Latest news bulletin | April 1st – Evening
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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/2025/04/01/latest-news-bulletin-april-1st-evening
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the European Union is
00:05prepared to push back against Donald Trump's tariffs.
00:11Europe resists and reacts to efforts by the US government to eliminate diversity, equity
00:15and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives in the continent.
00:21The leader of the far-right national rally Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling
00:25public funds and was barred from running for office for five years.
00:30Tensions between the US and the EU escalate ahead of what Trump calls Liberation Day.
00:35European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the European Union is
00:38prepared to push back against Donald Trump's plans to impose sweeping reciprocal tariffs
00:43on all US trading partners.
00:46Speaking before the European Parliament, von der Leyen emphasized Europe's leverage in
00:49negotiations citing its vast single market and economic strength.
00:54That we have everything we need to protect our people and our prosperity.
01:00We have the largest single market in the world.
01:04We have the strength to negotiate.
01:06We have the power to push back.
01:08Von der Leyen criticized the proposed tariffs, warning they would raise consumer prices,
01:13destroy jobs and harm both US companies and global trade.
01:16She described the measures as counterproductive to Trump's goal of re-industrializing America.
01:22The EU is already preparing countermeasures after delaying retaliation against earlier
01:26US tariffs on steel, aluminum and cars.
01:30Von der Leyen urged unity among EU leaders, stressing that while Europe did not start
01:34this confrontation, it is ready to act decisively.
01:37We think it is wrong.
01:38We do not necessarily want to retaliate, but if it is necessary, we have a strong plan
01:45to retaliate and we will use it.
01:48Last year the EU recorded a 156 billion euro trade surplus with the US, but a 108 billion
01:54euro deficit in services.
02:01Efforts by the US government to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI initiatives
02:05in Europe have not gone down well in the continent.
02:09The European Commission acknowledged awareness of a letter sent by the US administration
02:13urging companies to drop DEI programs.
02:16We are aware of the letter that was sent by the US administration to the companies.
02:23We need to know a bit more details before we react and as you know and as you have pointed
02:31out anti-discrimination and equality is based on our main values.
02:41In France, resistance has been particularly strong after reports emerged that the US State
02:45Department demanded that French companies abandon inclusion policies which are part
02:49of national as well as EU law.
02:51Le Figaro published what it claimed was a copy of the letter stating that an executive
02:55order signed by President Donald Trump in January applies globally to all suppliers
03:00of the US government.
03:01French Foreign Trade Minister Laurence Saint-Martin told RTL Radio that France would not compromise
03:06on these principles.
03:08Belgium also pushed back against perceived US interference.
03:12France Minister Jean Jambon declared we have no lessons to learn from the leader of America.
03:17In a joint statement, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévost and Equal Opportunities Minister
03:21Rob Beinders condemned the move as a step backward asserting that diversity and inclusion
03:26strengthen economies and societies.
03:29In Spain, Barcelona's mayor announced his municipal government will defy Trump's rollback
03:33of DEI initiatives which had impacted cultural programs hosted by the city.
03:38Across Europe, leaders have stressed that diversity and inclusion are non-negotiable,
03:42a reflection of deeply held values rather than mere buzzwords.
03:51The leader of the far-right national rally, Marine Le Pen, was found guilty of embezzling
03:56public funds and was barred from running for office for five years with immediate effect.
04:02The sentence has effectively barred her from running in the 2027 presidential race even
04:07if she appeals, something she described earlier as political death.
04:13Eight national rally MEPs and their 12 assistants have also been found guilty and barred from
04:18running for office.
04:19Le Pen and the 24 other members have been accused of using money intended for European
04:24Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for the party.
04:28The court estimated that the European Parliament's total loss was 2.9 million euros, with Le
04:33Pen personally embezzling almost half a million.
04:44Italian political leaders have shown misreactions to the news that a French court has barred
04:49Marine Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election after her conviction for embezzlement.
04:55Given that Marine Le Pen is one of the most prominent figures of the European far-right,
04:59her conviction has left a mark on Italy's right-wing government, starting with Italy's
05:04Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who reacted by saying that those who care about democracy
05:09won't celebrate the news as it targets the leader of a large political party, and she
05:14said it deprives millions of citizens of political representation.
05:19But while Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia adopted a more moderate tone, Deputy Prime
05:24Minister Matteo Salvini reacted strongly.
05:26He is a League Party, in fact, he is part of the Patriots for Europe political group
05:31in the European Parliament alongside Le Pen's Rassemblement National.
