She then called the Vice President an “assassin” in front of the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in an awkward attempt to describe JD Vance’s political style.

04:05, 22 Dec 2025Updated 04:17, 22 Dec 2025

Nicki Minaj makes EXTREMELY inappropriate assassin gaffe to Erika Kirk’s face at America Fest

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Nicki Minaj has made a surprise appearance at a political convention run by the widow of Charlie Kirk, with the rapper singing the praises of Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Minaj, real name Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, called the US President and Vice-President “role models” for young men after she arrived at the Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference hand-in-hand with Erika Kirk, the wife of political activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September.

Kirk founded Turning Point USA and was the not-for-profit organisation’s leader up until his death. His widow, Erika, now runs the conservative activist group.

Rapper Nicki Minaj (R) and Erika Kirk, the wife of political activist Charlie Kirk, at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention.(Image: AP)

The rap star was interviewed at the Arizona event by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, about her newly found support for Trump — someone she had condemned in the past — and about her actions denouncing violence against Christians in Nigeria.

Minaj told the crowd of gathered Republicans: “This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. Our vice president, he makes me … well, I love both of them. Both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.”

Then, in a horror gaffe, the 43-year-old rapper called JD Vance an “assassin” in front of Kirk’s widow. She was attempting to describe JD Vance’s political style at the time.

Minaj appeared to freeze up, seemingly regretting her words. The crowd murmured as Kirk appeared to wipe a tear from one of her eyes, with Minaj putting a hand over her own mouth, things seemed to go from bad to worse.

Nicki Minaj makes EXTREMELY inappropriate assassin gaffe to Erika Kirk’s face at America Fest

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Kirk’s widow took the slip-up with grace, however, telling the crowd that had gathered in tribute of her late-husband: “If the internet wants to clip it, who cares? I love this woman.”

Minaj said she was tired of being “pushed around,” and she said that speaking your mind with different ideas is controversial because “people are no longer using their minds.”

Vance also received an endorsement from Erika Kirk during the Arizona event, even though he has not disclosed if he will run for the White House at the next election.

At one point, Kirk thanked Minaj for being “courageous,” despite the backlash she received from the entertainment industry for her support for Trump. Minaj replied with: “I didn’t notice.”

Last month, the rapper took to social media to reveal herself as a fan of Trump and his polices. She shared a message that was originally posted by the US President about Christian persecution in Nigeria.

Trump had floated the idea of implementing sanctions for the West African nation on his Truth Social platform.

“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” Minaj wrote on X. She was then invited to speak at a panel at the US mission to the United Nations along with US Ambassador Mike Waltz and other religious leaders.

In 2018, the Trinidadian-born star was one of several celebrities that condemned Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy, which saw more than 5,000 children separated from their families at the US-Mexico border. Back then, she shared her own story of arriving to the country at five-years-old, describing herself as an “illegal immigrant.”

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High Court says a royal document allowing the ex-PM’s transfer to house arrest was not valid.

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A court in Malaysia has ‍dismissed jailed ‍former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his sentence for corruption at home, ruling that a royal document allowing the ⁠move was not valid.

The ruling on Monday dealt another blow to Najib, who has been imprisoned since August 2022 for his role in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal.

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Najib had sought to compel Malaysian authorities to ‍confirm the ⁠existence of and execute a royal order that he said was issued last year as part of a pardon by the then-king, entitling him to serve the remainder of his sentence at ​home.

Kuala Lumpur High Court ‌judge Alice Loke said on Monday that the existence of the order was not in dispute, but the former king should ‌have consulted the country’s pardons board before making the order ‌to allow Najib house arrest.

“The court ruled that the king could not grant house arrest independently of the pardons board,” she wrote. “I’m of the view that a house arrest order is not capable of execution, no legal provision for such a mechanism in Malaysia.”

Najib did not show much emotion, and later smiled when his lawyer described the ruling as “shocking” after the judge left the courtroom.

Najib denies wrongdoing, alleging that Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho duped him. Low, thought to be the mastermind of the scandal, remains at large.

Former Malaysian parliament member Charles Santiago, who had pushed for the prosecution of Najib, hailed Monday’s ruling in a social media post.

“Faith in the judiciary restored,” he wrote.

The country’s pardons board announced last year that it had reduced to six years the original sentence of Najib, who was convicted and sent to jail for 12 years for corruption.

