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Rescue helicopter crashes, killing five on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro | Transport News
Two foreigners seeking medical evacuation are among those killed in the crash on Africa’s highest mountain.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
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Five people have been killed in a helicopter crash on Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, authorities say.
The accident took place on Wednesday evening on one of the most popular tourist climbing routes in what police said was a rescue mission to pick up patients on the mountain.
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Two foreigners, who police said had been picked up in a medical evacuation, were among those killed.
A local doctor, a tour guide and the pilot were also killed in the crash.
Tanzanian media reports said Czech nationals as well as a Zimbabwean were on board the helicopter.
The accident happened between the mountain’s Barafu Camp and Kibo Summit at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres (13,100ft).
Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander Simon Maigwa told journalists the aircraft belonged to the Kilimanjaro Aviation company, which has yet to comment on the accident.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday said investigations had started in line with international safety regulations “to determine the circumstances and probable cause” of the accident.
Aircraft accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are rare. The last recorded incident was in November 2008 when four people died.
Kilimanjaro draws thousands of tourists every year. While the ascent is not technically difficult, altitude sickness is a problem for many climbers.
Elon Musk’s much heralded chainsaw couldn’t make the cut.
Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to slash government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, federal expenditures actually increased in fiscal year 2025.
A new investigative report from the New York Times released this week showcased that many of the contracts cut by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by tech billionaire Musk for the start of Trump’s term, were already winding down, or were not on track to reach their maximum spending allotment.
The findings were stark: Of the top 13 contract cancellations in DOGE’s database all 13 were incorrectly characterized, according to the Times. Among the top 40 listed cancellations, 28 were deemed inaccurate.
Of the top 40 contracts and grants that were listed as cancelled, 28 were deemed incorrect by the analysis.
One $500 million contract from the Department of Energy was counted as cancelled twice.
Other cancellations were already in the works during the final weeks of the Biden administration, and others still simply expired but were still counted by DOGE as a win.
Perhaps most telling: 80 percent of the cancellations touted on DOGE’s public dashboard claimed savings of $1 million or less—a rounding error in the federal budget.
The bottom line? Overall government spending rose from roughly $6.95 trillion in fiscal 2024 to approximately $7.01 trillion in fiscal 2025, despite DOGE canceling more contracts than were cut during the final year of the Biden administration.
Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading ‘Long live freedom, damn it’ during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025.
A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC
At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February 2025, Musk appeared on stage with a chainsaw that had been handed to him by Argentine President Javier Milei, who uses the chainsaw as a symbol of cutting government bloat.
Musk waved it around, called it “the chainsaw for bureaucracy,”
Other cost-cutting attempts from DOGE faced legal challenges, and were reversed.
Over 1,000 I.M.L.S. grants to local museums, libraries, and history centers were axed by DOGE, but reinstated after a court ruling. Those ‘cancelled’ grants are still being touted as saving $134 million in total. The reinstatement order came on December 3rd, nearly two months after DOGE’s wall of wins was last updated.
One cut that remained, however, was the elimination of the entire U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID.) The $21.7 billion spent by USAID in fiscal year 2024 amounted to just 0.3 percent of federal spending.
The most expensive government programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, as well as interest payments on the national debt, remained untouched.
Lease cancellations were another element of cost savings touted by DOGE, yet an analysis from the CoStar Group, a commercial real estate company, found that the Trump administration was set to fall well below the target for leased office space it had set to cut down.
250 cancellations amounted to $112 million in annual cost savings, a significant decrease from the $730 million in cost savings once touted by an employee at the Government Services Administration (GSA).
A current Trump administration official did not directly respond to the report’s findings when challenged, instead stating to the Times that ‘President Trump pledged to cut the waste, fraud, and abuse in our bloated government.’
Yet, former DOGE head Elon Musk, who has now returned to the private sector after his short stint as a special government employee, said in a recent interview that he views his time in DC as ‘a little bit successful.’
‘We were somewhat successful. I mean, we stopped a lot of funding that really just made no sense. That was just entirely wasteful,’ Musk told his interviewer Katie Miller, wife of Trump White House official Stephen Miller, and a former DOGE leader herself.
Musk also admitted to Miller that he doesn’t think that he would ‘do DOGE’ again.
‘I think instead of doing Doge, I would have basically worked on my companies, essentially,’ Musk told Miller.
Musk announced in late May that he was leaving his position within the US government after leading DOGE in a controversial effort that aimed to slash federal spending.
‘As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,’ he wrote on his social media platform X at the time.
Manchester United fan Luke Littler was blown away to receive a message from David Beckham in light of his World Championship win, revealing the England legend’s sensitive side
Tom Sunderland Sports Writer
20:30, 25 Dec 2025
Luke Littler had an unexpected message from England legend David Beckham following his 2025 World Championship win(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Sir David Beckham was among the throngs of supportive celebs to reach out to Luke Littler following his World Darts Championship win. And the contents showcased the Manchester United icon’s caring side away from the spotlight.
Littler, 18, has transformed the face of darts during his two years playing on the PDC circuit. And he was only too aware of his impact after an England great like Beckham got in touch to congratulate him on his maiden world title almost 12 months ago.
The incident will have been particularly surreal for Littler considering he’s a United fan with a deep appreciation of Beckham’s legacy. ‘Golden Balls’ was hardly alone in sending ‘The Nuke’ well wishes upon clinching the crown at Alexandra Palace, but he may have been up there with the most meaningful.
Remembering the unexpected interaction during a chat with Sky Sports, Littler recounted: “He said; ‘Wow, well done’, and I said thank you!”
The teenager continued: “It goes to show what I have done for the sport, not only for myself but for the other hundreds of professionals out there. Just to see the likes of David Beckham watching it feels crazy.”
