Latest news bulletin | December 30th, 2025 – Midday
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this December 30th, 2025 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
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00:00U.S. President Donald Trump has told Hamas there will be, quote, hell to pay if it does not disarm soon.
00:10French President Emmanuel Macron announced that allies of Kiev will discuss security guarantees in Paris in early January to finalize a peace deal with Russia.
00:21Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Korty's party secured a commanding victory in snap parliamentary elections.
00:30Starting on the 1st of January 2026, Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the Eurozone. What does it mean for its economy?
00:42U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hamas must disarm soon if they do not want to face severe consequences.
00:52His comments were made at a press conference in Florida after talks with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
01:00In which the two leaders discussed, among other things, the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
01:06If they don't disarm, as they agreed to do, they agreed to it, and then they'll be held to pay for them.
01:13And we don't want that. We're not looking for that. But they have to disarm within a fairly short period of time.
01:19The second phase, which is expected to start in January, includes a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the establishment of a Palestinian committee to temporarily govern Gaza.
01:33Trump said he expected the reconstruction of Gaza to begin, quote, pretty soon, but gave no further details about a timeline or who would be responsible for the reconstruction.
01:44The Palestinian enclave has been widely destroyed in more than two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
01:52French President Emmanuel Macron announced that allies of Kiev will also discuss security guarantees in Paris in early January.
02:04The gathering will aim to finalize concrete guarantees for Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia.
02:10Macron made this announcement after speaking with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, U.S. President Donald Trump, and other European leaders.
02:16Macron's statement came right after Trump and Zelensky declared significant progress in their bilateral meeting in Florida.
02:23Trump said Ukraine and Russia are closer than ever before to a peace deal after a two-and-a-half-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin.
02:30The leaders discussed Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan, which Zelensky said is 90% ready.
02:36Zelensky said Ukraine is ready for peace, but stressed results on the battlefield are vital for diplomacy.
02:41While Kiev and Europe are concerned with security guarantees, Russia is focused on land.
02:47Kremlin's first reaction came from spokesman Dmitry Peskov, saying that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the remaining parts of Donbass if it wants peace,
02:55implying further territorial losses, or continue with fighting otherwise.
02:59Russia launched dozens of drones into Ukraine overnight into Monday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to agree on extensive security guarantees.
03:17Ukraine's Air Force said its air defenses shot down 21 out of 25 drones launched by Russia.
03:22One man was killed in the city of Orykiv in the Zaporizhia region in an attack with a guided aerial bomb, according to the regional military administration.
03:32While European leaders welcomed progress made on security guarantees for Ukraine, many Ukrainians remain skeptical.
03:40Trump was saying a lot of things like Russia was wishing us good and is going to help to rebuild Ukraine.
03:47What do you mean? They're destroying Ukraine. And now he's just saying things that don't make sense at all.
03:54I absolutely don't have any expectations that they keep the word, keep the guarantees.
04:03Well, there's no. It's just a country in which there's no global idea, except for its own benefits.
04:12Russia's defense ministry said on Monday that it shot down 89 Ukrainian drones overnight.
04:19Explosions reportedly rocked Russia's Khanskaya military airfield in the southern Russian city of Maikop.
04:26Ukraine's military has not commented on the alleged attack.
04:30In a televised briefing with military officials on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said forces would continue their operations in the Donbass on the front line in accordance with the plans of the general staff.
04:42Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is set for another term in office after his party secured a commanding victory in snap parliamentary elections on Sunday.
04:56With nearly all ballots counted, the left-leaning self-determination party won around 50 percent of votes, substantially ahead of two center-right parties.
05:04The elections followed a 10-month deadlock after Kurti's party won the most votes in February but failed to form a government.
05:14It remained unclear whether his party secured the 61 seats in parliament needed to govern alone.
05:22Kurti said his government formation would proceed as quickly as possible.
