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Christmas celebrations returned this year to both Bethlehem and Nazareth, but the season is unfolding very differently in the two cities that sit at the heart of Christianity — Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Nazareth, where he lived.

In Nazareth, festivities are broad and confident, rooted in a growing Christian presence in Israel. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, celebrations took place again after more than two years of disruption, but against the backdrop of a long-term demographic decline and deep concern within the local Christian community.

Elias Zarina, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Applied Policy and a longtime Christian activist, said the long-term numbers underscore the concern. Christians made up 86% of Bethlehem’s population in 1950, Zarina said. By the last Palestinian census in 2017, they accounted for roughly 10%. He added that since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, at least 142 Christian families have left the Bethlehem area.

TRUMP HOLDS KEY TO SAVING SYRIA’S VANISHING CHRISTIANS IN CRUCIAL WHITE HOUSE MEETING

People gather next to the Christmas tree at Manger Square on the day of Christmas events with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on Christmas Eve, in the Old City of Bethlehem in the West Bank, Dec. 24, 2025.  (Mussa Qawasma/Reuters)

“They saw what happened on Oct. 7 and understood that minorities in this region have no future without real protection,” Zarina said.

In Nazareth, Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and president of the Israel Allies Foundation, described a sharply different reality, which he said reflects governance and security.

“Nazareth is a completely different situation,” Reinstein said. “It’s an indigenous Christian community under the authority of Israel, and it grows every year. It prospers.”

Reinstein pointed to economic and social indicators to make his case, noting that while Christians make up around 2% of Israel’s population, “Christian communities have the highest GDP per capita compared to Jews, Muslims and Druze,” he said. “They’re respected, they’re protected, and they have the same rights as everyone else.”

Reinstein contrasted that with Bethlehem’s trajectory since the 1990s.

“Since the Oslo accords in the 90s, the Christian community of Bethlehem has been decimated by the Palestinian Authority,” Reinstein told Fox News Digital. “Bethlehem was once a city with an overwhelming Christian majority. Today, Christians are around 10% of the population, and they are no longer represented in the municipality. That tells you everything about what has happened there.”

TRUMP’S WARNING TO NIGERIA OFFERS HOPE TO NATION’S PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

A man wearing a Santa Claus costume takes part in the 40th annual Christmas parade heading towards the Basilica of the Annunciation on December 24, 2025, in Nazareth, Israel. Nazareth, the home of Jesus, according to the New Testament, has seen a return of Christmastime tourism this year after two years in which celebrations were muted amid the war in Gaza. Nazareth, in Israel’s Galilee region, is a predominately Arab town, about one-third of whom are Christian, with the majority being Muslim. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Bethlehem did mark Christmas this year. Crowds gathered in Manger Square, the Christmas tree was lit, and religious ceremonies took place at the Church of the Nativity. Local officials framed the celebrations as a sign of resilience and an effort to project normalcy after years of war and economic collapse.

Zarina, however, said the Palestinian Authority’s decision to allow Christmas events this year should be viewed in context.

“In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has sought to reintroduce itself to international public opinion, particularly to the Christian world, through symbolic festive displays such as the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem,” Zarina said in comments provided to Fox News Digital. “These efforts are meant to market the Palestinian Authority as moderate, especially as discussions continue about Gaza’s future. But events on the ground over just a few days have sharply contradicted that image.”

Clergy members stand, on the day Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa attends Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

Zarina noted that several incidents targeting Christians occurred within a single week ahead of Christmas, including threats against churches and violent assaults tied to land disputes.

“Christians in these areas are subjected to a systematic policy manifested through harassment, violence, psychological terror, forced displacement and the confiscation of property by extremist families driven by rigid Salafi ideology and supported morally and financially by states known for backing extremist movements, foremost among them Turkey and Qatar,” he claimed. “In this context, the Palestinian Authority appears either unable or unwilling to enforce the rule of law and protect the Christian minority.”

