>> christmas festivities begin around the world. pope francis is appealing for peace in the middle east. drones and dogs search for survivors from the tsunami as the death toll tops 420. -- is supposed to be released as early as the end of the e day. remains inchairman custody. welcome to the france 24 newsroom.

vatican, where pope francis has given his christmas speech to the city of rome and the rest of the world. crowds gathered in st. peter's square. this followed his christmas eve life.to live a simple todaylisten in to part of today's speech. >> undertake a journey of peace conflict.ut an end to may the child jesus allow the beloved and beleaguered country of syria to find fraternity after these years of war. can cross to france 24 at

the vatican. the pope uses this speech to speak about the troubles in the world. tell us about the topics he touched on. >> this is a speech where the pope looks outward. he has covered many of the troubled spots in this message. particularly on syria, calling for a peaceful solution. this is days after trump said he would be withdrawing troops from syria. also calling for a peaceful and aon in yemen resumption of dialogue in the middle east. this is the first latin american pope. he is calling for a resolution

,f conflict in venezuela nicaragua. concerned about refugees fleeing conflict. he did not forget ukraine, where he is hoping for lasting peace. covering quite a few of the world's trouble spots. emphasis on fraternity, calling for fraternity, a need to recognize differences and try and build fraternity, peace, and reconciliation in the world today. >> thank you for that update. christians inria, damascus are celebrating o one f their first peaceful christmases in years after government forces recovered the last strongholds this year.

peace is still tentative, as fromfear the withdraw syria could lead to a resurgence of the islamic state groups. warning in tunisia. residents were caught by surprise when a wave hit the archipelago. more than 1400 were injured and over 420 were killed. the volcano continues to erect, more will follow. areis the latest you hearing on rescue efforts in the area? >> it is getting close to nightfall.

it is going to be winding up for the evening. if it is a coastal village and the power has been restored, work can proceed and continue. if someone is alive under rubble , you have to move the debris carefully. a hurry or ain haphazard way, you are risking the person who might be trapped in might have a chance of survival. >> it is raining now. how has that been affecting rescue operations? much so far. it is the rainy season.

, it is sudden downpours things -- likely to sog things up a little bit. it is three days since the disaster. the authorities, with their updated figures, over 150 people still missing. the rainfall will not help that.

>> a suicide attack has killed at least three people according to the health ministry. andme managed to get inside blow themselves up. afghan officials have recovered 43 bodies after a suicide attack. the afghan government blames the taliban. good news for greg kelly. he could be out of jail by the end of christmas. his bail was paid in cash.

he and his former boss has been detained. no such christmas miracle for the nissan chairman who was rearrested friday. rearrested on charges of violating a breach of trust and it kelly has not been charged with the same thing. jeopardy.eeper legal him bail,has granted but that does not mean he is out yet. appealed thatve decision and mr. kelly has been

spending his christmas day in he may or may not get out by the end of the day today. he looks closer to being out mr. ghosn. >> listen to how these phone calls ended up going. time. have a good are you still a believer in santa? the response was unclear. that is it for us from the newsroom. stay tuned for more france 24.

welcome to this special addition of talking europe. are thousands upon thousands of them. four of the eu member states are island nations. it is a particular geography with particular needs and problems. we are looking at some of the

most pressing. we arere asking why y it is a ce butater, water everywhere, not a drop to drink. we are taking you to the french caribbean. >> a lifetime of farming has taught them how pressures water is. lessechnique uses 80% water. >> you make much better use of the space and water. makeed to, with ideas to more efficient. julian relies on underground aquifers to pump water to his crops. of learningn charge

techniques to reduce water usage. we have a to ensure of water for the farmers. the new water project is a crucial innovation. >> the past six years have been dry in malta and forced farmers to pump more groundwater. >> we are using less water than we used to. when you use good quality water,

you need less. it takes the island sewage and reverse osmosis and produces water for agricultural use. see the border. >> the watchword is sustainability. >> it has to be done in a manner that is safe. quantity andress forget about quality.

>> it doesn't demand much water. finding alternatives can help the farmers survive. we have to provide research and experimentation on methods that can be replicated by others to get the most out of this piece of farmland we've got. >> the future for its farmers things invented in the past.

>> the soil might look dry, but it is doing better than the previous seasons. this land belongs to this man. thebig a worry for you is dryness and drought? we have a mediterranean climate. it is getting always worse. not actuaually cultivated anymore. you have said you are worried farming could die out within 20 years. why is that? >> production costs are hitting higher. young farmers are choosing other sectors where to work.

>> let's go inside and have a look. here we are e inside the greenhouse. these are for the local market. do you believe your concerns are being listened to by local decision-makers, by the european union? precedence.some

>> being a member of the eu means there is a free movement of goods. they can produce at scale much more cheaply. that is a problem, isn't it? -- it is a big concern for a small farm. hopefully, we take some action about it. >> thank you for introducing us to your farm. we are going to meet the

agricultural minister next. here we are at the environment ministry to meet the parliament terry secretary. have been meeting with a maltese farmer. he thinks it could die out within a generation. how much of the problem farmers are facing is down to the fact we are on an island? malta depends on transportation costs. it is an additional cost our

farmer has to pay. >> 80% of the food is imported. truly that is a risk. >> it is difficult to compete with other countries that have bigger farms. we arere educating the local population on the need to use local products. >> you are asking locals to spend a little more because you are hoping they believe in things local. our farmers.lp

>> we have been hearing it issue about food fraud. do you have a way to combat this? -- good thingeen a being a member of the european union? in many ways, it looks like it has not. policy thato have takes care of the local problems it doesn't mean we have the same issues as other states. pass theirs need to message across. we need to sit down and find positions and convince the european union that what we are saying is the reality and we

need to have a change. >> we arare looking toto the fue where financial services and tourismmre dominant. luke brown has been investigating. >> they are not your typical farmers. in their spare time, they are building an aqua pond asked farm. today they are testing a pump to increase productivity. aqua pond asked uses up to 25% less water than farms. it is ideal for a small, dry islands.

>> the plant cleans the water. learned theyas money for farmers. >> the goal is to be commercially viable. agriculture could help attract young people to farming. >> it is less physically demanding. there is the technology, which young people are attracted to. generation are more inclined to technology. island's food is

produced locally. excludesprice of land many newcomers. they see a bleak future for the sector. [indiscernible] agriculture represents barely 2000 full-time farmers. young fire -- young farmers feel they are not a priority. >> we have a few issues we have inherited. -- the current issues need to be solved. encourageution is to

farmers to aim for small markets. producee diversified to edible flowers. he has a loyal, local clientele. many are faced with obstacles. his children do not want to take on his farm. >> i wish my son or daughter this, but iue with am here, i continue. >> the farming life is a crossroads. incomes in agriculture are falling fast. it risks becoming a past time,, no longer a profession.

>> this is an experimental farm. something you will see alall around malta. a prickly pear tree. we have come here to meet the paymentsof the rural agency, the man in chargee of liaising with brussels. these t trees.ong wewe have been meeting with farmers who are not optimistic. really and truly, we are making

for what farming can be like. thes the eu looks into futurerewhere shouould eu moneye spent? we do not agree with thee european commission's proposal money from farmers without giving them more. ultimately, if we e lose local only help, we would substitute and produce with prucuce from other countries that do not meet the same expectations.

it is time for us to set sail for part two of our program. .e are heading to martinique from historical pesticide scandals to the battle

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