Najib is set to be released on August 23, 2028, and fines imposed on him were reduced to 50 million ringgit ($10.6m) from 210 million ringgit ($44.5m), according to the pardons board.

Separately on Friday, the former leader will also find out if he is acquitted or convicted in a second graft trial that ties him directly to the 1MDB scandal.

The High Court will rule on four charges of abuse of power to obtain over $700m from 1MDB that went into Najib’s bank accounts, and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.

If found guilty, Najib faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of abuse of power and up to five years for each of the money laundering charges.

Najib set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after he took office in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5bn was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the US and other countries.

The funds were allegedly used to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art and jewelry.

A national outrage over the 1MDB scandal led to the historic 2018 election defeat of the party that had governed Malaysia since independence from the United Kingdom in 1957.

Despite his conviction, Najib still holds clout in his party, the United Malays National Organization, which is now part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim‘s unity government that took power after elections in 2022.

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Sussan Ley and other senior Coalition politicians have linked the Labor government’s recognition of Palestine to the antisemitic Bondi terror attack and attacked Penny Wong for not shedding tears in public at an extraordinary press conference on Monday.

The spray from Coalition MPs came amid growing demands for prime minister Anthony Albanese to call a royal commission into the Bondi attack, with criticism from the Coalition, Jewish groups and even some Labor MPs that the government’s review of the intelligence community is too narrow.

Opposition leader Sussan Ley was visibly angry at a press conference on Monday morning, raising her voice as she hit out at foreign minister Penny Wong for not visiting the site of last Sunday’s attack.

“I haven’t seen Penny Wong shed a single tear,” she said.

Shadow minister Bridget McKenzie went further, linking, without evidence. Wong’s failure to visit certain sites of Hamas’ 7 October massacre in Israel and other government policies to the Bondi massacre.

“Penny Wong, the answers you’ve been giving on why you didn’t go to Kibbutz Be’eri, why you didn’t turn up to the Nova music site when you went to Israel, all of this, recognition of Palestine, all of these decisions of your government have brought this upon us,” McKenzie claimed.

“So we need a royal commission to actually uncover that and give our Jewish community and all Australians a chance to get the answers.”

Nationals senator McKenzie, who has criticised Labor’s plans for firearms reform, claimed the problem was “not the gun, it’s Islamic extremism, and it’s in our suburbs.”

“For too long, we’ve papered over that reality in some hope of, you know, this multicultural nirvana. But it has failed.”

Wong’s trip included meeting Israeli government officials and families of hostages held by Hamas.

Wong, speaking to the ABC on Monday, strongly condemned antisemitism and the Bondi attack, again calling “to turn the temperature down” in Australia’s national debate.

Shadow education minister Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, said Australia’s Jewish community “cannot survive on the crumbs of this government and appalling Prime Minister, who is always late to the party”, criticising Labor for being “late to act” on banning doxxing and banning Nazi symbols.

Government sources noted the Coalition had voted against Labor’s anti-doxxing legislation in November 2024, and had not taken stronger action on banning Nazi symbols during their time in government.

McKenzie, standing alongside Ley – a former convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group – claimed Labor’s August recognition of Palestine had been among decisions which “brought this upon us”.

Around 150 countries worldwide have recognised Palestine. The government’s announcement in August of its intention to recognise Palestine came as France, Canada and the United Kingdom made their own pledges to recognise Palestine. There is no evidence the August announcement had any bearing on the IS-inspired terror attack from Sajid and Naveen Akram, a fruit shop owner and bricklayer.

Albanese announced his government’s intention to recognise Palestine amidst global condemnation of Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza, where more than 60,000 people at the time had been killed – mostly civilians, according to local health authorities – following the 7 October 2023 terror attack by Hamas where 1,200 Israelis were murdered and dozens taken hostage.

While the New South Wales government has announced its own state-based royal commission, Albanese’s government has rejected questions about such a federal inquiry. Treasurer Jim Chalmers last week said the government wanted federal agencies “100% focused” on investigating the shooting that left 15 Jewish victims dead, rather than “delayed or deterred by a Royal Commission.”

Albanese on Saturday said federal agencies would cooperate with NSW’s royal commission, and instead ordered his department to lead a review into federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies – a response immediately branded inadequate by the Coalition.

Federal Labor MPs Mike Freelander and Ed Husic have backed calls for a federal royal commission. Freelander, who is Jewish, told the Australian Financial Review that there were “national issues” for the federal government to deal with; reached by Guardian Australia, Freelander confirmed his position but declined to comment further.

