00:02The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, invited Canada to become the first associate member of the
00:10European Union.
00:11In her annual speech on the State of the Union given at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the EU chief
00:17promoted closer ties with Ottawa on tech, defence and energy.
00:21We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. And dear Mark, I said we must
00:30urgently reimagine our partnerships. So I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada to being
00:41the first associate member of the European Union.
00:44Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended von der Leyen's speech in Strasbourg, is addressing the European Parliament on Thursday.
00:53Ottawa is discussing with Brussels to join the Erasmus Plus exchange programme, Horizon Europe research grants and mutual recognition of
01:02workers' qualifications.
01:03However, associate member is a completely new status and key questions remain unanswered, including whether Ottawa will have voting rights
01:12in EU institutions.
01:18Former EU Council Chief Charles Michel said that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is very slow to make
01:26the necessary decisions on the current challenges facing the European Union.
01:31His comments came ahead of von der Leyen's annual State of the European Union address on Wednesday, in which she
01:39outlined her vision and priorities for the coming year.
01:42But Michel was focused on her failure to fulfil the promises made in previous years.
01:50I'm observing that today the EU is facing complicated challenges because there is more and more conflicts, there is a
01:59war on the European soil.
02:01We are in a difficult position in terms of competition with China, with the United States.
02:08Michel pointed out that more than 400 initiatives had been launched in the past year, but results have yet to
02:15be seen.
02:16He added that when it comes to strengthening the EU's competitiveness, identified by Michel as the top priority facing the
02:25bloc today, there was a deadlock due to an overwhelming amount of regulations.
02:35The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Taci to 25 years in jail on
02:43four counts of war crimes committed during his country's war for independence from Serbia.
02:49Taci, who was tried along with three other guerrilla leaders, was convicted of murder, torture, cruel treatment, and arbitrary detention.
02:57The presiding judge said Taci used his position, leadership, authority, and standing to encourage the crimes, including the targeting of
03:05political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the Kosovo Liberation Army.
03:12For many inside Kosovo, Taci and the KLA are symbols of its independence movement.
03:18After the war, Taci remained a central political figure and was instrumental in its 2008 Declaration of Independence.
03:25But his image was tarnished by a 2010 Council of Europe report alleging links to organized crime and serious abuses
03:32committed during and immediately after the war.
03:36Throughout the trial, Taci's images have appeared on huge billboards across the country, and his supporters have regularly organized rallies
03:44in Pristina.
03:45Despite the seriousness of the charges, supporters of Taci expected him and his co-accused to be released, with preparations
03:52for a possible return already underway prior to the sentencing.
04:01Belarus has released 25 political prisoners in exchange of the U.S. lifting sanctions on two Belarusian companies in a
04:10deal brockered by U.S. envoy John Cole, who was in the capital, Minsk.
04:15Cole said that more talks could lead to a further release of individuals.
04:32The U.S. and many other Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus after it allowed Russia to use its territory
04:40to invade Ukraine in 2022.
04:43Washington has now eased some sanctions which affected paint manufacturer Lakokraska and forestry sector group Belzpomprom.
04:52Hundreds of people were imprisoned after mass protests in 2020, sparked by the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who's
05:02been in power since 1994.
05:09Hundreds of farmers and livestock breeders from counties across Romania gathered outside government headquarters in Bucharest to protest against the
05:18ban on live sheep exports, which has been extended until the end of the year due to disease outbreaks.
05:23The U.S. is a very cold situation. We want to die. We can't be able to die. We can't
05:29be able to die. We can't be able to die.
05:31We have healthy animals. We are afraid every day to vaccinate animals and to die. We are terrorized.
05:37If you have two bonlaves, please treat that. Don't die. Don't die.
05:41Security forces were forced to use tear gas to disperse the protesters after some broke through the fences and law
05:48enforcement lines.
05:50Some farmers distanced themselves from the violence, blaming football supporters and members of the nationalist AUR party for hijacking the
05:59demonstration.
06:17The protest spilled out of Victoria Square into surrounding streets, blocking traffic and suspending tram services.
06:25Demisie! Demisie! Demisie! Demisie!
06:29Demisie!
