Latest news bulletin | March 18th – Morning
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
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Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/18/latest-news-bulletin-march-18th-morning
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00Roughly 60,000 tons of oil leaked out of an oil transformer station near Oslo in a suspected
00:07sabotage act.
00:08The European Union stepped up financial support for Syria but said investments hinge on a
00:16credible and inclusive transition.
00:22Roughly 60,000 tons of oil leaked out of an oil transformer station near Oslo on Sunday.
00:29Reportedly, a hole had been cut in a fence surrounding the premises and the cover at
00:33the bottom of the transformer was unscrewed and left open.
00:37It looks like someone broke in and unscrewed a lever on the transformer and left it open
00:48so that a lot of oil could be pumped out.
00:52National Power Grid operator Statnet believe the incident was an act of deliberate sabotage.
00:58However, police authorities said in a statement that they currently have no concrete evidence
01:02to confirm so.
01:05While the oil is not harmful to humans, it can have a detrimental impact on the environment.
01:11Oil barriers and absorbents have been deployed to contain and clean up the spill.
01:20U.S. President Donald Trump says it will discuss ending the war in Ukraine with his Russian
01:25counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
01:28His comments come after Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan last week.
01:33Trump said territorial issues and power plants are going to be part of Tuesday's conversation.
01:38I'll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday.
01:42A lot of work has been done over the weekend.
01:47We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.
01:51Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance.
01:55We'll be talking about land, we'll be talking about power plants.
01:58That's a big question.
02:02Press secretary for Putin confirmed the Russian leader is scheduled to speak with Trump on
02:07Tuesday.
02:08Last Thursday, Putin said he supported a truce but listed several questions he said still
02:13had to be discussed.
02:15The diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire deal come as Russia and Ukraine traded drone
02:21fire over the weekend and into Monday morning.
02:28Canada's new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, visited Paris on Monday to meet with French
02:32President Emmanuel Macron, seeking European support as U.S. President Donald Trump continues
02:38to attack Canada's sovereignty and economy.
02:42Since Trump came to office, he has imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium
02:47and repeatedly commented on turning Canada into the 51st U.S. state, infuriating Canadians
02:53and sparking a call to boycott U.S. products across the country.
02:58Carney said he hopes to work with France and the rest of Europe to maintain positive relations
03:03with the U.S.
03:04With you, Mr. President, I want to ensure that France and the whole of Europe works
03:09enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries, determined like
03:19you to maintain the most positive possible relations with the United States.
03:25It's a powerful message.
03:27Canada's new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, chose France as his first foreign trip since
03:32taking office last Friday.
03:35And just as tensions are at an all-time high between Canada and the U.S., Carney is signaling
03:40that he wants to get closer to his European allies, including French President Emmanuel
03:46Macron.
03:47Both Macron and Carney said on Monday that it's important to continue to support Ukraine
03:52as well as European security at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is growing closer
03:58to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
04:02Carney's itinerary signals that Canada is growing closer to its former colonial powers
04:11rather than with its traditional ally and direct neighbor, the United States.
04:22The United States carried out new airstrikes on Yemen on Monday after both the Trump administration
04:27and the Iran-backed Houthis vowed escalation over the weekend.
04:33The Houthi-run Health Ministry said that at least 53 people have been killed since the
04:37U.S. began its new wave of strikes against the rebel group on Saturday, including five
04:42children and two women.
04:45The Houthis retaliated on Sunday with attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier
04:50and its accompanying warships.
04:53The U.S. said its strikes aimed to deter the rebels from attacking military and commercial
04:58vessels in the Red Sea.
05:01The Houthis said last week they would resume targeting Israeli vessels after Israel cut
05:05off humanitarian aid to Gaza this month.
05:09The U.S. airstrikes were among the most extensive attacks against the Houthis since the war
05:13in Gaza began in October of 2023.
05:21Events are seen unimaginable a few months ago.
05:24On Monday, Syria's interim foreign minister represented Damascus in an EU conference on
05:29Syria's future.
05:31The European Union doubled down on its support for the country's transition after the fall
05:35of al-Assad, unveiling 2.5 billion euros and committing to further investments if the new
05:41authorities steer the country towards an inclusive, stable future.
05:45We are ready to do more to attract the necessary investments for reconstruction as the political
05:54transition advances towards a credible and inclusive and non-sectarian government.