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Littler also revealed Beckham contacted him in the build-up to his first final in January 2024, saying: “Before the final he sent me a message saying, ‘Good luck, Luke – once a Red, always a Red.’ That was class.”
The United Kingdom broke out with a case of Littler fever during his run to the 2024 World Darts Championship final. His defeat to Luke Humphries in that matchup drew a peak TV audience of 3.71million viewers, making it Sky Sports’ most watched non-football event of all time.
That number grew to 4.8m people when including NOW TV viewers and others streaming the event. That represented a 143 per cent increase on the previous year, underlining the influence Littler brought with him.
Littler was stunned to receive a congratulatory message from Man United legend Beckham(Image: X/Sky Sports)
It’s no coincidence the PDC has since made the decision to inflate the prize money on offer at Alexandra Palace since then. This year saw the total prize pot double to £5m, with £1m of that going to the champion, up from £500,000 in previous years.
So Littler isn’t the only one in the darts economy benefiting from the extra eyeballs he brings. Indeed, every player who manages to punch a ticket to the World Championship has won before even throwing a dart.
The Nuke has sailed through to the third round of this year’s competition almost without even breaking a sweat. He beat Darius Labanauskas in the first round before eliminating David Davies, albeit with some shaky moments against the latter.
Littler paraded the world title at his beloved Old Trafford(Image: Getty Images)
Davies had a chance to take the first set before fluffing his lines in the crucial moment. Littler seized upon the opportunity to win 3-0 again and will now face Mensur Suljovic in the next round on Saturday.
There’s an aura around Littler now that means a second straight World Championship wouldn’t bring the same sense of surprise. Nonetheless, he may well look forward to see which celebrities reach out in the event he successfully defends his crown.
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Comments come days after PM Kamil Idris presented a plan to end the country’s nearly three-year war.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
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A senior official in Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) has ruled out any negotiations with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as fighting continues to devastate the country.
“There is no truce and no negotiation with an occupier, and that the just peace that Sudan desires will be achieved through the roadmap and vision of its people and government,” Malik Agar Ayyir, deputy chairman of TSC, said in a statement on Thursday posted by the Ministry of Culture, Media and Tourism.
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Speaking to ministers and state officials in Port Sudan, the eastern city where the government is based, he dismissed the narrative that the war is aimed at achieving “democracy”. Instead, he described the war as a “conflict over resources and a desire to change Sudan’s demographics” and emphasised an opportunity to strengthen national unity.
This comes days after Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris presented a plan to end the country’s nearly three-year war before the United Nations Security Council.
Consistent with the Sudanese army and the government’s position, the plan stipulates that RSF fighters must withdraw from vast areas of land that they have taken by force in the western and central parts of Sudan.
They would then have to be placed in camps and disarmed, before those who are not implicated in war crimes can be reintegrated into society.
The RSF has repeatedly rejected the idea of giving up territory, with Al-Basha Tibiq, a top adviser to commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, describing it as “closer to fantasy than to politics”.
RSF reports gains
The war, which has forcibly displaced about 14 million people, shows no signs of stopping as the RSF consolidates its hold over captured territory and expands attacks.
RSF fighters have continued to commit mass killings, systematic sexual violence, and the burying and burning of bodies in Darfur to cover up the evidence of war crimes over the past several months, according to international aid agencies working on the ground.
The humanitarian situation on the ground has only turned more disastrous after the capture of el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state, in October.
The RSF announced on Thursday that its forces established control over the Abu Qumra region in North Darfur.
They “have continued their successful advancement to the Um Buru area, where they have completely liberated these areas”, the group claimed in a statement.
Despite the mounting evidence of widespread atrocities committed in western Sudan, the RSF claimed that the primary duty of its fighters is to “protect civilians and end the presence of remnants of armed pockets and mercenary movements”.
The group also released footage of its armed fighters, who claimed they were making advances towards el-Obeid, a strategic city in North Kordofan state.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism Thursday about the progress of peace negotiations after speaking with Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelenskyy said the Christmas conversation centered on ongoing efforts to end the war and move toward a durable, lasting peace.
“Today we had a very good conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff @SEPeaceMissions and @jaredkushner,” he wrote on X, thanking them for their “intensive work” and “constructive approach.”
“We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable,” Zelenskyy said.
RUSSIAN CRUISE MISSILES HIT US COMPANY IN MASSIVE UKRAINE STRIKE AMID TRUMP’S PEACE PUSH
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and European leaders pose for a photo during talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, Dec. 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian officials have met with Witkoff and Kushner multiple times in Miami in recent weeks to discuss possible elements of a peace plan aimed at ending nearly four years of fighting.
Zelenskyy said Monday that the draft peace framework has been reduced to 20 points from 28 and includes proposed security guarantees involving Ukraine, European allies and the United States, along with an initial outline for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
The Ukrainian president said the framework includes a separate document on bilateral security guarantees with the United States that would likely require review by the U.S. Congress.
Zelenskyy cautioned that some differences remain, noting that both Ukraine and Russia have positions they are not prepared to accept as U.S. talks with Russian officials continue.
PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT
Paramedics treat Valentina, who was wounded in an attack on a residential area in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, Dec. 15, 2025. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing Thursday that talks between Washington and Moscow were moving forward gradually, while accusing unnamed Western European countries of trying to undermine the process.
Zakharova said negotiations had shown “slow but steady progress,” but were being accompanied by what she described as “extremely harmful and even malicious attempts” to derail diplomatic efforts, according to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested last week that Russia’s goals in Ukraine are unchanged and will be accomplished either through negotiations or by further military advances if diplomatic efforts fail.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a ceremony awarding the Gold Star medal of the Hero of Russia after the annual board meeting of the Defense Ministry in Moscow on Dec. 17, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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“The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved,” he said, using the Kremlin’s term to refer to Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
“We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” the Russian leader told military officials, according to a transcript of the speech released by the government.
