Latest news bulletin | August 16th – Midday
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Transcript
00:00Sweden reports a case of a more severe strain of Mpox, the first such variant detected outside
00:07of Africa.
00:09A US-Russian dual national is sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason after raising
00:16money for the Ukrainian military.
00:21Sweden claims its forces have gained more ground in the Russian region of Kursk.
00:31In Germany, solar panel balconies have boomed as a means of reducing energy costs and staying
00:37climate conscious.
00:45Sweden has reported a case of a more severe strain of Mpox, the first clade 1 variant
00:50to be detected outside of an ongoing outbreak in African countries.
00:56Public health officials said it was diagnosed in a person who sought treatment in Stockholm
01:01after being infected in an area of Africa where the strain of the virus is spreading.
01:20The announcement from Sweden comes a day after the World Health Organization said the
01:33outbreak of Mpox in Africa constituted a global health emergency.
01:38It's the second time Mpox has been designated a public health emergency of international
01:42concern in two years.
01:46WHO is on the ground working with the affected countries and others at risk through our country
01:53and regional offices as well as with partners including the Africa CDC, NGOs, civil society
02:00and more.
02:01The Swedish public health agency said that the patient being treated in the country for
02:05the virus doesn't pose a risk to the general population.
02:09The WHO is warning that the new Mpox variant is a threat to the rest of the world.
02:16This one is spreading very rapidly and it's spread to countries in Africa that have never
02:20seen it before, such as Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, we're seeing a lot of cases in Burundi and
02:27also in Uganda and these are countries that have got a lot of contact with the rest of
02:32the world, so that's a threat to the rest of the world.
02:37There are two sub-types of the Mpox virus.
02:39Clade 1, which is endemic in Central Africa, is thought to cause more severe illness and
02:44higher mortality.
02:46The 2022 global outbreak was caused by Clade 2, which is endemic in West Africa.
02:52Around 300 cases of Mpox had previously been detected in Sweden linked to the 2022 global
02:58outbreak of the virus.
03:03U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karolina has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for
03:11treason after raising money for the Ukrainian military.
03:14The former ballet dancer was convicted on charges linked to a 46-euro donation to a
03:20U.S. charity.
03:21Her lawyer said she pleaded guilty to making the donation but said she wasn't aware the
03:26money would be used for anti-Russian actions.
03:29Russia passed laws that criminalize criticism of its military operation in Ukraine since
03:34its invasion in February 2022.
03:40Ukraine claims its forces have gained more ground in the Russian region of Kursk, with
03:45troops advancing a further one to two kilometers and capturing more than 100 Russian soldiers.
03:54In his nightly address, President Zelensky said Ukraine is reaching its strategic goal
03:59in the Kursk offensive, but called on Western allies to supply more weaponry.
04:24Meanwhile, Russian officials say more than 100,000 people have been evacuated from or
04:37have fled Kursk, and Russia's Belgorod region has declared a state of region-wide emergency.
04:51Swifties turned up early at Wembley in spite of stern warnings from the Metropolitan Police
04:57to stay away unless they have tickets.
05:00It follows recent terror threats in Vienna, prompting strict security measures at the
05:05stadium.
05:06Security has become globalized too, so suddenly events in Vienna will immediately create a
05:10heightened risk for a similar concert in London.
05:14Yair Daran runs an international security company and says despite the heightened threat,
05:19people should continue to live their lives without fear.
05:23Intelligence services nowadays are very, very tightly collaborating.
05:27In the broader world context, geopolitical context, Britain is amongst the safest of
05:32places.
05:33So if you ask me personally, I would have sent my kids with a good direction to be very
05:39cautious and keep their eyes open, yeah.
05:41The atmosphere here at Wembley is already building, even as the Metropolitan Police
05:46has advised fans without tickets to avoid gathering outside due to heightened security
05:50concerns.
05:52Despite these warnings, many fans have arrived to be close to the action.
05:56The question is, are they aware of the heightened security, and are they concerned?
06:01We were aware of it, but I don't think it concerns us that much because we think they
06:07got the hang of it.
06:08Yeah.
06:09I think this will be the safest show, probably, after what happened in Vienna, so it should
06:13all be good.
