Latest news bulletin | March 31st – Evening
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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/2025/03/31/latest-news-bulletin-march-31st-evening
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00The leader of the far-right national rally Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling
00:05public funds and was barred from running for office for five years.
00:12Ukraine holds commemorations and celebrations to mark the third anniversary of the liberation
00:16of Bucha from Russian forces.
00:20Finnish President Alexander Stopp pitched the date April 20 as a deadline for full ceasefire
00:25in Ukraine in a surprise visit to U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida.
00:32The leader of the far-right national rally Marine Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling
00:37public funds and was barred from running for office for five years with immediate effect.
00:43The sentence has effectively barred her from running in the 2027 presidential race even
00:48if she appeals something she described earlier as political death.
00:53The national rally MEPs and their 12 assistants have also been found guilty and barred from
00:59running for office.
01:00Le Pen and the 24 other members have been accused of using money intended for European
01:05Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for the party.
01:09The court estimated that the European Parliament's total loss was 2.9 million euros, with Le
01:14Pen personally embezzling almost half a million.
01:22Ukrainian officials, soldiers and residents gathered to mark the third anniversary of
01:26the liberation of the town of Bucha from Russian forces.
01:30Russian troops quickly occupied Bucha just 35 kilometers from the capital Kiev shortly
01:35after launching their full-scale invasion in February 2022.
01:39The occupation lasted for about a month until Ukrainian soldiers launched a counter-offensive
01:44repelling Russian forces.
01:46Hundreds of soldiers were killed, but their legacy lives on.
02:08But what they discovered as they returned to the city was horrifying, quickly making
02:12the town the epicenter of the war's atrocities.
02:16Mass graves of hundreds of civilians were discovered, and thousands of war crimes were
02:20documented during Russia's 33-day occupation.
02:24The memories still haunt many residents in this town, who are in turn demanding officials
02:28make no compromises in the ongoing ceasefire efforts.
02:46Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Russia of stalling ceasefire efforts
03:03in a bid to seize more Ukrainian land.
03:06Kiev says its intelligence indicates that Russia is preparing to launch a fresh military
03:11offensive in the coming weeks to strengthen their negotiating position.
03:17Finnish President Alexander Stubb made a surprise visit to Florida on Saturday, meeting with
03:21U.S. President Donald Trump for discussions on strengthening bilateral ties and enjoying
03:25a round of golf.
03:27Trump highlighted their talks on his social media platform, emphasizing cooperation, including
03:31the purchase and development of much-needed icebreakers for the U.S.
03:35He also noted their shared commitment to delivering peace and international security.
03:40Stubb, speaking to Finnish reporters in London on Sunday, revealed he urged Trump to set
03:44a deadline for establishing a ceasefire in Ukraine.
03:47April 20 would be a good time for a full ceasefire without any conditions, Stubb said, explaining
03:53that a deadline is crucial.
03:55Because it is Easter, and because President Donald Trump will have been in office for
03:59three months, he added.
04:01The meeting underscores Finland's efforts to bolster international diplomacy while fostering
04:05closer ties with the U.S. amid global challenges.
04:35media post in the early hours of Monday, four people were rescued from the rubble by Chinese
04:41teams.
04:42The epicenter of Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which struck near Mandalay, caused many of
04:49the city's buildings to collapse and damaged its airport.
04:52Then, on Sunday, a 5.1-magnitude aftershock hit the area again.
04:59Rescue efforts have been hindered by downed bridges, damaged roads, unreliable communications
05:05and a civil war.
05:06However, on Saturday, Myanmar's resistance movement announced a partial ceasefire to
05:12facilitate rescue efforts.
05:14According to local media, many people have been left sleeping on the streets, either
05:19out of fear or aftershock, or because their homes were brought down.
05:24In neighboring Thailand, at least 18 people have been confirmed dead since Friday's quake.
05:29On Monday morning, searches at a high-rise building in Bangkok, which collapsed, were
05:34still ongoing as dozens of people are missing, according to authorities.
05:50Putting a stop to the seasonal time change isn't easy, mainly for political reasons.
05:56This Sunday, Europeans will lose an hour as the clock winds forward, something few people
06:03enjoy.
06:04According to scientific studies, the hour change upsets our body's alignment with the
06:10sunlight, which may result in sleep deprivation and affect several diseases.
