00:00Several regions across France are experiencing record February temperatures
00:04as an early spring heat wave hits the country after 40 consecutive days of rain.
00:10The European Commission has asked Ukraine to accelerate the repair works on the Troujba pipeline
00:16to diffuse the energy dispute with Budapest.
00:21Sunshine, mild weather and temperatures reminiscent of May.
00:26After 40 consecutive days of rain, France has been experiencing an exceptional heat wave since Tuesday,
00:33breaking records for the month of February, according to National Meteorology Agency, MedioFrance.
00:39The southwest of the country is particularly affected.
00:43In Biarritz, the temperature has climbed to 27 degrees Celsius,
00:4714 degrees above normal averages for this time of the year,
00:51and in Ortiz, a reading of 28.3 degrees was recorded.
00:56Temperatures are expected to rise further in the coming days, according to the agency.
01:01Experts attribute this phenomenon to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions,
01:05which are causing global warming.
01:11The European Commission has asked Ukraine to accelerate the repair works on the Troujba pipeline
01:17to diffuse the energy dispute with Budapest.
01:19Hungary's double veto has paralysed a €90 billion loan for Kyiv and a fresh round of sanctions against Russia.
01:26At the same time, the Adria pipeline, also known as JANAF, which begins in Croatia,
01:32has emerged as the most viable alternative route to ensure that Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive oil supplies without
01:39interruption.
01:40JANAF is prepared to meet the full annual needs of refineries in Slovakia and Hungary, the operators said on Wednesday.
01:47There is an alternative supply route that can be used by Hungary and Slovakia,
01:52and this is the Adria pipeline from Croatia.
01:56Croatia confirmed at the meeting that non-Russian crude oil is being transported through the Adria pipeline to Hungary and
02:05Slovakia.
02:06The two landlocked countries have insisted on their right to receive the Russian crude oil
02:11they have contracted through the Troujba pipeline, which is currently non-operational.
02:16According to the European Commission, Croatia is assessing the possibility of whether it can lawfully accept Russian crude at its
02:24port,
02:24both under the EU and US sanctions.
02:30Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says Ukraine plans to sabotage the country's energy systems,
02:37announcing that he has deployed troops to safeguard critical infrastructure.
02:41The new measures are set to include increased police patrols and a ban on drone flights in some areas.
02:47The accusation escalates an already tense dispute between the two countries,
02:51which has undermined the EU's pro-Ukraine consensus.
02:54Orban convened a meeting of the Hungarian Defense Council due to what he called a Ukrainian oil blockade
03:01after crude deliveries via the Troujba pipeline were suspended on January 27th
03:06in what Kiev said were technical issues following a drone strike on the facility.
03:10The Hungarian premier slammed Ukraine over the suspension,
03:14which is still in effect, claiming it's politically driven and not technical,
03:18before announcing his defense moves.
03:20Hungary and Slovakia, who together are outliers in the EU's efforts at unanimous support for Ukraine,
03:27blame Kiev for the pipeline's outage, which supplies their refineries with Russian crude.
03:37The Allied military drill Orion 26, France's largest military exercise since the Cold War,
03:44is ongoing in Western France, with paratroopers being dropped over Brittany.
03:49The airborne manoeuvre involved around 1,500 paratroopers deployed between the French and British forces,
03:55testing the ability of European armies to work together.
04:19The three-month drill launched two weeks ago mobilizes 12,000 troops, 25 ships and 140 aircraft.
04:27France and 24 countries are conducting large-scale military drills to prepare for high-intensity conflict
04:33amid escalated threats from Russia.
04:36Exercise Orion is an opportunity for both brigades to work together,
04:41to practice working together, to remind ourselves what we need to develop and what works really well.
04:49We're also working with the Italians on this exercise,
04:52and it's great to be jumping with the French, great to be jumping with the Italians and doing things together.
04:58The exercise uses a fictional conflict between two invented nations,
05:03Anand and Mercury, as a proxy for the current Russian threat in Europe.
05:11German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said China will buy up to 120 Airbus aircraft.
05:17He made the announcement during his trip to Beijing,
05:20where he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping,
05:23as the two world-leading economies sought to deepen ties.
05:26The world is more than one of the countries.
05:29The world is more than one of the countries.
05:33The world is more than one of the countries.
05:35The world is more than one of the countries.
05:37Prior to his departure to Beijing, Merz indicated he would press for a level playing field for German companies.
