Plus: Christmas celebrations return to Bethlehem ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. As pressure mounts from the US on Kyiv to reach a peace deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has been meeting European leaders for talks. Europe editor Katya Adler takes a look at the balancing act they're performing. Following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Christmas celebrations have returned to Bethlehem. And finally, watch as an ecstatic dog is reunited with two of her stolen puppies. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | European leaders walk tightrope between backing Ukraine and keeping US on board |
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| | European leaders are fearful that Russia wants to weaken the continent as a whole. Credit: Getty Images | In a busy day of diplomacy for Zelensky, he met the leaders of the UK, France and Germany in London, before travelling to Brussels to meet with the head of Nato and the European Commission president. European leaders fear the pressure coming from the US for a "quick fix" to end the war will not mean "long-lasting peace - only a temporary pause in Russian aggression in Ukraine and possibly further afield", writes Katya Adler. Yet these leaders are wary of provoking US President Donald Trump "over differences on how to achieve peace", she says, as they know they need American support to guarantee "Ukrainian sovereignty and future continental stability". A situation she calls a "tortuous dance". |
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NEWS FROM THE UK | - Changing room row: A nurse who objected to sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor has won a claim for harassment against an NHS trust.
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| | | Bethlehem, occupied West Bank |
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| Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since start of Gaza war | | Neighbouring towns are also planning Christmas celebrations. Credit: Reuters | For the first time in three years, Bethlehem's Christmas tree is lit up in celebration, towering above Manger Square, the site Christians believe to be the birthplace of Jesus. During the two years of the Gaza war, public celebrations were cancelled in the occupied West Bank city, but following the ceasefire, they are back, and locals hope they will help bring tourism and jobs with them. |
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| | Yolande Knell, Middle East correspondent |
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| | "It's been a bad two years of silence; no Christmas, no jobs, no work," says Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati. "We're all living here from tourism and tourism was down to zero."
The mayor accepts that the idea of resuming celebrations was not without controversy, as suffering continues in Gaza – including for those in its tiny Christian community, many of whom have relatives in Bethlehem. "Some may say it's not appropriate and others say it's appropriate," Mr Canawati tells me. "But deep inside my heart, I felt that this was the right thing to do because Christmas should never be stopped or cancelled. This is the light of hope for us." |
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| | - Gaza peace plan: The second-phase of the US-brokered plan is close, Israel's PM has said, but added that key issues still need to be resolved.
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