05:36Salvini, a long-time friend of Le Pen, shared a selfie with her on his ex-account, using
05:43the hashtag, I support Marine, and wrote a comment in French saying, quote, that those
05:51who fear the judgement of voters take comfort in court rulings.
05:56Salvini also said that what happened to Le Pen has occurred in other countries, such
06:00as Romania, and compared it to, quote, a declaration of war from Brussels, adding that they won't
06:09be intimidated and that they won't be stopped by what happened.
06:13Giorgio Orlandi for Euronews in Rome.
06:21At least two people have been killed and several others injured by Russian attacks
06:26across Ukraine, according to local media.
06:30One civilian was reportedly killed and five others injured after Russia struck Zaporizhia.
06:36The regional governor said the attack destroyed and damaged residential buildings and social
06:41facilities.
06:43This included dozens of homes as well as a local church and school.
06:50A further civilian was killed and another injured by Russian attacks in Donetsk, according
06:55to the regional governor there.
06:57Other parts of Ukraine, including Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipro, were also reportedly
07:02attacked.
07:03Ukraine's general staff said Russia launched two missiles and 99 airstrikes at Ukrainian
07:09units and settlements on Monday.
07:12More than 2,000 drones were used for the strikes they added.
07:20One of the missing U.S. Army soldiers in Lithuania has still not been found after the three others
07:26were recovered dead in their armoured vehicle that was pulled from a swamp on Monday, according
07:32to U.S. Army officials.
07:34One Lithuanian Army official says the Navy dive team is still searching for the missing
07:40soldier.
07:41Lithuanian President Džitanas Nauseda said on Monday that the search and rescue mission
08:06will continue until he is found.
08:09The bodies of the three soldiers were recovered after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces
08:15took six days to dig out the armoured vehicle of a bog in the eastern town of Pabrade, close
08:21to the Belarus border.
08:23The recovery team faced the challenge of pulling out the 63-ton vehicle in unstable ground
08:29conditions.
08:31According to the Army, the soldiers were on a tactical training exercise when they and
08:36their vehicle were reported missing.
08:38The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities are investigating what caused the incident.
08:50A powerful storm hit the Greek islands of Paros and Mykonos on Monday, triggering widespread
08:56flooding and prompting authorities to close schools and impose a ban on all traffic except
09:01emergency vehicles.
09:04Heavy rainfall in Paros' main towns of Perikia and Naousa caused floodwaters that surged
09:09through streets, carrying cars and debris past whitewashed buildings.
09:16Authorities on Paros said 13 people stranded in the storm were taken by firefighters to
09:20their homes, adding that no one was reported injured or missing.
09:26On Mykonos, where the flooding was less intense, excavators were used to clear a path for floodwater
09:31and it gushed past seafront cafes and restaurants.
09:35Several islands near Paros and the Cyclades group, which is southeast of the mainland
09:40in the Aegean Sea, remain under severe weather warnings through Tuesday.
09:48Belgium has implemented a new regulation this week banning the display of cigarettes and
09:53other tobacco products in shops.
09:55The measure aims to reduce the visibility of addictive products, hoping to curb impulsive
10:00purchases.
10:01Under the new rules, supermarkets and stores larger than 400-metre squares are prohibited
10:06from selling cigarettes altogether.
10:09This initiative is overseen by Health Minister Frank Vandenbrouck.
10:13And so our ambition is to stop this killer and our ambition is to have a smoke-free generation
10:23by 2040.
10:25The campaign already began on January 1st with a ban on disposable e-cigarettes.
10:30Shop owners were left to find their own solutions to comply with the law.
10:35Some opted for makeshift plastic curtains, while others installed sophisticated shelves
10:39that light up when opened.
10:45Jennifer Ferenberg, a press and tobacco shop owner, expressed frustration over the lack
10:49of government support.
10:50It's annoying because they could have provided us with the necessary and correct equipment
10:57because we are the only ones who will sell tobacco, and we respect the rules of selling
11:03to someone who is old enough.
11:05So I think they could have made an effort, even if they don't have the money.
11:09I don't have any either.
11:11Public reactions have been mixed.
11:13Smokers like Malak Shatani, a Brussels student, remain sceptical, arguing that hiding products
11:18won't break the cycle of addiction.
11:19I don't think it's a good idea, because it's an addiction, and people won't be able to
11:26smoke from one day to the next because it won't be seen in the shops anymore.
11:30The next phase of Belgium's anti-smoking strategy, a proposed ban on smoking in public terraces,
11:35is still awaiting legislative approval.
11:38While opinions differ, the government remains committed to its long-term goal of reducing
11:42tobacco consumption and fostering healthier lifestyles.