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
WORLD NEWS
Gavin Newsom drops Christmas troll of Trump with video mocking Epstein files redactions flub
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom trolled President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files release, which has been hindered by heavy redactions and delays.
The governor rounded off a year of mocking the president by posting a short video that showed pages and pages of redactions in the files in the late convicted sex offender’s case, cut with footage of Trump speaking with Epstein in the early 90s.
“2025: REDACTED,” Newsom posted on his X account alongside the 20-second clip, which opened with a voiceover that said: “And with that, the 2025 season comes to an end. Goodnight.”
The footage played over the 2009 Mumford & Sons hit White Blank Page.
Newsom’s video then showed a grainy image of Trump inside Epstein’s desk that was initially published by the Justice Department on December 19, the deadline set by Congress to release all of the files.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom trolled President Donald Trump on Christmas Eve over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files release. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The image was removed the next day by officials “out of an abundance of caution for further review” and was later reposted.
But critics were quick to notice the photo had been taken down, which only fueled further speculation over whether the department was withholding evidence of Trump in the files.
“DOJ defends removing Trump photo from Epstein files,” a headline read alongside the image in the video posted by Newsom.
The president is not accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes, and a person’s appearance within the files does not suggest wrongdoing. Early this week, the DOJ released another batch of documents from the Epstein files. These featured several mentions of Trump, though DOJ officials were quick to provide context that some of the references involving the president came from fake documents part of the file.
Newsom’s video also highlighted a record of an internal email sent by an unnamed assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York dating from January 2020 that was included in the second batch release.
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Newsom’s video showed a grainy image of Trump inside Epstein’s desk that was initially published by the Justice Department on December 19 (DOJ)
The official wrote to colleagues explaining that flight records obtained from Epstein’s private jet revealed Trump had flown in it “many more times than previously has been reported.”
That appears to contradict a claim Trump made on Truth Social in January 2024, while campaigning for the presidency, in which he flatly declared: “I was never on Epstein’s Plane.”
Just 30 minutes after Newsom posted the video, Justice Department officials admitted they had uncovered over a million more documents “potentially” tied to the Epstein case, and it may take weeks to release them all.
“We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The Trump administration faces more backlash over its partial release of the files by the December 19 deadline and as the Justice Department appears to be scrambling to redact the remaining files.
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The governor mocked the president by posting the short video that showed pages and pages of redactions in the files (AP)
So far, approximately 750,000 documents in the convicted sex offender’s case have been reviewed and released by a team of 200 people, a Trump administration official told Axios.
Leadership reportedly sent out an “emergency request” asking career prosecutors in Florida to volunteer over the Christmas holiday to assist in redacting the files, according to CNN.
“We need AUSAs to do remote document review and redactions related to the Epstein files,” the email from a supervising prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office reportedly said.
“I am aware that the timing could not be worse,” the email sent two days before Christmas Day said. “For some the holidays are about to begin, but I know that for others the holidays are coming to an end.”
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, the lawmakers behind the legislation to release the files, have suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi could be held in contempt for failing to release documents by the deadline.
NEED TO KNOW
- Savannah Guthrie is giving a glimpse into her family’s Christmas celebrations
- The Today host shared a photo on Instagram posing alongside her husband and their two kids, Vale and Charley, all dressed up in matching outfits
- “Merriest Christmas and happy holidays ❤️💚,” she wrote alongside the snapshot
Savannah Guthrie and her family are celebrating Christmas in style!
The Today host, 53, gave a glimpse into her family of four’s festivities on Thursday, Dec. 25, with a photo shared to Instagram of her posing alongside husband Michael Feldman and their two kids, Vale, 11, and Charley, 9, as they dressed in matching Christmas outfits.
“Merriest Christmas and happy holidays ❤️💚,” Guthrie wrote alongside the selfie of the family sporting black long-sleeve shirts decorated with a gold Christmas tree paired with black and yellow plaid pants.
Savannah Guthrie with her family in Jan. 2025.
Savannah Guthrie/Instagram
In keeping with the matching theme, on Christmas Eve, the mom of two shared on her Instagram Story that she and Vale were both sporting sparkly tinsel in their hair.
Guthrie’s matchy holiday celebrations come just days after the journalist shared that she’d be taking some time off from Today in the new year to undergo vocal surgery.
“Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit,” Guthrie shared during the Dec. 19 broadcast of the morning show. “Well, I have found out what it is. I have vocal nodules and I also have a polyp. It’s not a big, big deal, but I am going to have to have a surgery in the new year and be off for a couple of weeks, so this is my last day for a little while.”
Savannah Guthrie with daughter Vale and son Charley on March 29, 2024.
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
Guthrie shared that as part of her recovery, she’d need to be “totally silent” for a couple of weeks, which for her family meant “Christmas coming early,” she joked.
During the conversation, Sheinelle Jones, who was recently announced as Hoda Kotb’s replacement on the program’s fourth hour with Jenna Bush Hager, shared that she’s undergone the same surgery and was sure to note the bright side of things.
“The silver lining is you have permission to be still,” Jones said. “The house gets quiet, the kids are gonna want to help you out.”
WORLD NEWS
Inside the Trump family Christmas: President’s daughter-in-law reveals secret traditions… special guests… and who WON’T be coming this year
The Trump family is celebrating another Christmas at the President’s enchanting Mar-a-Lago estate.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and Fox News host Lara Trump pulled back the curtain on the family festivities, including what gifts may be circulated and the special recipes on offer.
But how does anyone possibly buy a gift for the most powerful man in the world?
That, Lara Trump puts it, is ‘always a conundrum.’
The answer, at least recently, has been to focus on more touching effects.
‘We get a framed photo, and so if you look behind him in the Oval Office on his desk, he does have a lot of framed photos,’ she explained. ‘All of those pictures there have been given to him by us and the family over the course of many years.’
