00:00The European Union has given final approval to the 90 billion euros loan for Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto.
00:10The flow of Russian oil to Slovakia through the Drushba pipeline has resumed, paving the way to unblock the 90
00:16billion euro loan for Ukraine.
00:21The war in Iran has pushed the European economy to decline in April while fueling inflation.
00:31The European Union has given final approval to the 90 billion euros loan for Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto,
00:39ending an explosive saga that saw the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in his last month in office push the
00:47bloc's internal norms to the breaking point.
00:49The internal procedure was launched by EU ambassadors on Wednesday and finalized on Thursday.
00:55No objections were raised and the last pending regulation, which needs unanimity to amend the EU budget, was approved.
01:04The breakthrough came two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Drushba pipeline,
01:10which carries cheap Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, had been repaired and could resume operations.
01:16The interruption of oil flows through Drushba was at the core of Orban's decision to veto the 90 billion euros
01:23loan in February,
01:24but his defeat in the general election earlier this month paved the way to break the deadlock.
01:30The European Commission says the first disbursement to Kiev will be made as soon as possible,
01:36once all the legal and technical documents are in place.
01:39The executive has a cash reserve at its disposal to move fast.
01:47Diplomatic efforts to end the war between the United States and Iran appear to have stalled
01:52as Tehran escalates tensions by firing at ships in the Strait of Hormuz
01:56and the U.S. maintains its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
02:00Iran is demanding a complete end to the U.S. blockade for any talks to resume
02:05after the U.S. in recent days intercepted Iranian cargo vessels it said were attempting to evade its siege.
02:12Operation Economic Fury continues, and the effective and successful naval blockade continues as well,
02:19of ships and vessels that are moving to and from Iranian ports.
02:24We are completely strangling their economy through this blockade.
02:28They're losing $500 million a day.
02:31The Karg Island is completely full.
02:32They can't move oil in and out.
02:34They can't even pay their own people as a result of this economic leverage
02:37that President Trump has inflicted over them.
02:39So he's satisfied with that as we await their response.
02:42And we will see.
02:43The president has not set a firm deadline to receive an Iranian proposal.
02:48Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have continued despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire,
02:54with the health ministry announcing that at least six people were killed in three separate strikes on Wednesday.
02:59Israel says people violated the truce by getting too close to its troops
03:04and stressed that Hezbollah is a common enemy that must be defeated.
03:07We made a historic decision to negotiate directly with Lebanon after more than 40 years.
03:15Unfortunately, Lebanon is a failed state, a state that is de facto under Iranian occupation through Hezbollah.
03:26But this also leads to a conclusion.
03:29Hezbollah is common enemy of Israel and Lebanon.
03:34Oil prices continue to rise as uncertainty looms over the war,
03:38with Brent crude again nosing over the $100 a barrel mark on Thursday,
03:43a roughly 40 percent spike compared to pre-war levels.
03:47Pakistan is continuing to engage with both Washington and Tehran
03:51in hopes of getting peace talks back on track
03:53to reach a comprehensive agreement to end the hostilities.
04:01Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid on Thursday
04:06as he left a building in Berlin.
04:08Pahlavi had just departed a news briefing during which he criticized the ceasefire
04:13between the United States and Iran.
04:15The incident occurred outside Germany's federal news conference building.
04:20He appeared unhurt by the liquid coating the back of his blazer and neck
04:24and waved to his supporters before he got into a car that drove away.
04:28Police said the liquid appeared to be tomato juice.
04:32The alleged perpetrator, whose name was not released in line with German privacy rules,
04:36was immediately detained by police.
04:40Pahlavi is the son of Iran's former Shah, who was ousted during the 1979 revolution.
04:45He's been trying to position himself as a player in his country's future,
04:49though it's unclear how much support he has in Iran
04:52after he has been in exile for nearly 50 years.
04:57Hundreds of his supporters also demonstrated on Thursday near Germany's parliament building.
05:09The U.S. and its NATO allies have an excellent relationship,
05:12despite President Donald Trump's threats to exit the alliance.
05:16Latvian Defense Minister Andri Sprouts told Juro News.
05:20On practical military level, we had excellent relationship.
05:24There is presence of U.S. troops in Europe, also in both countries in Latvia,
05:29and we continuously, actively cooperate.
