Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00At least seven dead in Lviv. Authorities say three children are among those killed in a
00:07Russian attack.
00:11Hotels almost fully booked in Baku as excitement grows ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix.
00:24Syrian refugees are being prevented from reaching Europe, then deported back to danger
00:30in Syria. And the European Union is complicit.
00:34These are the conclusions of a new report.
00:37Human Rights Watch spoke to 16 Syrian refugees who had tried to cross to Cyprus irregularly
00:43from Lebanon, which hosts 1.5 million displaced Syrians and where hostility towards refugees
00:50is on the rise.
00:51Eleven had been expelled by the Lebanese authorities back to Syria, four of them after having been
00:57pushed back to Lebanon from Cyprus.
01:00Without legal and safe pathways to Europe, they attempt this really dangerous journey,
01:06trying to cross the sea to reach a better life in Europe. What we found instead is that
01:11the Lebanese armed forces and for their part the Cypriot Coast Guard prevented them from
01:20continuing their journey.
01:21They were also beaten, shoved, handcuffed at times, arbitrarily detained and really
01:29subjected to inhuman treatment before they were, probably the most devastating part of
01:35the story, forced to return to Syria, where we know and have documented, as many other
01:40organizations have, the way in which refugees, returnees are arbitrarily detained, disappeared
01:49and sometimes killed on return to Syria.
01:53The European Union is funding several migration control projects in Lebanon.
01:57In May, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a further 1 billion euros
02:02in financial support, including money to equip and train the Lebanese authorities to better
02:07manage the borders.
02:09Human Rights Watch says EU money is propping up those responsible for human rights violations.
02:16There really doesn't seem to be any kind of conditionality or consequence for funding
02:25these agencies. In fact, what we've seen with the EU-Lebanon deal, it's almost a reward.
02:30Here is another pledge to provide outrageous sums of money without, you know, any kind
02:37of conditionality attached to them.
02:40The Cypriot government has indicated it wants to secure the new role of European Commissioner
02:45for the Mediterranean, which would involve overseeing the EU's migration deals with countries
02:50in its southern neighborhood.
02:52Human Rights Watch says the choice would be irresponsible, given the Cypriot authorities'
02:57documented pushbacks against refugees.
03:04Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and several other senior government officials
03:09have stepped down from their positions.
03:12The resignations come ahead of an anticipated major government reshuffle.
03:17According to the Ukrainian Parliament, lawmakers will discuss Kuleba's resignation at their
03:21next plenary meeting.
03:24Kuleba has been a key figure in Ukraine's efforts to fight off Russia's invasion. He
03:28has traveled across the world to mobilize support from Ukraine's international partners.
03:34President Volodymyr Zelensky said the changes to the government were to achieve results
03:38needed by Ukraine.
03:41Ukrainian attacks on Ukraine have increased in recent days, causing destruction and casualties,
03:46as Ukrainian forces seek to carve out their holdings in Russia's Kursk border region.
03:57Urtula von der Leyen has voiced exasperation after EU governments undermine her efforts
04:02to strike a gender balance in her team of European Commissioners.
04:07In a letter to EU governments, the Commission presidents had asked for two candidates, one
04:11male and one female, for each of the influential roles. Only one member state, Bulgaria, heeded
04:17that request. The other countries predominantly nominated men.
04:22I have throughout my whole political life been fighting for women having access to decision-making
04:29position and leading position. And my experience is that if you don't ask for it, you will
04:38not get it. It does not come naturally. And this is why I sent my letter. Because if I
04:46would not have sent this letter, there would not have been a hook also to look at the diversity
04:52topic.
04:54Estonia's Kaia Kalas was nominated to be the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs
04:58by EU leaders back in June. Of the remaining 25 places up for grabs in von der Leyen's
05:04team of Commissioners, just eight women are currently in the running. Von der Leyen says
05:10that without her efforts in pressuring member states to put forth women, the roster of candidates
05:15would have been even more dominated by men.
05:20If I would not have sent this letter, what would have been the fact or the case? The
05:26initial proposals, if you look at the names you all know, besides the High Representative
05:33and me, the President, for the 25 member states that then nominate would have been four women
05:41and 21 men. So without that letter and without that discussion, this would be the next college.
05:49And therefore, it is absolutely worth it.
05:52Von der Leyen is currently interviewing candidates and is expected to hand out policy portfolios
05:58by mid-September. The candidates must then undergo questioning by members of the European
06:03Parliament and survive a confirmation vote before they can take up their positions. Unless
06:08the Commission Chief can further rectify the gender imbalance, she could be leading one
06:13of the EU Executive's most male-dominated team of Commissioners in a decade.
06:21The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
06:31and reassures they will increase nuclear safety assistance to Ukraine. He says they will expand
06:38their inspections to include the electricity substations that provide power to Ukraine's
06:44power plants.
06:45Some of the, not stations, but some of the power lines have been affected. And we indicated
06:53already at that time that this was a risk for the plant. The IEA could or should be
07:02looking also at the substations.
07:05It comes after Russian shelling allegedly damaged power lines leading to the Zaporozhye
07:11plant. That is according to the plant's power producer Energetom. Grossi is now set to visit
07:19the Zaporozhye plant. It falls shortly after he visited the Kursk plant in Russia last
07:24week.
07:29At least seven people were killed in a Russian missile strike on Lviv on Wednesday. Three
07:35children and a medical worker were among those killed and 35 others were injured, according
07:41to the Western Ukrainian city's mayor Andriy Sadovyi. He said multiple houses, two medical
07:48institutions and two schools were damaged. Russia has also attacked several other Ukrainian
07:54cities this week, including Kiev, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporozhye.
08:03Wednesday's attack comes a day after Russia launched ballistic missiles at a military
08:08academy and nearby hospital in Poltava, killing over 50. The strike was the deadliest single
08:14attack this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered an investigation and
08:21reiterated Kiev's demands for help from its allies.
08:29Kashkai's city council is offering affordable housing for teachers who teach in the municipality
08:38but have to travel from far away.
08:53Teachers who live more than 60 kilometres away from where they teach will be eligible
08:57for the housing. The monthly rent ranges from 150 to 400 euros, depending on the type
09:04of accommodation. Since 2017, rent in Portugal has more than doubled.
09:22The council says they will also provide temporary housing for those who are filling in for just
09:27a few months, for example for teachers replacing individuals who are on sick or maternity leave.
09:37Securing fresh water should be a priority of the next European Commission, as around
09:4220% of the EU's territory and 30% of its citizens are often affected by droughts and floods.
09:50One example is the draconian cuts to water consumption in Catalonia this spring, when
09:54the Spanish province declared a drought emergency. Climate change will aggravate the situation,
10:02so the Portuguese government is leading an initiative. Investment is key, said the Minister
10:08of Environment after a meeting with the European Commission officials on Tuesday.
10:2420 member states signed a letter to the European Commission about water resilience that was
10:40drafted by the Portuguese government in July. One key argument is that the economic cost
10:46estimated at around 9 billion euros per year could reach 65 billion by the end of the century.
10:55So far, this policy has been under the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries portfolio. The Minister
11:01stressed that water is a resource crucial for many sectors such as industry, energy,
11:06agriculture and tourism, and even defence.
11:24The strategic agenda approved by the European Council for the next five years commits to
11:37strengthen water resilience across the Union and invest in ample cross-border infrastructure.