Its dazzling colour schemes, period fixtures and fittings and tented ceilings might hint at the work of an expensive interior designer.

But what the marketing agent describes as a ‘bespoke home that effortlessly honours its Edwardian roots’ was a run-down house of multiple occupancy before Rita and David Wagstaff set to work.

Earlier this week the Daily Mail told how the semi-detached property’s unassuming exterior belied the ‘showstopping entrance hallway’ and the rest of the elaborately decorated home.

And, after the property was put on the market following the death of widower Mrs Wagstaff, the story behind the home’s incredible interior can now be outlined.

The former college secretary and her husband bought the four-bedroom property in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in 1984 and immediately set about restoring it to its former Edwardian grandeur.

Mr Wagstaff, an engineer, worked on the house each evening and through the weekends, even replacing a rotten bay window himself.

Both keen bric-a-brac and antique shop browsers, the couple also sourced most of the furnishings themselves, and usually bagged a bargain – including a slate fireplace for £10.

In the 19 years since the death of her husband in 2006, Mrs Wagstaff, 92, lived in the property on her own with a succession of rescue dogs and her beloved cockatiel, Percy.

But hours after the 25-year-old bird had to be put down in March, the pensioner is thought to have suffered a massive stroke and was found unconscious at the property.

Police forced entry after her daughters, Francesca Cox, 59, and Caralyn Wagstaff, 68, were unable to contact their mother. She passed away in hospital in Coventry without regaining consciousness.

Rita Wagstaff had ‘style and taste’ and was ‘very proud’ of her home, her daughter Caralyn said 

The unassuming property blends into the street scene in Nuneaton Warwickshire 

The crimson-coloured front reception room boasts a commanding bay window, high ceilings and a meticulously restored period fireplace 

Mrs Wagstaff pictured with garndson Red around ten years ago 

Ms Wagstaff, a fashion designer, told the Daily Mail this week how her ‘fashionable’ mother and father were ‘so, so proud of what they created in their house’.

She told how a cast-iron fountain in the courtyard garden was sourced from Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. 

‘It was originally a wash stand where factory workers would clean their hands’, she said. ‘I have no idea how my father managed to move it to his garden in Nuneaton!’

At the front, the house looks out on a main road and features an ordinary walled and railed front courtyard with a traditional tiled path leading to the front door.

But Ms Wagstaff, who runs a bridal boutique, said of the house’s flamboyant interior design: ‘People are a bit shocked when they see it – it’s certainly not to everyone’s taste.

‘It’s very Marmite. The estate agent couldn’t get over it.’

Ms Wagstaff said she arranged for a photographer friend to take pictures of its unique interior so the family would always have a record of what her parents had created.

Some of these pictures have been used by Carters Estate Agents to market the house, which is now for sale for £320,000.

Ms Wagstaff added: ‘My mother has always collected antiques, but since taking the pictures we have cleared out the items of value.

‘She was a character. There was a tailor’s dummy in the entrance hall and another one on the landing.

‘Mum was the artistic one but it was my Dad who did all the work on the house.  They did it with love.

In the rear bedroom there is a walk-in closet and fireplace. Fascinating religious imagery also hangs on the walls

Caralyn Wagstaff’s childhood doll sat in a crib in her mother’s home

A tailor’s dummy, clad in a bishop’s robes, stodd at the top of the stairs in the elaborately decorated home

Rita Wagstaff (right) with daughter Caralyn lived in the house for over 40 years

‘It was just their dream house. They made it how they wanted it.’

Ms Wagstaff said her parents met at a party and settled in Nuneaton because they couldn’t afford to buy a house in her mother’s home town of Solihull, West Midlands.

She said their first home in the Warwickshire town was also ‘smartly decorated’, but that things went up a level when they moved to the property which is now for sale.

At one point an air raid shelter in the garden was repurposed into a garden room, while the main bedroom was originally two rooms which were knocked through, making the house a three-bedroom property these days.

The home featured in House Beautiful magazine in December 1997 and the Wagstaffs also showcased their home on a television programme in the late 1980s, their daughter said.

A corner bath takes pride of place in the tiled bathroom, compelte with tented ceiling

On entrance, the property showcases a bespoke breakfast kitchen appointed with rich, walnut-style cabinetry and a ‘striking centre island’ as a focal point

The black cast-iron foundation in the garden was originally a wash stand from a Victorian factory in Birmingham

‘But Mum didn’t live in the past’, Ms Wagstaff, who lives with partner Richard Parsloe, 66, an enginee, in Cheltenahm, Gloucestershire, added. 

