00:00The U.S. says it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz
00:06after Iran threatened to block oil exports from the waterway responsible for a fifth
00:11of global energy transports.
00:13Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran of unprecedented intense attacks if
00:19it moved to restrict the strait to further destabilize global energy markets, which have
00:24already experienced volatility during the war.
00:26On Tuesday, senior Iranian lawmakers warned that the Strait of Hormuz will either be
00:32a strait of peace and prosperity for all, or a, quote, strait of punishment for warmongers.
00:38Washington's attacks late on Tuesday closed out day 11 of the war, which many including
00:44residents of Tehran have described as the most intense day yet.
00:48The Israeli army throughout the day targeted multiple locations across the Persian nation
00:53as it looks to eliminate the country's offensive posture.
00:56Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue to strike Iran for as long
01:01as necessary until it no longer poses a threat to his country.
01:05The IDF is also continuing to carry out wide-scale operations across neighboring Lebanon on targets
01:12it claims are linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
01:15Tehran is continuing to retaliate, with Tuesday seeing multiple barrages of drones and missiles
01:21fired at Israel and neighboring Gulf states hosting U.S. bases.
01:24Many in the region, including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reported attacks,
01:31which they say were intercepted.
01:34Air raid sirens also consistently sounded across multiple Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv,
01:40with the IDF reporting steady streams of incoming Iranian fire throughout the day.
01:49Israel has launched a new way of strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut,
01:53with explosions rocking the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
01:56However, a separate strike has also hit the densely populated Aysha Bakar area in central Beirut,
02:02coming entirely without warning.
02:04Videos circulating online show two floors of a multi-story building completely engulfed in flames.
02:10There are no immediate reports regarding the intended target or the extent of the casualties.
02:15The central strike zone is located close to Dar al-Fatwa, the country's highest Sunni authority
02:21and sits far from the southern suburbs, where the Israeli military had previously issued evacuation warnings.
02:27Families fleeing the bombardment, trying to find shelter,
02:30as the wider effects of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran continue to shake the region.
02:35Lebanese authorities confirmed that over 667,000 people have now registered on the government's displacement platform,
02:42marking a staggering surge of 100,000 refugees in just one day.
02:50In a video conference on Wednesday with the leaders of the G7 on the Iran war,
02:56French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that Iran's military capabilities had been weakened,
03:02but had not been fully eliminated.
03:22The G7 leaders also discussed the situation in the Strait of Ormuz
03:26and the possibility of Iran laying mines in this narrow maritime passage.
03:31Macron stated he had not seen evidence of this taking place.
03:41The United States announced that it had destroyed 16 Iranian ships capable of laying mines.
03:48Mining the Strait would have serious consequences for global trade.
03:52Approximately 20% of the world's oil passes through this maritime zone.
04:00Ukraine and Russia have traded heavy blows on critical infrastructure and military plans,
04:04leaving dozens dead and wounded.
04:07Early Wednesday, Russian troops struck the Kharkiv and Kherson regions,
04:11hitting a civilian enterprise, critical infrastructure, and multiple homes,
04:15including four multi-story buildings.
04:17Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces launched a wave of retaliatory attacks deep into Russian territory.
04:22In Togliatti, a major industrial plant caught fire, which Ukrainian media identify as one of Russia's largest chemical producers.
04:30This follows a confirmed Ukrainian missile strike on Tuesday against the Silicon-L microelectronics plant in Bransk,
04:36a facility producing control systems for missiles and drones.
04:40The regional governor reported six people were killed and 37 were wounded in the attack.
04:45Explosions also rattled an ammunition depot in Moscow-controlled Mariupol,
04:49as well as the skies above Samara and Cizeran.
04:52President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the Bransk strike
04:55and pushed back against Donald Trump's recent claim that Kiev has no cards left to play.
05:00Zelenskyy insisted his country's combat experience and military production are strong assets,
05:05revealing the U.S. recently asked Ukraine for help fighting Iranian drones in the Middle East.
05:11Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry claims Ukrainian strikes over the past week
05:15have killed 30 people and injured 150.
