Latest news bulletin | March 16th – Morning - video Dailymotion

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00:00 Russian forces may be currently committing tactical and operational reserves to fighting

00:08 in eastern Ukraine in an effort to maintain and potentially intensify the tempo of ongoing

00:14 Russian offensive operations, says the Institute for the Study of War, adding that the Russian

00:20 ability to make significant gains is still dependent on the level of Western support

00:24 for Ukraine and continued delays in Western security assistance will increase the risk

00:30 of operationally significant Russian gains in the long run.

00:34 Difficult weather and terrain conditions in spring 2024 will likely constrain effective

00:39 mechanized maneuver on both sides of the line and further limit Russian capabilities to

00:44 make significant tactical advances while the ground is still muddy.

00:50 Russian forces are reportedly preparing for a new offensive effort in late May or summer

00:55 2024 and Western security assistance to Ukraine will likely play a significant role in determining

01:03 the prospects of that effort.

01:09 EU member states voted in favor of a landmark new law known as the due diligence, requiring

01:15 companies to check supply chains for dodgy environmental and labor practices.

01:21 Europe wants to make sure that companies respect labor rights and environmental rules throughout

01:26 the supply chain.

01:27 A done deal was made back in December, but some countries like Germany and Italy finally

01:32 refused to approve the text.

01:35 They watered down the deal, which means that far fewer companies will be under scope.

01:41 If the original commission proposal with the original thresholds would have applied to

01:45 about 1% of EU companies in the single market, we now estimate that the current version adopted

01:52 by Council will only apply to 0.05% of companies, EU companies active in the single market.

02:00 We are not able to give an estimation for non-EU companies that can also fall into scope

02:05 at certain conditions.

02:07 So it's just, it's not even, you can't even speak of a minority of companies covered.

02:12 It's a drop in the water and it will clearly only apply to very large, very rich companies,

02:18 which is something that we forcefully denounce.

02:20 The text has also removed civil liability provisions, which would allow trade unions

02:25 to sue non-compliant firms.

02:28 But despite this, experts say that there are still reasons to celebrate.

02:33 We denounce the fact that member states have tried all of the dirty games in the book to

02:38 try and cut as many companies out of scope, because we really do believe that the criteria

02:43 set out by the original compromise were fair and feasible for companies.

02:48 But this doesn't mean that there is nothing to celebrate for tonight.

02:52 For once, this legislation is an unprecedented global precedent, because it's the first legislation

02:57 in the world that actually sets the legal expectation I was referring to, that actually

03:02 says companies are expected not to harm human rights, and that is the law of the land.

03:08 Now member states have two years to implement the law.

03:11 Meanwhile, companies need to get ready to apply the new rules.

03:21 Polish farmers blocking a border crossing with Slovakia.

03:25 They're protesting against the transport through this frontier of what they describe as uncontrolled

03:30 loads of grain from countries including Ukraine.

03:34 Farmers are also angry about restrictions placed on them by the EU's Green Deal plan

03:38 to tackle climate change.

04:00 Farmers across Europe have been calling for changes to restrictions placed on them under

04:04 the Green Deal and the reimposition of custom duties on agricultural imports from Ukraine.

04:12 Polish farmers say this border blockade will stay in place until the end of the month.

04:20 Elderly citizens and retirees can now find jobs as Olympic security guards in Paris.

04:27 The recruitment campaign has been launched in response to the shortage of younger candidates.

04:32 Seniors are being called in to help with bag searches, ticket checks and surveillance.

04:37 Nearly 7,000 people are still needed.

04:42 Over 180,000 retired people aged 62 to 65 have been asked to lend a helping hand, and

04:48 600 of them have already accepted.

04:50 - Back up.

04:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Latest news bulletin | March 16th – Morning

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