Latest news bulletin | December 19th – Morning - video Dailymotion

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00:00Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in

00:06the Turkish capital Ankara.

00:09The leaders held a meeting to discuss their bilateral ties, as well as the ongoing regional

00:13crises.

00:14Mikati says the situation on the ground is dire, with the country still suffering repercussions

00:20of months of Israeli attacks.

00:23The Lebanese premier says the ceasefire agreement between his country and Israel was meant to

00:27offer some respect and initiate the healing process.

00:31But Mikati notes that Israel is preventing Beirut from doing so.

00:35This aggression is directly linked to a military misfortune through the daily violations committed

00:46by the Israeli enemy, and this is contrary to the ceasefire agreements.

00:54Erdogan called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to comply with

00:59the ceasefire agreement.

01:01He has also expressed Turkey's commitment to protecting Syria's territory following

01:05the dramatic downfall of President Bashar al-Assad.

01:09The comment is likely directed at Israel, who have recently occupied a buffer zone

01:12in the annexed Golan Heights.

01:14The protection of Syria's territorial integrity and its unitary structure is another aspect

01:21that our country will never compromise.

01:26Turkey will make every necessary contribution to the people of Syria, as it did at the beginning

01:34of the conflict.

01:38Mikati hailed Ankara's pivotal role in ensuring the region's stability and agreed

01:43with Erdogan's position.

01:46The Lebanese leader says his government will work with Syria in aims of establishing ties

01:50based on mutual respect and good neighborliness.

01:56After concluding a visit to Damascus and meeting the new administration, the UN envoy to Syria,

02:01Guy Peterson, said the country needs a political transition that will be credible and inclusive

02:05for the Syrian society.

02:07According to the envoy, this process should take place under a UN resolution adopted in

02:112015 to help negotiate a political solution in the country.

02:15Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Peterson also mentioned of forming a new constitution.

02:22There is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria.

02:27A new Syria that in line with Security Council Resolution 2254 will adopt a new constitution

02:34that will ensure that it is a social contract, a new social contract for all Syrians.

02:41And that we will have free and fair elections when that time comes after a transitional

02:47period.

02:48It is not yet clear if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the main former rebel group now in

02:53control of Syria, will pursue such a process.

02:56The group has set up an interim administration comprising members of its Salvation Government.

03:01It will oversee the country until March, but the new ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have not made

03:06clear how the transition to a new fully empowered government would take place.

03:23Sexual violence against children is on the rise in Europe as new forms of abuse emerge

03:29with the development of new technologies.

03:33The EU wants to update its 2011 Directive on Combating Child Sexual Abuse, but the original

03:39proposal was watered down by the Ministers of Justice.

03:44Member states, including Belgium and Finland, regret the removal of certain parts of the

03:48text.

03:49We are concerned about several elements.

03:54In particular, for example, member states have expressly opposed to acknowledging the

04:01text that a child that is freezing or intoxicated would be considered as not consenting to child

04:09sexual abuse.

04:10Member states have also objected to significantly extend the limitation periods for victims

04:17to be able to report their abuse.

04:20Member states have also objected to consider and to cover the grooming of children above

04:27the age of consent.

04:29The proposal aims to update criminal law by making live streaming of child sexual abuse

04:35illegal, as well as the possession and exchange of pedophile manuals or deepfake images.

04:43It also provides for an extension of the time period within which victims can file a complaint.

04:48For their part, MEPs should support a more ambitious directive.

04:53In this directive, we only talk about the crime itself and the sanctions.

04:58And one important point we want to see is that there is a longer statute of limitation,

05:05because many children, after being abused, they take years and even decades before they

05:11dare to go to a court, to a police station.

05:14So this is a very important step that is missing in the current directive.

05:19The text is still open for amendment.

05:21After a vote by MEPs, negotiations will take place between the Commission, the Consul and

05:26the European Parliament.

05:27In Europe, it is estimated that one in five children is a victim of sexual violence.

05:33In 2022 alone, there were 1.5 million reports of child sexual abuse in the EU.

