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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/2025/05/16/latest-news-bulletin-may-16th-midday
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Istanbul,
00:04where Russia and Ukraine are holding their first direct peace talks in three years.
00:10During his first official visit to Albania on Thursday,
00:13the British Prime Minister said the U.K. was in talks to set up return-ups with a number of countries.
00:20U.S. President Donald Trump has been welcomed in the United Arab Emirates
00:24in what is the final leg of his three-nation Middle East tour.
00:30Canada's federal police have confirmed that two people were killed in the massive wildfires
00:36that broke out in the central province of Manitoba.
00:41U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Istanbul,
00:46where Russia and Ukraine are holding their first direct peace talks in three years.
00:52Hopes for a breakthrough remain low after Russian President Vladimir Putin
00:56rejected an offer to meet face-to-face with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
01:02In an interview last night, Rubio said a frank and direct conversation
01:07between Presidents Trump and Putin is the only way to end the war.
01:13But I want to be frank.
01:14I don't think we don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow.
01:19And frankly, at this point, I think it's abundantly clear that
01:22the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin.
01:28It's going to require that level of engagement to have a breakthrough in this matter.
01:33While few expected Putin to attend the talks,
01:36his absence dampened hopes for progress in ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
01:41Recent months have seen renewed diplomatic pressure from the Trump administration
01:45and Western European leaders.
01:47Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius met with his British counterpart John Healy in Berlin
01:57to discuss ways to further support Ukraine.
02:00The meeting was the pair's first ministerial counsel
02:02since the signing of a military cooperation agreement last year.
02:07Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his snubbing of peace talks with Zelensky in Istanbul
02:11topped the agenda.
02:12Pistorius stressed that development could lead to a shift in Washington's approach to the war.
02:19Vladimir Putin had it in the hand, the war to end.
02:22He could travel to Istanbul and talk.
02:24He could ordinate a fire retreat.
02:26Nothing happened from it.
02:28That means, you could have the impression of winning that Putin
02:31here tried to lead the American president at the hand of the manege.
02:35Healy added that Putin's absence exposed him on the global stage.
03:05Meanwhile, the chairman of the European Union's military committee has announced that the
03:28bloc plans to significantly boost ammunition deliveries to Ukraine.
03:34The goal is to deliver two million rounds of heavy-caliber ammunition to your country during
03:42the current year.
03:44So it's about doubling the amount of the last year.
03:48The EU military chief says the bloc is trying to incentivize member states to procure and
03:53produce more heavy-caliber ammunition.
03:56The move aims to ensure Kyiv has sufficient resources to continue to fend off Russian attacks.
04:04Canada's federal police have confirmed that two people were killed on Thursday in the
04:11massive wildfire in the central Canadian province of Manitoba.
04:15The bodies of an adult man and woman were found near the small community of Lac du Bonnet.
04:21Police say the victims died after being trapped in a building by the fires.
04:26Officials say the fires in Manitoba, which broke out on Tuesday, remained out of control all
04:30of Wednesday and most of Thursday.
04:33Almost two dozen fires were still raging across the eastern regions of the province, prompting
04:38the evacuation of almost 1,000 people.
04:41A state of emergency was declared in the eastern regions of the province by Manitoba Premier
04:46Wap Kinu.
04:47Kinu says the emergency order was to allow first responders to intensify firefighting, evacuation,
04:54and relief efforts in the affected areas.
04:57officials are urging the public to exercise caution and abide by official notices and orders.
05:05U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for the final leg of his four-day
05:09visit with Gulf allies.
05:11The president had a productive 24 hours in Doha, and his message to the world is that the
05:15United States is stronger than ever.
05:17He's also confident a deal with Iran could be reached, with Qatar leading negotiations between
05:22the two countries.
05:24On Thursday, President Trump met American troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest
05:29U.S. military facility in the region.
05:31In a speech, the president said Qatar will invest $10 billion in the coming years to support
05:36the base.
05:37During a state dinner on the outskirts of Doha Wednesday night, Trump said he urgently wants
05:42to make a peace deal with Iran.
05:44He also praised Qatar's efforts for using its influence in what he called very serious negotiations.
05:50Trump echoed this sentiment at a business roundtable on Thursday.
05:53We'd like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way as opposed to
05:58a brutal way.