06:01But despite hope, there is also fear.
06:03Brutal violence recently erupted in Syria's northwest between gunmen linked to the new
06:09Sunni Islamist-led government and pro-Assad insurgents, with more than 1,300 reportedly
06:17killed.
06:18The UN says Alawite communities were mostly targeted.
06:21The violence outbreak is very worrying and it shows that the hope in Syria is really
06:27hanging by a thread.
06:28I think that we have to be more vocal on both directions, which is clearly expressing when
06:38those things happen that no impunity would be allowed and we want that this kind of situation
06:46won't be repeated.
06:48Also on the table, what the transition means for Syrians in Europe.
06:52The UN's refugee agency says 60% of Syrian refugees have voiced an interest in returning
06:58to their home country.
07:00But the UN's migration chief told Euronews that discussions on the return of refugees
07:04cannot take place without commitment to investing in Syria's future.
07:09What we're encouraging states to do is to really invest in this peace-building process,
07:15invest in the revitalization of Syria, invest in humanitarian assistance, because what we
07:20do know is that if people go home and they're subjected to violence or they don't feel safe
07:26or they don't have a future, then they'll migrate out again.
07:29The European Union says that after 14 years of civil war, it can now work together with
07:35the government in Damascus to ensure this is the beginning of a better chapter in Syria's
07:40history.
07:41It wants to invest further in Syria.
07:44It could further ease sanctions and it's touting a role for the European Investment Bank in
07:50the reconstruction of the country.
07:52But the recent eruption of violence in the northwest of the country is a reminder that
07:57the situation is still volatile.
08:00The interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a former al-Qaeda commander, and the rebel
08:05group he led to topple the al-Assad regime is still listed as a terrorist organization
08:11by the European Union.
08:13But despite all that, officials here say that for now, the de facto Syrian government is
08:18the best hope for Syria.
08:20Marat Gwin for Euronews in Brussels.
08:26Ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been sentenced to a further 4 and a half
08:31years in prison, bringing his total sentence up to 12 years and 6 months.
08:39On Monday, the court sentenced him on charges of illegally crossing Georgia's border when
08:44returning from exile in Ukraine in 2021, when he was immediately arrested.
08:51Saakashvili, who served as Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013, had previously been sentenced
08:57on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement that opposition parties have labeled as politically
09:02motivated.
09:03I am being judged for daring and managing to transform Georgia into a successful state,
09:10for defeating corruption, for striving for the people and not for my own pocket, he explained
09:15on a videoconference call in court on Monday.
09:19In 2003, Saakashvili led the so-called Rose Revolution protests.
09:24In office, he reorientated Georgia towards the West and embarked on an ambitious public
09:29sector reform.
09:31But in 2012, his United National Movement party lost the election to the Georgian Dream
09:36Party, which is currently in power and has been accused of tightening its grip on democratic
09:41freedoms while steering the country away from the EU membership and tilting towards Russia.
09:50Representatives from Turkey, Greece, the UK, EU and the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders
09:56met in Geneva to discuss the possibility of reopening negotiations and reunification of
10:02the Mediterranean island.
10:04Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded and occupied the northern
10:10part of the island.
10:12United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is hosting talks in the imposing
10:17Palais des Nations in Geneva to discuss the future of Cyprus with Greek and Turkish Cypriot
10:22leaders and representatives from Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, which are the guarantor
10:29states.
10:30During the talks, the representatives will explore the possibility of reopening negotiations
10:35for a solution.
10:37The island remains divided and occupied more than 50 years after the invasion of the Turkish
10:42forces.
10:44While supporters of a solution value the mere convening of the meeting, they acknowledge
10:49that expectations are very low.
10:52According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the meeting is expected to discuss views on the
10:56Cyprus issue for the upcoming period and is not meant to be a continuation of past negotiation
11:03processes or the beginning of a new negotiation process.
11:08On the other hand, shortly before departing for Geneva, the President of the Republic
11:13of Cyprus, Nikos Christopoulos, spoke of limited expectations, but at the same time
11:18he said that during the talks they should exploit all the possibilities for reopening
11:24the negotiations.
11:25Whether this is a meeting that will confirm the gap in the views of the two sides or pave
11:30the way for new talks remains to be seen in the next hours, when the two sides show their
11:36cards.
11:37Faye Dilgeri, Euronews, Geneva.
11:43For more UN videos visit www.un.org