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00:00Israel's cabinet approves a ceasefire deal that could signal the end of 15 months of
00:06fighting in the Gaza Strip.
00:10The European People's Party has set out its priorities for 2025.
00:14These include market competitiveness and combating illegal migration.
00:20As it attempts to form a government in Austria, the far-right Freedom Party has said it does
00:25not want to exit the EU but reform it.
00:31The White House says it's passing responsibility for implementing a U.S. ban of TikTok to the
00:36incoming Trump administration.
00:42Israel's cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal for Gaza that could signal the end of
00:4715 months of fighting in the Strip.
00:49The deal comes into effect on Sunday.
00:52It will see dozens of hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners
00:57from Israeli prisons.
01:00The deal also allows thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to the remains of their
01:04homes in Gaza.
01:07Israel delayed a vote on the deal on Thursday, blaming a last-minute dispute with Hamas.
01:12Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement
01:17in an attempt to gain further concessions.
01:20Hamas triggered the war with its attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people
01:26and saw 250 others taken hostage.
01:31Israel responded with a devastating offensive that's killed over 46,000 Palestinians.
01:40The European People's Party met this Saturday in Berlin to outline its priorities for 2025.
01:47These include stopping the rise of the far right, market competitiveness, and the fight
01:51against illegal migration.
01:53In terms of trade policy, leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz,
01:58said European bureaucracy must be reduced.
02:01In the last three years, Germany has lost over 300,000 jobs in the industry, also because
02:08of excessive regulation by the national and European governments.
02:15At a meeting yesterday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Merz heaped
02:20praise on Sweden and Italy for curbing illegal migration.
02:25In a statement released by the party, the EPP said it aims to tackle smuggling networks
02:29with stronger border controls and expand Mediterranean partnerships.
02:43The Austrian Freedom Party has said it does not want to exit the European Union, but reform
02:48it.
02:49Speaking at its annual New Year's meeting in Wessendorf, the far-right group's leader
02:54Herbert Kickl said he wants the bloc to enter a phase of self-reflection, concentrating
03:00on quote economic cooperation, great freedoms, and peace.
03:05Kickl also made it clear that there is no closeness with his party to Russia, which
03:10is repeatedly attributed to the FPO.
03:13He said neutrality means being a quote mediator, voice for peace and negotiations, and for
03:19an end to senseless bloodshed.
03:22The Freedom Party won Austria's parliamentary election in September, and has now received
03:27a mandate to try form a government with the conservative Austrian People's Party.
03:32It would be Austria's first far-right-led government since the Second World War.
03:42US President Joe Biden won't enforce a ban on TikTok that's set to take effect a day
03:47before he leaves office.
03:49Press Secretary Karen Jean-Pierre cited timing as the reason for passing responsibility to
03:54the incoming Trump administration.
03:56That comes after a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court to uphold a federal law banning
04:01TikTok on Sunday unless it's sold by its China-based parent company.
04:06The court ruling, held at the risk to national security posed by Biden's ties to China, overcomes
04:11concerns about limiting speech.
04:14In an interview with CNN shortly after the court's decision, President-elect Donald Trump
04:19wouldn't say what he intended to do.
04:22Trump previously said he has a warm spot for TikTok, saying that the app helped him tap
04:26into a younger voter base to win the 2024 election.
04:31But it was Trump who initially spearheaded efforts to have it banned on national security
04:35grounds in 2020.