Recent incidents in the Palestinian Authority area of control have reinforced those concerns. A church in Jenin was firebombed earlier this week, and a Christmas tree was set on fire outside another church. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded by warning of “growing hostility toward Christians” under Palestinian Authority governance.

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And while Israel has occasionally seen attacks against its Christian community by extreme religious-nationalist elements who have been accused of vandalizing religious sites and using verbal assaults aimed at clergy, in his Christmas message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is a nation that looks after its Christian population.

He stated in part, “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christians can practice their faith with full rights and in total freedom. Where Christian pilgrims are embraced with open arms and are so deeply appreciated. Where Christians can celebrate proudly their traditions and openly do so without any fear,” he said, adding, “The persecution of Christians or members of any religion cannot and must not be tolerated.”

ISRAELI HOSTAGES FREED, IRAN HIT, CEASEFIRE HELD — 2025 SHATTERED THE IDEA THE US WAS EXITING THE MIDDLE EAST

Zarina said that Christian residents in nearby Beit Jala and in Nablus avoided visible festivities out of fear of harassment.

Not all Christian leaders in Bethlehem share the same assessment. Pastor Naim Khoury told Israeli news agency TPS-IL that conditions in Bethlehem itself have improved this year and that, so far, he has not seen attacks connected to the holiday. Other activists, however, argue that fear limits what many Christians are willing to say publicly.

“The Christians are under enormous pressure and cannot speak freely,” said Shadi Khalloul, founder and CEO of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association, in comments to TPS-IL. “They are trying to survive quietly.”

The contrast is also reflected in official demographic data. According to figures released this week by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics and reported by TPS-IL, approximately 184,200 Christians live in Israel as of Christmas Eve 2025, accounting for about 1.9% of the population. The Christian population grew by 0.7% in 2024, making Israel one of the few countries in the Middle East where the Christian community continues to grow.

People take part in the 40th annual Christmas parade on December 24, 2025, in Nazareth, Israel. Nazareth, the home of Jesus, according to the New Testament, has seen a return of Christmas tourism this year after two years in which celebrations were muted amid the war in Gaza. Nazareth, in Israel’s Galilee region, is a predominately Arab town, about one-third of whom are Christian with the majority being Muslim.  (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Nazareth is at the center of that growth. The city has the largest Arab Christian population in Israel, with roughly 18,900 residents, followed by Haifa and Jerusalem, according to Israeli government data. Most Arab Christians live in Israel’s Northern and Haifa districts, where Christian communities have expanded alongside rising education and income levels.

Heather Johnston, founder and CEO of the U.S. Israel Education Association, said the visible contrast this Christmas reflects deeper realities.

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Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, attends Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025.  (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

“At Christmas, the contrast between Nazareth and Bethlehem tells a larger story,” Johnston said. “Christians are flourishing in Nazareth under Israeli rule, while in Bethlehem, under the Palestinian Authority, the Christian population has been shrinking for years. That difference speaks volumes about which systems actually protect religious freedom and allow ancient Christian communities to endure.”

This Christmas, lights and hymns filled both cities. For Zarina and others, the question now is whether international attention will fade once the lights come down, or whether it will translate into lasting protection for one of Christianity’s oldest communities.

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has hinted at progress on a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, following a “really good conversation” with President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, on Christmas Day.

“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelensky said on Telegram on Thursday. “There are some new ideas on how to bring the real peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the timeline.”

The talks come a day after Mr Zelensky unveiled an updated 20-point peace plan. He said it offered the potential withdrawal of Ukraine troops from the east, with the creation of a demilitarised zone in the Donbas region.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the proposal had been brought to Moscow, and was now being analysed.

The peace discussions come as two people were killed after Russia launched more than 130 drones on Ukraine on Christmas night, Kyiv officials said.

Moscow’s latest aerial assault killed one man in Kharvkiv and another in Odesa, with around 35 others injured, Ukraine’s Air Force reported. Further attacks were launched overnight on Zaporizhzhia and Sumy.

