2020-12-25

France

Letter scheme aims to combat loneliness

More than 704,000 letters have been sent to the elderly by “1 letter 1 smile” during isolation this year.

25/12/2020

USA

MIllions in US on brink of losing job benefits as shutdown looms

Congress has approved a $900 billion stimulus package but President Trump is blocking it.

25/12/2020

No Comment

Russian Father Frosts surprise children at hospital

Russian volunteers dressed in "Father Frost" costumes abseiled down the sides of a Moscow children's hospital on Friday to wish the young patients inside a Happy New Year.

25/12/2020

USA

Nashville hit with explosion believed to be 'intentional'

Three people were hurt on Friday when an explosion rocked a mostly deserted street in central Nashville.

25/12/2020

No Comment

Michel Barnier and Boris Johnson present the new post-Brexit deal

EU ambassadors gathered on Christmas day to be briefed on the post-Brexit deal struck a deal earlier between the bloc and the UK.

25/12/2020

No Comment

Parade marks opening of new runway at Moscow airport

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport on Thursday opened its newly reconstructed runway. After the official opening and the ribbon cutting by senior managers at the airport, dozens of airfield vehicles marked the event.

25/12/2020

No Comment

COVID-19: Christmas Masses held in open-air or in a basketball arena

At St. Mary's church in Berlin, several services are offered so that everyone can gather in safety for Christmas mass amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

25/12/2020

United Kingdom

Watch: 'You are not alone' says Queen Elizabeth in Christmas speech

The British monarch said that there is "hope in the new dawn" and praised all those who have "risen magnificently to the challenges" of the year.

25/12/2020

United Kingdom

Over 1,000 UK soldiers deployed to test stuck truckers in Dover

Thousands of truck drivers have been stuck in southeast England awaiting COVID-19 tests to cross into France.

25/12/2020

Vatican

Pope Francis calls for needy, vulnerable to get COVID-19 vaccine first

"Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy," who should be first in line, Francis said in his "Urbi and Orbi" message delivered indoors this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

25/12/2020

Russia

Navalny ally under investigation for 'threatening' FSB agent

Police raided the home of activist Lyubov Sobol on Christmas day after she knocked at the door of an alleged FSB agent who Alexei Navalny says took part in the plot to poison him.

25/12/2020

World News

US to require negative COVID-19 test from UK travelers

The US is the latest country to announce new travel restrictions because of a new strain of coronavirus that is spreading in Britain and elsewhere.

25/12/2020

Earth News

Northern Lights Photographer of the Year showcases stunning phenomenon

The award aims to educate people about these natural light shows.

25/12/2020

My Europe Series

Europe's week: Vaccine approval and a final dose of Brexit

With Christmas finally upon us this week, so was the welcome news of the EMA's vaccine approval. But failure to secure a Brexit agreement still plagued European leaders, as the continent shut its borders to the UK over fears of a mutant COVID-19 strain spreading further outside of Britain.

25/12/2020

Vatican

Former papal palace offers shelter and hope to Rome's homeless

Life has not always been kind to these people, but now they can enjoy the comfort and the beauty of this 17th century noble palace.

25/12/2020

France

Christmas Eve concert held in Paris' fire-wrecked Notre Dame

It was the first event of this kind since the Paris landmark was devastated by fire in April 2019.

25/12/2020

World News

Christmas in times of coronavirus, from Bethlehem to Rome

From Bethlehem to Rome and beyond, coronavirus restrictions dampened Christmas Eve celebrations on Thursday.

25/12/2020

Earth News

How is climate change hurting reindeer populations in the Arctic?

The livelihoods of Indigenous communities are also under threat in Sweden and Finland.

25/12/2020