Latest news bulletin | September 4th – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
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00:00France's interior minister blames smugglers after a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized
00:06killing at least 12 people.
00:11For the first time in Volkswagen's 87-year history, the company is considering closing
00:17German factories.
00:21Russia launched a deadly missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
00:30Plans to open a bridge dividing Kosovo, Serbian and Albanian ethnic groups were cancelled
00:36following fears it would ignite tension.
00:43The French government blames smugglers after a boat capsized in the English Channel killing
00:47at least 12.
00:49The comments from the French interior minister came after a boat carrying more than 50 migrants
00:54capsized off France's northern coast, with a pregnant woman and six minors reportedly
01:00amongst the dead.
01:01Following the incident, he highlighted the importance of re-establishing a better relationship
01:06with the UK.
01:07Local authorities said the boat got into difficulty off the coast and everyone aboard
01:23ended up in the water.
01:25Boats and aircraft were scrambled for the rescue operation.
01:31The boat was believed to have been heading to the UK in yet another perilous journey
01:35across the Channel, which is a busy and often treacherous waterway.
01:44German car manufacturing giant Volkswagen this week announced it was considering plant
01:50closures due to auto industry headwinds.
01:54This is the first time in the company's 87-year history it has mulled shutting a factory in
02:00its native country.
02:02With more VW employees going to work in Wolfsburg, many feel left in the dark about their careers.
02:08European automakers are facing increased competition from their Chinese counterparts
02:32to make cheaper and greener cars faster.
02:38Volkswagen did not confirm how many jobs out of roughly 120,000 could be on the chopping
02:51block.
02:55Russia fired two ballistic missiles on the Ukrainian city of Poltava on Tuesday, killing
03:01at least 49 people and injuring scores more, Ukrainian officials say.
03:07The missiles blasted a military training facility, a nearby hospital and residential
03:12buildings.
03:37Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 180 people were injured.
04:08The attack happened as Russian forces continue their attempts to fend off Ukrainian soldiers
04:16in Kursk, a stronghold secured by Kyiv in early August.
04:24A bridge connecting a Kosovan city Serbian ethnic minority with the Albanian ethnic majority
04:29will not be authorised for vehicular use amidst rising tensions.
04:34Kosovo's Prime Minister had announced plans to open the city of Mitrovica's main bridge
04:39for vehicles, but since changed his mind.
04:42His decision came following a negative reaction from the city's Serbian community.
05:04When plans to open the bridge for vehicles were announced, the Serbian community, Belgrade
05:17government, EU and NATO expressed their concern that the move would increase ethnic tensions
05:23and impact the safety of the ethnic Serbs.
05:29After the announcement, hundreds gathered in protest at the bridge, which has become
05:33symbolic of the divided city.
05:36Authorities in Serbia condemned the proposal to open the bridge, saying it was Kosovo's
06:02attempt to provoke conflict.
06:08After announcing a new joint energy venture, Hungary hit back at critics of their recent
06:13decision to ease entry rules for Russian and Belarusian nationals.
06:17The new immigration scheme allows foreign workers to stay in the country for at least
06:21two years and can pave the way to permanent residency.
06:24Other EU countries expressed concerns over the potential security risk.
06:28Now, when it comes to the national cards, you know, there has been a fake news campaign
06:34carried out against Hungary, a fake news campaign by the Baltic and the Nordic countries.
06:40They are lying.
06:42The fact is that Hungary has absolutely not eased any kind of procedure based on which
06:49third country nationals can enter the territory of Hungary.
06:53The comments were made at the launch of a new joint energy venture by Romania, Hungary,
06:58Georgia and Azerbaijan, aimed at bringing renewable energy to the EU.
07:03Ministers say the project will strengthen security and drive down energy prices.
07:11The Romanian MEP Roxana Minzatu is her country's designated commissioner after her government
07:16changed candidate and put forward a woman.
07:19The move is in support of Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen's right for gender equality.
07:26She asked each country to send a man and a woman for her to choose from.
07:33Romania is seeking an economic portfolio and Bucharest believes the former minister for
07:36EU funds and secretary of state for procurement is the right fit in terms of competence.
07:43We are looking at the competitiveness of the European Union and all the tasks and
07:50objectives that lie ahead because we are obviously in a moment where in the global competition
07:55Europe needs to do something, needs to re-industrialise, President von der Leyen has taken on some
08:02ambitious goals in this direction with the re-industrialisation, the clean, green re-industrialisation
08:07of Europe.
08:10Nearly around a third of EU countries have sent women, including Spain, Belgium and Bulgaria.
08:17The majority of others have, for their own domestic reasons, defied the request by Ursula
08:20von der Leyen to promote gender balance.
08:23Von der Leyen's last cabinet was nearly 50-50 man to woman.
08:28Minzatu believes the imbalance is in line with the rise of far-right nationalism across Europe.
08:34The numbers are poorer than they used to be, which goes to show that you think you have
08:39progress and it can be reversed.
08:42It is probably also a photograph of the atmosphere and of the spirits of societies in which,
08:50as I've said, politicians are not making enough effort to put this on the agenda.
08:56I've often explained that the lack of women in public authority positions is directly
09:03related, in my opinion, with gender-based violence.
09:07Because it's a mentality, it's a bias that exists that women are vulnerable, that they
09:12are victims.
09:13And this is enhanced by the fact that authority positions are male almost all the time.
09:20Ursula von der Leyen is due to announce her nominations for commissioners on September
09:2411th.
09:26After that, each designated commissioner will be scrutinised for their suitability by MEPs
09:30at the European Parliament later in the month.
09:39Securing fresh water should be a priority of the next European Commission, as around
09:4320% of the EU's territory and 30% of its citizens are often affected by droughts and
09:48floods.
09:51One example is the draconian cuts to water consumption in Catalonia this spring, when
09:55the Spanish province declared a drought emergency.
10:01Climate change will aggravate the situation, so the Portuguese government is leading an
10:05initiative.
10:08Investment is key, said the Minister of Environment after a meeting with European Commission officials
10:13on Tuesday.
10:1420 member states signed a letter to the European Commission about water resilience that was
10:42drafted by the Portuguese government in July.
10:45One key argument is that the economic cost, estimated at around 9 billion euros per year,
10:50could reach 65 billion by the end of the century.
10:57So far, this policy has been under the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries portfolio.
11:02The Minister stressed that water is a resource crucial for many sectors such as industry,
11:06energy, agriculture and tourism, and even defence.
11:10The
11:34strategic agenda approved by the European Council for the next five years commits to
11:38strengthen water resilience across the Union and invest in ample cross-border infrastructure.