00:00The French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a common EU debt capacity to fund green tech and defence,
00:05arguing Europe must invest in its future.
00:10The European Parliament approved a legislative tweak that will enable EU states to send asylum seekers to countries they have
00:17no link with.
00:20At least eight people were killed in a school shooting in Canada's westernmost province of British Columbia early on Wednesday.
00:28Police say more than two dozen others were injured to various degrees.
00:33Two people were airlifted to hospital from Tumblr Ridge High School to receive urgent care after sustaining life-threatening injuries.
00:41Meanwhile, two other people were also found dead in a nearby home to the school, which authorities believe may be
00:48connected to the attack.
00:50Police say the shooter has been identified as a female suspect, but did not release their name pending further probes.
00:58Investigations are still ongoing as police look to identify the motives behind the shooting
01:03and whether any of the victims are connected to the suspect in any way.
01:07Authorities say the shooter was also found dead on site from what appears to be of a self-inflicted injury.
01:17The French President has called for a common EU debt capacity and Eurobonds to fund green tech, defence and security,
01:25arguing Europe must invest in its future.
01:28Emmanuel Macron warned that Europe risks being swept aside by the US and China without a common EU debt capacity.
01:35The EU is under indebted compared with the United States and China.
01:40In a moment of a technological investment race, failing to use this borrowing capacity is a profound mistake, Macron said.
01:48The French leader renewed his call for common debt through Eurobonds,
01:52arguing the EU needs around 1.2 trillion euros per year in public and private investment for green and digital
01:59technologies and defence.
02:00The EU used joint debt in 2020 to reboot the European economy after the COVID-19 pandemic,
02:08but French attempts to make such tools permanent have faced stiff pushback from Germany
02:13and the generally frugal northern member states.
02:16EU leaders will hold an informal retreat in Belgium on Thursday to discuss strengthening the single market,
02:22reducing economic dependencies and boosting competitiveness.
02:29During a first-ever visit by a US Vice President to Armenia,
02:34J.D. Vance announced multiple new agreements between the two countries
02:38after meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan.
02:44The two signed a civil nuclear energy agreement and a US drone technology sale to Armenia worth 9.2 million
02:53euros.
02:54Vance is visiting both Armenia and Azerbaijan this week to promote a new trade corridor that would reshape the South
03:02Caucasus.
03:03The so-called Trump route for international peace and prosperity is aimed at connecting Central Asia
03:10and the Caspian Basin to Europe while bypassing Russia and Iran.
03:15President Trump knows very well the very best way to ensure that you have peace is to establish real deterrence.
03:23And the best way to establish real deterrence is with the best military technology in the world.
03:29And the United States has that.
03:31The United States has been on the right side of the world.
03:35The United States has been on the right side of the world.
03:39The United States has a great deal of the U.S.
03:50Thank you very much.
04:13In August 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump brockered an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that saw the two countries
04:22commit to renouncing claims on each other's territory and refraining from using force.
04:31EU states will be able to send asylum seekers to countries they have no link with, as the UK has
04:37tried to do with Rwanda in the past.
04:39The legislative tweak was approved Tuesday at the European Parliament with 396 votes in favour, 226 votes against and 30
04:49abstentions.
04:50The change in the safe third country concept paves the way to agreements between EU states and foreign governments, which
04:58would receive money for accepting migrants from Europe.
05:01So what we are doing with the two files is giving member states the flexibility they urgently need at hand
05:07to assess asylum claims in a fast, in an efficient and in a way that helps alleviating the pressure from
05:15national capacities.
05:16Asylum seekers can be transferred to virtually any country in the world, provided it is considered safe.
05:23Safeguards include protection from persecution and the respect of non-refoulement.
05:28Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens oppose the legislative change.
05:40The provision will not be applied to unaccompanied minors whose asylum applications will still have to be assessed in European
05:48countries.