‘The one that I think we gave him, maybe last year, was a framed photo of his mom, and he’s got that always right behind him on the desk.’
Naturally, the next question is what does the billionaire real estate mogul turned president gift to his family? During his first term, the president gave out ornaments, Lara Trump shared, adding they were designed with Melania Trump’s input.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump (pictured on Christmas Eve in 2019 at Mar-a-Lago) are expected to celebrate Christmas at their Florida home
Tiffany and Lara Trump are pictured at the president’s inauguration this year. Lara Trump told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview all about the Trump family’s Christmas traditions
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania in their annual Christmas photo
The many young children in the Trump family, meanwhile, prefer grandpa’s hidden candy stash over the tree decorations – especially because he maintains a healthy helping of king-sized, or shall we say presidential, candy bars ready for the taking despite mom or dad’s objections.
‘He’s kind of famous for the candy bowl in his office,’ the Fox News host shared. ‘Sometimes it’s a full-size candy bar situation. There’s always Starbursts in there.’
That tradition goes beyond Christmas. There are reportedly stashes of pink and red Starbursts – the president’s favorites – tucked inside executive’s fleet of transportation, from Air Force One and Marine One to his personal Trump Force One, Lara said.
The Christmas agenda in the Trump household, however, is remarkably ordinary.
‘Christmas Eve is usually a church service and dinner,’ Lara said. The family typically attends Bethesda-by-the-Sea, an Episcopal church just minutes from Mar-a-Lago where the president and Melania were married.
Shortly after dawn on Christmas morning, and a highly-anticipated visit from Santa, frantic excitement among the little ones begins as they rush to open presents under the tree.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speak on the phone with children as they track Santa Claus with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, on Christmas Eve in the State Dining Room of the White House in 2018
President Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in January. A picture of his mother can be seen on the right side of the table behind him. Lara Trump says it was a Christmas gift, as are many of the framed pictures on that table
Group portrait of, left to right, Donald Trump, Barron Trump and Santa Claus on Christmas Day at the Mar-a-Lago estate
All the Trump children maintain residences in Jupiter, Florida, just up the road from their father’s residence in Palm Beach, and will begin Christmas morning separately before coming together later.
Like any big American family celebrating Christmas, there’s, of course, implied chaos.
‘Christmas morning is a little challenging. You know, Santa shows up and he’s got all the gifts at everybody’s particular house … We’re all kind of in our own immediate homes there on Christmas morning and after we gather post-chaos of opening gifts,’ Lara said.
Soon, they are ready to go to grandpa’s to exchange even more presents. Barron Trump, 19, presumably, will be with his parents.
The holiday is perhaps the sole annual occasion where extended family gets together and just spends time with one another, Lara explained.
The president will likely make a flurry of calls to world leaders. But first, he will phone his closest family members.
‘I think first and foremost, to the family members who aren’t physically with us on Christmas, which, you know, maybe like his sister, Elizabeth, I’m not sure if she’s gonna make it down,’ Lara said. ‘She’s getting a little bit older. It’s harder for her to travel.’
She added: ‘He’s got a list of other folks who, politically, he wants to make sure he connects with.’
The celebration is drastically different from how it used to be, and the family – a decade into their patriarch’s pouncing into politics – is prone to being quarantined on Christmas.
The Trump family typically attends church on Christmas Eve at Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida. The Trump kids love the candlelight vigil and Christmas songs, Lara said
Ivanka and Jared Kushner celebrating the holidays
In the past, the family would gather in the more ‘intimate’ Mar-a-Lago living room, where some guests, along with the Trumps, were able to relax and enjoy the holiday.
Sometimes the receptions are in the ballroom, a setting fit to host up to 700 guests.
‘It has grown into such a monster now,’ the president’s daughter-in-law remarked.
‘We kind of have to be like roped off as a family, which is a little bit different holiday situation,’ she said of the family’s recent Mar-a-Lago receptions. Though this year the family is returning to the cherished living room for their Christmas celebrations.
Last year, for example, Elon Musk and his mother, Maye Musk, joined the Trump family for Christmas dinner.
The candlelight vigil and requisite hymns are a favorite of the youngest Trump children, who Lara says ‘know all the songs.’
For these Trump tots, the magic of Christmas and its patron saint, Santa, not to be confused with namesake Jesus Christ, is still alive and well. Though Lara couldn’t recall when Barron lost faith in the chimney-crawling character.
No family gathering is complete without a delicious family recipe, and the Fox News host, who went to culinary school, said she dutifully provides a chocolate peppermint trifle every year. It’s always ‘destroyed’ by the end of the night, she said.
Finally, the night concludes with a family tradition that dates back to Fred Trump, the president’s businessman father, who first forayed into real estate.
The president will conclude the family dinner by slamming his hands down on the table and saying ‘Well, that was Christmas.’
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Suzanne Capper endured horrific abuse at the hands of some so-called ‘friends’, who pulled out her teeth, shaved her hair and bathed her in disinfectant, before setting her alight
Suzanne Capper died on 18 December 1992 after falling into a coma(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
Suzanne Capper was a friendly 16-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her, before a row with over a missing duffle coat spiralled into seven days of lethal torture.
It was a horrific case that shocked Britain, even reducing jurors to tears as depraved details emerged in court. The teen was held captive, beaten, injected with drugs and abused in an endless cycle of horror, all carried out by people who were supposed to be her friends.
A group of six accomplices, with ages ranging from 16 to 29, inflicted unthinkable cruelty on Suzanne in a week-long nightmare. The 16-year-old, from Moston, Greater Manchester, was then driven to woods near Romiley in Stockport where she was doused in petrol and set on fire. She managed to survive long enough to name her attackers.
Suzanne’s heinous ordeal began in December 1992. Described as a “a gentle and easily influenced girl,” she was living with her stepfather but was spending an increasing amount of time at the home of Jean Powell, 26.
