Latest news bulletin | March 24th – Midday
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/24/latest-news-bulletin-march-24th-midday
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/24/latest-news-bulletin-march-24th-midday
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Ukrainian and U.S. officials held a second round of talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh,
00:05to explore the possibility of a ceasefire with Russia.
00:10Violent protests continued for a fifth night in Istanbul after a court-ordered Istanbul
00:14mayor Ekrem Imamoglu jailed on Sunday pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.
00:21New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a snap election at the end of April.
00:32Ukrainian officials held a second round of ceasefire talks with U.S. officials in the
00:36Saudi capital, Riyadh.
00:39Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky tasked his Defense Minister Rustam Umarov with leading
00:43the delegation.
00:45Umarov said in a post after the meeting on social media platform X that many key points,
00:50including energy, were discussed.
00:52He described the meeting as focused and productive.
00:55Zelensky, addressing the meeting, reiterated his country's commitment to peace.
01:00He also emphasized the need to exert more pressure on his Russian counterpart.
01:31Leading the talks for Washington was U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve
01:37Whitkoff.
01:39Speaking to U.S. media outlets on Sunday, Whitkoff said he believes Putin, despite European
01:44concerns, is also interested in peace.
01:47On Friday's EU summit in Brussels, leaders agreed on the need to be fully capable of
01:52defending themselves against further Russian attacks by 2030.
01:56Downplaying Europe's fears, Whitkoff said he takes Putin at his word that he's not interested
02:01in expanding his territory.
02:03I just don't see that he wants to take all of Europe.
02:07This is a much different situation than it was in World War II.
02:10In World War II there was no NATO.
02:13So I just, you have countries that are armed there, to me it just, I take him at his word
02:20in this sense, so, and I think the Europeans are beginning to come to that belief too.
02:24But it sort of doesn't matter.
02:26That's an academic issue.
02:29Whitkoff and his team are set to meet the Russian delegation on Monday.
02:33Trump had said previously he hoped this round of talks can offer some breakthrough towards
02:37finally ending the war.
02:44Crowds gathered outside Istanbul City Hall for a fifth consecutive night of protests.
02:49Earlier on Sunday, a court formally arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption
02:53charges.
02:55Clashes erupted as protesters threw flares and stones at riot police units, who in turn
03:00responded by using pepper spray to disperse the crowds.
03:04The protests came just a day after a major demonstration saw hundreds of thousands protest
03:08across Istanbul calling for Imamoglu's release.
03:12He was detained on Wednesday after a dawn raid of his residence amid an investigation
03:16into alleged corruption and links to terror groups.
03:20The court decided to jail the mayor on reasonable suspicion of running a criminal organization,
03:25accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data, and bid rigging.
03:31He was not, however, arrested on terrorism charges, with the court arguing that it was
03:35not necessary at this stage as he was already arrested for financial crimes.
03:40The largest opposition party, the CHP, also held a solidarity ballot in its first primary,
03:46where they were nominating their presidential candidate for the 2028 race.
03:50Symbolic ballot boxes were set up nationwide to allow people beyond the party's 1.7 million
03:56members to express their support for the jailed mayor.
04:03New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a snap election at the end of April.
04:09His Liberal party appeared poised for historic election defeat earlier this year, until neighbouring
04:14U.S. President Donald Trump declared a trade war.
04:18Trump's almost daily attacks have infuriated Canadians, leading to a surge of nationalism
04:24that bolstered Liberal poll numbers.
04:26We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump's
04:32unjustified trade actions and his threats to our sovereignty.
04:38Our response must be to build a strong economy and a more secure Canada.
04:45While several parties are running, Canada's Liberals and Conservatives are the only two
04:50that have a real chance to form government.
04:53The vote is expected to focus on which party is best equipped to deal with Trump.
04:59For economic security, the Panama Canal was built for a military.
05:07Our spheres of influence making a comeback on the international stage.
05:11The concept lost some of its relevance at the end of the Cold War, but seems to be regaining
05:17traction with the return of Donald Trump to the White House and the war in Ukraine.
05:22According to this expert, it's in Europe's interest to prevent the formation of exclusive
05:26spheres of influence.
05:28The immediate threat of a sphere of influence is that you cut others off from resources
05:36and trade.
