00:00Thousands of farmers have traveled to Brussels to protest against the EU-Mercosur agreement,
00:06a contentious trade pact with South America.
00:10As EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss Ukraine funding via Russian assets,
00:14Luxembourg PM Luke Fryden urged unity, stressing rule of law over confiscation.
00:21The US military said four people were killed after it attacked another boat
00:25accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
00:30Thousands of farmers have traveled to Brussels on Thursday
00:35to protest against the EU-Mercosur agreement, a contentious trade pact with South America.
00:41While EU leaders gathered for a major summit nearby,
00:45farmers blocked roads with tractors, threw potatoes and set off fireworks.
00:51Supporters of the deal say it would unlock new markets vital to the EU economy,
00:55but critics fear it would weaken environmental regulations and damage the agricultural sector.
01:01Under the Accord tariffs on nearly all goods traded between the EU and the Mercosur nations
01:06would be eliminated over a 15-year period.
01:07At the summit, the leaders of 27 EU member states are set to decide
01:11whether to endorse or postpone the trade deal for further amendments.
01:16French President Emmanuel Macron maintains his opposition and called for more negotiations.
01:21The French President Emmanuel Macron maintains his opposition and called for more negotiations.
01:23In January, Macron said he had discussed delaying the agreement with counterparts from Italy,
01:27Poland and the Mercosur and the Mercosur.
01:28Under the Accord tariffs on nearly all goods traded between the EU and the Mercosur nations
01:30would be eliminated over a 15-year period.
01:31At the summit, the leaders of 27 EU member states are set to decide
01:35whether to endorse or postpone the trade deal for further amendments.
01:40French President Emmanuel Macron maintains his opposition and called for more negotiations in January.
01:47Macron said he had discussed delaying the agreement with counterparts from Italy, Poland, Belgium, Austria and Ireland.
01:56On Wednesday, the EU Council and Parliament agreed on a set of safeguard measures to protect the farmers.
02:02The agreement now needs the backing of member states,
02:05but some countries like France think this is too premature and have asked to delay the vote.
02:10Brazil has now issued an ultimatum and has given EU leaders until Saturday to sign the agreement.
02:16Evelyn Domm in Brussels for Euronews.
02:23European leaders gathered in Brussels on Thursday for a crucial summit to discuss urgent issues to be resolved before the end of the year,
02:30including how to finance Ukraine from the beginning of 2026.
02:34Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden told Euronews Europe needs to unite to find a solution to continue support for Ukraine.
02:42I think what matters is that we stay focused on our objective and that is to provide Ukraine with necessary financial means to survive in this war.
02:51Because it's a war against Ukraine. It's a war that jeopardizes everything that we have built up after the Second World War.
02:58Borders cannot be changed by force. And so we want to support Ukraine.
03:02And we are looking for the means to continue on a sustainable path to support Ukraine.
03:08Belgium, which hosts the majority of the frozen Russian assets the EU hopes to mobilize to fund Ukraine,
03:14remains opposed to the so-called reparations loan that leaders hope to approve during the summit.
03:18Frieden said he is optimistic a solution will be reached.
03:22I think we are moving into the right direction, but it will remain extremely complex.
03:27This is, as I said, from a legal point of view, this is extremely difficult.
03:31Because we don't want to do a confiscation of assets, because we need to keep the rule of law.
03:37Financial stability also means that assets that are in Europe cannot be taken away by a political decision.
03:43Frieden also stressed the importance of support for Belgium.
03:47Of course. I mean, Belgium is a country that is used to many compromises, but this is a compromise among all of us.
03:53Europe is a group of 27 countries, and we need together to find solutions.
03:59It's about the future of our continent. It's about whether we want a continent where force decides on how the future is decided,
04:07or whether it's in a peaceful manner. And we want a peaceful manner.
04:10Fearing retaliation from Russia, Belgium has asked for ironclad guarantees from its European allies
04:17before it agrees to back the reparations loan.
04:22Airport workers across Europe are staging strikes during the Christmas rush, demanding better pay and conditions.
04:29On Tuesday, ground staff, airline crew and air traffic controllers in Italy walked out for four hours at major airports,
04:38including Rome, Milan and Venice.
04:43In the UK, EasyJet Crown crew at London Luton will strike from 19 to 22 December,
04:48and again from Boxing Day until the 29th.
