Latest news bulletin | October 7th – Midday
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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00:00 As they mourn civilian victims of Russian airstrikes, Ukraine's president warns his people to expect another harsh, cold winter of war.
00:09 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition's popularity comes under scrutiny on Sunday with state elections in Bavaria and Hesse.
00:19 Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Battel's decade in power is in the balance as polls show his party trailing in Sunday's general election.
00:29 In Khoroza village in eastern Ukraine, rescue workers in what is scarcely recognisable as a children's playground.
00:40 At least 52 people are now known to have died here in Russian airstrikes on Thursday.
00:46 As the 250 remaining residents mourn, a warning from Ukraine's president.
00:52 In winter, Russian terrorists will try to destroy our energy system. They are unable to accept the fact that Ukraine will not be subdued.
01:01 But they will try to make more strikes and to bypass our defence.
01:06 It is very important to win this winter, to overcome all difficulties and to protect our people.
01:13 In Kharkiv, the protection work goes on. Buildings made safe after Russian airstrikes on Friday.
01:20 What's harder to repair is the impact on families. A 10-year-old boy and his grandmother died in the latest attack. No generation is spared.
01:29 An undercover reporting team working for a Latvian TV station helped to crack a people smuggling operation.
01:40 They infiltrated a gang by responding to recruitment advertisements on TikTok and then tipped off border patrols.
01:49 Officials say almost 10,000 border crossing attempts from Belarus have been foiled since September.
01:56 30 smugglers and migrants were detained in the undercover operation.
02:01 A group campaigning for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church and greater equality held a demonstration at the Vatican.
02:16 They were targeting a three-week synod called by Pope Francis.
02:19 Women have long complained they are treated as second-class citizens in the Church, barred from the priesthood and highest ranks of power,
02:26 and yet responsible for the lion's share of its work, teaching in Catholic schools, running Catholic hospitals and passing the faith down to the next generations.
02:44 The level of support for Bavaria's dominant centre-right party will be closely watched when the large and wealthy state goes to the polls on Sunday.
02:52 The Christian Social Union, led by Markus Söder, is expected to win the election and renew its coalition with the Freibhaler party.
03:00 But its popularity fell dramatically in the previous ballot and German media speculate he could face a leadership challenge if there's no significant improvement this time.
03:11 The performance of Freibhaler leader Hubert I. Wanger will also be scrutinized.
03:15 He was tainted by a political row in which he was accused of writing a leaflet expressing far-right views as a student. He denies the accusation.
03:25 People will also vote in Hesse state, where conservatives are again expected to win.
03:30 Both elections are seen as possible indicators of how far support for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition has fallen at a national level.
03:40 Luxembourg goes to the polls on Sunday in an election that could end the ten-year stint of Xavier Bertel as prime minister.
03:50 This Democrat party's ruling coalition with the socialists and Greens is trailing in surveys to the centre-right Christian Social People's Party, which is on course to top the poll.
04:02 The main candidates made a last bid for support in a televised debate on Thursday. No party seems likely to win an outright majority and a period of intense negotiations is likely to follow the vote.
04:14 In the previous two elections, the centre-right failed to form a coalition.
04:18 But this time they're hoping to capitalize on rising anger over the country's dire housing crisis, which has led to rare street protests.
04:31 Both the centre-right and centre-left groups have vowed to take emergency action to provide more affordable homes.
04:39 Sunday's vote may reveal which has been more convincing.
04:44 [SWOOSH]