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Jean Powell(Image: MEN Media)
Suzanne had spent time babysitting Powell’s three children at a terraced house in Moston and had stayed overnight. The teen was said to be lonely with no friends, and looked for companionship in Powell. Suzanne was “polite” and “passive,” willing to do anything to do anything her friends asked.
Powell’s squalid home was a hot bed for drug dealing, parties and sex. The mum had also struck up a friendship with Bernadette McNeilly, 23, who had recently moved in three doors away. McNeilly, who had three children, subsequently moved in with Powell and her three children, where the two shared a bed in the downstairs dining room because the bedrooms were “full” of kids.
Powell was separated from her husband Glyn, although the two remained friendly and he would visit regularly. McNeilly’s boyfriend, 16-year-old Anthony Dudson, was also having a sexual relationship with Powell, who was also sexually involved with Jeffrey Leigh. He was a regular visitor to the house, as was Powell’s younger brother, Clifford Pook.
Powell and McNeilly would frequently bully Suzanne – according to her sister Michelle: “It was not that she was scared of them, it’s just that she would do anything for them. She pampered their every whim.”
Bernadette McNeilly(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
At the time of Suzanne’s death, McNeilly and Dudson were angry because they had become infected by pubic lice, which they concluded they had caught from Suzanne, who regularly slept in the bed they shared. McNeilly also thought Suzanne had stolen a pink duffle coat worth around £50.
On 7 December, McNeilly and Powell found Suzanne at her stepfather’s home and lured her to Powell’s house, telling her that a lad she fancied was there. Glyn and Dudson were already waiting.
As soon as she arrived, Suzanne was grabbed and held down while Glyn and Dudson shaved her head and eyebrows. She was then beaten by the group and taken to the bathroom where she was forced to shave off her own pubic hair in ‘revenge’ before being locked in a cupboard overnight.
Anthony Dodson(Image: MEN Media)
The following day, on 8 December, she was transferred to McNeilly’s house amid concerns that the six children were being disturbed by Suzann’es crying. There she was tied to a bed base with cord, rope, electric flex, belts and a chain.
Suzanne spent a further six days and nights in captivity, with her back blistering and socks stuffed in her mouth to prevent her from crying out. She endured horrific torture. The teen was regularly beaten, injected with amphetamines, and burned with cigarettes. She also had two front teeth pulled out.
Having been forced to lay in her own urine and feces for several days, Suzanne was placed in a bath containing concentrated disinfectant and scrubbed with a stiff brush with sufficient force to remove skin.
Glyn Powell (Image: MEN Media)
In the early hours of 14 December 1992, Suzanne was forced into the boot of a stolen white Fiat Panda car and driven 15 miles to a narrow lane on the outskirts of Stockport.
In the car were McNeilly, the Powells and Dudson. Upon their arrival, Suzanne was pushed down an embankment, into a patch of brambles, where McNeilly poured petrol over her. She was then set on fire with McNeilly reportedly singing “Burn baby burn! Burn baby burn!” from The Trammps song “Disco Inferno”.
READ MORE: House of horrors where ‘sex suicide pact Brit went to die’ – ‘frantic texts, beatings and video’
Incredibly, she did not die as her attackers had intended – quickly and anonymously. She managed to scramble back up the embankment and stagger along the country lane for approximately a quarter of a mile, where she was found with horrific injuries by workmen who raised the alarm.
Suzanne survived for four days, long enough to tell police who she was and who was responsible. She was able to give the names of her six assailants, as well as Powell’s address, before falling into a coma. Having suffered from 80 per cent burns and multiple organ failure, Suzanne died on 18 December 1992, without regaining consciousness.
Mourners pictured at Suzanne’s funeral on 18 January 1993(Image: Mirrorpix)
Her attackers were charged on 23 December 1992, and their trial commenced on 16 November 1993, lasting 22 days. All six denied murder and, in their testimonies, each tried to minimise their part in the crime.
After the trial, Jean Powell (now Gillespie), who was 26 at the time of the killing, Bernadette McNeilly, 24, Glyn Powell, 29, and Anthony Dudson, 16, were all found guilty of murder. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years.
Dudson was given a minimum term of 18 years – later reduced to 16. Clifford Pook, Jean’s brother, and Jeffrey Leigh, 27, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and were given 15 and 12 year sentences respectively.
Jeffrey Leigh(Image: Jim Duxbury/Shutterstock)
The murder happened just two months before James Bulger was murdered in Liverpool and, despite the twisted and prolonged violence used, did not generate the same level of media coverage as that case.
All six have since been released after serving their minimum terms. Bernadette McNeilly was released in 2015, while Jean Powell (later Gillespie) was released in 2017. Anthony Dudson was set free in 2013, while Glynn Powell was released in May 2023. Clifford Pook was released in 2001, and Jeffrey Leigh in 2008.
WORLD NEWS
Ukraine hits major Russian oil refinery with British missiles, officials say | World News
Ukraine has hit a major Russian oil refinery with British missiles, Ukrainian military and security officials said on Thursday.
The Storm Shadow missiles caused multiple explosions at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
“Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” the General Staff said on the Telegram app on Thursday.
What are Storm Shadow missiles?
The refinery was one of southern Russia’s biggest suppliers of oil products and was supplying diesel and jet fuel to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, according to the officials.
The UK gave Ukraine permission to use its Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia last year, with the first known strikes happening in November that year.
A long-range air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile. Pic: PA
Ukrainian-made long-range drones hit oil product tanks in Russia’s Temryuk port in the Krasnodar region and a gas processing plant in Orenburg.
The Orenburg plant is the largest facility of its kind and is around 1,400km (870 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
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Russian officials in Krasnodar said two oil product tanks caught fire at the southern port of Temryuk after the drone attack.