06:29Am mutat pe șoseaua Nicolae Titulescu la intrarea în pasajul victoriei, pasaj care este blocat complet în aceste momente.
06:37Pe ambele sensuri de mers nu se circulă așa cum vedeți, mai mult circulația tramvaielor este întreruptă.
06:45Beyond the export ban, farmers are also demanding the swift formation of a fully empowered government, formal recognition of agriculture
06:54as an essential economic sector
06:57and action against what they describe as unfair practices in the agricultural market.
07:08Yemen's Houthis say they have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet as tensions escalate over attacks on the
07:15kingdom and control of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait.
07:19Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said the aircraft was targeted with a locally made air-to-air missile while carrying
07:25out what he called hostile operations.
07:27The group also denied Saudi accusations that it had targeted Mecca, saying its operations were aimed at oil facilities and
07:35military bases.
07:37Saudi Arabia's coalition vowed retaliation, however, describing the security of Islam's holy sites and pilgrims as a red line.
07:45The warning followed alerts over possible attacks in Mecca and southern Saudi Arabia after ballistic missile and drone strikes from
07:52Yemen wounded 13 people.
07:55The Houthis have meanwhile seized Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb strait and declared a maritime blockade
08:01on Saudi Arabia.
08:02The waterway connects the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and provides access to the Suez Canal.
08:08The Houthis insist that navigation is threatened only for Saudi vessels, but further disruption could affect shipping and Egypt's Suez
08:16Canal revenues,
08:17which are already at around half their pre-2023 level following Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
08:29Qatar's warning of catastrophic consequences if another major shipping route is cut off.
08:34This time the concern is around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where Houthi forces have made considerable gains,
08:39while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
08:44Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean and is a major route for international shipping.
08:49The Houthis have taken two strategic islands in the area, as fighting in Yemen intensifies.
08:55Qatar says the world cannot afford further disruption to another major waterway.
08:59The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add
09:06Bab el-Mandeb into that equation.
09:10The whole world is going to suffer and it's going to be catastrophic for the entire world.
09:14Saudi Arabia has been using its east-west pipeline to bypass Hormuz and move oil to the Red Sea.
09:20But that route has also been disrupted.
09:22The pipeline was shut after drone attacks last week and repairs could take three to five weeks.
09:27It has recently been moving roughly four million barrels of oil a day.
09:32Diplomatic efforts are also facing setbacks.
09:35A planned meeting between Iran and Gulf states in Oman has been postponed following the latest escalation in Yemen.
09:41So, Qatar is pushing for diplomacy, dialogue, and pushing into the direction of peaceful resolution for these conflicts through dialogue.
09:49It is not an impossible task, because at the end of the day, the only solution will be through the
09:56negotiation table.
09:57Qatar says it is continuing to work with regional and international partners and keeping channels open with all sides.
10:05Adil Halim, your news, Doha.
10:11The US tour of British pop star Ed Sheeran has been thrown into jeopardy after his ban and all his
10:17support acts quit in response to rapper Macklemore being dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments while on stage.
10:25In an Instagram post, Sheeran denied being behind the decision to remove Macklemore, saying his tour's promoter was responsible, with
10:32venues having communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting.
10:38The British singer also said he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.
10:45Macklemore said the venues were rallied by billionaire Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium and the NFL's New England Patriots
10:52team, to ban Macklemore from performing as Ed Sheeran's opening act.
10:57Irish acts Aaron Rowe and B-Yoga, the Danish band Lucas Graham and Phineas later posted on Instagram that they
11:04were leaving the tour.
11:06Phineas, who is pop star Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, wrote on Instagram that artists must not be silenced
11:13when they speak up for the oppressed.
11:16The moves by his fellow artists put enormous pressure on Sheeran, who has tried to avoid taking a side on
11:22Gaza, arguing that his fans don't come to his shows to hear about politics.
11:27The music is playing.
11:30The music is playing.
11:30The music is playing.
11:31The music is playing.
11:32The music is playing.
11:32The music is playing.
11:32The music is playing.
11:32The music is playing.
11:33The music is playing.
11:33The music is playing.
11:33The music is playing.
11:33The music is playing.
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