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President Donald Trump has promoted Mora Namdar — an attorney, part-time salon owner and former Project 2025 author — in a senior role that oversees visa approvals, issuing passports, and is responsible for the welfare of U.S. citizens overseas.

Namdar, of Texas, whose parents are Iranian immigrants, was sworn in this week as the State Department’s new assistant secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affairs after working on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa within the agency.

The 38-year-old’s new role could see her deciding the fates of migrants applying for visas who have been critical of the Trump administration, according to testimony she gave before a Senate committee in October.

“I remain steadfast in supporting our operations at home and abroad to ensure that the privilege of a U.S. visa is granted only to those who meet the qualifications, that visa holders adhere to the terms of their visas, and that individuals who violate these terms or disregard U.S. laws will lose the privilege of holding a U.S. visa,” she said.

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President Donald Trump has promoted Mora Namdar — an attorney, part-time salon owner and former Project 2025 author — in a senior role that oversees visa approvals, issuing passports, and is responsible for the welfare of U.S. citizens overseas (State Department)

She cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio in her Senate statement, signaling that she appears to share his view that criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian advocacy constitutes a threat to the U.S., which could result in a denial or a visa being revoked.

“It is essential that our consular officers are equipped with the resources and support necessary to perform their duties effectively,” Namdar said. “As Secretary Rubio has emphasized, ‘Consular officers have the responsibility to ensure that visas are issued only to individuals who meet the criteria and do not pose a threat to U.S. interests,’” she quoted Rubio.

“If someone violates the terms of their visa or engages in activities that undermine our foreign policy, consular officers have the authority to revoke their visa,” the Rubio quote continued in her statement.

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Namdar cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio in her Senate statement, signaling that she appears to share his view that criticism of Israel and pro-Palestinian advocacy constitutes a threat to the U.S (AFP via Getty Images)

Namdar ran her own law firm before she entered politics, alongside launching a beauty business called Bam Beauty Bar, with salons located throughout her home state of Texas, The Daily Beast first reported.

“Before rejoining government service, Ms. Namdar founded and ran a successful law practice, worked for a fortune 500 company, and created and ran several successful businesses,” the State Department’s bio of Namdar said. “Ms. Namdar is an attorney licensed in both Texas and Washington D.C. She is a native Texan who is the child of Iranian immigrants.”

Her law firm, Namdar Law, announced on Instagram that it would no longer be active following the promotion.

The political appointee was the author of a section of a 900-page Project 2025 blueprint that accused the media and academia as a “center of Leftist power.”

Namdar wrote a section in the blueprint on the independent U.S. Agency for Global Media, responsible for overseeing media networks that provide news and information in countries where press freedom is most limited, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.

She called for reform of the agency, or for it to be shut down entirely, and accused it of “espionage-related security risks,”according to the outlet.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide actor Tylor Chase has reportedly been hospitalized and placed on a 72-hour hold
• Chase is next expected to enter rehab
• Chase has been experiencing homelessness and has received help from his fellow Nickelodeon stars and Mighty Ducks‘ Shaun Weiss

Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide alum Tylor Chase has reportedly been hospitalized and is next expected to enter rehab.

Jacob Harris, owner of Shipwreck Barbershop in Riverside, Calif., told TMZ that he visited Chase, 36, for three hours on Christmas day and was able to find “a crisis center that would come out and do an on-site evaluation.”

After the evaluation, Harris said workers decided Chase needed to receive “medical attention” at a Riverside-area hospital. TMZ reports that Chase is on a 72-hour hold and is being treated before being taken to a rehab facility.

Harris said he got involved with Chase after The Mighty Ducks‘ Shaun Weiss called him and asked him for help locating Chase, who has been experiencing homelessness. Harris was then connected with Chase’s dad, his costars and other family members.

Harris also told the Daily Mail that Chase “is in good care now, and the future is looking bright. He just needed someone to actually do something to help.”

Shaun Weiss.
Bobby Bank/WireImage

On Dec. 22, Weiss, 47, shared in an Instagram video that he’s received “many messages” about Chase and that he’s taken action.

“I reached out to some friends of mine and we have a bed for him at a detox and we have a place for him to go and get long-term treatment,” Weiss said.

The actor has previously opened up about his own past experiences with homelessness, as well as addiction, amid his sobriety journey. He shared on an April episode of Pod Meets World that he benefited from “a tremendous amount of support from people” who were invested in his recovery as fans of his acting.

Chase’s former Ned’s Declassified costar Daniel Curtis Lee also stepped in to help recently, providing Chase with a hotel room.

“It’s the holiday season. It’s raining out, and I just want them to have at least some basic accommodations,” Lee, 34, said in an Instagram video. “He wanted to stay local, and this was the only one that was open and accepted people.”