05:32So I see that alliance remains strong, that it is one for all for one.
05:37It is beneficial for all member states, including United States.
05:41Minister Sprouts also said that he has no doubt that the U.S. would come to help
05:46should the alliance's mutual defense clause be triggered.
05:50Asked whether the Iran war risks diverting U.S.-made weapons from Ukraine and Europe to the Middle East,
05:56Sprouts acknowledged potential shortages.
06:00We might see some shortages, and some countries have admitted it,
06:05that actually there are some delays.
06:08But this is a delay because of the lack of defense industry in general.
06:13So we see the shortage in general.
06:15So that's why once more we have to develop the industrial base,
06:19technological base, also focusing on new technologies.
06:23Sprouts also said that there was an appetite in Europe
06:26to contribute to the reopening of the Strait of Hummers.
06:35The Pentagon shake-up continues.
06:37The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Wednesday
06:40that Navy Secretary Jan Felan has left his post,
06:43making him the latest top U.S. defense official to step down or be fired.
06:48No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navy's top civilian official,
06:53coming as the maritime forces have imposed a blockade on Iranian ports
06:58and are targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the war.
07:05Felan is leaving during a busy time for the Navy.
07:09It has three aircraft carriers deployed in or heading to the Middle East,
07:13while the Trump administration says all the armed forces are poised to resume combat operations
07:19against Iran should the ceasefire expire.
07:22Following Felan's departure, the post will be held on an interim basis
07:26by Navy Undersecretary Hun Kao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran,
07:32who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia.
07:36The announcement marks the latest in a series of shake-ups of top leadership at the Pentagon,
07:42coming just weeks after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Exeth
07:45fired the Army's top officer, General Randy George.
07:53The flow of Russian oil to Slovakia through the Drushba pipeline,
07:58which crosses Ukraine, has resumed,
08:00the country's economy minister announced on Thursday,
08:03a breakthrough in an issue that has caused a major diplomatic spat in Europe.
08:08The confirmation is set to unblock the 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine,
08:12which has been vetoed by Hungary and Slovakia since February.
08:16Budapest and Bratislava accused Kyiv of deliberately withholding transit.
08:21Ukraine said the halt was forced by the need to repair the pipeline
08:24after it was hit by a Russian strike.
08:26I believe that the opening of the Rope of the Union is a clear statement that the Rope of the
08:32Union was not affected.
08:33You know what I'm saying.
08:34The Rope of the Union was not affected and the Rope of the Union and the Rope were used as
08:38a tool
08:39for geopolitical cooperation, which is currently running.
08:42Unlike the rest of the European Union, which stopped imports of Russian oil after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine,
08:48Hungary and Slovakia still depend on Russia for their energy needs.
08:52The EU has been trying since February to push through a new raft of sanctions against Russia,
08:57which Hungary and Slovakia have also blocked due to the oil feud.
09:01Prime Minister Ficco said he expected both issues to be solved on Thursday.
09:10The war in Iran has done what no trade dispute or tariff threat has managed to achieve over the past
09:16two years.
09:18The conflict has pushed the economy into decline in April,
09:22while driving inflation sharply higher, according to S&P Global.
09:28Germany saw its first contraction in activity in almost a year,
09:32while France's slowdown deepened to its weakest level in over a year.
09:38The service sector recorded its weakest performance since the pandemic lockdowns in early 2021.
09:45Manufacturing paradoxically went the other way, but the game is misleading.
09:50Companies are ordering inputs ahead of expected shortages and further price increases.
09:56Hence, the increase in production reflects defensive stockpiling rather than recovering demands.
10:07The service sector recorded its weakest and further price increases.
10:30on one side it's good because then younger people who are going to be
10:34impacted by it you know won't be able to get addicted to smoking but in the same
10:39breath I would argue you know civil rights and older people who were
10:45informed about all the risks and everything should be able to make their
10:47own choices with it all personally it's absolutely a really good idea as a former
10:53smoker I've been giving up now 15 years and it's best thing ever did we know all
10:58the health risks with it affects every organ in your body and it's yeah it's
11:02anti-social however you're talking about rights as well people have a right to do
11:08things or a right to sort of do unhealthy pursuits like smoking so that obviously
11:13comes into the equation
11:28you
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