Pope Francis to mark Christmas Eve with launch of Jubilee year

• 4:23 PM

1 min

Pope Francis will open the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Christmas Eve to kick off Jubilee 2025. The door, which is usually bricked up, will remain open for the year to welcome an expected 30 million pilgrims. By walking through the

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Five men jailed by Amsterdam court over violence against Israelis at November soccer game

• 4:23 PM

1 min

An Amsterdam District Court on Tuesday imposed sentences of up to six months against five men who were involved in violence which erupted around a Uefa Europa League football match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. St

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Staying in office is the main challenge for troubled France's new government settling in

• 4:18 PM

1 min

France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. The most urgent order of business is passing a 2025 budget. Financial markets, ratings agencies and the European Commission are

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Germany: far-right AfD holds march in city hit by Christmas market attack

• 2:05 PM

1 min

Germany's far-right AfD party on Monday held what it called a "memorial" rally for victims of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market that has newly inflamed debate on migrant and security policy. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Berlin, Jörd Tas

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France gets fourth new government of the year; it must fix the budget while avoiding collapse

• 1:56 PM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country's budget. Analysis by Europe correspondent and columnist for Blick, Richard Werly.

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Five men convicted over Amsterdam football violence against Israelis

• 1:45 PM

1 min

A Dutch court on Tuesday convicted five men for their part in last month's violence against Israeli football fans in Amsterdam that shocked the world and sparked accusations of anti-Semitism.

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France's ex-PM Elizabeth Borne named education minister

• 1:42 PM

1 min

Among the familiar faces in France’s new government is Elisabeth Borne, who served as Macron's second Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024 when she resigned in a cabinet reshuffle. The installation of a former prime minister as head of the Education, is seen

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French politicians react to the nomination of the new government

• 1:39 PM

1 min

In France, the country's new PM François Bayrou has named a new cabinet. It includes some serious political heavyweights of French politics, such as two former prime ministers, Elisabeth Borne and Manuel Valls. However, the new cabinet is also heavily st

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French far-right leader Le Pen predicts quick demise of new Bayrou govt

• 11:25 AM

1 min

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Tuesday predicted an early presidential election, saying that President Emmanuel Macron "is finished" a day after his fourth prime minister in a year named a new government. Le Pen is seen as being in a strong pos

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Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

• 11:18 AM

1 min

US President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of 40 federal inmates, taking action ahead of the return of Donald Trump who oversaw a sweeping number of lethal injections during his first term.

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Bethlehem readies for sombre Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza

• 11:17 AM

1 min

Palestinian security forces deployed around the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday with the war in Gaza casting a long shadow over the city's usual celebrations. Missing were the decorations, tourists and pilgrims t

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Sudan is 'largest humanitarian catastrophe in history': Head of International Rescue Committee

• 11:00 AM

1 min

FRANCE 24 spoke to David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). According to the group's annual watchlist of global humanitarian crises, some 10 percent of people in humanitarian need around the world are in Sudan, which

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Voice of 'The Lion King,' Lebo M, returns for prequel 'Mufasa' with signature sound

• 10:59 AM

1 min

Three decades after the original film, 'The Lion King' has roared back in movie theatres with its prequel, 'Mufasa.' A plenty has changed since the original film, but one thing has stayed the same: vocal performances by Lebo M. The legendary composer joi

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Nigeria: dozens die in stampedes at two separate food distributions

• 10:50 AM

1 min

Stampedes during three Christmas charity events across Nigeria have left at least 67 people dead in the past week, many of them children. Families are struggling during the country's worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Details by FRANCE 24 corre

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Mauritius holds out on Chagos deal despite US pressure

• 10:46 AM

1 min

Mauritius is still holding out on a deal to regain control of the strategic Chagos Islands from Britain, despite pressure from the United States which has a key military base there.

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Mozambique's top court confirms Daniel Chapo's win in disputed election

• 10:43 AM

1 min

Mozambique's top court confirmed the victory of ruling party Frelimo in the October election, which has sparked massive protests by opposition groups who say the vote was rigged. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in South Africa, Tom Canetti.

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Israeli military says intercepted projectile that was launched from Yemen

• 10:38 AM

1 min

The Israel military said in a statement that sirens sounded in several areas in central Israel following the launch of a projectile from Yemen. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Jerusalem, Noga Tarnopolsky.

