00:01EU Foreign Policy Chief Gaya Galas ruled out the possibility of appointing former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as the bloc's
00:09negotiator in peace talks on Ukraine.
00:11On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed to make Schroeder the mediator in future negotiations.
00:17However, Galas argues that following his suggestion would put Putin on both sides of the negotiating table.
00:24First, if we give the right to Russia to appoint negotiator on our behalf, you know, that would not be
00:32very wise.
00:33And second, I think Gerhard Schroeder has been the lobby, high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies.
00:41So it's clear why Putin once seemed to be the person so that actually, you know, he would be sitting
00:48on both sides of the table.
00:49Schroeder has maintained close ties with Putin since leaving office.
00:54He served on the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft until 2022 and also held roles with other Russian state
01:01-owned energy firms.
01:03Putin's proposal was also rejected by Ukraine and received a mixed response across Europe.
01:13Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the Middle East conflict will be top of the agenda at a meeting
01:19of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
01:23Speaking to UNIUS program Europe Today, Sweden's foreign minister Maria Malmöstenegard said that Moscow is not genuinely interested in peace.
01:32I think the main problem is that Russia is not really interested in peace.
01:38They are trying different maneuvers, but we need to keep our focus where it needs to be,
01:44and that is on increasing the pressure on Russia and increasing the support for Ukraine.
01:49So there's a lot more to be done.
01:51EU foreign ministers are hoping to expand the EU blacklist of Russian individuals responsible for the deportation and forced adoption
02:00of Ukrainian children.
02:03Maria Malmöstenegard also noted a change in the atmosphere of these meetings following the arrival of Hungarian new government under
02:11Peter Magia.
02:17US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's response to its latest proposal to end the war,
02:24calling it, quote, totally unacceptable in a social media post on Truth Social.
02:28Trump did not elaborate further, but in an earlier post he did accuse Tehran of playing games with the United
02:34States for nearly 50 years.
02:37Iran had sent its response to Washington's latest proposal via Pakistani mediators on Sunday.
02:44State television reported that Tehran rejected it as it insists on war reparations by the U.S.,
02:50full Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,
02:53an end to sanctions and the release of seized Iranian assets.
02:58The failure to come to an agreement marks the latest setback in efforts to resolve the standoff in the Persian
03:03Gulf,
03:04which has disrupted shipping and sent energy prices soaring.
03:08Trump has previously threatened to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the Strait
03:15and roll back its nuclear program.
03:17And on its end, Iran warned the United States it would no longer refrain from retaliatory attacks.
03:27Beijing has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to China on Wednesday on a three-day state
03:34visit.
03:35Trump is set to discuss trade in Iran with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
03:40He is also expected to urge Beijing to use its influence to pressure Iran into making a deal with Washington.
03:48The visit to China will be the first by a U.S. president since Trump last went there in 2017.
03:54He was expected to travel to China earlier this year, but his trip was postponed due to the Iran war.
04:02Trump has often praised his ties with Xi, but China and the U.S. remain at odds over several key
04:08issues,
04:09such as trade tariffs, Beijing's relation with Iran, and Taiwan.
04:14The U.S. president's visit will include a welcome ceremony, a meeting with Xi, a tour of the Temple of
04:20Heaven, and a state banquet.
04:26Dozens of passengers from the Hantavirus-hit cruise ship were represented home on Sunday aboard military and government planes
04:33after the vessel anchored in the Canary Islands.
04:37Spanish passengers were the first to leave the cruise ship following its arrival in Tenerife,
04:42with none of the passengers showing symptoms, according to first medical checks.
04:47Hours later, a plane that evacuated French passengers landed in Paris.
04:53According to a statement by the French Prime Minister, Sébastien Le Conneux,
04:57one of the five French passengers developed symptoms on the flight,
05:00and all were put into strict isolation, with plans to be tested.
05:06The last evacuating flight is expected to leave for Australia on Monday.
05:11According to the WHO, all passengers on board are classified as, quote,
05:16high-risk contacts, but the risk to the general public and the people of the Canaries remained low.
05:23Meanwhile, in Italy, authorities say at least four people are in quarantine in the country
05:28after briefly boarding the flight with one of the victims.
05:35The drought situation in Hungary is becoming increasingly severe.
