00:00The 27 countries of the European Union have agreed to open a new cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine in
00:07Moldova.
00:10At least 11 people have died as a wildfire ripped through southern Spain's Almeria province amid a stifling heat wave
00:17that has gripped the country.
00:20Europe needs a safe asset to reassure the world that they can safely lend money to the Eurozone, French finance
00:26minister Roland Lescure told Euro News.
00:30Volkswagen met with protests after the carmaker unveiled plans to significantly reduce production and cut jobs by 2030 amid financial
00:38constraints.
00:41The 27 countries of the European Union have unanimously agreed to open a new cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine
00:50in Moldova, marking another step in their arduous road to membership.
00:54During a meeting on Friday, EU ambassadors endorsed their common position to unblock Cluster 6, which covers external relations.
01:03This decision builds on the momentum generated by Hungary's change of government, which ended two years of obstruction of Ukraine's
01:11accession process.
01:13Hungary's new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, lifted the contentious veto in early June, paving the way for the opening of
01:20Cluster 1, known as Fundamentals.
01:22The decision leaves four clusters still pending.
01:26The European Commission considers both Ukraine and Moldova to be technically ready to open all of them.
01:33Kiev has publicly pushed to advance all steps before the summer break, a goal shared by the Commission and a
01:39majority of member states.
01:41Hungary has expressed serious reservations about the idea of proceeding at such a pace, arguing that this would amount to
01:48fast-track accession.
01:55At least 11 people have died as a wildfire ripped through southern Spain's Almería province amid a stifling heatwave that
02:02has gripped the country.
02:04Some of the dead in the town of Bedar were found inside burned vehicles, the regional government said in a
02:10statement.
02:12Roads were closed and residents evacuated as the inferno spread, with about 50 people housed in a cultural center.
02:19Around 150 firefighters backed by five fire trucks battled the blaze, which broke out as temperatures neared 40 degrees.
02:27The fire injured at least six people, including a woman who suffered burns, and another person with smoke inhalation who
02:34were taken to hospital.
02:36The fire comes as Spain suffers a heatwave, with scorching temperatures triggering orange weather warnings across part of Andalusia in
02:43recent days.
02:46Spain, France, Portugal, and Greece have all been battling wildfires since earlier this week, as high temperatures and dry conditions
02:53persist.
03:00Amid the heatwave, the French government launched an unprecedented Orsec Extreme Heat Plan in western France.
03:07The aim of this Orsec Extreme Heat Plan, which did not exist in the past, is to take into account
03:13the lessons learned from recent heatwaves, said the government spokesperson Maude Bréjean.
03:19The plan provides for the opening of dedicated centers, protection centers, cooling centers for vulnerable people, in particular older people.
03:28This plan had been activated in the nine departments in the west, placed on red heatwave alert by Meteor France
03:35on Friday.
03:3624 departments in the northwest of France will be placed under a red heatwave alert on Saturday,
03:42and 56 others under an orange alert, as the third heatwave in two months hits the country.
03:49The agency indicated that the episode will continue at least until the middle of next week.
04:00Europe needs a safer set to reassure the world that they can safely lend money to the Eurozone and get
04:06it back.
04:07French Economy and Finance Minister Roland L'Escur told Euronews ahead of talks with EU finance ministers in Brussels.
04:14European economies have been quite resilient despite the impact of the war in the Middle East, but a recovery is
04:20needed, the minister said.
04:21We were not exposed directly to the crisis in the sense that there was no volume issue.
04:27We still got oil, we still got gas, we still got fertilizers.
04:31But the fact that some of the oil that was flowing is not flowing anymore to Asia has risen the
04:36prices.
04:37And obviously this has had an impact on our consumers.
04:40You know, the oil tanks have been more expensive to fill.
04:43This week, the Spanish government proposed a new joint EU debt instrument worth up to 850 billion euros to boost
04:51the European economy.
04:52National debts would be pooled, auctioned on the market, and then lent back to the country.
04:57It's an interesting proposal that solves some of the issues that usually debt on top of debt can address.
05:04There's one issue that concerns me.
05:06I've talked to Carlos about it and we need to study it further.
05:08It's the moral hazard, you know, the fact that if one country transfers the debt to the whole community,
05:15that might be an incentive for that country to take more debt.
05:19Liskeur said we need more competitiveness as well as a capital market union to make the euro stronger, deeper and
05:26more liquid.
05:31German carmaker Volkswagen has unveiled its four-year strategy,
05:35which includes plans to cut in half the number of models it offers
05:39and reduce the number of model-specific variants by as much as 75% in an effort to cut costs
05:45and complexity.
05:47Europe's biggest carmakers, under pressure from U.S. tariffs,
05:50weaker profit margins on electric vehicles,
05:53and, above all, fierce competition in China, the world's largest car market.
05:58As the board met at Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg on Thursday,
06:03IG Metall, one of Germany's largest trade unions,
06:06organized coordinated protests across the country.