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Emmanuel Macron faces local anger in Mayotte

• 10:37 AM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron faced widespread anger and frustration from residents of Mayotte during a visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is reeling from the devastation wrought by the strongest cyclone to hit the region in nearly a century

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Germany probing possible security lapses after Christmas market attack

• 10:32 AM

1 min

Germany searched on Monday for answers on possible security lapses after a man drove his car into a Christmas market, killing at least five people and casting a renewed spotlight on security and immigration ahead of a snap election. Story by Liza Kaminov

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Hundreds of Christians protest in Syrian capital after Christmas tree burned

• 10:06 AM

1 min

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus early Tuesday to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria.

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Will France's new government manage to pass a budget bill?

• 10:06 AM

1 min

France unveiled a new government composed of former ministers and senior civil servants that Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will hope can oversee the passage of a 2025 budget and prevent a deepening of the country's crisis. Analysis by Renaud Foucart, se

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House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of 'regularly' paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl

• 9:47 AM

1 min

The House Ethics Committee accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that

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Germany's far-right AfD holds march after Christmas market attack

• 9:40 AM

1 min

Germany's far-right AfD party held what it called a "memorial" rally for victims of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market that has newly inflamed debate on migrant and security policy. Story by France 2 and Emily Boyle.

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French PM says Mayotte cyclone likely to have killed 'dozens' not 'thousands'

• 9:29 AM

1 min

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou hit out at "alarmist" claims about a significant death toll from Cyclone Chido, which hit the country's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. Report by Florent Rodo, Achraf Abid and Emily Boyle.

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French Christmas traditions: festivities that continue into the New Year

• 9:29 AM

1 min

Christmas in France would not be complete without free-flowing champagne, oysters or a bûche de Noël. And the French holiday season is longer than most – stretching into the New Year with Epiphany (January 6) and its traditional galettes des rois into Fe

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France's Macron names new government after the previous one collapsed in a budget fight

• 9:26 AM

1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced a new government, after the previous Cabinet collapsed in a historic vote prompted by fighting over the country's budget. Story by Alexandra Quarini and Emily Boyle.

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Syrian Druze brigade reluctant to give up their arms in uncertain times

• 9:18 AM

1 min

Syria's new rulers have called for the disbanding of all armed groups. But in the southwestern town of Suwayda, a small group of Druze fighters are reluctant to give up their arms. These fighters from the Druze religious minority say they prefer to rely

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Hundreds of Syrian Christians protest burning of Christmas tree

• 8:35 AM

1 min

Video clips posted on social media of a public Christmas tree being burned in a Christian majority town near Hama in central Syria sparked a protest in Damascus early Tuesday. Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group said the tree was burned by fore

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Syrian Druze brigade reluctant to give up arms in uncertain times

• 7:07 AM

1 min

Syria's new rulers have called for the disbanding of all armed groups. But in the southwestern town of Suwayda, a small group of Druze fighters are reluctant to give up their arms. Fighters from religious minority say they prefer to rely on their own men

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German president calls for unity in Christmas address after market attack

• 6:30 AM

1 min

In his traditional Christmas address, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for national unity days after a deadly Christmas market attack in Magdeburg reopened a debate on immigration and security weeks before a crunch federal election.

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Trump ally Matt Gaetz paid for underage sex, probe finds

• 4:15 AM

1 min

A new report from the US House Ethics Committee details multiple allegations against former congressman Matt Gaetz, including paying for underage sex, using illegal drugs, and breaking Florida laws on sexual misconduct. Gaetz, who was initially chosen to

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Zelensky accuses Slovak PM Fico of aiding Putin

• 3:59 AM

1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico for his stance on Russian gas imports, accusing him of helping President Vladimir Putin fund the war in Ukraine. This comes after Fico’s visit to Moscow, where he express

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Romania forms new pro-European coalition government amid political crisis

• 2:01 AM

1 min

Romanian lawmakers narrowly approved a new pro-European coalition government on Monday, led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move seeks to end a political crisis sparked by far-right gains in recent elections and the annulment of the presi

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Syrian authorities say armed groups agree to disband, merge under defence ministry

• 12:50 AM

1 min

Syria's new authorities announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the country's rebel groups on their dissolution and integration into the regular defence forces. 

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