05:39In some places, the soil is lacking 120 milliliters of moisture.
05:43The water shortage is most alarming in the Great Plain.
05:46To alleviate the situation and develop an immediate water management plan,
05:49Peter Majar has asked Laszlo Gaidos, future minister of environment,
05:53in the Titsa government to take action.
05:55Due to the April drought, Gaidos has urged everyone who can to refrain from mowing their lawns,
06:00at least through May, explaining that frequent mowing requires much more water.
06:04The deputy spokesperson for the National Water Authority says that based on rainfall over the past five years,
06:10they are effectively missing a full year's worth of precipitation.
06:13According to Attila Segi, to better distribute existing water resources,
06:17infrastructure must be made more flexible, and public engagement is also crucial.
06:57The levels of Hungary's rivers, lakes, and even groundwater are critically low.
07:02The mayor of a town on the shore of Lake Valens says
07:04water scarcity has long been a topic discussion among local leaders.
07:10If water is diverted from the Danube, it's only a temporary solution.
07:14In the long term, only a new pipeline system would resolve the lake situation.
07:46The current water level is about 60-70 centimeters lower than optimal.
07:55Concern is mounting in Cyprus over this year's tourism outlook due to the war in Iran,
07:59and initial data showing a significant drop in arrivals in April and the first days of May,
08:04ranging from 30 to 40 percent.
08:07Euronews visited Agia Napa, where the absence of tourists is evident.
08:12Business owners say that events in the Middle East have significantly impacted the situation.
08:18The sun is shining, temperatures are around 20 degrees Celsius,
08:22the businesses are open, but what's missing is the tourists.
08:25We can't say there's nobody here, of course,
08:28but locals tell us that they're well down on the figures they had last year.
08:31Tourism business owners in Agia Napa are seeing a very different picture this May,
08:35compared to last year's record-breaking season.
08:38Normally, it's busy the boats, busy the hotels, busy all the restaurants.
08:43At this time, normally, all the hotels almost was fully booked last year.
08:48Compared to this year, I think so, we are lower numbers from last year, about 30 to 40 percent.
08:54The mayor of Agia Napa, Christos Zanet, to emphasize that the situation in the Middle East has caused significant damage,
09:00but tourists have begun to realize that Cyprus is a safe destination.
09:04That is why, as he says, there is now recovery.
09:07To 2025, it was the best tourist period in Cipro, especially in Agia Napa,
09:14from the 2019, but when we talk about arrhythmic increases, we must also have to understand this.
09:21In the last two weeks, we see an explosion.
09:24We believe that the world believes in Agia Napa, in Cipro, that it is an safe place,
09:31and it seems that it begins to be an interest for the buildings to move on.
09:36Tourists who have started visiting Cyprus don't seem worried about anything.
09:40As they say, they are enjoying the sun, the sea, and the beauty of Cyprus.
09:44We have decided to go on a little bit for a while.
09:48I wanted to go on a little bit, but the sun is very close to us.
09:54We have seen a little bit of a little bit of water, so we have to go on a little
09:57bit of water.
09:59Some tourists, however, haven't forgotten what's going on in the world right now.
10:03It's very nice to us.
10:05Unfortunately, the world-critical situation is a bit relaxed, and we hope for a soon peace for the whole world.
10:16In May, flights from the UK are operating at 92% capacity.
10:25Eurovision kicked off in Vienna on Sunday, with thousands of fans flocking to the city ahead of the grand finale
10:32next weekend.
10:33As part of the opening ceremony, all contestants walk down the turquoise carpet in the afternoon.
10:39Finland is expected to be a fan favorite this year with singer Pete Parkinen and violinist Linda Lampenius.
10:46Instruments are usually pre-recorded, but organizers have made an exception to allow Lampenius to play live, according to Finnish
10:53media.
10:54The feeling, it has to come from here, from the heart.
10:58And we have this story, it's a duet, which comes from stories.
11:03We have really experienced these things for real in life.
11:08This year's contest is taking place amid several boycotts from Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia.
11:16The countries are refusing to participate due to the contest allowing Israel to participate, despite criticism over war crimes in
11:24Gaza.
11:38Eurovision is one of the world's biggest music events attracting millions of viewers each year.
11:44Its finale will take place on the 16th of May.
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