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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/2025/05/08/latest-news-bulletin-may-8th-morning
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz visited the Polish capital Warsaw to meet with Prime
00:05Minister Donald Tusk to discuss EU issues and bilateral ties.
00:11After demonstrating against the government for six months, the student movement in Serbia
00:15is now demanding early parliamentary elections.
00:23Less than a day after Germany's Friedrich Mertz's chancellorship was approved by the
00:27Bundestag he's already making his first state visits.
00:30The German leader has arrived in the Polish capital Warsaw where he's set to hold talks
00:34with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
00:37Mertz and Tusk are expected to discuss current EU and international agendas and security and
00:41defense issues.
00:43They're also expected to discuss their respective bilateral ties and explore ways to further
00:48boost their cooperation across various fields.
00:51Mertz stressed the importance of ensuring the 27-member bloc's border security and vowed
00:56how to work on tightening its migration policies.
01:00They probably know that there are many countries in the EU, the Netherlands, the Netherlands
01:05and Italy.
01:06Many of them have been given to this initiative now, the European European Asyl- and
01:10Anwanderung-Politik to ensure that my government, the new government, will continue to
01:15this initiative.
01:17And we're going to try to come together, to the entsprechenden Entscheidings to come.
01:21We know that we are at the end of a world where we can only give this answer to the entire
01:27European Union and that's the goal of the new government.
01:33Migration was one of the most important topics in the German federal elections this year.
01:38In his campaign, Mertz had vowed to take a more hardline stance and cracked down on illegal
01:42migration in both Germany and the EU.
01:46Germany's newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Mertz made his first official visit abroad to France
01:55on Wednesday, hoping to relaunch the Franco-German relationship.
02:00Both him and French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a press conference some key
02:07initiatives, including a Franco-German defense and security council, vowing to act hand in
02:14hand when it comes to mounting security challenges across Europe.
02:19And when it comes to the war in Ukraine, although both were cautious of announcing anything concrete,
02:25like the deployment of peacekeeping troops, both leaders did say that they were ready to
02:31provide security guarantees to Kyiv the moment that a lasting peace treaty and ceasefire have
02:39been concluded.
02:41The German Chancellor stressed multiple times the importance of the United States' role with
02:47trying to end Russia's full-scale invasion.
02:51But beyond defense, the German Chancellor is also looking to reset ties with Paris and also
02:57with other countries abroad after a bumpy start at home, when on Tuesday he failed to be elected
03:04in the first round of voting within the German Parliament.
03:09But his more flexible stance on fiscal rules and defense spending have been warmly welcomed
03:15here at the Élysée Palace.
03:18Still key differences remain, like for example when it comes to the free trade Mercosur agreement.
03:24The French President warned that any treaty must protect European producers, whilst Merz during
03:31the press conference said that this treaty should be ratified as quickly as possible.
03:36And although both leaders did show quite a united stance this Wednesday, it's true that
03:42Europe's future will depend on how this new Franco-German duo will navigate what comes next.
03:49After demonstrating against the government for six months, the student movement in Serbia
03:59is now demanding early parliamentary elections.
04:02The pressure over the deadly awning collapse at a train station in Novi Sad already caused
04:07a series of arrests.
04:11Students now say that the voice of youth is not just noise, but a force that can initiate changes.
04:16The Serbian opposition says that in the last few months, the ruling coalition has lost its
04:36legitimacy to lead the country.
04:40The Green-Left Front says that it can provide support to students because they have the same
04:45goal – the revival of institutions and the democratization of society.
04:51The Serbian opposition says that it is the same.
04:52I think that the goal is to first act on SNS, and then, after that, with a clear majority,
05:06we will go to a better society and to a better election conditions.
05:15SPS party MP Ugleša Marković, who is part of the ruling coalition, said the current
05:21parliamentary majority is stable.
05:26He believes the way to improve society is not through the polling stations, but through
05:30political dialogue.
05:32SPS party MP Ugleša Marković, who is part of the ruling coalition, said that the Socialist
05:34Party of Serbia has never been afraid of the elections.
05:39As you know, we are not for the election elections.
05:40We always repeat that there is a cycle that has been held for four years, so that we would
05:45have one continuity.
05:47The vast majority of liberal opposition parties in Serbia supported the call of student protesters
05:55for snap elections.