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Flames covered about 2,000 square metres, authorities at the Krasnodar operational headquarters said on Telegram.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up their attacks on energy facilities in recent months.
Kyiv has increased its strikes on Russia’s oil refineries and other energy infrastructure since August as it seeks to cut
Moscow’s oil revenues, a key source of funding for its war effort.
The chart shows oil refineries struck by Ukraine in the months leading up to December.
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Elsewhere in the conflict, Russian officials said there had been “slow but steady progress” in peace negotiations with the United States.
“In the negotiation process on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, I mean in the negotiation process with the United States, there is slow but steady progress,” said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday.
She added, however, that western European powers were trying to torpedo the progress of peace talks and the United States should counter such moves.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy posted on Telegram to say he had spoken to the US’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “for nearly an hour”.
“It was truly a good conversation: many details, good ideas, and we discussed them,” he said. “We have some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer, and this concerns formats, meetings, and of course, timing.”
WORLD NEWS
Brazil’s jailed ex-President Bolsonaro undergoes ‘successful’ surgery | Jair Bolsonaro News
Bolsonaro’s operation addressed a painful double hernia; doctors anticipate five to seven days of hospitalisation.
Published On 25 Dec 2025
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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent a “successful” surgery for an inguinal hernia, his wife has said.
The 70-year-old former leader left prison on Wednesday for the first time since late November to undergo the procedure on Thursday at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.
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“Successful surgery completed, without complications. Now we wait for him to wake up from anaesthesia,” his wife Michelle announced in an Instagram post.
Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since November for an attempted coup. He was granted court permission to leave prison after federal police doctors confirmed that he needed the procedure.
Doctors say Bolsonaro’s double hernia causes him pain. The former leader, who was in power between 2019 and 2022, has gone through several other surgeries since he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018. He was also diagnosed with skin cancer recently.
Doctors for the far-right president from 2019 to 2022 anticipated that his hospitalisation would last between five and seven more days.
The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia – a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.
“It is a complex surgery,” Dr Claudio Birolini said on Wednesday. “But it is a standardised … scheduled surgery, so we expect the procedure to be carried out without major complications.”
After the operation, doctors are to assess whether Bolsonaro can undergo an additional procedure: blockage of the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, for recurrent hiccups, Birolini said.
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to prison in September after he was found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.
Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.
He has been confined to a small room with a minibar, air conditioning and a television at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia.
Succession
Early on Thursday, his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, told reporters before the surgery that his father had written a letter confirming he had appointed him as the Liberal Party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election. Flavio announced on December 5 that he would challenge Lula, who is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term, as the party’s candidate.
The senator read the letter to journalists, and his office released a reproduction of it to the media.
“He represents the continuation of the path of prosperity that I began well before becoming president, as I believe we must restore the responsibility of leading Brazil with justice, resolve and loyalty to the aspirations of the Brazilian people,” Bolsonaro said in the handwritten letter, dated Thursday.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasilia, on December 17, 2025 [AFP]
According to Flavio, the letter sought to clarify any “doubt” about his father’s support for his presidential bid.
“Many people say they had not heard it from his own mouth or had not seen a letter signed by him. I believe this clears up any shadow of doubt,” he said after reading the letter.
The former president and several of his allies were convicted by a panel of Supreme Court justices for attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system following his 2022 election defeat.
Two men are believed to be missing in the water off a beach in Devon, after a number of people were reported to be in difficulty.
Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton at 10.25am on Christmas Day following concerns for people in the water.
A number of people were safely recovered to shore, with two checked by paramedics and one taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall police said:
“The next of kin of one man have been spoken to. Enquiries to speak to the family of the second man are ongoing; however, a local friend has been informed as part of these efforts.
“A significant amount of emergency service personnel were deployed to the incident and we ask that people do not enter the water for public safety reasons – due to the current weather warnings we ask that this is the case today and for any Boxing Day swims.”
In a statement, the Coastguard said its search was stood down at 5pm.
A spokesperson said: “Alerted at around 10am, Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay and coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed wing aircraft were sent to the scene to assist, alongside police and ambulance service.
“Searches have continued throughout the day to find two men believed to still be in the water. After extensive shoreline and offshore searches, the coastguard part of the search was stood down at 5pm.”
A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall were cancelled this year because of a yellow weather warning for wind.
The Met Office warned of “strong and gusty east to northeasterly winds” from 4am until 11.59pm on Christmas Day in parts of the south-west of England and Wales.
It said peak gusts would reach 45 to 55mph but these could reach 55 to 65mph along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills.
Disruption could be caused to transport and power supplies, the forecaster said.
It added: “Large waves will be an additional hazard on some coasts.”
Anyone with information which may assist in the search for the swimmers should contact Devon and Cornwall police by calling 101 or through the force’s website, quoting log number 191 of 25 December.
Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Last week, the board of the Kennedy Center – which Trump filled with allies – voted to rename the performing arts centre the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Beatty is one of several Democratic lawmakers designated as members of the board by US law. She claimed in her lawsuit that the renaming was illegal because changing the name requires “an act of Congress”.
The suit says Beatty had called into the meeting about the name change but was muted when she tried to voice her opposition.
Beatty argues that Congress intended for the centre to be a “living memorial” to former President Kennedy.
“[I]n scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic – the sitting President and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump,” the lawsuit states.
In a statement provided to the BBC, the White House said Trump had “stepped up” and saved the Kennedy Center “by strengthening its finances, modernizing the building, and ending divisive woke programming”.
“As a result, the Board of the Kennedy Center voted unanimously to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center — a historic move that marks a new era of success, prestige, and restored grandeur for one of America’s most iconic cultural institutions,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said.
On Friday, the president’s name was added to the exterior of the building, and the centre’s website logo now reads “The Trump Kennedy Center”.
The name change has been met with harsh criticism, particularly in Washington DC where the centre has been an iconic landmark since it was built and named for Kennedy.