‘There was a dishwasher, microwave and TV in the house.

‘Mum was still driving. She just had style and taste.  Even though she was in her 90s she would still do her make up and would even wear knee-high leather boots.’

The grandmother-of-four ‘loved animals’, Ms Wagstaff added. ‘Mum always had rescue dogs and was well known in her local area.

‘She would stop to talk to the neighbours when she was out with the dogs.’

Carters describe the period home, built in 1905, as a ‘masterclass of heritage revival…with bespoke, artistic flourishes and meticulous craftsmanship throughout.’

The agent adds: ‘Entering the property, you’re greeted by a showstopping entrance hallway, where original Minton tiled flooring, plaster wall panelling, intricate cornicing, and picture rails immediately set the tone.’

Other highlights include a ‘beautifully restored period fireplace’, galleried landing and a ‘period-inspired family bathroom featuring a corner bath and vanity unit with tiled surrounds’.

The agent said: ‘Viewing is essential to appreciate the incredible character, craft, and uniqueness this remarkable home has to offer.’

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Millie Joy Gribble’s father described his daughter as “mischievous and yet loving” in an emotional tribute yesterday after Stephen Worden was jailed for causing her death by careless driving

Millie Gribble died after she was hit by a flatbed truck(Image: Lancashire Constabulary)

A truck driver who fatally ran over a little girl when she stepped of a bus was jailed yesterday.

Stephen Worden will spend 12 months in custody and is also disqualified from driving for two years following the crash that led to Millie Joy Gribble’s death. The six-year-old girl stepped off a stationary double decker bus when Worden mounted his white Iveco Daily truck on the nearside grass verge and struck Millie and two other children.

A court heard the youngster died in hospital six days later, with her parents by her bedside, and the two other children — a boy now aged 16 and a girl now aged 15 — were also left with serious injuries.

Worden, 61, appeared at Preston Crown Court yesterday where he was sentenced for causing death by careless driving. The truck driver was caged for 12 months.

READ MORE: Warning to drivers over festive period with little-known mistake that could cost you £2,500READ MORE: Coroner’s swipe at ‘silly’ selfie culture after teen kills three pals in horror crashStephen Worden, 61, appeared in court on Tuesday for sentencing(Image: Lancashire Police)

The court yesterday heard Millie suffered a catastrophic head injury when she was struck by Worden’s vehicle on the A6 in Bilsborrow, Lancashire on August 15, 2023. Worden was later charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He was also charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving which he was later found not guilty of following a trial at Preston Crown Court in October.

But Worden, who is from Preston, Lancashire was sentenced at the same court yesterday after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving and two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving.

Following this, Millie’s dad, Joseph Gribble, said: “Millie was my heartbeat, my world, my reason to improve my life in every way. The pain and the heartbreak of losing Millie cannot be put into words, but I will do my best.

“Millie was so close to all our family and the apple of my eye. Millie was my world, and we did everything together, from playing football, swimming, new adventures and movie nights when she was with me.

“Millie could do no wrong in my eyes, with her mischievous and yet loving nature. I am so proud to call Millie my daughter and always will be. Millie was adored by everyone who met her.”

READ MORE: Mercedes driver admits killing couple in horror crash while ‘hurrying to salon’Floral tributes to Millie were left at the scene in Bilsborrow, Lancashire(Image: James Maloney/Lancs Live)

He continued: The hours, the days, the weeks have passed now, and the pain is always there, there is no getting away from it. For myself, I now don’t know what I want from my life. My life is ruined, and I’ve lost all purpose of it. Every day is hard, some harder than others and I have to dig deep for my family and for my beautiful, amazing little girl, who never had the chance to live her life to the full.

“I keep going to make her proud of me. It has changed all my beliefs, and I am struggling to keep them. I can’t wait to see her again and I know that I’m wishing my life away, but all I want is to be with my beautiful Millie, the most important part of my world.”

In her statement, Millie’s mum Sam Edmundson wrote: “I am mummy to Millie Joy Gribble the most beautiful six-year-old girl you could ever wish to meet, a little girl with a head full of thick, long, dark brown hair, gorgeous big blue eyes with a twinkle in them, and a big cheeky smile that would melt your heart. Millie was someone who could light up a room simply by just walking in it. Everyone knew Millie and everyone loved Millie.”