05:21A Hungarian government delegation has entered Ukraine to inspect the Duzba oil pipeline,
05:27which has been out of operation since an alleged Russian drone strike,
05:31damaged it in late January,
05:33resulting in an escalating dispute between Budapest and Kyiv that has drawn in the EU.
05:39The mission, which includes a deputy minister at Hungary's Ministry of Energy
05:43and a team of oil industry specialists,
05:46comes after months of disputes involving Hungary and Slovakia.
05:50Both nations are the two remaining importers of Russian crude via the Duzba pipeline
05:56and Ukraine, which controls the transit infrastructure on its territory.
06:02The pipeline has become a flashpoint in Hungarian domestic politics
06:06ahead of parliamentary elections in April,
06:09in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party
06:12faces a significant challenge from Peter Mayer's Titsa party.
06:16Orban has made energy security a central campaign theme,
06:20accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of exploiting the pipeline disputes
06:25to destabilize his government.
06:31Europe's energy cooperation with Azerbaijan is more important than ever
06:36as the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East rattles global markets,
06:40European Council President António Costa said Wednesday during a visit to the country.
06:45Costa's visit comes as Europe fears the Iran war could further disrupt energy supplies
06:51and push prices even higher.
06:54Today, the impact is clear.
06:57With the war in Iran shaking global energy markets,
07:01our energy partnership is more important than ever.
07:05We are now working on a new framework
07:09for a closer cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan.
07:15This sends a strong signal of our joint vision for the future.
07:21We are also exploring ways to deepen our cooperation in defense and security.
07:29The important part of our partnership always was, is,
07:33and definitely will be cooperation in the energy field,
07:37especially after 2022 when we signed with the European Commission
07:43a document on strategic partnership in the energy field.
07:48And since that time, we increased our gas export to European countries
07:55with respect to the volumes and with respect to the number of countries.
08:02Aliyev said that some 16 European countries currently receive Azerbaijani gas,
08:07with 10 EU member states among the recipients.
08:14The International Energy Agency said that its member countries have agreed to release oil
08:20from its reserves in a response to the Iran war.
08:23The agency agreed to release 400 million oil barrels,
08:27the largest emergency oil distribution in its history.
08:31This is a major action aiming to alleviate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets.
08:40But, to be clear, the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas
08:48is the resumption of transit through the state of Hormuz.
08:54The decision aims to bring down oil prices amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
09:00Iran has effectively halted cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,
09:05through which around a fifth of all oil is shipped from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
09:11Germany, Austria and Japan had already announced
09:14they would release parts of their oil reserves as well.
09:22European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen urged European countries
09:27to lower their taxes on electricity as soon as possible
09:31in response to the current spikes in energy prices due to the war in the Middle East.
09:36Of course there is a very clear concern for us
09:39that the prices are too high for our citizens and our industry.
09:43We've sent a very clear signal to the member states of the Union
09:46and we recommend that you lower the taxes on electricity.
09:51That would make it easier for your industry to compete,
09:54it will make it easier for your citizens.
09:56He said the rise of global energy prices due to the war in the Middle East
10:00shows the EU should move away from fossil fuel,
10:03stressing the green transition would lower prices,
10:06help decarbonize and improve energy security.
10:09However, the energy situation is not as bad as in February 2022,
10:14when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
10:17and Europe currently doesn't have security of supply issues, Jorgensen stated.
10:26Fifteen years ago, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeastern Japan,
10:32triggering a tsunami and killing nearly 20,000 people.
10:36On top of the devastation, the tsunami also triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster,
10:42the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
11:01Japan has spent the past 15 years rebuilding communities and infrastructure
11:06across the affected region.
11:08According to government figures,
11:10reconstruction of major roads and public housing has now been completed.
11:14But efforts to rebuild continue today,
11:17with reconstruction efforts now focusing on long-term recovery.
11:28In Fukushima, radiation levels have significantly decreased
11:32due to decontamination work and natural decay.
11:35And in the Tohoku region, tourism is promoted again
11:39as communities rebuild and visitors gradually return.
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