05:37Certainly for Europe, this is a problem because we are an export economy and we need to import
05:43most of our resources.
05:45If you would get the general race to establish spheres of influence, then you would see great
05:49powers trying to convince or even to coerce other states to join their side.
05:55That would certainly increase geopolitical tensions and ultimately it could trigger conflict.
06:01Russia, China and the United States are trying to gain ground.
06:06The US has threatened to annex Greenland and Canada.
06:09But this is about territorial expansion, not spheres of influence, says Biskop.
06:15So Russia is definitely trying to establish an exclusive sphere of influence by military
06:20means in its near abroad.
06:23China is very smartly gaining lots of influence across the world, but mostly through an economic
06:30and political strategy.
06:32But that could only become an exclusive sphere of influence if other players, including the
06:36European Union, would abandon those countries to China.
06:40But that's not happening.
06:45For the EU, enlargement is a means of promoting its values.
06:49It's not about a sphere of influence.
06:52So the European Union is, of course, increasing its power and influence by enlarging, but
06:57enlargement is not creating a sphere of influence.
07:00If another state joins the Union, it becomes part of us.
07:04A sphere of influence would be around ourselves, would not be part of ourselves.
07:10A sphere of influence refers to a geographical area that a power has unilaterally declared
07:15to be its exclusive space and over which it exerts its political, economic and military
07:21control.
07:27Sweden's Inuits are reclaiming their identity as the independence debate grows.
07:33During colonial rule, Denmark enforced assimilation policies, unofficially banning the Inuit language,
07:40forced sterilizations and the removal of children from their families to be placed in Danish
07:45homes.
07:47Policies which left Greenlanders bitter.
07:53Inuit Greenlander, Aviaja Raquel, says it is time for the Inuit people to speak up.
07:59Inuit hasn't been heard.
08:01We have been so isolated for hundreds of years and this time is the time for Inuit to speak
08:09up.
08:10As Greenland regained autonomy in the late 20th century, its population is still made
08:16up of 90% Inuit today, most of them which are Lutheran, a faith introduced by Danish
08:22missionaries over 300 years ago.
08:26The sacredness of Christianity is still sacred in my eyes, but so is Buddhism, so is Hinduism
08:34and so is my work.
08:37And that's where I stand in this, that the arising of our culture and us as a people
08:44is also to get the equality within our culture, to acknowledge that our culture is legit.
08:52Some Greenlanders say global interest in their minerals and the push for independence
08:58has allowed them to speak more openly about abuses committed by Denmark.
09:04I used to feel like it was cooler to be a Dane or cooler to be able to speak Danish
09:12where it was embarrassing to practice our traditions.
09:20Greenland is experiencing immigration, with 300 to 400 more people leaving than arriving
09:26each year.
09:28Whether the revival of ancient traditions can reverse the trend remains to be seen.
09:34Roughly 500 people gathered on Sunday to celebrate Iftar in a church in Belgium's Molenbeek.
09:49With 140 different nationalities, the district is incredibly diverse, however it also has
09:55a dubious reputation.
09:57The shared meal was organized as part of Molenbeek's bid to become the European Capital of Culture
10:03in 2030.
10:05Through its candidacy, Molenbeek hopes to redefine its narrative and reassert itself
10:09through its strength of its cultural diversity.
10:12This is why this candidacy is very important for Molenbeek, because this is a wonderful
10:19opportunity to flip the script and to dream together for the future through culture, through
10:26art, through different cultures, to create a new us, even if we are different, we share
10:37the same dreams.
10:38There is a very important symbolic here of Molenbeek because after what happened 15 years
10:48ago, during 15 years, with the symbol of violence, of terror and so on, we have now a message
10:56of resilience, of building together a future, not only for Molenbeek, but for Brussels and
11:02for Europe also.
11:05The month of March not only marks the celebration of Ramadan, but also Lent for Christians and
11:10Purim for Jewish people.
11:14Sunday's Iftar therefore welcomed people from all ages and backgrounds.
11:19We are celebrating an Iftar in a church, which is a symbol of diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism,
11:26which is very, very present here in Molenbeek.
11:29Molenbeek is now up against Leuven and Namur, the two other cities running for the European
11:34Capital of Culture title.
11:36The winner will be announced in September.