Millie’s family paid tribute to the little girl(Image: Lancashire Constabulary)

She continued: “It truly breaks my heart and my heart aches knowing none of her dreams for the future are ever going to happen now. Millie loved all her family so much and this is something she would say almost every day and we, as a family, love her infinitely.

“My beautiful little girl Millie wasn’t just my daughter, she was my best friend, my everything. I miss her bright, cheerful, innocent energy, the sound of her voice, her giggle, the feel of her hand in mine. I miss our cuddles. I just miss everything about her. I just want my beautiful little girl back.”

The other two children hit by the flatbed truck sustained serious injuries, which weren’t life-changing. Sergeant Martin Wilcock, a senior investigating officer at Lancashire Police’s road policing unit, said: “While I know today’s media focus will be on Worden and the sentence he has received, my thoughts are very much with Millie and her loved ones.

“Millie’s death has had and continues to have a profound impact on her family. It is clear to me that if you knew Millie, you loved her. And she is someone who is incredibly missed.

“While it is not for me to comment on a sentencing, I hope Millie’s tragic death will focus people’s minds on the dangers of careless driving.”

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Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Russian, Chinese planes entered its air defence zone during the joint exercise.

South Korea and Japan separately scrambled fighter jets after Russian and Chinese military aircraft conducted a joint air patrol near both countries.

Seven Russian and two Chinese aircraft entered South Korea’s Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) at approximately 10am local time (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

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The planes, which included fighter jets and bombers, were spotted before they entered the KADIZ – which is not territorial airspace but where planes are expected to identify themselves – and South Korea deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies”, according to reports.

The Russian and Chinese planes flew in and out of the South Korean air defence zone for an hour before leaving, the military said, according to South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency.

Japan separately deployed military aircraft to “strictly implement” air defence measures “against potential airspace violations”, following the reported joint patrol of Russia and China, Japanese Minister of Defence Shinjiro Koizumi said.

In a statement posted on social media late on Tuesday, Koizumi said two Russian “nuclear-capable Tu-95 bombers” flew from the Sea of Japan to the Tsushima Strait, and met with two Chinese jets “capable of carrying long-range missiles”.

At least eight other Chinese J-16 fighter jets and a Russian A-50 aircraft also accompanied the bombers as they conducted a joint flight “around” Japan, travelling between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island, Koizumi said.

“The repeated joint flights of bombers by both countries signify an expansion and intensification of activities around our country, while clearly intending to demonstrate force against our nation, posing a serious concern for our national security,” he added.

9日（火）の午前から夕方にかけて、ロシアの核兵器搭載可能な爆撃機Tu-95×2機が日本海→対馬海峡を飛行し、中国の長射程ミサイルを搭載可能な爆撃機H-6×2機と東シナ海において合流したあと、沖縄本島・宮古島間→太平洋の四国沖まで我が国周辺を共同飛行しました。… pic.twitter.com/6RcWJbM99b

— 小泉進次郎 (@shinjirokoiz) December 9, 2025

Koizumi’s statement comes just days after he accused Chinese fighter jets on Sunday of directing their fire-control radar at Japanese aircraft in two separate incidents over international waters near Okinawa.

On Monday, Japan’s Ministry of Defence said that it had monitored the movements of the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and accompanying support vessels near Okinawa since Friday, adding that dozens of takeoffs and landings from Chinese aircraft on the carrier were monitored.

Japan said it was the “first time” that fighter jet operations on a Chinese aircraft carrier had been confirmed in waters between Okinawa’s main island and Minami-Daitojima island to the southeast.

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sails through the Miyako Strait near Okinawa on its way to the Pacific in this handout photo taken by Japan Self-Defence Forces and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defence Ministry of Japan on April 4, 2021 [Joint Staff Office of the Defence Ministry of Japan via Reuters]

China’s Ministry of National Defence said on Tuesday that it had organised the joint air drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans”.

The air drills took place above the East China Sea and western Pacific Ocean, the ministry said, calling the exercises the “10th joint strategic air patrol” with Russia.

Moscow also confirmed the joint exercise with Beijing, saying that it had lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

“At certain stages of the route, the strategic bombers were followed by fighter jets from foreign states,” the Russian Defence Ministry said.

Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft near South Korean and Japanese airspace without prior notice, citing joint military exercises.

In November 2024, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone. In 2022, Japan also deployed jets after warplanes from Russia and China neared its airspace.