05:56But whether or not they will happen is yet to be seen.
06:02Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a four-day visit ahead of Friday's
06:07Second World War Victory Day events.
06:10President Vladimir Putin called Xi Jinping his main guest with talks planned on trade, energy,
06:15and their strategic partnership.
06:17Brazil's President Luis Inacio Lula de Silva also arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, his first
06:22official visit since Russia's full-blown invasion of Ukraine.
06:27On the same day, Putin also welcomed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
06:32The pair signed bilateral agreements which included cooperation on arms control and strengthening
06:37the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, according to state-owned Russian news agency TASS.
06:45Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel is also on the guest list.
06:52Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic faced travel disruption en route to the parade,
06:58with Baltic states reportedly denying airspace access.
07:02On Wednesday, Vucic's plane landed unplanned in Baku due to Russian airspace restrictions near
07:09Moscow, possibly over drone concerns.
07:12His plane later received clearance and continued to Moscow from Baku.
07:19Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico reportedly experienced similar airspace difficulties.
07:25He was killed on October 7, 2023, during the attack on the music festival in southern Israel.
07:41His father wants the Portuguese authorities to make arrangements for the body of the Portuguese
07:47Israeli to be returned to his family.
07:50You have a citizen hostage, the Gaza.
07:54You must wake up and you say stop Hamas.
08:00Israel believes that at least 20 of the 59 hostages are still alive.
08:06One of them could be the young Tamir, an instructor in the Israeli army.
08:10He was 18 when he was taken by Hamas from his base near the border with northern Gaza on October 7, 2023.
08:17This is Hamas.
08:21The Israeli government's plan to occupy the entire enclave is not good news for the victims' families.
08:26But Tamir's father puts the political issue aside.
08:29He was just a simple man, a pretty person, a father, that his life was the last of October 7.
08:41So I don't know what's right and what's wrong.
08:45Here, from the capital portuguesa, segue mais um pedido para que Portugal ajude a libertar
08:51os que ainda permanecem sob cativeiro na faixa de Gaza.
08:55Mas o general das Forças de Defesa de Israel, responsável pelas negociações sobre os reféns,
09:00fez um alerta que coloca o ONU no governo de Benjamin Netanyahu.
09:05Diz que há uma relação direta entre a expansão das operações militares no enclave palestiniano
09:11e o aumento da violência sobre os cativos por parte do Hamas.
09:15Avisa mesmo que a nova ofensiva anunciada por Israel
09:19poderá ter consequências desastrosas.
09:22João Azevedo, Euronews, Lisboa.
09:26The message is clear.
09:36Turkey's EU accession process stalled since 2018 cannot be relaunched under the current circumstances.
09:41This is the conclusion of a report on Turkey approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday.
09:48Arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, repression of anti-government protests, human rights violations.
09:55The MEPs denounced the ongoing backslide in democracy.
09:59The accession process is frozen. There are no progress in any way.
10:02On the contrary, Turkey probably is the only country backsliding in democratic standards.
10:07And for that reason, what we maintain is the idea that the accession process is suspended and well suspended
10:14because we didn't receive any good news on the democratic standard from the year 13 till now.
10:21And the last detention and harassment of the mayor in Mamoglu is probably the peak of this repressive trend.
10:31Security, trade and migration. Turkey remains a strategic partner of the EU and ally within NATO.
10:38In a debate at the European Parliament, the Commissioner for Enlargement stressed the need to deepen cooperation with Ankara.
10:44The 2016 EU-Turquia statement on migration continues to yield results.
10:52Irregular arrivals from Turkey to the EU have fallen by 33% so far in this year compared with the same period last year.
11:01For his part, the reporter calls for Turkey's accession to the EU not to be definitely ruled out.
11:07We have to distinguish between the country and the current rulers.
11:12It's true that under the AKP ruling it's impossible to advance because there is no other political will to advance in democracy and values.
11:19But there is a vibrant civil society asking us, imploring us not to shut the door.
11:25They want to maintain the hope that maybe in the future, with another rulers, with another country, with another environment,
11:34it could be an opportunity again for Turkey to re-engage with the European Union on the basis of membership.
11:40The reporter insists there are no shortcuts to EU membership.
11:44The reporter says,