Latest news bulletin | August 21st – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Transcript
00:00Zelensky says Ukraine controls over 1,250 square kilometers in Russia's Kursk region.
00:14Russian authorities are still struggling to put out a fire at an oil depot which was hit
00:19by Ukrainian drones three days ago.
00:23According to Russian state news agencies, the fire has burned across an area of 10,000
00:29square meters in the town of Polotarsk in the Rostov region of Russia.
00:35Reports say there are 500 firefighters attempting to tackle the flames, of which at least 41
00:41have been taken to hospital.
00:44Ukraine's Army General Staff has claimed responsibility for attacking the oil depot, which was used
01:02to supply the needs of Russia's army.
01:07It comes as Russia continues to grapple with Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region.
01:14New satellite photos appear to show Russian forces building temporary bridges to replace
01:19those blown up by Ukrainian troops.
01:23The Russian Ministry of Defence has also released footage of what it says shows bodies of soldiers
01:29and damaged Ukrainian military vehicles on a road in Kursk.
01:36Elsewhere Russia says it's destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition and weaponry depot in the Sumy
01:41region and a Ukrainian M-777 howitzer in Kharkiv.
01:51Ukraine controls over 1,250 square kilometers in Russia's Kursk region.
01:57That is according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
02:01He adds that troops captured the largest number of Russian prisoners in a single operation,
02:06making it one of Kyiv's largest efforts to liberate Ukrainians from Russian captivity.
02:11Our active defensive actions along the Kursk border and Putin's inability to protect his
02:17territory from such defensive actions are very redundant.
02:22Our active preventive defense is the most effective counter to Russian terror, with
02:29ensuring the real complication of the situation for the aggressor state.
02:34Eighty-four temporary accommodation centers opened in the Kursk region, as Russian authorities
02:39say more than 121,000 civilians were evacuated since the start of the incursion.
02:49On Sunday, the Ukrainian President addressed the aim of the incursion into Kursk for the
02:54first time, which is to create a buffer zone to prevent further attacks by Moscow across
02:59the border. Zelensky says his troops would not have to physically enter Russian territories,
03:04particularly the Kursk region, if Ukraine partners would lift the
03:08restriction on the use of long-range weapons.
03:15The search for six missing people continued after a yacht sunk off the coast of Sicily,
03:20with at least one confirmed dead. Fifteen people survived, including a mother who reported
03:26holding her one-year-old baby over the waves to save her. Rescue teams and divers returned
03:32to the site of the storm-sunken superyacht. The missing people are believed to be trapped
03:37in the ship's hull, 50 meters underwater. Divers were reportedly unable to access the
03:43ship's cabins as they were blocked by debris that had shifted during a violent storm that
03:48toppled the luxury sailboat early Monday. One body has been recovered, officials said.
03:54Passengers on board included UK tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his family.
03:59The vacation appeared to be something of a celebration after Lynch's acquittal in a fraud
04:04case, with guests including some of the people who had stood by him throughout the ordeal.
04:10The yacht had been moored about a half-mile off the coast when a storm rolled in around
04:144 a.m. Monday morning. Officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado
04:19over the water which had passed over the area.
04:22At least seven people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a street in central Gaza.
04:30Two children and one woman were among the dead, and more than 20 others suffered severe injuries.
04:38It follows a strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City which killed at least 10 people
04:43earlier in the day, and a strike on the Berage refugee camp.
04:48It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is approaching victory
04:53in its war against Hamas.
05:18Netanyahu also said his government is making an effort to secure the release of the remaining
05:26hostages in Gaza, of which there are believed to be around 110.
05:32Meanwhile, the Israeli military has reported the recovery of six bodies of hostages during
05:38an overnight operation in the territory, although it did not specify when or how they might have
05:44died. It comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Doha following his
05:51talks with ceasefire mediators in Egypt.
05:59U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at the Democratic
06:03Convention in Chicago to pay a tribute to U.S. President Joe Biden.