06:14I kind of think, like, yeah, when it first happened, you know, you think, oh my gosh,
06:18but one, it's going to be super safe, hopefully, and also you can't let these things, like,
06:23stop you from living your life.
06:24We've spent a lot of money, a lot of time, effort, and if Taylor's going to be here,
06:28so are we.
06:29We'll be here, yeah.
06:30We think we can sleep.
06:31So excited, most importantly.
06:32Yeah, we're quite bigger than our wedding day, that she won't come crying.
06:37Fans here at Wembley are fearless and ready for a memorable night, confident in their
06:42safety and the security services.
06:45Luke Hanrahan, Euronews, London.
06:53Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said peace negotiations between Russia
06:58and Ukraine are possible if Western countries support the idea.
07:03Lukashenko also said he feared the war in Ukraine might spill over into Belarus.
07:08Lukashenko's remarks come after a Ukrainian incursion into Russia that began earlier this
07:12month and saw thousands of troops cross Russia's western border.
07:17Belarus is a close ally of Russia, and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine was partly launched
07:22from Belarusian territory.
07:29Thousands of protesters have marched in Tel Aviv, demanding the Israeli government reach
07:33a deal for the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza.
07:39Israel mediators have met with Israeli negotiators in Doha for a new round of talks aimed at
07:43reaching a ceasefire.
07:45But Hamas isn't attending, saying it wouldn't engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations.
07:52Israel says Hamas is still holding around 110 hostages and the remains of more than
07:5730 others in Gaza.
08:04Typhoon Ampil is moving close to Japan, with authorities warning of mudslides and flooding
08:09in areas near its projected path through the Pacific Ocean.
08:14Around 90,000 passengers have been affected after flights were cancelled at at least five
08:19major airports.
08:21Central Japan Railway said the bullet trains between Tokyo and Nagoya have been suspended.
08:27Ampil is packing winds of 162 kilometers per hour, but is not expected to make landfall
08:33in Japan.
08:37The sun on Katerina Muller's balcony isn't just helping grow her plants.
08:45It's providing homemade electricity with the help of solar panels.
08:49I'm just utilizing the sun, like the energy, and of course ultimately for me saving some
08:55money, but it's just the entire idea of I just have to put something up, use what's
09:00already there, and then I just benefit as well, it's just like, yeah, how can you say
09:03no to that?
09:04She's not alone.
09:06Germany is seeing a boom in balcony solar panels.
09:10There was an over 50 percent increase in the registration of such systems in the second
09:16quarter of this year, compared to the strongest quarter last year.
09:20The boom came as people sought out cheaper energy sources amid the war in Ukraine, which
09:25pushed electricity costs up.
09:28The co-founder of a startup selling balcony solar panels says she wanted people in apartments
09:34to be able to use the renewable energy source.
09:37We have so many spaces where we can use solar panels.
09:42I just felt like it was really unfair that we cannot use solar panels, especially for
09:46people that are renters in the apartments.
09:49All this technology is available, why aren't we using it?
09:52This year, the company is on track for a 350 percent increase in sales from 2023.
10:00They have also done well in France, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, but have sold the most
10:06in Germany.
10:07The country is seen as a leader of solar energy in the EU, but a solar energy association
10:14says the Netherlands produced the most solar capacity per capita in 2022 in the bloc, with
10:21Germany in second place.
10:23Advocates say they had to work hard to convince politicians to change rules in favor of solar
10:28energy use in households.
10:30A petition was launched last year, calling on the Bundestag to create legislation that
10:36would make it easier for people to install solar panels on their balconies.
10:41A group promoting solar use in households says it shows politicians that the public
10:46wants climate action.
10:49Once other stakeholders also see that there is a willingness to cooperate, to implement
10:56things, then also the politics has a lot more urge or needs to do something themselves,
11:06and you can't kind of talk yourself out of it and say, yo, the people don't want to and
11:13everything because I don't think that's the case.
11:16As for Catharina Müller, she and her roommate are expecting to save hundreds on their electricity
11:21bill this year.
11:23And I truly enjoy like being on the terrace or like the balcony and then just checking,
11:27oh, this is how much we've produced today.
11:29Honestly, I find great joy in this even makes me get proud and very grateful for the sun
11:34as well.
11:35The law is set to come into effect that will stop landlords from blocking tenants from
11:39putting solar panels on balconies, with some exceptions.