05:44Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union have initialed a border security agreement

05:49with EU border agency Frontex on Wednesday in Sarajevo, marking a key step towards EU

05:55integration, as Brussels holds the EU Western Balkans Summit on the same day, intending

06:01on strengthening EU Western Balkans integration.

06:04Luigi Soreca, the EU ambassador for Bosnia and Herzegovina, spoke on its importance.

06:11The agreement which is going to be initialed today attests to our partnership, the European

06:17Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to our shared commitment to enhance security, stability

06:24and cooperation in this critical area in Europe.

06:30Director for Schengen Borders, Henrik Nielsen, emphasised the importance of mutual respect

06:36and cooperation in the negotiation process.

06:40We have always listened to each other, we have always taken into account each other's

06:47concerns and that has now brought us here today where we have this fully agreed text

06:52which is really a pleasure for me to note.

06:56This agreement means that Frontex officers will now be deployed at Bosnia's borders helping

07:01identify security needs.

07:03According to officials, the agreement will be signed by the end of February or early March.

07:09Russian troops are closing in on Pokrovsk from the east and from the south.

07:22They are now approximately three kilometres away from this key logistics hub sitting on

07:28the western edge of Donetsk region.

07:31UK defence ministry states they are approaching the south of Pokrovsk after the capture of

07:35Shevchenko village just south of the city, around two to five kilometres away from Pokrovsk.

07:41Shevchenko itself lies at the intersection of two routes leading into the town.

07:46So the UK defence ministry assesses that Russia will likely continue to make gains towards

07:51Pokrovsk while also continuing to advance westwards to the centre of the town.

07:57The Institute for the Study of War reported, according to Russian mill bloggers, Russian

08:01forces drove Ukrainian forces out of Novotroitsk, south-west of Pokrovsk, and advanced in these

08:07areas south, south-east and south-west of Pokrovsk.

08:12Now, Pokrovsk is the key stronghold in the south-western part of Donetsk region, holding

08:18back Russian forces from advancing further towards Dnipropetrovsk region and the regional

08:23capital of Dnipro, home to one million people and serving as the main hub for Kiev's operations

08:31in south-eastern Ukraine.

08:38Russia's security service says a 29-year-old Uzbekistan citizen has been detained over

08:44the killing of Igor Kirilov, a top Russian general.

08:48Kirilov was killed outside an apartment building on Tuesday after an explosion from a device

08:53hidden in an electric scooter.

08:56The SBU, Ukraine's security service, claimed responsibility for Kirilov's death on Tuesday.

09:02He was in charge of the Russian military's nuclear, biological and chemical protection

09:06forces.

09:08Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev vowed to retaliate against

09:13Kiev.

09:26U.N. spokesman Stefan Dzharik urged all parties involved to exercise restraint.

09:38Meanwhile, the U.S. government says they were not informed or involved in Kirilov's assassination.

09:44It's not something that we were involved in.

09:46Obviously, he was a general who was involved in a number of atrocities.

09:52He was involved in the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian military.

09:56It's something the United States has publicly assessed before.

10:01Russia has denied using any chemical weapons in Ukraine and in turn has accused Kiev of

10:05using toxic agents in combat.

10:13More and more Norwegians are facing increased poverty.

10:17The impact is seen at the increasingly long queues for the country's Salvation Army Christmas

10:21aid.

10:23According to their poverty index, one in five Norwegians struggles to make ends meet.

10:29This week, the Salvation Army will distribute food boxes with Christmas food to 1,400 Norwegian

10:35families.

10:36I never thought I would be a person who needed help in this way, so for me it has been a

10:43long way to go.

10:47After years of high prices, more people are coming to the Salvation Army for help.

10:52Most people who come to them also receive benefits from the Norwegian Labor and Welfare

10:57Administration.

10:59The charity organization is now making an appeal to the government.

11:03We see that our queues are increasing, many more need help, so the challenge is that social

11:11assistance should be increased.

11:14People's struggles during Christmas this year are especially prevalent in families

11:18with children.

11:20Earlier this year, the Norwegian National Institute for Consumer Research released a

11:24report concluding that social assistance should be increased.

Latest news bulletin | December 19th – Morning

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