Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00European Parliament centrist groups have cut a deal to approve the new EU commissioners.
00:12Snow has begun falling across Europe as a front of cold air sweeps across the continent.
00:23The US has vetted a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between
00:28Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
00:31Unlike non-permanent members, it has the power to do so, and said its reasoning was due to
00:36the language used towards hostage release conditions.
00:39The US says it was not strong enough as it did not condition the ceasefire on the release
00:43of captives.
00:44Let me say this clearly.
00:47There are still seven American citizens in the hands of Hamas.
00:51We will not forget them.
00:54For our part, we will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution that brings peace, security
01:00and freedom to Palestinians in Gaza.
01:04Meanwhile, the Senate has also rejected an attempt by Bernie Sanders to block the sales
01:09of offensive weapons to Israel.
01:12He said this would not prevent Israel from defending itself from incoming attacks, and
01:16that a strong majority of US citizens, quote, oppose funding Netanyahu's war machine.
01:22Prime Minister Netanyahu's extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas.
01:31It has waged an all-out war against the Palestinian people.
01:39Since Israel's war with Hamas began on the 7th of October last year, over 44,000 Palestinians
01:45have lost their lives, according to local health authorities.
01:55The main centrist parties of the European Parliament, the European People's Party and
01:59the Social Democrats and Liberals have struck a deal to approve the new members of the European
02:04Commission.
02:06It means the new commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, can take office on the 1st
02:11of December.
02:12The three-party compromise cleared the way for six future vice-presidents of the commission,
02:17including the Spanish Teresa Ribera, who was criticised by the conservatives for her management
02:22of the floods in Valencia.
02:24However, the EPP continues to call for her resignation in case she is indicted.
02:30What we as parliament have to guarantee is that the new commission is a commission who
02:36can really deliver, who can really act, and if you have the possible shadow above you
02:44or the possible burden on your shoulder, that you are involved in court cases, for example,
02:49at home, it is not so easy to do then the task on European level.
02:53Alongside the six vice-presidents, Hungary's Oliver Varhey also received the green light.
02:59But not everyone in the European Parliament was pleased with the backroom deals surrounding
03:04the candidates.
03:06So unfortunately, the assessment of the most important ones, the six executive vice-presidents,
03:12have become a mockery of a proper assessment, and that is not good for the European Parliament.
03:18So in that sense, we are very disappointed about that process, absolutely.
03:22The three parties have also signed a cooperation agreement for this legislation with key policy
03:27areas, although it is not binding.
03:30The full College of Commissioners will be voted on next Wednesday at the European Parliament
03:34in Strasbourg.
03:35Spain has announced a reform to its migration policy, which will grant residency and work
03:44permits to about 300,000 undocumented migrants each year for the next three years.
03:52The reform will simplify work and residence permit procedures, allowing migrants to register
03:57as self-employed or salaried workers and granting them additional labour rights.
04:21The policy will come into effect from May 2025 and is part of the country's efforts
04:27to expand its labour force in the face of an ageing population.
04:32Spain needs around 250,000 registered foreign workers a year to maintain its welfare state
04:39and it's one of the European countries that receives the most irregular migrants annually.
04:45Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has often described his government's migration
04:50policies as a strategy to combat the country's low birth rate.
04:57Danish and Nordic teams are continuing to inspect undersea cables after two were damaged
05:02in the Baltic Sea between Germany and Finland and Sweden and Lithuania.
05:07It comes after the Danish military announced it's monitoring a Chinese ship spotted in
05:34its waters just two days after the cables were cut.
05:38Marine traffic vessel tracking data showed the Chinese vessel Yipeng 3 anchored in the
05:44Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday.
05:50Thousands of workers in Greece have taken to the streets in protest as part of a 24-hour
05:55general strike called by labour unions to protest the rising cost of living.
06:01The strike action, backed by both public and private sector workers on Wednesday, disrupted
06:06economic activities in the capital, Athens, as well as the northern city of Thessaloniki.
06:12The strike action, backed by both public and private sector workers on Wednesday, disrupted
06:19economic activities in the capital, Athens, as well as the northern city of Thessaloniki.
06:41Greece's financial crisis saw a quarter of the country's economy wiped out after decades
06:48of profligate spending.
06:52Greece's financial crisis saw a quarter of the country's economy wiped out after decades
06:57of profligate spending.
07:02French farmers protested for a third day on Wednesday after setting up a blockade on the
07:07highway near the French-Spanish border.
07:11Their aim is to block heavy goods vehicle traffic from Spain to France, protesting against
07:16an EU-Mercosur trade deal with South American nations.
07:20The French Minister for Agriculture condemned the blockade, saying it risked undermining
07:25public empathy for the profession.
07:41The farmers say producers from countries that are part of the Mercosur agreement are not
07:48subject to regulations as strict as those in Europe.
07:51They also say it creates unfair competition with third countries.
08:02Ford says it will reduce its workforce by 4,000 in Europe and the UK by the end of 2027.
08:10The car manufacturer cited headwinds from the economy, pressure from increased competition
08:15and weaker-than-expected sales of electric cars.
08:19In Europe, automakers must sell enough electric vehicles to meet new, lower limits for carbon
08:24dioxide emissions in 2025.
08:27Most of the job cuts, 2,900 in total, will come in Germany, where car sales have dropped
08:33significantly.
08:36This comes as consumers remain weary of inflation, while Germany also dropped government purchase
08:41incentives for electric vehicles.
08:44Car makers are also facing increasing competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles.
08:53Snow has begun falling across Europe as a front of polar cold air sweeps across the
08:59continent.
09:01In Belgium, Tuesday's heavy rain and gale-force winds turned frosty, forming a layer of snow
09:07on the peaks near the Signal de Botrange.
09:12In Austria, truck drivers at the Arlberg Pass were forced to put snow chains on their vehicles
09:17until the late morning, while motorists in Poland were advised to put on winter tyres.
09:24Tourists in Poland have also been warned not to hike certain routes, as an avalanche warning
09:30is in place.
09:34Temperatures in the Czech Republic dropped by up to 10 degrees overnight into Wednesday,
09:39as rainfall turns to snow at altitudes above 400 metres.
09:45The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says up to 12 centimetres of snow may fall in the
09:50east of the country on Thursday and Friday.
09:54And in Denmark, snowfall has led to slippery roads, causing a truck crash on the motorway
09:59between the cities of Nyborg and Odense.
10:06Climate change has led to worsening symptoms of pollen allergies, with around one million
10:11Danes claiming they can feel the effect as temperatures rise.
10:15The amount of pollen produced from plants has increased significantly since the 1980s,
10:20exacerbated by higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
10:37Warmer and wetter conditions are also leading to an increase in other infections and viruses.
10:43Changing global temperatures mean for people like Mette Lund, who takes allergy medication
10:48once a day, the onset of hay fever symptoms are starting to occur all year round.
10:59A volcano has erupted in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, causing a massive eruption in
11:05Iceland.
11:11A volcano has erupted on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, triggering civil defence to declare
11:17a state of emergency and order evacuations of Grindervik and the Blue Lagoon.
11:25It's the country's seventh volcanic eruption this year, but the Icelandic Meteorological
11:30Office says it's a lot smaller than the previous one in August.
11:34The area's chief of police said there was no immediate danger and residents are well
11:39versed in how evacuations are carried out.