Author: France 24

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it would back Sanaa’s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces in a statement that came a day after reported Saudi air strikes in Yemen’s Hadramawt province.The Southern Transition Council (STC) separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates have recently made territorial gains, embarrassing regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.

After starting their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 2–0 victory over Comoros, hosts Morocco could become the first team to reach the round of 16 if they beat Mali this Friday. It will be their first major test of the tournament, with the hosts balancing ambition and caution despite being among the favourites. Earlier, Zimbabwe fought back to earn a 1–1 draw with Angola in Marrakesh.

As Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 takes effect, we speak with Jess Butcher, a tech entrepreneur and founder of digital wellbeing foundation ScrollAware. In spite of being opposed to over-regulation, she tells us she supports the Australian ban on account of the scale of the “harms that these platforms are causing” to users and the failure of tech companies to act meaningfully. 

As the holiday season encourages indulgence, many people tend to eat and drink more than usual amid Christmas parties and festive meals, surrounded by rich dishes, desserts, cookies, and chocolate that are hard to resist. Paris-based registered nutritionist Charlotte Debeugny explains how to strike a balance between enjoying Christmas lunches and dinners while maintaining some healthy limits.

Defending champions Ivory Coast made a winning start to their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Wednesday, edging past Mozambique with a 1-0 victory. Set to face the Elephants on Sunday, Cameroon also got off to a strong start with a 1-0 victory over Gabon. Algeria, meanwhile, cruised to a convincing 3-0 win over Sudan, inspired by a standout performance from Riyad Mahrez.

Will history remember this as the day the planet started to rein in big tech? Australia is firing the first shot by banning under-16s from platforms and social media that include giants such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. We of course ask if rebellious teens will make light work of the ban. More broadly, is this the day regulators start treating merchants of scrolling the way they do tobacco and drinks giants: like businesses with a penchant for encouraging addiction?

Many people celebrated Christmas Day with a traditional mass on Thursday, while others enjoyed the holiday with tiramisu at Sydney’s Bondi Beach or watching a parade of Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv. In Bethlehem, Christians celebrated their first festive Christmas in over two years as the occupied West Bank city emerged from the shadow of the war in Gaza. 

Joy is returning to Jerusalem as Christians mark Christmas in one of the world’s oldest cities. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reports a festive atmosphere in the air, describing it as “a huge relief” after more than two years of war in Gaza.

Defending champions Ivory Coast started the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over Mozambique on Wednesday. Amad Diallo scored shortly after half-time to secure the win in the Group F match in Morocco, although Ivory Coast missed several chances to increase their lead.

It’s one of those New Year’s resolutions often blurted out after a big family meal. “I’m going to run a marathon!” But like the cautionary saying “puppies aren’t for Christmas, they’re for life”, one wonders how many realise the error of their ways when they’re gasping for air during that first January training run. Or not.