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00:00Israel says a last-minute crisis with Hamas is preventing the government from approving
00:06a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
00:10Over a thousand people attended the memorial ceremony in Paris for the late Jean-Marie
00:14Le Pen, the founder of France's main far-right party, who died at the age of 96.
00:21Bulgaria's parliament has approved a new coalition government led by the pro-EU and pro-NATO
00:27bloc party.
00:31Irregular entries into the European Union have reached their lowest level in three years,
00:37according to Frontex.
00:44Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a last-minute crisis with Hamas is
00:50preventing the approval of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages.
00:57On Thursday, the government said that some things that were agreed on had now been changed
01:02and that it won't meet to approve the agreement until Hamas backs down.
01:25Families of fallen Israeli soldiers displayed coffins in Jerusalem on Thursday at a protest
01:30against the ceasefire deal.
01:32They said if agreed upon, it would be surrendering to Hamas without reaching the goals of the
01:37war.
01:49Meanwhile Palestinians in Gaza have reported heavy Israeli bombardment as people were celebrating
01:54the ceasefire deal.
01:56The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 70 people were killed in airstrikes in the
02:00strip overnight.
02:02Since the war began, Israel's offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly
02:08women and children, according to the health ministry.
02:17Over 1,000 people attended a memorial ceremony in central Paris for the founder of France's
02:21main far-right party, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who died last week at the age of 96.
02:28The mass took place under tight security as Le Pen was a polarizing figure convicted multiple
02:33times of anti-Semitism, discrimination and inciting racial violence.
02:42Family members, including his daughter Marine Le Pen, who is now the leading far-right figure
02:46in France, other National Rally Party officials and long-standing supporters gathered inside
02:51the church.
02:57A private funeral took place last week in Jean-Marie Le Pen's hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer
03:02in Brittany.
03:07Bulgaria's parliament has formally approved a coalition government led by the pro-European
03:13party.
03:14Nearly three months after elections resulted in a deeply divided parliament, lawmakers voted
03:18125 to 114 to elect Rozen Zelyazkov as prime minister.
03:25His center-right party has pledged to restore financial stability and keep Bulgaria on a
03:30pro-EU and pro-NATO track.
03:42The GERB party finished first in October's early elections, the 7th in three years, but
03:53won only 69 seats in the 240-seat National Assembly.
03:58Zelyazkov and his party had made, quote, the necessary compromises addressing the ideological
04:04differences with its two junior partners, the pro-Russia Socialist Party, BSP, and the
04:10populist group There Is Such People.
04:17Giorgia Meloni has denied having discussions about a deal with Elon Musk to provide secure
04:22telecommunications for the Italian government.
04:25Not only did Italy's Prime Minister Meloni confirmed it in the end-of-year presser postponed
04:29to January, but a statement issued earlier by her office said that no agreement had been
04:34signed.
04:35But what would the deal mean for Italy-EU relations and what about the security concerns
04:40at play?
04:41The government insists the EU's efforts to breach the gap with Starlink might have arrived
04:45a bit too late.
05:10From a political standpoint, the deal could have a significant impact on several fronts.
05:20The EU Commission explained that Italy is a sovereign state and that the agreement would
05:25not be compatible with Iris Square, the EU's flagship satellite system project.
05:55An Italian representative for Musk's aerospace businesses stated that Italy would have full
06:00control of its data.
06:01Ferdiano Finucci, a journalist and author who recently wrote a book on the use of satellites
06:05in conflicts around the world, believes there is more to it.
06:29George Orlandi, for Euronews, in Rome.
06:55Pope Francis fell on Thursday and hurt his right arm, just weeks after a similar incident
07:01in which he injured his chin.
07:04Francis didn't break his arm, but a sling was put on as a precaution.
07:08The incident occurred at his home in the Vatican.
07:10The 88-year-old pope has battle medical problems, including long bouts of bronchitis and a major
07:16intestinal surgery.
07:18He often has to use a wheelchair because of bad knees.
07:22But despite constant speculation about his health, Francis says he has no plans to resign.
07:36Irregular entries into the European Union have reached their lowest level in three years.
07:42239,000 irregular border crossings into the EU were recorded in 2024, according to Frontex,
07:50the European Border and Coast Guard agency.
07:53This represents a 38% drop compared to 2023.
08:20Irregular border crossings in the Central Mediterranean and Western Balkans fell by
08:3859% and 78% respectively in one year.
08:43On the other hand, irregular arrivals to the Canary Islands have increased by 18% in a
08:49year, putting pressure on Spain.
08:51They have nearly tripled at the EU's eastern land borders, mainly due to Belarus's use
08:57of migrants as a tool to destabilize the EU.
09:03Irregular migration flows do not disappear as a result of these policies, but their direction
09:09and also the level of risk for human life might change.
09:14So increased surveillance or deterrence measures along certain routes might have an impact
09:23on the change.
09:25However, these figures should be taken with caution as some crossings go undetected.
09:31They also do not distinguish between economic migrants and asylum seekers.
09:36For instance, how many people actually of those who have attempted to enter, despite
09:43the many obstacles they have to escape from unsafety and war, how many of those numbers
09:49hide asylum seekers, people legitimately seeking asylum with a right to asylum in Europe?
09:56How many of the people behind those numbers have lost their lives in their ways to Europe?
10:02In 2024, more than 2,300 people were reported missing crossing the Mediterranean.
10:12The European Union has expressed its support for the announced ceasefire in the Gaza conflict,
10:18voicing hope that it will end civilian suffering and lead to the release of hostages.
10:23The European Union warmly welcomes the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which will allow the face
10:29release of the hostages, ending their terrible ordeal that has lasted for more than 15 months
10:35and eased the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.
10:39It is vital that the deal is fully implemented to allow all the hostages to be released and
10:45to ensure a permanent end to hostilities.
10:49The European Union didn't play a part in the negotiations of the ceasefire agreement, which
10:55has yet to be approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
11:00However, they were quick to react.
11:04European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the two parties to implement
11:09the agreement.
11:11Also, the President of the European Parliament, Roberto Mazzola, points out that it could
11:18be a turning point for a sustainable peace.
11:21For his part, the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, calls for the ceasefire
11:27to allow immediate access to necessary humanitarian aid.
11:32This latest flare-up in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has left more than 46,000 Palestinians
11:39and over 1,200 Israelis dead.