05:25And I look forward to cooperation with opposition regarding some international agreements that are pending and we need a two-third majority for them.
05:39Kurti's government will have the challenge of approving a budget for next year in a country with one of Europe's poorest economies.
05:45He has also taken a hard-line position in EU-mediated talks on normalizing relations with Belgrade, a condition the EU has set for the country's accession path.
05:59Starting on the 1st of January 2026, Bulgaria will become the 21st member of the Eurozone, with the euro replacing the left as its national currency.
06:09The Balkan country of 6.5 million people joined the EU in 2007 and formally began the process of joining the Eurozone in 2018.
06:19It now respects the four Maastricht criteria to join the currency bloc.
06:22Price stability with an inflation rate of 2.7% in 2024, sound public finances with public debt and deficit levels of 24% and 3% of GDP in 2024, exchange rate stability and long-term interest rate stability.
06:40In 2024, Bulgaria was the poorest EU country in terms of GDP per capita.
06:45It is also the EU country the most affected by poverty, with more than 21% of its population living below the poverty line.
06:54Brussels and Sofia hope joining the Eurozone will boost the country's economy and strengthen its European integration.
07:00The bigger effect is the long-term effect, basically boosting confidence when it comes to the currency, to the purchasing power of the currency, the confidence of foreign investors, people who buy Bulgarian debt, but also people who invest in the country.
07:17Peter Ganef thinks that joining the Eurozone will unimaginably contribute to inflation.
07:22It's not the main factor. The main factor is the consumption, which is supported by inflationary budget and by record-high credits, especially for new homes.
07:38But it's political instability that might negatively impact Bulgaria's economy.
07:43The government resigned in mid-December after weeks of anti-corruption protests.
07:48Chinese fighter jets and warships have flooded the waters surrounding Taiwan as Chinese troops conduct drills simulating the seizure of ports.
07:59Beijing ordered the extraordinary military exercises after the autonomous island concluded a major arms procurement deal with the United States.
08:08The move coincided with a statement by Japan's Prime Minister, who said Japan would provide military assistance to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
08:16Beijing tested not only the combat readiness of its Air Force and Navy, but also placed its medium- and long-range missiles on high alert on land.
08:25Taiwan's leadership described this as a direct threat of war.
08:29Taiwan's defense ministry said in a post on X that rapid response exercises were underway with forces on high alert to defend the island.
08:55In a separate statement, it said it had deployed appropriate forces in response, conducting combat readiness drills.
09:02The most likely scenario, however, is that this is yet another show of force and no one will attack.
09:07Some of the biggest names in sports are gathering in Dubai this week for the inaugural World Sports Summit.
09:14The two-day event brings together current and former athletes, industry experts and decision makers to promote sports as a positive force that transcends borders.
09:23Held under the theme, uniting the world through sports, the summit has drawn more than 1,500 participants from over 80 countries.
09:32From world champions to sports executives and policy makers, the focus goes far beyond what happens on the field.
09:39Now it's very important because a lot of Ukrainian people, soldiers, children, say, hey, it's important because you win, it's motivated people, people believe it's true, it's possible.
10:02Along with celebrating major athletic achievements, the summit also discussed the dark side of sports, the strain on mental health, intense public pressure and being away from loved ones for long periods of time.
10:15Many people might not really assess how important this is and when the athletes, and you've seen the names today, you've seen the level of athletes that we had, the level of validation and comfort they had that we have really opened up to discuss these points was amazing to hear and for them to be part of those conversations.
10:37It's a beautiful, beautiful event here in Dubai, bringing together, gathering, really the best of the best in the sports world.
10:47Of course, I represent football, which is the best sport anyway, but even just the football legends who are here, world champions, not just the administrator, but these legends, they make the hearts beat in football, but also all the others who are here from the other sports.
11:04As global sport continues to grow and evolve, Dubai is positioning itself as a place where those conversations can happen, inspiring future generations and bringing the world together through sport.
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