian authorities had arrested and
01:10tried U.S. citizens on quote show trials and sent them to prison with absolutely no legitimate
01:16reason.
01:18Although it is unclear which U.S.-held Russian prisoners will be released, Moscow has long
01:23been interested in retrieving Vadim Krasikov.
01:26Krasikov was convicted in Germany for killing a former Chechen rebel allegedly on the orders
01:32of Moscow's secret services.
01:38The European Parliament elected in June is the first ever to have less women as MEPs.
01:45But how does it affect the people who lead the different committees and how are women
01:49represented there?
01:52According to the European Women's Lobby, even the committees are mostly made up of men.
01:58Portfolios that matter, like what we call hard portfolio, where you have money, where
02:02you have power, like foreign affairs, for instance, budget, economy, usually go to men
02:07in terms of like heading the committees, just like the proportion of members in these committees
02:12also is highly male-dominated.
02:15So that's unfortunately still a reality in terms of like having women chairs, vice-chairs,
02:21etc.
02:23This difference is not directly linked to the rise of the far right seen in these elections,
02:29but some experts believe that women elected for those parties do not necessarily defend
02:34women's rights.
02:37What is a bit concerning though is that the far right parties or groups in the European
02:44Parliament do have quite a substantial representation of women for some of them, but then it's also
02:51groups that are not known to support women's rights, they're quite hostile to women's rights.
02:55So it's also a new challenge for us in that sense that we are going to have to identify
03:00who is going to support us, who is going to champion women's rights.
03:05The EU has over the past five years passed some important legislation.
03:10It includes the first law to prevent violence against women.
03:14Analysts and experts, however, are asking for more.
03:19Something we want to see is also having dedicated budgets to women's rights, maybe having conditionalities
03:25when it comes to, you know, like tenders and the attribution of budget linked to women's
03:29rights and gender equalities.
03:32The European Women's Lobby says it is aiming for parity in the College of Commissioners,
03:37something that the President, Ursula von der Leyen, is also pushing for.
03:44Ireland is to significantly reduce welfare payments for refugees from Ukraine.
03:49From September 1st next, weekly state payments to refugees will be reduced from €232 per
03:55week to just over €38 per week.
03:59The decision has been criticised by left-wing parties in Ireland who say it will lead to
04:03an increase in child poverty and ultimately amounts to being a political distraction from
04:08other domestic problems.
04:11The immediate implication will be a dramatic rise in child poverty in this country.
04:16We know that the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees who are here are women and their
04:21children.
04:22So it's really, you know, quite a disgusting move, quite a cynical move by the government.
04:28Allowances for children will be paid at €29.80 per week.
04:33The payments will affect 19,000 refugees even though close on 80,000 Ukrainians have moved
04:39to Ireland since the start of the war with Russia in February 2022.
04:43The reduction in payments will see Ireland come close to what is being paid in France
04:48where accommodated refugees receive €47.60 per week.
04:52Unaccommodated refugees receive €99.40 per week.
04:57In Germany, the citizens' income is fixed at €563 per month while the payment for
05:03children stands at €471 per month or just under €120 per week.
05:09The Irish government says its proposed reduction in welfare payments brings the country into
05:14line with most EU states.
05:17It's a move to do two things, to put us on the same footing as our European counterparts
05:21around the Union but also to make sure that Ukrainian temporary protection recipients
05:26here are all on the same footing so it doesn't depend on when you arrived in Ireland, everybody
05:30will get the same.
05:32The changes are likely to discourage many refugees from considering a move to Ireland
05:36as a shortage in housing in the Irish economy continues to be a difficult problem for the
05:41government to solve.
05:43This decision by the Irish government to reduce weekly welfare payments to refugees from Ukraine
05:49from over €200 per week to just over €38 per week appears to be sending out a strong
05:55message.
05:56The good news is that where there was once a very warm Irish welcome for refugees from
06:00Ukraine that welcome is now starting to go cold.