04:53Sass cabin crew at Heathrow are also walking out on 22 to 24 and 26th of December, affecting Scandinavian routes.
05:04Spain is experiencing regular Ryanair baggage handler walkouts at airports such as Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga until the end of December.
05:14Unions call it Grinch-style behavior from low-paying employers during peak travel seasons.
05:29The US military said four people were killed after it attacked another boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
05:37Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to combat drug trafficking
05:43and asserted the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels.
05:47Tensions have risen with Venezuela as Trump expressed willingness to conduct strikes on land
05:53and ordered a blockade this week on sanctioned oil vessels coming into and out of Venezuela.
05:58Trump vowed to continue the military build-up until the country gave the US oil, land and assets,
06:04though it was not clear why he felt the US had a claim.
06:08Getting land, oil rights, whatever we had.
06:11They took it away because we had a president that maybe wasn't watching.
06:16But they're not going to do that. We want it back.
06:19They took our oil rights. We had a lot of oil there.
06:22As you know, they threw our companies out and we want it back.
06:25The Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny from congressional Democrats over the boat strike campaign.
06:31House Republicans rejected Democratic-backed resolutions on Wednesday
06:35that would have forced the government to seek authorization from Congress before continuing its attacks.
06:40Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth defended the campaign as a successful counter-narcotic effort,
06:50but did not inform Congress about its ultimate goals when it comes to Venezuela.
06:54U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech as he addressed the nation on primetime television on Wednesday,
07:06claiming victories during his first year in office despite growing disapproval about the economy.
07:12Public polling shows most U.S. adults are frustrated with his handling of the economy as inflation picked up after his tariffs raised prices and hiring slowed.
07:22In his speech, Trump insisted his policies would bring down costs and strengthen the job market.
07:28This historic trend will continue. Already, I've secured a record-breaking $18 trillion of investment into the United States,
07:36which means jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings, and far greater national security.
07:43Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, which for many decades have been used successfully by other countries against us, but not anymore.
07:57Trump blamed challenges his country is facing on Democrats and his predecessor Joe Biden.
08:02One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead. Our country was ready to fail. Totally failed. Now, we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. And that's said by every single leader that I've spoken to over the last five months.
08:192026 will be a test for Trump's leadership as the nation heads into the midterm elections that will decide control of the House and the Senate.
08:34After more than half a century, the Oscars will depart ABC and will begin streaming on YouTube.
08:402028 will be the last year that the US TV channel will broadcast the Academy Awards, making it the end of an era.
08:49Several media are calling it a seismic shift, but top representatives of the Academy said the shift of the show to YouTube will make it more accessible to a broader worldwide audience.
09:00They say the move will be beneficial to both Academy members as well as the film community.
09:06The Academy Awards will stream for free worldwide on YouTube. It will be available with audio tracks in several languages, in addition to closed captioning.
09:16YouTube will not only stream the award show itself, but will also include red carpet coverage, stream the Governor's Awards and the Oscar nominations announcement.
09:25If you had to choose a timepiece which you would always put on again and again and again, that timeless watch, what would it be for you?
09:53Oh, I can't answer. That's very difficult.
09:56Well, I'd absolutely take the IWC Portuguese Eternal calendar that won last year because that actually keeps going on forever.
10:02So that's the one, if you have one watch forever, that's the one you got to go for.
10:06Do you have a favorite?
10:07Of course.
10:08And how are you going to tell us?
10:10Surely not.
10:11My favorite remains probably the first Finissimo we crafted, the Tourbillon manual winding. That's why back in 2014, so 11 years ago.
10:24And this is a very simple watch. You hardly understand that it's a very, very complex watch. So it's pretty low key. At the same time, it's rewarding because you know you have really a treasure on the wrist.
10:38Maybe the 1518 from Patek Philippe, the one that sold for 17 million.
10:43The best watch for me that I have today is the Gerald Charles Remastered Jumping Hour.
10:49I would put on the perpetual calendar as a complication. I found it a very romantic complication that continues setting the time for years, decades and potentially centuries ahead.
11:02I believe it would be the happiest watch that I have designed over like almost three years ago.
11:12That would be the Piaget Andy Warhol with the Tiger High dial. To me, it's the watch that really stands out, yet tells an amazing story, not only in American art history, if you like, but also in Swiss watchmaking from one of the very finest Piaget.
11:30Okay.
11:32You
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