Husic, also contacted for comment, was quoted by the AFR as saying “I’d be concerned that federal agencies might feel that they wouldn’t have the ability to participate fully in a state-based inquiry.”

NSW premier Chris Minns on Monday said he expected cooperation from federal authorities on his state’s royal commission, which he promised would be “as comprehensive as possible”.

Ley’s federal Coalition has demanded a royal commission into antisemitism more broadly, including “attitudes towards… the state of Israel”, conduct at universities and in the arts sector, how state and federal agencies responded to counter-terror and extremism, and visa policies.

Ley, raising her voice in a direct attack on Wong, lashed the foreign minister’s statement as “ridiculous remarks”.

“I haven’t seen Penny Wong on the streets of Bondi. I haven’t seen Penny Wong at the vigil for 15 innocent murdered Australians. I didn’t see Penny Wong at Bondi last night at the eighth night of Hanukkah. I didn’t see Penny Wong attend a single funeral,” Ley said.

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The Fulham midfielder will represent his home country Nigeria in the competition

He’s played on some of the biggest stages in the world in the Premier League, but Alex Iwobi believes the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is a “special” experience.

The tournament will see 24 teams battling for the continental crown across the next couple of weeks.

Fulham midfielder Iwobi will represent his home country of Nigeria in the competition, where they will be hoping to clinch the title after missing out in a 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in 2023’s final.

“With Afcon, you get to celebrate Africa through football,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.

“You get to see different cultures, you get to see how different people dress, how people from Nigeria, the way we walk into the changing rooms.

“When some of the other countries walk into the changing rooms, we play music, so we’re celebrating our music through that as well.”

Nigeria will be hoping to redeem themselves after failing to qualify for a second successive World Cup.

Iwobi says it was a “big disappointment”, but the team will be using it to fuel them in the Afcon tournament.

“We owe it to ourselves to make it right, and there’s no better way from the last Afcon to improve (than) just to win this one,” the 29-year-old says.

Afcon is typically held every two years and this time Morocco is hosting.

Nigeria have won the competition three times over the years, the last being back in 2013.

Their most recent loss to Ivory Coast is still prominent in Iwobi’s mind as he says it “shattered” their dreams.

However, he feels the moment was “written” for striker Sébastien Haller, who scored the winning goal after overcoming testicular cancer.

“It was a tough loss, but you give credit when credit due, they deserved it,” Iwobi says.

“But it’s also fuelled us and we’ve been working hard to get into the Afcon again and, hopefully, this is our story.”

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Alex Iwobi made his debut for Nigeria’s national team in 2015

The Fulham midfielder was born in Lagos, but moved to London as a child. His talent was spotted early and he was selected to represent England up to under-18 level.

After many years with the Three Lions, he made his debut for Nigeria’s national team in 2015 as he says he felt more “at home” with the team.

“England treated me with a lot of respect and they loved me,” he says. “But at the same time, I felt more of a connection with my roots in Nigeria.”

He has since made 91 appearances, making him the fourth most capped player for the Nigerian Super Eagles.

Iwobi says he never thought he would play for Arsenal, Fulham, or Nigeria growing up, but he is “honoured and grateful” for his achievements.

Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey and Iwobi’s school friend Ola Aina are also among the players on the Nigerian national team who were not raised in the country.

They have been affectionately nicknamed the “innit boys”, and Iwobi hopes they have helped open the door for others to represent their home country.

“You’re Nigerian at the end of the day and you will get loved regardless,” he says.

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Iwobi says he never thought we would play for Arsenal, Fulham, or Nigeria in his career

There has been debate over whether Afcon gets the respect it deserves.

Earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher caused a stir when he suggested Afcon was not considered a “major tournament”, when discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the coveted Ballon d’Or.

Iwobi feels there is still more work to be done.

“It’s obviously getting recognised a lot more,” he says. “There’s a lot of great talents, great nations representing.

“In the Premier League there’s a lot of players in each team that are going to be represented so the awareness is growing, but it definitely deserves a lot more respect, in my opinion.”

If he wins the tournament, the Fulham player says he will be on the phone to his parents and sister straight away, while his extended family will be dancing.

“I’ve heard from previous people that when they win it, it’s like everything just stops, you become like a king, you’re just royalty,” he says.