Zelensky open to withdrawing troops for demilitarised zone in Ukraine in new peace plan

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he would be willing to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland in an updated plan to end the war with Russia – if Moscow also pulled back from the area, creating a demilitarised zone.

Unveiling the latest 20-point plan thrashed out but not yet fully agreed with the US, Mr Zelensky said the Donbas region could become a “free economic zone”, but it was unclear how the fought-over area would be governed or developed.

The peace plan, which Mr Zelensky said would need to be put before a referendum, could also involve a similar arrangement around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control.

The plan, presented to reporters on Christmas Eve by the Ukrainian leader, marked the latest counter-proposal to an original 28-point document that was agreed by US envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russians.

Moscow has so far given no indication it will agree to withdrawal from land it has seized.

Maira Butt25 December 2025 22:00

Ukraine’s revised 20 point peace plan

However, Volodymyr Zelensky said sensitive issues around territorial control in the country’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), remain unresolved.

Maira Butt25 December 2025 21:00

Watch: ‘May he perish’ says Zelensky in Christmas address

Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Today, we all share one dream.

“And we make one wish – for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater, we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”

Ukraine’s president Zelensky appears to wish death to Putin in Christmas message

Maira Butt25 December 2025 20:00

In pictures: The aftermath of a Russian attack in Chernihiv

The site of an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike (Reuters)The attack took place on Wednesday 24 December (Reuters)Emergency services battled the blaze (AFP/Getty)

Maira Butt25 December 2025 19:30

Chinese satellites aiding Russian attacks, says Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that Chinese satellites could be supporting Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.

“There have been correlations between Chinese satellite imaging of Ukrainian territory and Russian strikes on the corresponding energy infrastructure facilities,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Wednesday following a meeting with Oleh Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

“We are recording increased ties between Russia and entities in China that may be providing space-based intelligence data.”

Maira Butt25 December 2025 19:00

Ukraine and US discuss how to bring ‘real peace closer’, says Zelensky

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian representatives and US negotiators have discussed ways to bring “real peace closer” during a conversation on Christmas Day.

“It was a really good conversation: many details, good ideas, that we discussed,” Zelensky said on Telegram. “There are some new ideas on how to bring the real peace closer, and it concerns formats, meetings, and, certainly, the timeline.”

Earlier, we reported that the Ukrainian leader had taken part in a conversation with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and businessman Jared Kushner.

(AP)

Maira Butt25 December 2025 18:30

Ukraine’s president Zelensky appears to wish death to Putin in Christmas message

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has appeared to wish for the death of Vladimir Putin in a Christmas message after Russia continued to bombard the country with missiles and drones.

In a video posted to X on Christmas Eve, Zelensky said that “despite all the suffering that Russia has brought, it is not capable of occupying or bombing what matters most. That is our Ukrainian heart, our faith in one another, and our unity”.

Appearing to refer to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Zelensky added: “Today, we all share one dream.

“And we make one wish – for all of us. ‘May he perish’, each of us may think to ourselves. But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. we ask for peace for Ukraine. We fight for it, we pray for it, we deserve it.”

Maira Butt25 December 2025 18:00

In pictures: Ukrainians celebrate Christmas amid conflict with Russia

People dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes attend Christmas celebrations in Kyiv (REUTERS)A woman lights a candle during an air strike alarm on Christmas Day at the Saint Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, in Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images)Residents dressed in traditional clothes sing carols inside a metro station during the Christmas celebrations (REUTERS)

Maira Butt25 December 2025 17:30

King Charles shows support for Kyiv with Ukrainian choir as he urges Brits to embrace values of World War 2 generation

King Charles urged Brits to embrace the values of their Second World War generation as he delivered his annual Christmas address on Thursday.

“The end of the second world war is now remembered by fewer and fewer of us, as the years pass,” he said.

“But the courage and sacrifice of our servicemen and women, and the way communities came together in the face of such great challenge, carry a timeless message for us all.”

While required to remain apolitical, the monarch showed clear support for Ukraine with the choice to include a performance by a Ukrainian choir, wearing traditional Ukrainian “vyshyvanka” embroidered shirts, and the London-based Royal Opera Chorus.