China and Russia have expanded military and defence ties since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Both countries are also allies of North Korea, which is seen as an adversary in both South Korea and Japan.

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The philanthropist MacKenzie Scott revealed Tuesday that she donated $7.1 billion (€6.1 billion) to nonprofits in 2025.

Her donations this year mark a significant increase in annual giving than in previous years — which she acknowledged was $2.6 billion in 2024 and $2.1 billion in 2023.

Scott is one of the richest people in the world, and Forbes estimates her net worth at around $33 billion, largely stemming from her stake in Amazon.

She was married to Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos until 2019.

Here are the key points:

• Scott discloses $7.17 billion in donations this year
• That brings her total philanthropic giving since 2019 to $26.3 billion
• Scott donates to groups that work to address climate change, fight for equality
• More than a dozen historically Black colleges say they together received a total of $783 million from Scott this year 

Historically Black colleges and universities report major new funding

In advance of Scott’s public announcement, more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) said they had received a combined $783 million (€673 million) from her this year, according to research by Rutgers University professor Marybeth Gasman.

Some institutions were first-time recipients, while others that had previously received support did not receive funds in this round. Gasman has tracked $1.35 billion (€1.16 billion) in Scott’s giving to HBCUs since 2020.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) confirmed receiving $70 million (€60 million), which it plans to invest in a collective endowment for participating HBCUs. Native Forward Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to Native American students, also received $50 million (€43 million).

Scott notable for donations because they have few strings attached

Scott’s giving model remains notable because her donations come without applications, restrictions, or reporting requirements. She has no public-facing foundation or office, and organizations are typically notified of a gift through intermediaries.

A 2023 study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that recipients generally did not struggle to manage the influx of unrestricted funds and did not see other donors retreat as a result.

California nonprofit 10,000 Degrees said it received a $42 million gift earlier this year. Its CEO, Kim Mazzuca, said she confirmed the amount after being notified by phone. The gift is roughly twice the organization’s annual budget.

Scott places her giving within a broader landscape of public generosity

In her essay, Scott contrasted her multibillion-dollar total with the scale of everyday charitable acts. She referenced US data from 2020, citing “$471 billion” in charitable donations, along with billions in remittances, crowdfunding, volunteer labor, and service-sector wages.

Scott also described early experiences in which she received help, including free dental care and a loan from a college roommate. 

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

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The U.S. deployed two fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela Tuesday, marking what appeared to be the closest known approach of military aircraft to Venezuelan airspace to date, according to reports.

The F/A-18 jets were observed on Flightradar24 flying for roughly 30 minutes over the waters north of Venezuela, the Associated Press reported.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the short mission as a “routine training flight” designed to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational reach.

DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP’S AGGRESSION TOWARD VENEZUELA A WARNING TO PUTIN

U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets flew over the Gulf of Venezuela in the closest known approach to Venezuelan airspace, conducting what officials called routine training. (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The official also did not disclose whether the jets were armed but did emphasize that the operation remained entirely within international airspace.

Tuesday’s dual flight follows months of heightened U.S. military activity in the region.

Although the U.S. has previously flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers along Venezuela’s coastline, those aircraft did not appear to approach as closely as Tuesday’s F/A-18s.

MADURO’S FORCES FACE RENEWED SCRUTINY AS US TENSIONS RISE: ‘A FORTRESS BUILT ON SAND’

The U.S. military deployed F/A-18 jets near Venezuelan airspace in what defense officials described as routine training to demonstrate operational reach. (Julian Abram Wainwright/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The increase in activity in the region first began after U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in both the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.

The first reported U.S. military strike on a vessel that allegedly departed from Venezuela carrying drugs was in September.

The Trump administration said the operations were essential to curbing illicit drug trafficking, though Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues to deny this.

Tensions surrounding Venezuelan airspace escalated in November after President Trump instructed airlines to treat the region as effectively closed, aligning with FAA warnings to civilian carriers.

SENATORS VOW PUSH TO PROHIBIT US MILITARY ACTION IN VENEZUELA IF TRUMP PURSUES STRIKES AGAINST THE COUNTRY

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a ceremonial sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a government-organized civic-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation previously told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s most significant military threat stems from its own air-naval systems.

Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat also said Venezuela’s own military’s capabilities look better on paper than in reality.

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He said that included fighter jets, limited surface vessels, and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles.