“Just going to the final we got treated like royalty anyway, so I can’t imagine winning it.

“It would just be crazy, but I want to experience that.”

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.

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Iranian officials executed a man over the weekend who was convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence arm and its army, according to state media.

The man was Aghil Keshavarz, who was put to death on Saturday, state media reported.

Keshavarz, 27, had “close intelligence cooperation” with the Mossad — the national intelligence agency for Israel — and captured photos of Iranian military and security areas, according to state media.

IRAN’S EXECUTION RATE TOPS 1,000 THIS YEAR AS DEATH ROW INMATES LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE

Iran executed Aghil Keshavarz, 27, after he was convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. (Getty Images)

Keshavarz was arrested in May while taking pictures of a military headquarters in the city of Urmia, located about 371 miles northwest of Iran’s capital of Tehran.

He was accused of engaging in more than 200 similar assignments for the Mossad in various Iranian cities, including Tehran.

Keshavarz was tried and sentenced to death in connection with the spying accusations. The country’s Supreme Court later upheld the sentence, according to state media.

Smoke rises from the building of Iran’s state-run television after an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, on June 16, 2025.  (AP Photo)

Iran has executed 11 people for espionage since a 12-day air conflict in June that was kicked off by Israel, killing roughly 1,100 people in Iran, including military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran countered with a missile barrage that killed 28 people in the Jewish State.

In October, Iran executed an unknown person convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency in the city of Qom.

IRAN HANGS A MAN CONVICTED OF SPYING FOR ISRAEL

A police officer stands guard as demonstrators wave flags and cheer during a gathering following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

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Various others have been executed in Iran in recent years before the June conflict on allegations of spying for the Mossad, including multiple earlier this year.

Iran routinely conducts closed-door trials of people accused of espionage, with the suspects often unable to access the evidence prosecutors used against them in their case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Saturday Night Live‘s cold open mocked President Donald Trump over the heavily redacted Epstein files and his renaming of the Kennedy Center in a scathing Christmas episode.

James Austin Johnson continued his streak as the president and ridiculed the Trump administration over its claim to be the “most transparent in history” after hundreds of pages of the long-awaited documents were redacted when they were partially released Friday by the Justice Department.

Trump only appeared in the tens of thousands of documents a handful of times, and one of the photographs that appeared to show the president was removed by the DOJ Saturday, Democrats said. Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing.

“With regard to files, we’re being very transparent,” Johnson’s Trump began. “Because Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible man, and I didn’t know him, and I liked him a lot.”

“We released all the files, and I come out looking, frankly, very good,” he parodied. “We had to redact a few sensitive things, but you’ll get the gist here…”

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Saturday Night Live ‘s cold open mocked President Donald Trump over the heavily redacted Epstein files (SNL/NBC)

Johnson then turned to a giant file beside him that was redacted, apart from the words: “Trump Didn’t Do Nothing Bad.”

“See, it’s all there. Can you believe it?” he said.

The comic version of Trump joked that he was renaming so many government buildings after himself “because we had to take it off of so many files.”

“We had to put them somewhere,” Johnson said.

The December 20 cold open also ridiculed Trump’s hand-picked board that voted to rename the iconic Kennedy Center: The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

“We are renaming the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which will now be called the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts No Homo,” Johnson said.

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“I’m actually going to be renaming a number of our other monuments as well…Trump-Washington Monument…Trump Lincoln Memorial,” Johnson reeled off, holding up mocked-up images of the historic sites with the president’s name plastered across them.

The near-five minute skit mimicked the style of Trump’s meandering speeches, where he has often bragged about his cognitive test scores.

open image in gallery

The cold open also skewered Trump’s hand-picked board voting to rename the Kennedy Center The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

“I’m doing my own version of Nativity now, where kings from the Middle East bring gifts for me, like gold and airplane and casino deal in Dubai,” the actor said. “But unlike nativity, they’re not showing up on camel. And I know camel, I know it very well. I know it from my mandatory daily cognitive test.”

“I always get camel right. It’s bumpy horse,” he went on. “That’s how I know camel bumpy horse.”

Saturday’s show, hosted by Ariana Grande, marked Bowen Yang’s last as he earlier announced his mid-season exit after seven years.

The actor and comedian, 35, shared a carousel of images on Instagram that showed him at 30 Rock alongside his fellow cast members.