05:59There's only two.
06:00Intelligent and brutal.
06:01Those are the two alternatives.
06:02I want them to succeed.
06:04I want them to end up being a great country.
06:06In return, Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamid Al Thani asked the president to use American
06:12pressure to bring peace to Gaza.
06:14Mr. President, your involvement could catalyze a breakthrough where others have stalled, but
06:21only if done in concert with serious partners.
06:25Qatar brings the channels, the access and the credibility.
06:29The United States brings power, leverage and global weight.
06:34If we act together, we have a real shot at ending the bloodshed and restoring regional
06:39confidence.
06:41On Wednesday, the two leaders announced a series of economic and defense deals the White House
06:45said will, quote, generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion.
06:51Upon arriving in Abu Dhabi, President Trump was met by UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan.
06:57He was given a traditional welcome similar to what we've seen in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
07:02With 24 hours left on his GCC tour, the president seeks to boost the business deals he's already
07:08made.
07:09Adil Halim, Euronews, Doha.
07:13UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced plans for return hubs abroad for rejected
07:18asylum seekers awaiting deportation.
07:21Speaking in Albania, Starmer said talks are underway with unnamed countries calling the hubs
07:27an important innovation.
07:30He ruled out Albania as a host as Albanian Prime Minister Eddie Rama called his country's
07:35similar deal with Italy a one-off.
07:39However, reports suggest the UK is considering other Western Balkan countries.
07:47Starmer linked the plan to UK-Albanian cooperation, which he said cut Albanian small boat arrivals
07:53significantly.
07:55The scheme is part of new plans to cut migration, though Starmer denied it's a reaction to the
08:00rise of the far-right party, Reform UK.
08:04Unlike the old conservative Rwanda plan for offshore processing, these hubs target those whose
08:10asylum claims have failed.
08:15As Portugal enters the final stretch of its electoral campaign, party supporters are visiting markets
08:22and holding rallies across the country to convince undecided voters ahead of the polls.
08:27The centre-right Democratic Alliance, AD of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, has been reinforcing
08:33calls for a useful vote for AD, addressing voters who are tired of the frequency of elections.
08:39The Prime Minister accused the opposition of being a destructive majority that makes instability
08:45a way of life.
08:46Meanwhile, leader of the Liberals, Rui Rocha, appeared to be courting the idea of a possible
08:52post-election alliance with AD.
08:54On Thursday, it challenged PS Socialist Party's Pedro Nuno Santos to clarify whether the PS will
09:01be a collaborative force or a blocking force in the opposition, that is, if the AD party
09:07wins the elections and the Liberal Initiative becomes part of the next government.
09:13Although the polls aren't favourable, Pedro Nuno Santos says he remains confident of a PS victory
09:19and believes that the Portuguese have lost confidence in AD.
09:22The Socialist Party leader only guarantees that he is available to dialogue and given to ensure
09:29political stability.
09:31As for Andrei Ventura, the leader of the right-wing Czech party remains on standby in the final
09:36days of the campaign after falling ill during a rally which forced him to spend Tuesday night
09:43at the hospital in Faro.
09:45More than 330,000 people signed up to vote on the last Sunday.
09:50The rest of the Portuguese should vote on the Friday, May 18th.
09:55Joana Marão Carvalho for Euronews in Santarém.
10:03The International Criminal Court is under fire and under pressure.
10:08Since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on its chief prosecutor Karim Khan in February,
10:14The Hague-based court has reportedly struggled to operate.
10:19Khan has lost access to his email and bank accounts.
10:23American staffers have been warned they could be arrested if they return home.
10:28Some human rights groups won't even respond to the court's emails.
10:35The sanctions came after ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
10:41Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant.
10:46They're accused of possible war crimes in Gaza, charges Israel denies.
10:54Trump called the court's actions illegitimate.
10:57His executive order bans Khan from U.S. soil and threatens penalties for anyone who provides
11:02him with financial, material or technological support.
11:07The sanctions are freezing not just finances but investigations, including a major genocide
11:14probe in Sudan.
11:16Staffers say sanctions have made it difficult to conduct basic tasks, let alone seek justice
11:21for victims of war crimes.
11:23The fate of the court's operation is in jeopardy amid waning support from traditionally staunch
11:28allies.