Lee and Chase’s former costars Devon Werkheiser and Lindsey Shaw previously addressed videos “circulating on the internet” of Chase “going through some stuff” during an episode of Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide back in September.

“All of us in the Ned’s community are figuring out what it looks like to see him,” Werkheiser said at the time. “How can we help? What can we do?”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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A chilling new discovery has been made in an investigation into the deaths of a wife and her two young children in rural Arkansas.

Charity Beallis and her two six-year-old twins were found shot to death on December 3 in their $780,000 mansion in Bonanza earlier this month amid a bitter divorce and custody battle with her abusive doctor husband, who has been cooperating with the police investigation.

Now, it has emerged personal belongings from the slain family were found discarded in a dumpster miles from their home days after the killings, according to local news station KNWA/FOX24.

The items were discovered on December 6 by a dumpster diver in Fort Smith, roughly 15 miles from the family home.

Inside the black trash bag were intimate family keepsakes: printed photographs of Beallis with her children, framed portraits, a child’s painted artwork, handwritten notes and medical paperwork bearing her name and home address.

Also recovered was a delicate gold necklace engraved with the names of Beallis’ children, along with a religious or spiritual art print depicting a woman embracing a robed figure.

The woman who found the bag said she initially pulled it from the dumpster and did not examine its contents until the following morning, when she realized the photographs and paperwork appeared to belong to the slain family. She contacted police immediately.

Charity Beallia and her six-year-old twins (pictured) were found shot dead on December 3

The Bonanza, Arkansas home where Charity Beallis and her two six-year-old twins were found shot to death on December 3

Detectives later collected the items and returned to the dumpster site, which was located near an apartment complex, according to local news.

Charity’s adult son from a previous marriage, John Powell, later corroborated the woman’s account, saying he met her at his attorney’s office and heard the same details firsthand.

Powell said that when he later raised the discovery with a detective assigned to the case, the response caught him off guard.

‘How did you find out?’ the detective allegedly asked. 

The discovery comes as the case remains under intense scrutiny following bitter divorce proceedings between Charity Beallis and her estranged husband, Dr Randall Beallis, which had reached a critical stage just days before the killings.

Dr Beallis is a family medicine physician based in the Fort Smith area. 

According to the Arkansas Department of Health, he still has an active medical license, which does not expire until February 2027

Charity filed for divorce weeks after Randall Beallis was convicted of battery for strangling her in front of their children earlier this year. 

She had obtained a restraining order and sought sole custody of the twins, telling the court she feared for her safety despite protective measures being in place.

Following her death, attorneys for Randall Beallis moved to dismiss the divorce on the grounds that it had not been finalized, a move that would legally classify him as a widower.

Printed photographs of Charity Beallis posing with her two young children were among the personal items found inside a black trash bag discarded in a Fort Smith dumpster days after the killings

A framed photograph of Beallis seated beside her husband was found among the items turned over to police

Attorneys representing Charity’s eldest son, John Randall Powell, later sought to have the decree entered and to appoint him administrator of her estate.

Daily Mail further revealed that Randall Beallis’ previous wife also died from a gunshot wound in 2012, a death that was ruled a suicide. 

Family members have questioned that conclusion, though no connection to the current case has been established by investigators.

Authorities have not named a suspect, and Randall Beallis has denied any wrongdoing. His attorney has said he is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Officers were sent to the family’s home on First Avenue in Bonanza for a welfare check shortly before 9.30am on December 3. 

After receiving no response, they entered the residence with assistance from workers on site and found three people dead, all suffering apparent gunshot wounds.

The bodies were transported to the Arkansas Crime Lab in Little Rock for autopsies to determine the exact cause and timing of death.

The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office said its Criminal Investigation Division is leading the investigation. 

Multiple search warrants have been executed, and additional interviews are ongoing.

No arrests have been announced.

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Dramatic pictures show the moment a car is engulfed in a ball of flames in a Tesco car park in Cornwall



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A new state law mandates warnings for young users on platforms with features that ‘encourage excessive use’.

Published On 26 Dec 202526 Dec 2025

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The state of New York will require social media platforms with infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithmic feeds to display labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced.

Hochul on Friday signed a bill that mandates the warning against “addictive” features into law.

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“Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taking office, and that includes protecting our kids from the potential harms of social media features that encourage excessive use,” Hochul said in a statement.

The governor compared the social media labels to warnings on other products like tobacco, which communicate the risk of cancer, or plastic packaging, which warn of the risk of suffocation for small children.

“Research shows that social media exposure overstimulates reward centers, creating pathways comparable to those of an individual experiencing substance use or gambling addictions,” the law reads.

If social media platforms breach the regulations when they go into effect, the state attorney general would be able to take legal action and seek civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

The law would apply to conduct occurring partly or wholly in New York but not when the platform is accessed by users physically outside the state.