06:10One demonstration was held outside the headquarters,
06:13while further action took place at around 20 Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Mann, and Carriot production sites.
06:20Union representatives warned that management risks a major conflict with workers
06:25after it became increasingly clear that the company's cost-cutting initiative would also include major layoffs.
06:32The carmaker is reportedly considering cutting 100,000 jobs worldwide,
06:37representing more than 15% of its workforce.
06:41It also plans to close four plants in Germany,
06:44the Volkswagen factories in Hannover, Emden, and Zwickau,
06:48as well as Audi's site in Nackarsom.
06:51And while the company did not directly state that there would be job cuts,
06:55it did say that it plans to cut its vehicle production to around 9 million per year,
06:59down from 12 million.
07:00The German automotive giant already has a deal in place with worker unions struck in 2024,
07:06which agrees to up to 35,000 job cuts by 2030,
07:10but the new strategy may see the company go well beyond that.
07:23EasyJet said on Friday it had agreed in principle to Apollo Global Management's cash offer
07:28of 7.15 pounds a share, worth about 5.7 billion pounds.
07:34The board hold it as a superior outcome for shareholders
07:37than the offer made by U.S. private equity firm Castle Lake.
07:40Investors welcomed the auction as EasyJet shares climbed around 15%
07:45to roughly 6.75 pounds on Friday morning,
07:49the highest level since early 2022.
07:52The conflict between the U.S. and Iran sent jet fuel prices soaring
07:56and disrupted travel plans,
07:58with EasyJet's shares losing more than a third of their value.
08:01The damage showed in the accounts, with the airline reporting losses.
08:06The obstacle now facing both bidders sits in EU law,
08:09which requires airlines flying within the bloc to be majority-owned
08:13and effectively controlled by EU member states.
08:17Castle Lake had proposed to satisfy the rule
08:19by partnering with two Irish aviation executives,
08:22Peter Bellew and Mark Breen.
08:24Castle Lake must decide by 3 August whether to bid or withdraw,
08:29with Apollo facing a deadline of 7 August.
08:32Should a deal succeed, EasyJet would leave the London Stock Exchange.
08:39The European Commission has preliminarily found Meta
08:42in breach of the Digital Services Act,
08:44opening the door to a multi-billion euro fine
08:47over allegations that the tech giant intentionally designed
08:50its core platforms to exploit and hook young users.
08:53The executive charge sheet explicitly targets highly addictive features
08:57including infinite scroll, video autoplay, and push notifications,
09:01which regulators argue shift the human brain
09:04into an unthinking autopilot mode.
09:06Consequently, investigators concluded that
09:09Meta deliberately disregarded internal data
09:12showing how late-night usage damages
09:14the mental and physical well-being of teenagers.
09:16While Meta maintains that its current controls protect adolescents,
09:20European officials dismissed the existing time management
09:23and parental safety tools
09:24as fundamentally ineffective and easily bypassed by minors.
09:29The Commission has demanded structural changes
09:31to force less engagement-driven layouts,
09:34giving the company a formal window to examine the evidence
09:37and launch a legal defense.
09:39If these preliminary findings are ultimately confirmed,
09:43Meta faces an unprecedented financial penalty
09:45capped at 6% of its annual global turnover,
09:49a sum exceeding 11 billion euros
09:51based on recent revenue figures.
09:59In the dead of night on Friday,
10:01a large yellow truck led by a police escort
10:04made its way through the empty streets of London.
10:07Unbeknownst to late-night stragglers,
10:09it was carrying a 1,000-year-old masterpiece,
10:12the Bayeux Tapestry,
10:13which will soon be on display at the British Museum.
10:17The secret operation was the result of years of negotiations,
10:20tricky logistical planning and multiple technical studies
10:24to ensure the integrity of the medieval artwork.
10:27It is believed to be the first time
10:29the 68-meter embroidered tapestry has left France
10:32in more than 900 years,
10:34the first time it has been moved in over 40 years.
10:37I've been very special to have witnessed
10:39the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry
10:41and especially for it to be back on these shores
10:43for the first time in probably 1,000 years.
10:46It's a unique moment
10:47and it's the product of so much hard work
10:50and planning and thought and dedication
10:52from so many colleagues,
10:53so we're incredibly grateful.
10:55The artwork chronicles scenes
10:57from the 1066 Battle of Hastings
10:59and the start of the Norman Conquest of England.
11:02While its exact origins are shrouded in mystery,
11:05the tapestry is widely thought
11:06to have been made in England
11:08before being transferred to Bayeux.
11:26The exhibition, which will run until July 2027,
11:30has generated record-breaking enthusiasm,
11:32with the museum selling out 100,000 tickets
11:35for the first four months of the show.
11:37We'll see you next time.
11:37.
11:37.
11:37.
11:37.
11:37.
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11:38.
11:38.
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11:42.
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