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How the French Empire built power through language, schooling and cultural assimilation and what it means today.

UN experts criticise US blockade for endangering human rights and call for an investigation into alleged violations.

Manchester United coy on when captain Bruno Fernandes will return to Premier League action from injury.

A device was detonated after police approached a "suspicious" individual in Moscow, authorities said.

Santa is speeding through his Christmas deliveries, but a sheriff had to stop him for "flying a little too fast".

The vehicle had earlier been involved in a crash and everyone in the surrounding area was safely evacuated before the blast.

Thousands flocked to Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas for the first time since the implementation of the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas peace deal. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has served as the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020, kicked off the celebration during a traditional procession from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, calling for "a Christmas full of light," The Associated Press reported. Upon his arrival at Manger Square, which is named for the manger in which Christian tradition says Jesus was laid after his birth, Pizzaballa said that he came with greetings from the Christian community in Gaza where he held a pre-Christmas Mass on Sunday, the AP reported. "We, all together, we decide to be the light, and the light of Bethlehem is the light of the world," Pizzaballa told the crowd, according to the AP. BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS TO RESUME CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AFTER WAR FORCED A TWO-YEAR PAUSE In November, Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati announced that the city would see a return of Christmas celebrations. "From the heart of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, the city of peace — once again, we ignite the flame of hope and raise our prayers for peace," Canawati said in a video posted to Instagram. "Let us celebrate together the message of Christmas," he added. " Glory to God in the highest — on Earth, peace, goodwill to all. Bethlehem keeps the light alive." Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, started its Christmas festivities on Dec. 6 with the city's first Christmas tree lighting since 2022. "We came to celebrate, watch and enjoy, because for several years we haven't had the chance," said Randa Bsoul, a Palestinian from Haifa, Israel , told Reuters at the time. HISTORIC ITALIAN VILLAGE CREDITED FOR FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENE DRAWS CROWDS FOR 800 YEARS Bethlehem, over which the Palestinian Authority has limited control due to the Oslo Accords, has seen limited, if any, Christmas celebrations over the past two years due to the war in Gaza. During the war, Manger Square featured a nativity scene of baby Jesus surrounded by rubble and barbed wire in homage to the situation in Gaza. During the war, Bethlehem, which relies on tourism, saw a massive drop in visitors. Canawati said earlier this month that the city's unemployment rate jumped from 14% to 65%, according to the AP. Additionally, poverty in Bethlehem soared with approximately 4,000 people left searching for work. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal has largely remained in place, despite both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement. Recently, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said that preparations for the second phase of the plan were underway, following high-level talks in Miami with representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Fox News Digital's Ashley J. DiMella and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States are close to finalizing a framework of security guarantees and economic arrangements tied to a proposed peace plan, while Russia has signaled it will seek significant changes before any agreement to end the war. Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Dec. 22, Zelenskyy said talks with U.S. officials had produced a 20-point plan and accompanying documents that include security guarantees involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners. He acknowledged the framework was not flawless but described it as a tangible step forward. "There are 20 points of the plan, probably not everything is perfect there, but this plan is there," Zelenskyy said. "There are security guarantees between us, the Europeans and the United States of America, there is a framework document." US OFFICIALS TOUT PROGRESS IN TALKS TO REACH 'LASTING AND DURABLE PEACE' BETWEEN UKRAINE, RUSSIA Zelenskyy said a separate bilateral document with Washington covering security guarantees is intended to be reviewed by the U.S. Congress , adding that key annexes critical to Ukraine’s military needs were largely agreed to. "I saw the first developments, there are almost 90%, to be honest, exactly those attachments that are important for us, what our army and Ukraine can count on," he said, describing the draft as "quite decent." He also said a first version of an agreement on Ukraine’s recovery had been prepared, calling it an economic strategy that, together with the security documents, forms "the basic block of all documents." Zelenskyy warned, however, that diplomacy has not reduced the immediate military threat from Russia. He criticized Moscow for rejecting proposals for a Christmas ceasefire , calling it a "bad signal," and warned of potential attacks during the holiday period. MOMENTUM BUILDS IN UKRAINE PEACE PUSH, BUT EXPERTS FEAR PUTIN WON’T BUDGE "When Russia says there will be no Christmas ceasefire, I think that this is, in principle, always what they say, they emphasize intimidation," Zelenskyy said. He added that Ukraine faces an air-defense shortfall and urged civilians to remain vigilant. Reuters also reported that Zelenskyy confirmed Russian forces captured a border village in Ukraine’s Sumy region, taking dozens of civilians and 13 Ukrainian soldiers prisoner. He said Ukrainian troops refrained from striking Russian forces because civilians were present. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the account and that Russia had not commented. On the Russian side, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the U.S. peace proposals, with Moscow expected to formulate its position in the coming days, according to Reuters and Anadolu Agency. Bloomberg News reported that Russia views the 20-point plan agreed to between Ukraine and the U.S. as only a starting point . According to a person close to the Kremlin, Moscow intends to seek key changes, including additional restrictions on Ukraine’s military, arguing that the proposal lacks provisions important to Russia and leaves many questions unanswered. The emerging positions underline a widening gap between Kyiv’s portrayal of progress toward security guarantees and Moscow’s insistence on renegotiating core elements of the U.S.-backed plan as diplomacy continues . Reuters contributed to this report.

Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he was "very disappointed" after his home state of Illinois approved a law allowing medically assisted suicide. Leo, who grew up in Chicago, said he had spoken "explicitly" with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker while the legislation was on his desk and urged him not to sign the bill into law, saying the measure undermines respect for human life from "the very beginning to the very end." "Unfortunately, for different reasons, he decided to sign that bill," Leo told reporters outside Rome. "I am very disappointed about that." The Medical Aid in Dying Act, also referred to as "Deb's Law," was signed into law by Pritzker on Dec. 12 and allows eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication after consultation with their doctors. NY GOV. HOCHUL TO SIGN BILL TO LEGALIZE PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE: 'WHO AM I TO DENY YOU?' The measure was named after Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness who had pushed for the bill's approval. The law takes effect in September 2026, giving participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement required processes and protections. Leo said Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich also urged Pritzker not to sign the bill, but his efforts were unsuccessful. BISHOPS, CATHOLIC GROUPS SLAM CARDINAL CUPICH'S PLAN TO HONOR PRO-ABORTION SEN DICK DURBIN: ‘GREAT SCANDAL’ "I would invite all people, especially in these Christmas days, to reflect upon the nature of human life, the goodness of human life," Leo said. "God became human like us to show us what it means really to live human life, and I hope and pray that the respect for life will once again grow in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death." The state’s six Catholic dioceses have also criticized Pritzker’s decision to sign the bill, saying it puts Illinois "on a dangerous and heartbreaking path." Illinois joins a growing list of states allowing medically assisted suicide. Eleven other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, according to the advocacy group, Death with Dignity, and seven other states are considering allowing it. After signing the bill, Pritzker said the legislation would allow patients with terminal illnesses to "avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives," and said it would be "thoughtfully implemented" to guide physicians and patients through deeply personal decisions. Fox News Digital has reached out to Pritzker's office for comment. Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The blueprint covers a broad range of issues, including territory, security guarantees and postwar reconstruction. But Russia has indicated little willingness to end the war.

The offer was the closest Mr. Zelensky has come to addressing the thorny territorial disputes in Donetsk that have repeatedly derailed peace talks.

Two police officers died in the explosion, the authorities said. Earlier this week a car bomb killed a military commander in the same area of Russia’s capital.

Chi Onwurah speaks out after Marco Rubio accused five Europeans, including two Britons, of ‘seeking to suppress American viewpoints they oppose’ A senior Labour MP has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners. Chi Onwurah, the chair of parliament’s technology select committee, criticised the US government hours after it announced “visa-related” sanctions against five Europeans, including Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford. Continue reading...

Legislation that seeks to curb harmful content is viewed as a threat to Silicon Valley by many Maga politicians UK politics live – latest updates For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech. The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines . Indeed, Elon Musk’s X has been fined €120m (£105m) this month for breaching the DSA . Continue reading...

More than a year after the storm ripped apart families and farms, growers are bullish about strength of their industry Christmas tree farmers in western North Carolina are still rebuilding from last year’s devastating Hurricane Helene , but growers are optimistic about business and the overall strength of their industry in the region. “There’s still a lot of recovery that needs to happen, but we’re in much better shape than we were this time last year … sales are good,” Kevin Gray, owner of Hickory Creek Farm Christmas Trees in Greensboro, said earlier this month, while the buying season was in full swing. Continue reading...