00:00The EU has moved to ban imports of Brazilian meat starting from early September due to
00:05the country's use of banned antimicrobials to stimulate animal growth.
00:20An EU committee made up of experts from member states voted on Tuesday to ban imports of
00:26Brazilian meat starting from the 3rd of September due to the country's wide use of antimicrobials
00:31to stimulate animal growth. The decision to remove Brazil, famous for exporting steak to the world,
00:39from the list of countries that comply with EU food safety standards comes after the EU-Mercosaur
00:44Free Trade Agreement provisionally entered into force on the 1st of May. The deal between the
00:50bloc and the South American Mercosaur nations of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia
00:56has been decades in the making, with negotiations first taking place in the year 2000.
01:02The deal sparked major opposition from European farmers, who feared that different
01:07production standards and regulations will create unfair competition with cheaper Latin American
01:12imports. An official with knowledge of the file said that the vote was unanimous,
01:18making Brazil the first country removed from the list of states complying with EU restrictions on
01:23anti-microbial use in animals. Brazil, however, remains free under the current agreement to export
01:30its agricultural produce to Brussels. The list of third countries which comply with EU requirements
01:36and therefore can export food-producing animals to the EU will be formally adopted in the coming days.
01:47The European Commission is preparing to use carbon taxes collected from industry to subsidize farmers
01:53struggling with rising fertilizer costs, according to a leaked draft document seen by Euronews.
01:59European fertilizer production came under pressure following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and
02:04ongoing disruption in the Middle East, both of which have driven up costs for farmers and
02:09increased inflationary pressure on consumers. Brussels plans to address the problem by recycling
02:16revenues from the bloc's carbon market, the emissions trading system, back into agriculture.
02:21The plan aims to curb rising prices linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,
02:26through which around 30% of the global fertilizer trade passes. The proposal reflects Brussels'
02:32recognition of farmers' difficulties as well as the strategic importance of food security.
02:37It could, however, also provoke backlash from energy-intensive industries, which are required to pay for the
02:44carbon emissions linked to their production. Agriculture has so far been exempt from the
02:49emissions trading system and now appears set to benefit from its revenues. In addition, a group of
02:55environmental NGOs have urged EU leaders to use the upcoming fertilizer strategy to signal the end of
03:00fossil fuel dependency in Europe's food system.
03:06The Hantavirus-hit MVHondia ship is due to arrive at Rotterdam on Sunday to undergo rigorous disinfection
03:14after an outbreak at sea killed at least three people and infected seven other passengers.
03:20Hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne disease that occasionally affects humans, leading to illnesses such as
03:26respiratory distress, pneumonia or kidney failure. Over the weekend, the Dutch-flagged ship evacuated
03:34all of its passengers on the Atlantic Spanish island of Tenerife, before setting off for the Netherlands.
03:40Passengers have since been flown back to their home countries, with most having arrived back to the
03:45Netherlands, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
03:50In Spain, patients are undergoing several weeks of quarantine at the country's most advanced
03:55isolation facility in Madrid. In the Netherlands, patients are also undergoing weeks of isolation
04:02at various hospitals across the country. On Wednesday, the operator of the cruise ship said that it
04:08expects to know within the week if disinfection processes will be completed in time for its next
04:13planned voyages, scheduled for the coming months.
04:21Estonian Defence Minister Anno Pefko told your news programme Europe Today that there is no question
04:27that accountability needs to be enforced when it comes to the bloc's 90 billion euros loan to Ukraine.
04:34The statement came as the former Chief of Staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
04:39is investigated for graft allegations.
04:41This is definitely something Ukrainians are looking into very seriously because it's also
04:51important for them that there are no rumors or no problems involved with that kind of assistance
04:58because at the end of the day, they need to get the support up and running for the next
05:04years to come and even when the war will be over.
05:07Ukrainian Defence Minister Mihailo Fedorov was present at Tuesday's EU Foreign Affairs Council
05:13talks which centred on defence. Pefko said it is up to Fedorov to demonstrate how the funds
05:20will be used not only to allay the anxieties of Ukrainians but also those of Europeans.
05:26Ukraine is also the focus of talks in Romania at a B9 summit on Wednesday, a meeting aimed at exploring
05:33how
05:34allies on the eastern and Nordic flanks can contribute more to transatlantic security.