06:08This is going to be a great week.
06:15And I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden. Joe,
06:22thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation,
06:28and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.
06:33Four weeks ago, Biden stepped aside as the party's presidential nominee to make way for
06:38his running mate Kamala Harris. The convention holds particularly high stakes for the party
06:44as it will showcase the new presidential nominee's policy objectives.
06:51Hillary Clinton also made an appearance at the convention. The former Secretary of State
06:56applauded Harris for working towards breaking what she calls the highest and hardest glass ceiling.
07:03Also on the opening day of the DNC, thousands of marchers took to the streets in a mostly
07:08peaceful protest calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Several demonstrators
07:13were arrested after breaking through a fence set up by the police.
07:22The European Union has taken first steps in imposing higher import tariffs on Chinese
07:28electric vehicles. If approved by EU member states, the draft duty rates would mean that
07:35Chinese producers would be forced into longer term price hikes. Discussions over electric
07:42vehicles between Brussels and Beijing have intensified in recent months as concerns that
07:47China will retaliate and trigger a trade war loom. It is for China to propose a solution
07:57that is WTO compatible and that addresses the issues and subsidies, illegal subsidies as we
08:05see them, that the European Commission has identified in its painstaking evidence-based
08:13investigations. The proposed duty rates are between 17% and 36%.
08:20Other companies would be taxed between 21% and 36%. The American brand Tesla,
08:31owned by billionaire Elon Musk, would also be impacted,
08:35having to pay 9% for vehicles they export from Chinese territory.
08:42The Chinese government now has 10 days to respond to the proposed tariffs.
08:46A trade defence investigation was opened after Chinese vehicles flooded the European market.
08:56Subsidies made Chinese cars cheaper and their market share in the European Union has grown
09:01from around 4% in 2002 to 25% at the end of 2023, according to the Commission.
09:11The higher duty rates are intended to protect the European electric vehicle industry,
09:15but the Commission has said it is open to negotiating with China.
09:23Massive growth in the population of Ireland between 2015 and 2023 has seen demand for
09:29housing reach a ratio of now just under 4 to 1. That means for every four persons seeking a house,
09:36only one is available. The massive demand for housing is resulting in a huge increase
09:41in property prices which is now beyond the reach of most young people. Some observers say the
09:47government is failing badly to address the needs of people who are trying to get on the property
09:52ladder. We've failed to stem that flow and failed to build appropriate social homes to allow them
09:58the dignity of being able to be housed. So we have a massive crisis here at the moment that
10:03is increasing year upon year, and a massive supply and demand that doesn't mix, doesn't
10:07connect and is completely disconnected and at odds with what our needs are. Central to the
10:12massive demand for housing is the rapid rise in the population. The numbers in the country have
10:17risen from 3.6 million in the mid-1990s to a current figure of 5.1 million. However, in that
10:24time the number of housing completions has fallen behind demand. A recent study found that Ireland
10:30has a higher house demand ratio than Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA. The demand
10:37per capita is twice that of Australia which is a popular destination for immigrants from all over
10:42the world. The Irish government say that despite the current figures the rate of housing completions
10:48is improving. For 10 years up to 2020 not enough homes are being built, but if I look at what we're
10:54doing now, that in the first two years of housing for all we significantly exceeded our targets,
11:01we will do so again this year by delivering private really good social housing. Social
11:06housing at a rate that we haven't seen for over 50 years and affordable homes for working people
11:10for the first time in a generation. The real problem for the Irish government is that as its
11:15economy continues to boom, Ireland will remain an attractive location for immigrants whose demand
11:20for housing will continue to surpass supply. This four to one ratio of demand and supply of houses
11:27in this country is putting pressure on the government to increase property completions.
11:32With a general election coming down the line in the coming months, housing could be the issue
11:37that determines who forms the next government in this country. This is Kenray for Euronews in Dublin.