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00:00Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in the face of rising discontentment
00:05over his leadership.
00:11Austria's president gave far-right Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl the green light
00:16to attempt to form a new government.
00:25Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in the face of rising discontentment
00:30over his leadership.
00:32Trudeau said internal battles meant that he cannot be the best option in the next election,
00:37but says he plans to stay on as Prime Minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is
00:42chosen.
00:43Last night over dinner I told my kids about the decision that I'm sharing with you today.
00:50I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister, after the party selects its next
00:58leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process.
01:04Trudeau came to power in 2015 and had initially been hailed for returning the country to its
01:08liberal past.
01:10But the 53-year-old scion of one of Canada's most famous Prime Ministers became deeply
01:14unpopular with voters in recent years over a range of issues including the soaring cost
01:19of food and housing and surging migration.
01:26Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen gave the green light for far-right Freedom
01:30Party leader Herbert Kickl to attempt to form a new government.
01:35The two met in Vienna on Monday, a few days after Chancellor Karl Nehammer's ruling party
01:40failed to form a coalition.
01:57Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Austrian President's office to demonstrate
02:03against a possible far-right-led government.
02:20Kickl's FPΓ won the September election, but Nehammer's People's Party was initially given
02:25the mandate to govern, after other parties refused to govern with the FPΓ.
02:30After Nehammer's resignation, the People's Party signaled it could be open to working
02:34under Kickl.
02:37While talks between the two parties are not guaranteed to succeed, there are no viable
02:41alternative coalition options in the current parliament.
02:48Since Germany's government alliance has collapsed, the country is heading for elections in a
02:52fragmented political landscape.
02:55The dynamics are shifting strongly as support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition of
02:59SPD, Greens and FDP declines.
03:02Polls show the CDU-CSU leading, with party-dominating voter preferences.
03:07The far-right AFD, which is now the second-largest opposition, continues to gain traction with
03:12Alice Wiedel as its Chancellor candidate.
03:15However, the AFD remains isolated, with mainstream parties refusing any coalition.
03:21On the left, Saarewagen Connect's newly formed BSW is appealing to discontented voters, further
03:27splitting the political field, as her party already positioned ahead of the Liberal FDP
03:32in the European elections.
03:34Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck has also joined the race for Chancellor, but the Greens are
03:38struggling after the coalition's collapse.
03:42As elections near, no party approaches an absolute majority.
03:47Polls suggest the CDU-CSU is best positioned to lead a coalition, likely with the Greens
03:52or SPD, as the FDP risks falling below the 5% threshold needed to secure seats in the
03:58Bundestag.
04:01Water dissatisfaction with the current coalition has deepened amid economic and social challenges.
04:07And now, Germany's proportional system hints at prolonged negotiations to form a stable
04:12government.
04:20Ukraine launched a new assault into Russia's Kursk region, five months after Kyiv's surprise
04:26incursion into Russia's border area.
04:29The first reports came in overnight on Sunday from Russian mill bloggers who said that Moscow
04:34troops came under heavy pressure.
04:37Russia's defence ministry later announced that its forces were repelling the attacks.
04:43The Russian statement said Ukraine attacked early in the morning near the village of Berdyn
04:48with two tanks, a mine-clearing vehicle and 12 armoured combat vehicles with paratroops.
04:55The Institute for the Study of War says Ukrainian forces resumed offensive operations in at
05:00least three areas within the Ukrainian salient in Kursk region and made tactical advances.
05:06Based on the Russian mill blogger's claims, Kyiv's troops conducted multiple attacks east
05:11and north-east of Sudzha, as well as south-east of Korenevo.
05:15Geolocated footage published on the 5th of January indicates that Ukrainian forces advanced
05:20in Fylde, southwest and south of Berdyn and entered the southern part of the settlement.
05:27Kremlin-controlled Russian mill bloggers largely expressed concerns that the renewed Ukrainian
05:31effort in Kursk may be a diversionary effort and claimed that it is too early to determine
05:37whether these operations in Kursk could be part of a future main effort.
05:43For the past few months, Russian forces have been trying to push Ukrainian troops out of
05:48its territory.