“I loved working at SNL, and most of all i loved the people. i was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile,” his lengthy caption began.

“I’m grateful for every minute of my time there,” he added.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Lucas Bravo told PEOPLE about something he hates doing
• He also shared what he loves discussing during conversations
• The actor plays Gabriel, a “hot chef,” in Netflix’s Emily in Paris

Lucas Bravo has a relatable pet peeve. 

Speaking with PEOPLE in an exclusive conversation at the Emily in Paris season 5 world premiere event in Paris on Dec. 15, the 37-year-old actor revealed what he loves — and especially hates — in his daily life.

“I hate small talk. I hate talking about the weather and stuff like that,” Bravo confessed, adding, “I don’t have time for this.”

Lucas Bravo and the rest of the ‘Emily in Paris’ cast in Paris on Dec. 15, 2025.

Blanca CRUZ / AFP via Getty

Instead, The Seduction star said he enjoys “going deep” when talking.

“So what is my Roman Empire? I can’t get enough deep conversations — talking about unconditional love and boundaries and self-love and patterns and how to evolve and grow and and the ways to do it,” he shared. “I love having those conversations with people.”

On-screen, Bravo does the talking in Netflix’s Emily in Paris as “hot chef” Gabriel, a role he admitted that he was initially rejected for.

He previously told PEOPLE that he didn’t land it because Paramount, the parent company of the studio behind Emily in Paris, didn’t “want to take a chance” on him due to his lack of “background.”

However, after a fateful chemistry read with Lily Collins, who plays the titular character, show creator Darren Star “fought” to cast Bravo.

Lucas Bravo (right) and William Abadie in ‘Emily in Paris’ season 5.

Caroline Dubois/Netflix

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Aside from Emily in Paris and The Seduction, the French actor is looking forward to a booked and busy 12 months ahead in 2026.

“I have some great, great projects lined up — I’m booked until next December,” Bravo shared. “So I honestly can’t wait to get to those projects, because I’m getting into a lot of diverse, crazy challenging roles, and I’ve been waiting for that for a long time. I’ve been working hard to get here.”

All 10 episodes of Emily in Paris season 5 premiered on Netflix on Dec. 18.

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The man who allegedly attempted to incite a Cronulla-style riot in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre has been denied bail.

Queensland barber Ryder Shaw, 20, has appeared in court after being charged with allegedly trying to whip up a riot.

Dressed in a grey t-shirt, Shaw (pictured below) looked down with his hands in his lap as his lawyer Brian Quinn applied for bail on Monday.

Prosecutor Felicia Lay argued he should remain in custody due to the risk of further offending and the seriousness of the alleged offence.

‘The posts included a date and location. It is submitted it was not just a hateful post, but it was encouraging [people to participate],’ she said.

Ms Lay said the police facts allege that Shaw was named as one of the organisers of the event.

The court heard Shaw has been working part-time as a barber on the Sunshine Coast, where he lives with his partner.

He allegedly posted the event details online while in Queensland, before being arrested during a visit to family on the NSW coast, the court heard.

The court heard Shaw allegedly posted on TikTok urging people to attend Cronulla for a ‘Middle Eastern bashing day’.

Mr Quinn said the post quickly went viral, bringing his client to the attention of police.

Mr Quinn argued his client had no prior record, suggesting bail conditions such as residing at one of two Central Coast addresses, being barred from Sydney, reporting to police twice a week and avoiding social media.

However, Magistrate Margaret Quinn said the allegations were very serious and could possibly result in jail time if proven.

‘I don’t know if that young man who [allegedly] killed all those people in Bondi had a record either,’ she said.

‘Inciting people to violence because of race or religion is repulsive.

‘That young man [Shaw] should realise that the person who saved people [at the Bondi shooting] was a Muslim.

‘This young man seems to be a Muslim hater. That is what his text suggests.’

Magistrate Quinn said the alleged offending was made even more serious by the fact ‘feelings are running high at the moment’ and the event details were specified.

‘There is a date involved and a place. They are not just a random declaration to kill or do something to others. It actually sets down a date and place,’ she said.

Magistrate Quinn denied Shaw bail, arguing there was an unacceptable risk of endangering others in the community.

He is next due before court on February 26 next year.