05:44The Pentagon said that the cost of the Iran war has risen to 29 billion dollars, an estimate that
05:50is roughly 4 billion higher compared to two weeks ago. The rise in defence spending goes hand in hand
05:57with questions over US President Donald Trump's endgame and the concern over the country's
06:02diminishing weapons stockpiles. For the second time in a few weeks, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
06:09faced heavy questions by US lawmakers in Congress. Unlike last time, Hegseth also faced a lot more
06:16pushback from within his own Republican Party. Mr. Secretary, the war in Iran has not only cost 13
06:23American service member lives, it is also costing American taxpayers dearly. Tens of billions of
06:30dollars and counting and that's money that could be helping people perhaps get health care. But instead
06:35we're paying for bombs dropped in a war that American people overwhelmingly oppose. Seems to me that there's
06:41been a different plan almost daily with dealing with this problem. Hegseth also rejected claims that
06:50Washington is running out of weapons stockpiles. I take issue with the the characterization that
06:55munitions are depleted in a public forum. That's not true and ultimately we have all the munitions
07:00needed to execute what we need to execute and we're going to ensure that we supercharge that going into
07:04the future. Iran and the US remain in a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, keeping global markets on edge.
07:11As a result, Trump has faced declining approval ratings domestically with many US citizens blaming him for
07:18rising gas prices. A press conference by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez turned into an
07:29explosive row after the Football Supremo criticized the press and made comments described as sexist.
07:37Perez also accused the arch-rival Barcelona of corruption and claimed that seven league titles
07:42were stolen from Real Madrid.
08:05Barcelona in turn has said it is considering taking legal action against the Real Madrid president's
08:11declarations and accusations. Meanwhile, referring to two recent articles published by Spanish news
08:18outlet ABC about the club, Perez said one of them was written by a woman. I don't know if she
08:24knows
08:25anything about football. He later pointed to another journalist and said, that girl there, ask a
08:31question, the rest of you are very ugly. Perez said he would not step down after a disastrous season,
08:38in which Real Madrid failed to reach the Champions League final and lost the La Liga title to
08:44Barcelona. He also announced new club elections and said he would stand as a candidate once again.
08:55Favorite Finland and nine other countries, including Israel, made it through the first Eurovision Song Contest
09:01semi-final on Tuesday. Acts from 15 countries performed their three-minute songs on stage,
09:08often with eye-catching choreography and pyrotechnics, and a bid for votes from juries in participating
09:13nations and viewers around the world. Belgium upset the odds to make it through, with Croatia, Greece, Lithuania,
09:20Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden also progressing. Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro,
09:27Portugal and San Marino were eliminated, despite a guest appearance by 1980's icon Boy George on
09:34San Marino's song Superstar. This year marks the 70th edition of Eurovision, which despite its spectacle,
09:41rarely escapes the politics in the background. The visions are clouding this year's contest more than
09:47ever, with five countries, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, boycotting to protest
09:54Israel's inclusion over the conduct of its war in Gaza. There were also allegations it ran a
10:00rule-breaking marketing campaign to get votes for its contestant last year. The five-country boycott is
10:06a revenue and viewership blow to an event that organizers say was watched by 166 million people
10:12around the world last year. It's a sight that has sent shivers down the spines of visitors for
10:22centuries. At the Bands Monastery Church in southern Germany, four complete skeletons sit draped in silk,
10:29rockade and precious stones. Known as the Catacomb Saints, these remains, Vincentius, Valerius,
10:36Benedictus and Felis Benedictus were brought from Rome during the late 17th and 18th centuries to
10:42enhance the status of the Bavarian monastery. Church Custodians admit the sight can be creepy,
10:49with hollow eye sockets that seem to stare back at the living.
10:53It was at the end of the 30-year-old war. It was a terrible time. There were three
10:58viertel der deutschen Bevölkerung einfach umgekommen, durch Kriege, Seuchen etc. Das war schrecklich,
11:04auch hier. Und da hat man versucht, durch den Barock das Tor zum Himmel zu öffnen. Deswegen wurde das
11:10alles so schön gestaltet. Man wollte einfach, das war eine Flucht, ja, aus der Gegenwart, die oft so schlimm war.
11:16Und deswegen hat man auch diese gruseligen Skelette einfach schön drapiert und möglichst lebendig dargestellt.
11:24These holy bodies are kept out of sight for most of the year, hidden behind wooden panels.
11:30They are only revealed on special occasions such as All Saints Day,
11:34serving as a gilded reminder of a time when relics were the ultimate symbol of spiritual power.
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