“Reasonably speaking, in the first day or two of a campaign plan, we can eliminate the air and maritime threat to U.S. forces,” Montgomery said.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Prosecutors in the Luigi Mangione murder trial have released police body camera footage showing the moment police approached him at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.

The footage was released exactly a year after Mangione’s arrest.

Mangione, 27, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, 2024.

Police launched a manhunt in response to the shooting, and on December 9 were tipped off that someone matching the suspect’s description was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

In the footage, officers enter the McDonald’s and approach a man in a knit hat and a medical face mask sitting in the rear of the restaurant. The police ask the person—said to be Mangione—to pull his mask down, which he does.

open image in gallery

This image taken from video released by Pennsylvania State Police shows Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2024

An officer then asks the man police identified as Mangione for his name. The man says his name is “Mark” and gives a last name that sounds like “Rosario.”

“Someone called, and they thought you were suspicious,” one of the officers says.

The man in the video apologizes, after which the officer asks for his ID. The man produces his ID and hands it to the police. As the officer wearing the body camera walks away to run the license, another officer can be heard asking the man where he is from. After that, the video ends.

The license the man handed to the police did have the name “Mark Rosario” on it, but included a photo of a man who looks like Mangione.

The officers involved in the video are Altoona police officers Joseph Fetwiler and Tyler Frye.

The footage was released on the fifth day of a pretrial hearing to determine if the evidence collected on the day of Mangione’s arrest can be shown at his trial.

open image in gallery

Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to weapons, stalking and murder charges in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City (Curtis Means @2025)

Mangione has been charged in federal court with murder, stalking, and firing a weapon with a silencer in furtherance of a crime, and has been charged in New York with second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument. The state charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the federal charges seek the death penalty.

He has entered not-guilty pleas for both the state and federal charges.

The evidence collected by Altoona police—which includes the alleged murder weapon, a pistol silencer, a gun magazine loaded with bullets, and a so-called manifesto—has become a point of contention ahead of Mangione’s trial.

Mangione’s defense team wants the items barred from entry into the trial, accusing police of searching Mangione without first obtaining a warrant. They also want some of the comments in the body cam footage tossed, including the part where Mangione allegedly gives the police a fake name.

They have argued that Mangione made those comments before police read him his Miranda rights.

His attorneys already successfully argued to have state terrorism charges against Mangione tossed in September.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Former competitive snowboarder Ryan James Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics
• He now holds a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List for “allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States,” per the FBI
• New photos of him have been released

As the search for Ryan James Wedding — the former Olympic snowboarder who holds a spot on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List for allegedly trafficking cocaine internationally — continues, new photos of him have been released.

“Make no mistake about it: Ryan Wedding is a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He’s a modern-day iteration of ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a November press conference.

On Monday, Dec. 8, the FBI Los Angeles office released a newly obtained photo of Wedding, 44, on X, believed to have been taken in Mexico this summer.

The photo shows Wedding lying in bed, shirtless, showing off a portion of a large chest tattoo.

Ryan James Wedding.

FBI

While he appears with a beard and a mustache in the photo, another photo of him, released by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on X, shows him with a buzzcut and scruffy facial hair.

It is not clear when the second image, in which he is also standing in front of a gray wall wearing a green shirt, was taken.

Wedding is wanted for “allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada, and other locations in the United States,” FBI Los Angeles said in its post on X.

“Additionally, it is alleged that Wedding was involved in orchestrating multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes,” the federal government office continued.

Per a nine-count federal indictment announced against Wedding by the U.S. Department of Justice, in November, he is also accused of ordering the murder of a federal witness who was executed with five bullets to the head earlier this year, before he could testify against Wedding.

The FBI said in a November press release that it is believed that Wedding lives in Mexico. The bureau believes that he works with the Sinaloa Cartel there to flood U.S. and Canadian communities with cocaine from Colombia, with protection from the cartel.

According to the press release, in a Nov. 19 press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., officials from the U.S. and Canada described Wedding as a narco-trafficker on par with notorious drug lords like Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Pablo Escobar.

Ryan James Wedding seen in a poster for the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

FBI

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding’s operation was responsible for more than $1 billion a year in illegal drug proceeds, calling it “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organizations in this world.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

The U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction.

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Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered another blow as Miami elected a Democrat as mayor for the first time since 1997.

While Miami’s mayoral elections are considered non-partisan, Eileen Higgins – who refers to herself as ‘La Gringa’ – campaigned as a proud Democrat and beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her.

‘We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,’ Higgins said. 