06:16All this runs counter to the original goal of switching the clock seasonally, energy
06:22saving.
06:23It was created in a time where the internet didn't exist, where the consumption of energy
06:31was fairly different than it is now, and so it no longer applies.
06:38The European Commission tried to end the biannual clock changes with a directive tabled in September
06:442018.
06:46The European Parliament approved it, but countries were unable to agree and blocked the proposal.
06:53We still believe today that a coordinated solution is achievable, and we do encourage
07:00renewed discussions under the current Polish Presidency to find a solution, but we do believe
07:06that it is best that the Member States decide amongst themselves.
07:10However, putting an end to changing the clocks means making a decision, should we keep winter
07:17or summer time?
07:19We would need to be as aligned as possible to our natural time zone, so a time zone that
07:27allows us to be, that, to say it simple, that when it's 12 in my clock, the sun is
07:33in its highest point in the day.
07:36This is not the case for the countries in Western Europe, whose clock phases are significantly
07:43ahead of solar time.
07:45Indeed, historic time zones were very different and much more aligned with the sun, but during
07:52World War II, Germany imposed its time zone on occupied France and Benelux countries,
07:58while dictator Francisco Franco decided to align Spain with Adolf Hitler's Germany.
08:05The result, especially in the summer, is late sunrises and sunsets in Western Europe.
08:11That's why the Time Use Initiative for a Healthy Society proposes a radical change with four
08:17time zones based on meridians.
08:20This would present new problems, however.
08:22For example, Ireland and Northern Ireland would have different times.
08:27And time remains a very political issue, as shown by a recent decision of the Ukrainian
08:33Parliament, which cancelled the switch to summer time, just to avoid the aligning with
08:39Moscow's standard time, imposed by Russia on occupied territories in Ukraine.
08:49European aerospace startup ISAR Aerospace conducted the first test flight of its Spectrum
08:53rocket on Sunday, marking a milestone as the first attempt to launch a satellite rocket
08:58from European soil.
08:59The 28-meter-long two-stage rocket took off from Andoya Island in Norway but crashed shortly
09:04after launch, exploding upon impact.
09:07Despite the crash, CEO Daniel Metzler called the test a success, citing a clean takeoff,
09:1130 seconds of flight, and validation of the flight termination system.
09:15ISAR Aerospace, based in Munich, aims to gather critical data from the test to advance
09:19its goal of launching small and medium-sized satellites into orbit.
09:26Muslims around the world are bidding farewell to the holy month of Ramadan and preparing
09:30to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, a time of prayer, family gatherings, and festivities.
09:35Thousands of Palestinians gather on Sunday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, compound in Jerusalem's
09:39Old City, for Eid al-Fitr prayers.
09:43In Serbia, the Islamic community held its central Eid ceremony in the Arab Mosque in
09:47Novi Bazar, marking the occasion with communal prayers.
09:51In Lisbon, Portugal, Muslims gather in outdoor prayer spaces, families don new clothes, and
09:56visited loved ones, blending tradition with modern festivities.
10:01Meanwhile, in Mecca, millions of pilgrims and locals join in mass prayers at the Grand
10:08Mosque, underscoring the spiritual heart of the celebration.
10:12While many communities rejoice, others face challenges.
10:15In Gaza, Palestinians mark the holiday amid ongoing conflict, with dwindling supplies
10:20and recent airstrikes casting a shadow over what is usually a joyous occasion.
10:25The timing of Eid depends on the lunar cycle, with moonsighting teams scanning the skies
10:30for the crescent moon that signals the start of the holiday.
10:36The bodies of 15 medical and humanitarian workers have been recovered from a mass grave
10:43in southern Gaza after a week-long search.
10:46The victims include eight members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from the Palestinian
10:52Civil Defence and one from the United Nations.
10:55A top UN spokesperson said health workers should never be a target.
11:00According to the UN, the first team was killed by Israeli forces on March 23.
11:07Emergency crews sent to search for the missing workers were then hit over several hours.
11:13Their remains, buried alongside direct emergency vehicles, were discovered by their colleagues
11:19in the southern city of Rafah.
11:21Israeli authorities, which coordinated access for the search party, identified the area
11:27where the bodies had been buried.
11:29Israel ended a ceasefire and renewed its air and ground war against the Hamas militant
11:34group earlier this month.
11:36On Monday, the Israeli military ordered an evacuation, covering most of Rafah.