05:50Kyiv forces have allegedly lost up to half of the initially captured territory after
05:55Moscow sent more reinforcements to the area, including North Korean soldiers.
06:06Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's trial started on Monday over alleged illegal
06:11financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of then-Libyan leader Muabarin
06:17Gaddafi.
06:18He faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement
06:24of public funds and criminal association, punished by up to 10 years in prison.
06:31The so-called Libyan case emerged in March 2011, when a Libyan news agency reported that
06:36the Gaddafi government had financed Sarkozy's 2007 campaign.
06:42The next year, a French online news site published a document said to be a note from the Libyan
06:46secret services, mentioning Gaddafi's agreement to provide Sarkozy's campaign 15 million euros
06:52in financing.
06:56Sarkozy strongly rejected the accusations, calling the document a blatant fake and filing
07:01complaints for forgery, concealment and spreading false news.
07:05Sarkozy has been convicted in two other scandals, but the Libyan case appears as the one most
07:10likely to significantly affect his legacy.
07:18French President Emmanuel Macron extended an olive branch to US President-elect Donald
07:22Trump days before his inauguration, declaring France a solid ally as he outlined his vision
07:28for global diplomacy in 2025.
07:31Macron emphasized France's commitment to fostering cooperation, while urging European
07:35nations to fortify their unity and resilience, saying there was little chance of being respected
07:40by the US if they decided to be weak and defeatist.
08:01Macron's speech laid out France's foreign policy priorities, spanning the war in Ukraine,
08:22European defense and the Middle East.
08:24He said as Europeans, we cannot let Russia win in Ukraine, adding that there would not
08:28be an easy or rapid solution in the region.
08:31However, he also warned that Ukraine needed to have realistic discussions on territorial
08:35issues, urging Kiev for the first time to consider territorial concessions.
08:44Thousands of people have protested in Montenegro to demand the resignations of top security
08:49officials after 12 people were killed in a mass shooting on New Year's Day.
08:55Protesters staged dual rallies in the capital, Podgorica, and in the central town of Cetinje,
09:00where the shooting happened.
09:02Many residents of Cetinje believe the police mishandled the situation and haven't done
09:06enough to boost security since the first massacre in August 2022.
09:11The shooting on New Year's Day came after a bar brawl.
09:35A 45-year-old man went home to get his gun before returning to the bar and opening fire.
09:40He killed four people there and eight others at various locations before killing himself.
09:46The massacre has raised questions about the readiness of state institutions to tackle
09:50the problems, including gun ownership.
09:53Police have said the shooting was impossible to predict, though the gunman identified as
09:57Arko Martinovich had been convicted for violent behavior and illegal weapons possession.
10:04Authorities swiftly announced a new strict gun law and other tough measures to curb illegal
10:08weapons.
10:10On Sunday, police said they raided several locations in the country and confiscated around
10:1420 weapons, more than 500 rounds of ammunition and explosives.
10:19Prime Minister MiloΕ‘ KoΕ‘pajic promised draconian punishment for anyone who violates the new
10:25law.
10:32The Christmas season came to a close on Monday with celebrations of Epiphany by Christian
10:37communities all over Europe.
10:40The Orthodox Christian tradition is marked by blessing of the water ceremonies, where
10:45swimmers rush to retrieve a cross thrown by a priest into the water.
10:49The tradition commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ was observed in countries including
10:54Greece and Bulgaria.
10:56The religious holiday of Epiphany is also celebrated in some Western Christian churches
11:01as Three Kings Day, which marks the visit of the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus.
11:07Visitors in Prague took to the icy waters to participate in the annual Three Kings swim.
11:14In the Vatican, the Pope presided over mass in St. Peter's Basilica and spoke from the
11:18window of the Apostolic Palace to thousands of faithful gathered below.
11:23Other traditions included a Three Kings procession in the streets of Warsaw and Romania's annual
11:29horse race.
11:31In France, President Emmanuel Macron sliced a giant Epiphany cake, a tradition held at
11:36ΓlysΓ©e Palace since 1975.