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Paul Doyle, was jailed for 21 years and six months on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to 31 offences relating to the crash on Water Street, Liverpool, became involved in a fight with Stuart Lucas

02:14, 22 Dec 2025Updated 02:14, 22 Dec 2025

Father-of-three Paul Doyle was jailed on Tuesday

A former Royal Navy reservist who had his ear bitten off by Liverpool parade attacker Paul Doyle more than 30 years ago has broken his silence.

Stuart Lucas bravely stepped in to stop the well-built thug, then in the Royal Marines, from assaulting younger colleagues. He said today how trouble flared at motorway services when Doyle decked two young naval ratings with a flying kick after being challenged about his drunken behaviour.

Doyle then turned on Mr Lucas, sinking his teeth into the man’s his ear. Mr Lucas, who at the time was a Royal Navy sailor, said: “It was so painful I let go and then when I did let him go, he bit through it, chewed it up and spat it out.”

Last week, Doyle, 54, was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison for driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title victory parade in the city last May, injuring 130 people. The thug admitted dangerous driving, affray and 29 other GBH-related charges in connection with the incident.

READ MORE: Liverpool Parade crash driver Paul Doyle ‘knocked man out’ over McDonald’s jokeREAD MORE: Paul Doyle ‘held in Monster Mansion jail’ where 2 prisoners were recently killedDoyle is seen on a still from bodycam footage being taken to the custody suite(Image: PA)

Speaking in the wake of the sentencing, Mr Lucas described how “all hell broke loose” when Doyle – who had been drinking heavily – kicked off with the sailors at Charnock Richard services on the M6 in Lancashire 31 years ago. Doyle was one of two marines in a bus with 28 sailors being taken to Barry, south Wales to sail the minesweeper HMS Dovey to Glasgow as Mr Lucas’ group was short of crew.

Just as prosecutors described in the Liverpool incident, Doyle “lost his temper” and his flying kick left two sailors stricken on the ground. He then bit Mr Lucas, who remains disfigured from the attack.

Doyle, then 23, was later jailed for 12 months over the incident. Mr Lucas, a Masters student at Strathclyde University at the time, testified at Preston Crown Court, reports the Daily Mail.

Doyle drove his car into the Liverpool parade crowds in May(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

Mr Lucas, now 68 and a retired teacher, told the publication: “It was exceptional I guess; you have two guys on the bus with 28 navy guys and they shouldn’t have been trying to take over or cause trouble. It was most strange and I couldn’t believe it. It was all a bit crazy the way it happened.

“I controlled him till he bit my ear off. He just floored the two of them. He was a pretty fit guy. I think when I came out he didn’t see me, I was just a wee one and therefore I could just walk round the back of him while he was focussed on the other two and put the bear hug on him.”

Dad-of-one Mr Lucas served in the Royal Navy for 12 years, reaching the rate of leading radio operator before joining the Royal Naval Reserve, which was when the incident in 1994 happened. The pensioner, who lives in East Lothian, turned down the chance of having his ear rebuilt, as it would have taken months.

“Speaking of the Liverpool attack, there’s your link. Everyone at the parade was all happy and he was the one that was unhappy. And in our little scenario everyone was happy, we were going to earn some money, have a drink going down to do what we do at weekends and then all hell broke loose. And that has never happened before, or since.”

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Guy Delauney Balkans correspondent

AFP via Getty Images

Zagreb’s Christmas market was voted the best in Europe three years in a row

Christmas markets are not just tradition across Europe, they are big businesses that give cities a huge economic boost every December. For Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, it is an effective way of attracting tourists outside of the country’s main summer season.

The words “tourism” and “Croatia” are likely to conjure visons of sparkling Adriatic vistas during the hottest months of the year.

Tourism accounts for more than a fifth of the economy of this Balkan country, and it is keen to encourage more visitors to arrive outside of the height of summer. Yuletide frolics are a key part of that strategy.

“We’re making a transformation,” says Croatia’s Tourism Minister, Tonci Glavina.

“We are developing as a year-round tourism destination – we are not a summer destination anymore. Croatia has really made a significant development. At some point way back it was just sun and sea, but now Croatia offers many tourism products all across the country.”

Zagreb Advent, as the capital’s Christmas markets and events are collectively known, is the poster child for this approach, with billboards in neighbouring countries urging people to attend. In fact, this year the campaign has spread as far as London’s tube stations and Milan’s buses.

There are even special trains to bring visitors from Slovenia and Hungary. All of it is part of Zagreb’s push, in a very crowded field, to become one of Europe’s most popular Christmas markets.