(YouTube/The Royal Family Channel )

Maira Butt25 December 2025 17:01

Zelensky hails ‘constructive’ talks with US envoy Witkoff

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for a “constructive” conversation on a peace deal.

“Today we had a very good conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.

“I thank them for the constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people. 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.”

He added that the group had discussed “certain substantive details of the ongoing work”. Zelensky said he was joined by Ukraine’s representative Rustem Umerov, Andrii Hnatov, Andrii Sybiha, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ihor Brusylo, and Oleksandr Bevz.

“Our entire diplomatic team is doing their utmost. We agreed that Rustem will speak again today with Steve and Jared,” he continued.

“We believe this is the right approach – not to lose a single day or a single opportunity that can bring the result closer. May today’s conversation become another step toward peace.”

Maira Butt25 December 2025 16:15

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NEED TO KNOW

• Kathie Lee Gifford is making sure to serve up a favorite this holiday season
• In a video shared to Instagram, the TV personality is seen mixing together her mom’s sage and sausage stuffing in a massive wooden bowl
• “When I don’t make this, there’s a mutiny in my family,” she previously said of the dish

Kathie Lee Gifford is cooking up a family favorite.

The TV personality, 72, jumped on Instagram ahead of Christmas to share that she was back in the kitchen serving up one of her mother’s recipes. 

“I thought my cooking days were over for a while since Thanksgiving but apparently a lot of people said, ‘Well, what about more stuffing? I never got more stuffing,’” Gifford says as she’s seen mixing around ingredients in a huge wooden mixing bowl. 

Kathy Lee Gifford in May 2025.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

“So, here I am making more of my mom’s favorite sage and sausage stuffing,” she says, referencing the dish that is seemingly a mainstay in her household, later adding: “Everybody loves it.”

“It just wouldn’t be the holidays without it! 🎄✨ Merry Christmas, everybody!,” she added in her caption.

Before the video comes to a close, Gifford signs off with “Gosh, I’m a wonderful person” as the person behind the camera lets out a laugh. 

This is not the first time Gifford has talked about the popular dish. Just last month while preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, the former Today show co-host appeared behind what seemed to be the same massive bowl. 

“When I don’t make this, there’s a mutiny in my family,” she said in the video shared to Instagram.

Cassidy Gifford, Cody Gifford and Kathie Lee Gifford.

Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media/Getty

Gifford’s family continues to grow as her son Cody Gifford recently welcomed his third child with wife Erika and her daughter Cassidy Gifford has two children herself. 

“Babies are the last great miracle left in life. They never cease to amaze you, astound you and delight you,” said Gifford after her daughter welcomed daughter Rosie in June. “I am so in love already with this precious little girl!”

“I can’t even believe I am saying the word ‘girl’ ’cause I got so used to ‘boys,’ and I love our boys, but this girl is gonna rule the roost. She is going to rule the whole world,” she continued, referencing her other grandchildren. “She is drop-dead beautiful like her mommy and as sweet as can be.”

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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.

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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.”

READ MORE: Luke Littler stuns drinkers in Benidorm, touching gift to brother, plan for £500k winningsREAD MORE: Luke Littler could follow in David Beckham’s footsteps with shrewd financial move

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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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.

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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 202525 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.

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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.

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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.’ 

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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.

READ MORE: Boy, 12, spent final moments vomiting in pain as ‘mums watched him die on camera’READ MORE: Mum horrified to ‘discover son’s butchered dead body on display in museum’READ MORE: Man ‘videoed terrified Brit woman, 32, who flew to US to be tortured’ before murderJean 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.

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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.

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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.

Image:
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.

Read more from Sky News:
Man reveals what it’s like celebrating Christmas where it’s banned
‘Life-threatening’ atmospheric river storm causes floods

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.”

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Bolsonaro’s operation addressed a painful double hernia; doctors anticipate five to seven days of hospitalisation.

Published On 25 Dec 202525 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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