‘The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.’ 

Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump´s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained.

With nearly all votes counted Tuesday, Higgins led the Republican by about 19 percentage points.

The local race is not predictive of what may happen at the polls next year. But it drew attention from the two major national political parties and their leaders. 

The victory provides Democrats with some momentum heading into a high-stakes midterm election when the GOP is looking to keep its grip in Florida, including in a Hispanic-majority district in Miami-Dade County. 

Donald Trump’s Republican Party suffered another blow as Miami elected a Democrat – Eileen Higgins – as mayor for the first time since 1997

Higgins beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who said he called Higgins to congratulate her

The area has shifted increasingly rightward politically in recent years, and the city may become the home of Trump´s presidential library .

‘Tonight´s result is yet another warning sign to Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is raising costs,’ said Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.

The election follows wipeout wins for Democrats in both the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races and a closer than expected loss in a Congressional special election in Tennessee. 

Donald Trump has apparently responded to the results by beginning a year-long nationwide tour to campaign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. 

Some nationally recognized Democrats supported Higgins, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

Senator Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel traveled to Miami on Sunday and Monday to rally voters for the Democrat who served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner for seven years.

Higgins, who speaks Spanish, represented a district that leans conservative and includes the Cuban neighborhood of Little Havana. 

When she first entered politics in 2018, she chose to present herself to voters as ‘La Gringa,’ a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans, because many people did not known how to pronounce her name.

Gonzalez was endorsed by Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis

Donald Trump has apparently responded to the results by beginning a year-long nationwide tour to campaign for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections

‘It just helps people understand who I am, and you know what? I am a `gringa,´ so, what am I going to do, deny it?’ she said.

Republicans in Florida have found strong support from voters with heritage from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, because they likened some members of the Democratic party´s progressive wing with politicians from the governments they fled. 

Trump and other GOP members have tapped into those sentiments over the past eight years.

However, some local Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated since November´s elections when Democrats scored wins in New Jersey and Virginia, where both winning gubernatorial candidates performed strongly with nonwhite voters.

The results from those races were perceived as a reflection of concerns over rising prices and the Trump administration´s aggressive immigration policies .

Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district is being targeted by Democrats and includes the city of Miami, called the elections elsewhere a ‘wake-up call.’ 

She said Hispanics also want a secure border and a healthy economy but some relief for ‘those who have been here for years and do not have a criminal record.’

‘The Hispanic vote is not guaranteed,’ Salazar said in a video posted on X last month. ‘Hispanics married President Trump, but they are only dating the GOP.’

Higgins, 61, will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump´s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained

David Jolly, who is running to represent Democrats in the Florida governor’s race next year, said the mayoral election was good news for Democrats in what used to be a battleground state.

‘Change is here. It’s sweeping the nation, and it’s sweeping Florida,’ Jolly said.

The mayoral position in Miami is more ceremonial, but Higgins promised to execute it like a full-time job.

The city is part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped last year , a dramatic improvement from his 30 percentage point loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

As Florida´s second-largest city, Miami is considered the gateway to Latin America and attracts millions of tourists. Its global prominence gives Higgins a significant stage as mayor.

Her pitch to voters included finding city-owned land that could be turned into affordable housing and cutting unnecessary spending.

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After Mark Allen Geralds burst into Tressa Pettibone’s home and stabbed her in a twisted rage, her eight-year-old son found her body lifeless on the kitchen floor

Mark Allen Geralds killed a young mum more than 26 years ago(Image: Florida Department of Correction)

A killer convicted more than three decades ago of murdering a mum was today executed on death row.

Mark Allen Geralds became the 18th person killed on death row in Florida alone this year after he was given a three-drug injection at a jail. Asked if he had any last words, Geralds, 58, addressed someone by name, but the name was inaudible. He said: “I’m sorry that I missed you.” He then added: “I loved you every day.”

Once the drugs began flowing, he took about a dozen deep breaths. His body then quivered and twitched, his mouth opening and closing. Within three or four minutes, Geralds became still.

Geralds execution came more than 36 years after he murdered Tressa Pettibone in her own home. Her body was discovered by her eight-year-old son, after he came home from school in Panama City, Florida.