06:04This is Ken Murray for Euronews at the Department of Integration in Dublin.
06:13The South of Europe has been battling numerous wildfires as a result of a prolonged heatwave
06:18crisis.
06:19Serbia sent helicopters to North Macedonia who have been fighting wildfires burning out
06:24of control for over 20 days.
06:28Its neighbouring country Albania also struggles to get the blazes under control.
06:34Strong winds accelerated the spread of the flames in the two countries and many residents
06:39were forced to evacuate.
06:42In Croatia, fires that erupted in the Dalmatian coast also resulted in the evacuation of residents
06:48but no casualties were reported.
06:52Hundreds of firefighters and 10 Canadair planes were deployed to tackle the fires.
06:57The Croatian fire brigade has since confirmed that all have been successfully contained.
07:04Extreme heat continues to scorch other parts of Europe as well.
07:07Multiple cities in Spain currently have orange warnings for high temperatures.
07:22Experts say it's time to act to avoid more climate-based disasters across Europe and
07:34urge leaders to address the concerning weather trends across the continent.
07:41Farmer Luca Camarata watches his flock of sheep search for water in an arid basin in
07:47Sicily.
07:48Bells ring in the dirt as what was once a water source has now evaporated.
07:53Many farmers are anxious about how record high temperatures and a drought will impact
07:57farming.
07:58Other farmers across the southern Italian island want action.
08:25Scientists warn authorities must re-evaluate water distribution.
08:46This is the new normal, we're going to have more frequent droughts, we're going to have
08:51on average less water and so there are three things that any society in particular Sicily
08:55will have to do.
08:57The first and most important thing is ask yourself whether you're using the water, the
09:00scarce water for the right things and that means looking at agriculture.
09:05Water is proving precious for thirsty animals and locals.
09:16Welcome to Shenzhen, about an hour north of Tirana in Albania.
09:21As you can see it's a bustling tourism destination but a couple of years ago it also became home
09:26to several hundred Afghan refugees after the Taliban took back power in Afghanistan.
09:31Today many still remain and are calling it home but it has made headlines for another
09:35kind of migrant recently.
09:38At the end of 2023 the Albanian government and the Italian government signed an agreement
09:43that would see migrants found by the Italian authorities processed in Albania.
09:50Between here the port and Jadra there will be capacity of 3,000 people.
09:55They will arrive here first, they will have their details taken, they'll then be transferred
09:59to Jadra.
10:00Both centers are closed, that means no one can go in and no one can go out.
10:04They will be guarded and secured internally by the Italian authorities as they're technically
10:09Italian soil.
10:10Externally the perimeter will be patrolled by Albanian authorities.
10:14When they are at the centers they will be provided with health care, legal assistance
10:18and of course basic necessities, food and toiletries.
10:22Everything is funded by the Italian government.
10:27Today I have been given exclusive information from a senior official who has said that this
10:32center behind me will be ready to accept people as of the 15th of August, meaning the initial
10:37deadline of the 1st of August will be missed.
10:40So there will be a capacity of 1,000 people who will be welcomed.
10:44Meanwhile work is continuing on Jadra.
10:47They confirmed to me that both centers will be fully operational at full capacity by the
10:52start of September.
10:56So as for what local people think about these two centers, it's true there have been protests
11:00in Tirana and Lesia and there are people who are against them.
11:04But I spend a lot of time in this area, I live locally here for half of the year and
11:09I've spoken to a lot of local people and honestly they're not really that bothered
11:13about it.
11:14They understand the centers will be closed and they're not particularly worried about
11:17any negative impact on tourism or the local economy.
11:20They've had experience with Afghans coming to live here, who've integrated, who are now
11:24part of the community, they're not really that bothered.
11:28Also they're not very keen to talk to the media for a wide range of reasons.
11:32But overall people are not too concerned and they're hopeful that perhaps investment from
11:36the Italian government might improve some infrastructure such as electric and roads
11:40in the local area.