05:53Although the EU ranks as the least corrupt region, progress against corruption has stalled over the past decade.
05:59The average score in the EU is 62 out of 100, compared to 42 out of 100 globally.
06:06According to Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania are the EU countries where perceived levels of
06:16public sector corruption is the highest, according to the NGO.
06:20On the opposite end of the spectrum, Denmark, Finland and Sweden are the EU countries perceived as the least corrupt.
06:28The NGO observed backsliding trends in a few EU countries, such as Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
06:34In the last year in Slovakia, there's been campaigns within the government against the independent whistleblowing agency, impacts on the
06:45ability to investigate and prosecute against corruption being rolled back within the country.
06:49The score of traditionally well-performing democracies like France, Sweden and the Netherlands dropped because of sanctions, enforcement, challenges and
06:58integrity scandals, but not only.
07:01Another trend is that these countries have just simply had the eye off the ball when it comes to modernising
07:06their anti-corruption framework.
07:07I think the Netherlands and Sweden could particularly be put in that category where they just have not had strong
07:16standards when it's come to lobbying transparency or political finance transparency in regards to us knowing who is funding political
07:24parties within the country.
07:26On the opposite, the Baltic score has increased as they implemented an effective anti-corruption strategy and improved political finance
07:35transparency, the experts said.
07:37In 2025, the EU adopted its first anti-corruption directive to harmonise EU law on combating corruption.
07:48Revenues from Russian oil and gas, which have sustained the Kremlin's finances throughout its war on Ukraine, have dwindled to
07:55lows not seen in years.
07:56The drop in income is the result of punitive measures introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed tariffs
08:04on countries who purchased Russian energy, like India.
08:07Also playing a role is the European Union's own tightening crackdown on sanction-dodging tankers carrying Russian oil and gas,
08:15known as the Shadow Fleet.
08:17The decrease in revenue is pushing President Vladimir Putin to raise taxes and borrow from Russian banks to keep state
08:24finances on an even keel, for now.
08:26In January, Moscow's energy revenues fell to 4.3 billion euros, an almost 33% decrease from the 6.4
08:35billion recorded in December, and a staggering 65% decrease from January 2025's 12.2 billion.
08:44Washington's pressure made a serious dent in the Kremlin's finances, as sanctions imposed on Russia's two largest oil companies carried
08:52serious consequences for potential buyers.
08:54The White House said it would remove anyone buying Russian energy from its banking system, a serious concern for any
09:01multinational enterprise.
09:04Additionally, the EU's banning of fuel made from Russian crude meant that Moscow's export could no longer be refined elsewhere
09:11to make gasoline or diesel.
09:13Brussels is now proposing further sanctions, as the European Commission, at Finland and Sweden's suggestion, is exploring a full ban
09:22on shipping services for Russian energy.
09:24Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says hitting Russia's finances is the only way to get them to negotiate an
09:31end to their war with genuine intent.
09:38Cuba is facing growing difficulties as a result of the United States' oil embargo.
09:43Aviation authorities have banned aircraft operating in the region from landing on the aisle to refuel.
09:49Long-haul flights, crucial to Cuban tourism, are being disrupted by fuel shortages, and Air Canada will suspend its services
09:56to the island from Monday.
09:59Cubans are allowed to purchase a maximum of 20 litres of fuel at a time, and only in U.S.
10:04dollars.
10:05At the same time, public transportation has been severely disrupted, with many bus routes no longer operating.
10:12Locals are trying to adapt to the extraordinary situation.
10:25Mexican President Claudia Shambaum pledged on Monday that her country would send aid to Cuba and would use all available
10:32diplomatic means to restart oil shipments to the island nation.
10:47As a result of the fuel shortage, banks in Cuba are operating with shorter opening hours.
10:52Several cultural events have been cancelled, and even the baseball season has been shortened.
10:57"... moods of the people who put it in and out of the Krista to fill the information to beéliorated...
11:01wegen of the pandemic
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