Musician Chuck Redd cancelled his annual Christmas Eve jazz concert at the centre, a tradition spanning nearly two decades, in response to the renaming.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Redd has been hosting the annual Christmas Eve “Jazz Jams”at the Kennedy Center since 2006, succeeding bassist William “Keter” Betts.
The Kennedy Center’s website lists the show as cancelled.
Construction began on a performing arts centre in the 1950s and after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Congress decided to name it after him.
Shortly after taking office, Trump fired a slew of the centre’s board members and replaced them with allies, who then voted to make him chairman of the board. His close adviser Richard Grenell became board president.
The centre’s board of trustees currently has 34 members appointed by Trump and 23 others designated as members by US law, according to the centre’s website.
Trump also secured about $257m (£190m) in congressional funding to pay for major renovations and other costs at the venue, saying it was in “bad shape”.
Several members of the Kennedy family took to social media to criticise the name change.
Joe Kennedy III, a former House member and grandnephew of the late president, said that “the Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law”.
“It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he added.
On its final day, St. Anna’s is almost full again. A choir is singing and the small organ is supporting them. But this is the last mass in the small Catholic church in Gildehaus, a district of Bad Bentheim near the German-Dutch border. In future, the building will no longer be a place of worship.
Towards the end of the service, the demise of this church becomes achingly real. Worshippers from the congregation open the altar and remove the relics. These are small relics of a saint, be they bone fragments or pieces of textile, which are always incorporated into the altar of a consecrated Catholic church.
The decommissioning of churches is an emotional affair. “It affects the heart and the eyes. It’s moving,” Catholic pastor Hubertus Goldbeck tells DW, wiping the beginnings of a tear from the corner of his eye.
What his small congregation is going through is something that many devout Christians across Germany are also facing. When churches shrink, they also have to give up buildings.
A new life for Germany’s deconsecrated church buildings
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The number of church members in Germany is falling rapidly. In 2024 alone, the two major churches lost over a million Christians due to people leaving the church or dying. Currently, more than 45% of Germans still belong to either to the Protestant Church in Germanyor the Catholic Church. Thirty years ago, that figure stood at almost 69%. This is why churches are now being deconsecrated or desacralized.
Since 2000, hundreds of Catholic and Protestant churches were decommissioned. In response to a DW inquiry, the German Bishops’ Conference informed of the closing and decommissioning of 611 Catholic churches between 2000 and 2024. The Protestant Church estimates that some 300 to 350 churches were permanently shut in the same period; more precise figures are not available.
Church buildings on offer
And what happens to former houses of worship? In some cities, especially in Berlin, growing Orthodox Christian congregations have taken over church buildings. But that remains the exception. They are often sold. In the capital alone, several large church buildings are currently up for sale. And it’s not unusual for churches to be demolished.
Some are repurposed. In Jülich, a town between Cologne and Aachen, bicycles are now sold in the former Catholic St. Rochus Church. Thomas Oellers moved his business, Toms Bike Center, into the church building.
Oellers tells DW that the parish approached him and asked him if he could imagine running his business in the church. It is the church where he himself was baptized and took Communion, and where he often attended church services. On the exterior, the listed building has changed remarkably little.
In Wettringen, just north of Münster, an abbey has been transformed into a “soccer church” where footballs are knocked about. In Kleve, the former Protestant Church of the Resurrection serves as a boxing arena. Former churches now house pubs, libraries and book stores. Entire cloisters have even been turned into hotel complexes. In Düsseldorf, a hotel has retained its traditional name Mutterhaus (Mother House) in a nod to its original use as a convent for nuns.
The former convent in the north of Düsseldorf is now used a four-star hotelImage: Christoph Strack/DW
In times of housing shortages, there are more and more cases of architects converting church buildings into residential buildings. In Berlin, Rostock, Trier, Cologne and Wuppertal, for example.
One of the earliest large complexes is the Lukas-K-Haus in Essen. The Protestant St. Luke’s Church, built in 1961, was deconsecrated in 2008 and converted into apartments between 2012 and 2013. At the bottom of the stairwell, two plaques now hang: one from 1959 and the other from 2012. And the abstract-colored windows there are still the original church windows.
Alexandra Schröder has lived in the old church since its repurposing. “No one would have thought that I would be living above an altar, ” she says. For her family, it was simply practical at the time as the apartment had several bedrooms and there were good schools nearby. That was the deciding factor.
One floor below is a physiotherapy practice. Director Jessica Günther explains that she came across the converted church building by chance while looking for new premises. She says the building has a “nice, calm feeling” that is good to work in. She knows that the steps inside her practice once led up to the altar but doesn’t want to overstate the importance of that.
St. Luke’s Church in Essen was deconsecrated in 2008 and later converted into apartmentsImage: Christoph Strack/DW
But one of her patients is positive about this. It is an expression of faith to “help people in need,” Stefan Hebenstreit tells DW. Even if the buildings are no longer churches, using them as a daycare center or a physiotherapy practice is “very practical.” Hebenstreit, a practicing Christian who has suffered several strokes, says this slowly and thoughtfully.
The sound of the bells is missing
To hear anything critical about the church conversion, you have to speak to people on the surrounding streets who have lived around St. Luke’s for decades. One misses the sound of the bells. Another regrets that the clocks on the church tower have stopped forever.
The two major churches have official commissions and papers on the issue of repurposing churches. Researchers concern themselves with the question too. And yet the specific neighborhood itself is often pivotal.
Art historian Klaus-Martin Bresgott from the cultural office of the Protestant Church in Germany and a group of architecture students investigated how important former church premises can be for a neighborhood and a residential area, using the example of a large church in Berlin.