While some cities might limit their offering to a single location, Zagreb Advent is a multi-venue spectacular that takes over large chunks of the centre.

“The entire city has become a festive ground for celebrating Christmas throughout the whole of December,” says Slavica Olujic Klapcic, who manages one of the Christmas market areas.

“What’s really special around here is that each of the locations has its own theme, and it’s a little bit different in decoration, and in the content that it offers. So for a visitor, I think it’s a good deal, because by taking a walk through Zagreb, you can see many different spots.”

Like other Christmas markets across Europe there are no shortages of the usual seasonal staples, such as sausages and mulled wine. But there are also multiple music stages, craft stalls, vendors offering traditional Croatian food, art installations, and an enormous ice rink.

Slavica Olujic Klapcic, who manages one of the market areas, says that Zagreb offers festive variety

“It brings life to Zagreb,” reckons Zrinka Farina, who is involved with putting on Christmas market events outside the city’s historic Hotel Esplanade, as well as a food and music market at nearby Strossmayer Square called Fuliranje – which roughly translates as “fooling around”.

But she says that Croatians are deadly serious about trying to offer Europe’s best Christmas market. “We are such a sporty nation, we love to compete – and when we do something, we really want to be the best in the world in it.”

Such has been the effort that the city has put into Zagreb Advent since it was first held in 2014 that it was voted the best Christmas market in Europe for three years in a row, from 2015 to 2017.

The competition is organised by travel website European Best Destinations, and Zagreb’s success has helped to drive visitor numbers to the city every December.

Back in 2014, the city saw 100,198 people stay for at least one night during the last month of the year. By 2024 this had more than doubled to 245,352, which the tourist board says gave the city a €100m ($117m; £88m) economic boost.

The Zagreb Advent event is spread across the centre of the city

However, Zagreb has a long way to go if it wishes to catch up with Europe’s Christmas market heavyweights.

The one held in the German city of Cologne is widely reported to be the most popular. It is expected to attract four million visitors this year, with an economic impact of €229m.

Meanwhile, Austria’s capital Vienna attracts around 2.8 million visitors to its Christmas market, and France’s Strasbourg gets two million people.

Zagreb’s event also has a limited history – it is only in its 11th year. By contrast, Dresden’s Christmas market, widely considered to be the world’s oldest, was first held in 1434. Strasbourg’s began in 1570, Vienna in 1764 and Cologne in 1820.

Despite its infancy, Zagreb Advent is said to be attracting visitors from across Europe. “They come here from Italy, Spain, Bosnia, Slovenia and even the UK,” says Lucija Vrkljan, who is working as a steward at the ice rink.

“It’s a great place to be,” says Dario Kozul, the founder of BioMania, a bistro with a stall offering vegan and gluten-free food at the Hotel Esplanade Christmas market. “We have a cross-marketing situation all the time,” he adds.

“People walk into this event and test our food – they’re really very pleased with it. Then we talk about our restaurant, and within the next couple of days, we see them there.”

AFP via Getty Images

Dresden’s Christmas market was first held in 1434

Marko Peric, dean of the Faculty of Tourism at Croatia’s University of Rijeka, agrees that Zagreb Advent brings “unusually high” numbers of arrivals and overnight stays in December.

But he cautions that the rest of Croatia’s heavy reliance on the summer season is a weakness that still needs to be addressed. “We need to work and develop our tourist offer in other parts of the year, including the winter,” he says.

“We don’t have snow, but we can offer a lot. We should rely on our gastronomy, which is well known, with many tourists arriving just because of that. And we could use other types of events like carnival in February, or sporting events.”

Tourism Minister Tonci Glavina insists that Croatia is making moves in the right direction. He points out that visitor numbers over July and August were actually slightly down on the same period in 2024.

But the country is still on course for a record-breaking year, thanks to significant growth either side of the summer peak, with around 5% more arrivals in June and September. This, says the minister, is “just perfect”, as is the 10% year-on-year rise over the first week of December.

“We are transforming Croatia to be a sustainable tourism destination, meaning about the same number of guests in peak season, developing the shoulder seasons, and of course developing other parts of the country to be main tourism destinations.”

Zagreb Advent has already shown the benefits. Although that may not be the first thing that springs to a visitor’s mind with all the traditional Croatian treats on offer.

After all, what could be better than a post-skate fritule doughnut, except perhaps a fritule with chocolate sauce.

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