Author: France 24

Bulgaria will formally adopt the euro as its currency starting on January 1, leaving behind the lev, which it has used since the late 19th century. The move is unpopular with almost half the country’s population over fears it could spark higher inflation, something that mistrusted authorities have been trying to downplay. Also in this edition: a central district of Budapest bans short-term rentals starting this January in a bid to fix a housing crisis.

In this edition of Entre Nous we meet an illustrator, interpreter, comic book author and historian of typography. He’s put all of those things together in a series of delightful books that make perfect gifts for the holidays or just about any time. David Rault tells us about his new book that’s out now in French and is called “Couleurs”, or “Colours”.

Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, has urged the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council to condemn what he calls “unlawful threats” from U.S. President Donald Trump, following his statement that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if more protesters were killed amid ongoing demonstrations in Iran over the rising cost of living. Assistant Professor of Middle East Politics in Washington DC, Sina Azodi, explains further.

Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland in the 19th round of the Premier League. The Sky Blues, on a run of six straight League wins, failed to make a breakthrough. City remain second, four points behind Arsenal.

As Bulgaria formally adopts the euro currency this January 1, residents in the capital Sofia queued up in front of ATMs just after midnight to withdraw the new banknotes. Also in this edition: the world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their fortunes in 2025. Plus, on the occasion of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” finale, we see how the show became a cash machine for the streaming giant over the past decade.

Netflix has released the final episode of one of its biggest original hits, with the season five finale of Stranger Things going live on the platform at 1 a.m. GMT; the 1980s-set sci-fi adventure series has captured the cultural zeitgeist and become Netflix’s longest-running cash cow, as Carys Garland explores.

Current protests in Iran, now in their sixth day, have become the biggest since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. Although protests took root in economic issues, demonstrator chants against Iran’s theocracy have been heard. US President Donald Trump threatened the US could intervene were protestors killed, prompting government representatives to denounce a ‘red line’.

Ivory Coast delivered a thrilling spectacle on the final Group F day at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Trailing 2-0 after just 21 minutes against already-eliminated Gabon, the Elephants turned the game around in the second half. In the round of 16, Ivory Coast will face Burkina Faso on January 6 in Marrakech.

More than 20 million people in the United States will face sharply higher health insurance costs as of January 1 after enhanced tax credits that helped enrollees in the Affordable Care Act afford coverage expired overnight. The expiration of the subsidies will mostly affect families, small business owners and self-employed workers.     

The European Union’s controversial new rules on polluting industrial imports went into effect on January 1st, following a two-year transition period. Heavy goods such as steel, aluminium and cement are now subject to a new fee levied according to the amount of CO2 emitted during their production. China issued a statement slamming the measure as unfairly targeting Chinese goods.