06:05And besides discussing ties, Merz also sought out China's assistance
06:10in bringing an end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
06:13The German Chancellor stressed that Beijing cannot be left out of efforts to resolve global crises.
06:22Please ensure that your voting cards are in the machines.
06:25It is impossible for the European Parliament to proceed with the U.S. trade deal amid so much uncertainty,
06:32Irish MEP Barry Andrews told Euro news.
06:35The deal was agreed by the U.S. administration and the European Commission last summer,
06:41but the European Parliament has effectively paused it following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling
06:46that declared part of Trump's tariffs illegal.
06:50There's so much uncertainty, and ultimately it's consumers and businesses that pay the cost for this uncertainty.
06:57So it's much more prudent, in my view, for us to wait until that legal certainty is provided.
07:05On Europe today, Andrews pointed to this scenario as the reason why many others are now slow-walking trade agreements
07:12with the U.S.,
07:13citing countries such as India, Japan and Taiwan.
07:17A long time, and congratulations on having done a great job.
07:23The authorities in the Larnaca district have been put on full alert following the rapid spread of foot and mouth
07:29disease.
07:30On Tuesday night, an urgent meeting was held with experts from the European Commission,
07:35during which detailed information was presented on the epidemiological situation in the 10-kilometer surveillance zone.
07:44On this basis, it was decided to start vaccinations immediately.
07:49The first vaccinations will be carried out in the most dangerous areas, known as red zones,
07:54while each unit will be managed according to the data collected,
07:58combining vaccinations and, where necessary, athanasia of animals to prevent further spread.
08:06Cypriot authorities emphasize the need for immediate cooperation from livestock farmers
08:11and compliance with protective measures in order to limit the epidemic
08:15and avoid greater economic and health consequences for the sector,
08:19which is one of the main sources of income for Cyprus.
08:24At the same time, some 20,000 vaccines are coming to Cyprus from the occupied territories,
08:30where it was first reported the epidemic of foot and mouth disease,
08:34and the European Commission said that more than 500,000 vaccines will be sent to Cyprus.
08:40Lockdown measures and disinfections are ongoing,
08:43with authorities stressing the need for everyone to comply.
08:53The killing of drug cartel boss El Mencho sparked violence in parts of Mexico this week.
08:59The unrest caused travel disruption in popular tourist destinations,
09:03such as the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
09:06Many tourists were told to stay indoors,
09:09while flights to and from the airport were cancelled or rescheduled.
09:13It started about quarter past eight in the morning,
09:16a series of explosions.
09:18At first I wasn't quite sure what was going on,
09:21and then the next thing, burning cars, burning...
09:25Yeah, and that went on, that went on until early afternoon.
09:29Actually, I was in my room watching period three of the hockey game,
09:32and then it went out, because all the TVs went out, right?
09:36And so we went out to the pool, and I was trying to get on my phone,
09:39and that's when we all heard the explosion.
09:40We did not know what it was.
09:43Flight schedules and activity in popular vacation spots
09:46have since largely returned back to normal.
09:48And on Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico stopped urging its citizens
09:52to shelter in place.
09:57The French government has named Christophe Leribaut
10:00as the new director of the Paris Louvre Museum,
10:03following the resignation on Tuesday of Laurence Descartes.
10:07The 62-year-old art historian is stepping down from his position
10:11as president of the Palace of Versailles.
10:26Leribaut's first matter at hand will be to address the crisis
10:29that have erupted at the world's most visited museum
10:33after the spectacular theft of Francis Crone jewels in October last year.
10:38His other tasks will be to ensure the security and modernization of the Louvre
10:43and to implement the French president's new Renaissance project.
10:47Last year, in the wake of leaked reports of its crumbling infrastructure,
10:51Emmanuel Macron announced an €800 million renovation plan
10:55partially funded by raised ticket prices for non-EU citizens.
11:03These colours are gases responsible for star formation
11:07at the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
11:10The photo was published on Wednesday by the European Southern Observatory.
11:15It reveals unprecedented details of these gases.
11:19So this gives us a window to understand how stars and planets form
11:23when they're really close and packed together,
11:25which we think is how most stars in the universe formed.
11:28The photo focuses on a region of cold cosmic gas
11:32more than 650 light-years across.
11:35It is the largest image ever taken by the ALMA Antenna Network
11:39in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Comments