The Protestant Church no longer needs the huge St Stephen’s Church (Stephanuskirche) in the district of Wedding. The building, which was erected between 1902 and 1904, was always too big in fact. But back then, people liked to build big. Today, the church is closed and in such need of refurbishment that you are no longer allowed to go inside even wearing a hard hat.
St Stephen’s Church in Wedding is too delapidated to enter safelyImage: Christoph Strack/DW
Bresgott and the students did not examine the building first, instead they interviewed people in the neighborhood, which has the reputation of being an area with social problems. One thing is clear: The neighborhood lacks public space, opportunities to gather, play sports or engage in cultural or community activities.
Times always change and sometimes churches are considered more important. other times they were unimportant, says Bresgott to DW.
“We know that during the Napoleonic Wars, churches served as horse stables for decades. But they remained standing.” For him, St. Stephen’s Church is a perfect example of how a church that was too big in the first place could still serve society. “We must not immediately panic and say: close down, give up, ” he warns.
This article was originally written in German.
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
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Poland scrambled fighter jets Thursday after detecting a Russian reconnaissance aircraft operating near its airspace, authorities said.
Poland’s Operational Command wrote on X that the aircraft was intercepted and escorted out after it was identified over international waters in the Baltic Sea.
The command said separate airspace incidents were also detected overnight near Poland’s eastern border.
“At night, entries into Polish airspace of objects from the direction of Belarus were observed. After conducting detailed analyses, it was determined that these were most likely smuggling balloons, moving in accordance with the direction and speed of the wind,” the command said.
NATO SECRETARY GENERAL WARNS RUSSIA COULD TARGET ALLIANCE MEMBERS NEXT AMID RISING TENSIONS
A NATO AWACS tactical director assesses the air and surface situation aboard an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft during a flight over Polish airspace as part of the alliance’s Eastern Sentry mission, Sept. 19, 2025. (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images)
“The flight of all objects was continuously monitored by radar systems. To ensure safety, a portion of the airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship was temporarily closed to civilian traffic,” it added.
No threat to Poland’s airspace was detected, authorities said, and officials continued to monitor the situation.
The incident comes just days after Polish aircraft were scrambled again on Tuesday as Russia carried out widespread strikes against Ukraine.
NATO WARNS RUSSIA AFTER POLAND SHOOTS DOWN ‘HUGE NUMBER’ OF DRONES THAT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE
A woman sweeps up glass shards from a window after an apartment building was hit by a Russian drone during an aerial attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
Polish authorities said the response included support from NATO allies, with Spanish aircraft assisting in air policing and Dutch forces providing air defense systems support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles two days before Christmas, targeting Kyiv’s energy sector and civilian infrastructure.
GERMANY WARNS RUSSIA COULD ATTACK NATO BY 2029 AS INTELLIGENCE THREAT ASSESSMENTS MOUNT
Graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers are decorated with Christmas trees and New Year’s ornaments at Lychakiv Military Cemetery on the day before Christmas Eve, Dec. 23, 2025, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Tragically, lives were lost. In the Kyiv region, a woman was killed by a Russian drone. One person was pronounced dead in the Khmelnytskyi region. In the Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child was killed after a Russian drone struck a residential building. My condolences to the families and loved ones,” Zelenskyy said.
“This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities. An attack ahead of Christmas, when people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe. An attack carried out essentially in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war,” he added. “Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia. Now is the time to respond. Russia must be pushed toward peace and guaranteed security.”
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
WORLD NEWS
Social media luck helps family reunite with dog that had been missing for 4 years: ‘It did not feel real at all’
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A Detroit family got an unexpected early Christmas present when they were reunited with their pet dog after it had been missing for four years.
Felicia Fritz adopted her puppy, Toby, in 2018. Fritz told WXYZ that Toby would sometimes come and go from her home, but in 2021 he left and never came back.
Four years passed, and Fritz had all but accepted that her Toby was gone for good. But Toby was still out in the world, and eventually was picked up by the Humane Society, where he was adopted by an older man and renamed Ziggy.
The man who adopted Ziggy became too ill to care for the dog, and surrendered him to the Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue.
“As far as we knew, Ziggy was a surrender, and his owner was not going to be able to come back for him,” Krissy Powe, a board member with Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue, told WXYZ.
That is when a little social luck helped Ziggy, or Toby, find his way back home.
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Felicia Fritz is reunited with her dog, Toby, after he disappeared for four years. Toby was adopted and later surrendered to the Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue. Fritz saw a picture of Toby posted on social media and the pair were reunited. (Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue)
Ziggy spent more than a year in the shelter. But he was used to running around outside and living with humans — the shelter life was taking its toll on the dog, and the staff knew the sooner they could find him a home, the better.
“We knew that mentally the shelter was taking a very bad toll on his mental well-being, and when he reached that year mark, we knew we had to try to go hard and try to find him a home,” Powe said.
The animal rescue workers turned to social media. They shared photos of the dog across various social networks, hoping that they’d entice a prospective pet owner to adopt him.
Someone from Ziggy’s past saw the photos — his former owner, Fritz.
“When I scrolled… to just like close my phone, [Toby] was right there on my phone,” she told the broadcaster.
open image in gallery
Toby had been renamed Ziggy when he was given to the rescue. He has found his way to his original owner just in time for Christmas. (Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue)
Fritz used old photos of Toby to prove to the shelter that she was his original owner, and they eventually agreed to release the dog into her custody. The moment and Toby’s journey were shared on social media. A video on Facebook from the rescue had more than 400 likes.
“Like a whole sense of my family’s complete, it didn’t even feel real, honestly. It did not feel real at all,” Fritz said. “For a long time, I just lost all faith, I’m not going to lie, I lost all faith, and when I found him, it was like, okay.”
She has since microchipped Toby, and said she will never forget the Christmas that brought her dog back to her.
“This is one I’ll never forget, my kids will never forget. I am so blessed, and it’s something that money cannot buy,” she said.