READ MORE: ‘Loving’ wife emotionless after stabbing husband of 27 years to death, court toldREAD MORE: Boy, 15, stabbed to death in horror broad daylight attack on London streetGeralds died in the lethal injection room at Florida State Prison(Image: Birmingham Mail)

After the execution at Florida State Prison near Starke, a representative read a statement on behalf of Ms Pettibone’s family. It read: “Tomorrow, when we wake up, it will be the first time in nearly 37 years that we don’t have to worry about another appeal being filed or another law changing that could potentially thwart the justice we have been fighting so hard for for so long.”

The family described the victim as “a faithful wife, loving mother, daughter, sister, aunt and dedicated friend.” Her family “was her world, and everything she did centred around them,” the tribute added.

Relatives recalled the mum’s love for the holiday season, describing her as a “Christmas nut” who decorated the house with lights, multiple trees and “ornate Santa Clauses and reindeer” and baked cookies, bread, cakes and pies. She enjoyed making gifts, and her family said they still display her handmade crafts every year.

Geralds was a carpenter who had carried out some work at Ms Pettibone’s home in 1988. In February 1989, Geralds ran into Ms Pettibone and her two children at a shopping centre, and Ms Pettibone mentioned her husband was away on business.

Later, Geralds approached Ms Pettibone’s son at a video arcade and asked when the boy’s father would return, and what time he and his sister left for and returned from school each day. Investigators found Geralds had subsequently pawned jewellery with traces of Ms Pettibone’s blood on it, and plastic ties used to bind Ms Pettibone matched ties found in Geralds’ car, court records showed.

Geralds was convicted of murder, armed robbery and other charges and sentenced to death in 1990. The Florida Supreme Court later vacated the sentence but affirmed the conviction, and Geralds was resentenced to death in 1992.

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These are the key developments from day 1,385 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Published On 10 Dec 202510 Dec 2025

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Here’s where things stand on Wednesday, December 10 :

Fighting

• Ukrainian troops holding parts of the beleaguered city of Pokrovsk have been ordered to withdraw from hard-to-defend positions in the past week, Ukraine’s top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, said.

• Syrskii said the situation in Pokrovsk remains difficult for Ukrainian forces, with Russia massing an estimated 156,000 troops in the area under cover of recent rain and fog.

• Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, said that Moscow’s forces were advancing along the entire front line in Ukraine and were also focused on Ukrainian troops in the surrounded town of Myrnohrad.
• Russia said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones throughout Tuesday.
• A member of the United Kingdom’s armed forces was killed in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said. The ministry said the British soldier was killed away from the front lines with Russian forces.

• Ukraine’s state gas and oil company, Naftogaz, said that Russian drones had damaged gas infrastructure facilities, but there were no casualties.

• Russia’s Syzran oil refinery on the Volga River halted oil processing on December 5 after being damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two industry sources.

• Ukraine will introduce more restrictions on power use and will allow additional energy imports as it struggles to repair infrastructure targeted by Russian strikes, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Ceasefire

• Ukraine and its European partners, Germany, France and the UK, will present the US with “refined documents” on a peace plan to end the war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that allies of Ukraine worked on three separate documents, including a 20-point framework for peace, a set of security guarantees and a post-war reconstruction plan.
• At a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Deputy US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the United States is working to bridge the divide in peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. She said the aim is to secure a permanent ceasefire, and “a mutually agreed peace deal that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity for real prosperity”.
• Russia’s UN ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said, “What we have on the table are fairly realistic proposals for long-term, lasting settlement of Ukrainian conflict, something that our US colleagues are diligently working on.”
• Pope Leo said Europe must play a central role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning that any peace plan sidelining the continent is “not realistic”, while urging leaders to seize what he described as a great opportunity to work together for a just peace.

Politics and diplomacy

• Zelenskyy said he was prepared to hold elections within three months if the US and Kyiv’s European allies could ensure the security of the vote. Wartime elections are forbidden by law in Ukraine, but Zelenskyy, whose term expired last year, is facing renewed pressure from US President Donald Trump to hold a vote.
• The Kremlin said that European claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Soviet Union were incorrect and that claims Putin plans to invade a NATO member were absolute rubbish.
• The European Union is very close to a solution for financing Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 that would have the support of at least a qualified majority of EU countries, European Council President Antonio Costa said.
• Japan has denied a media report that it had rebuffed an EU request to join plans to use frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine.

Regional security

• Three men went on trial in Germany, accused of following a former Ukrainian soldier on behalf of a Russian intelligence service as part of a possible assassination plot.

Sanctions

• US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said he discussed US sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft with Ukrainian Prime Minister Svyrydenko.

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