Spokespeople for TikTok, Snap, Meta and Alphabet have not yet issued statements reacting to the new law.

Through this social media measure, New York is set to join other states in the United States like California and Minnesota that have similar social media laws for young users.

The effect of social media on children’s mental health has become a growing global concern, and some US school districts have already begun suing social media companies.

This month, Australia went a step further and banned children under 16 years old from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit.

Countries like Malaysia and Denmark have signalled plans to introduce similar bans in the near future while countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and France have tightened social media laws for young users.

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A Palestinian man rammed his car into a man and then stabbed a young woman in northern Israel, killing both, police said on Friday.

In retaliation, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz quickly ordered military action in what he said was the assailant’s hometown in the occupied West Bank.

What do we know?

The attack began Friday afternoon in the northern city of Beit She’an, in the Jordan Valley.

Police said the Palestinian man crashed his vehicle into people, killing one man and injuring a teenage boy.

He then sped onto a highway, where he fatally stabbed the woman and injured another person near the entrance to the city of Afula.

Authorities said the alleged attacker, a 34-year-old Palestinian, was shot and is in a stable condition in the hospital.

The Israeli military said the suspect had “infiltrated into Israeli territory several days ago.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that he was shocked by the “horrific killing spree.”

Israeli settlers ‘rarely arrested’ for West Bank violence

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Katz orders retaliation by military in West Bank

Israeli police later said the attacker was a resident of Qabatiya and had taken his employer’s vehicle to carry out the attack.

Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to launch an operation in the northern West Bank city.

Katz said that he’d told troops to “act forcefully and immediately” against what he called “terrorist infrastructure” in the Qabatiya.

“Anyone who aids or sponsors terrorism will pay the full price, he said.

It’s common practice for Israel to launch raids in Palestinian attackers’ hometowns, which Israel defends as helping to locate militant infrastructure and preventing future attacks. Human rights watchdogs say these actions constitute collective punishment.

Later Friday, the military said its soldiers had launched an operation in Qabatiya.

Rising violence fuels West Bank tensions

Friday’s attack took place just days after Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the Qabatiya area.

The military has launched a probe after footage emerged showing the teenager not posing any threat or throwing anything at soldiers who shot him.

Friday’s incident also came a day after an Israeli military reservist dressed in civilian clothes rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man in the West Bank.

Social media footage purporting to show the incident shows the victim praying by the roadside when the ramming occurs.

More than a thousand Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank between October 7, 2023 and October 17, 2025, mostly in operations by security forces and some by settler violence, according to the UN. In the same period, 57 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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Police said a 12-year-old boy thwarted a burglary at his Long Island home this holiday season in an incident that has been likened to the classic Christmas film Home Alone.

Tristen Taylor, a seventh grader from the hamlet of Medford, was home alone Tuesday afternoon when he heard his kitchen window shatter and footsteps inside his house, according to CBS New York. Taylor was quick on his feet and escaped his home through his bedroom window.

“I said, ‘I have to get out the house, the quickest way possible,'” he told CBS New York.

Once outside, Taylor said he spotted a person inside his house, so he hid behind his garage and called 911, according to the outlet. “I was on the phone with them, waiting for them to get here,” he said.

Officers received the call shortly before 1 p.m. and arrived at his home within three minutes, according to a press release from the Suffolk County Police Department. They found the 12-year-old uninjured.

A 12-year-old boy escaped his home and called 911 after he heard someone break into his Long Island home, police said (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The police department said officers found Christian Garcia, 53, inside the home and arrested him at the scene. Garcia was charged with third-degree burglary and possession of burglars tools. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday.

The Independent has contacted Garcia’s attorney for comment.

The incident has drawn comparisons to Home Alone, which follows eight-year-old Kevin McAllister as he fends off burglars targeting his home after his family forgot him when they left for a vacation.

Taylor’s grandmother, Timothea Taylor, told CBS New York the family is “very proud” of the 12-year-old.

“We were very proud that he was able to keep his composure and call the police as quickly as he did. Without even thinking about it, he automatically called 911,” she said.

Neighbor Mike Campanella also praised Taylor’s quick thinking.

“I would hope my son would have done the same thing. When someone is breaking into the house, caution is to get out and call the police. You just have to be brave and call them,” he told CBS New York.

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NEED TO KNOW

• The family of Alexander Pinon alleges in a new lawsuit that a funeral business gave them a bag containing a brain instead of his clothing
• The lawsuit also claims that after Pinon’s family returned the brain to the funeral home, an employee discovered it was stored in a box and left in the business’s courtyard for two months
• “It’s something they’re gonna have to live with forever,” said an attorney for the family

The family of a 27-year-old man is suing a California funeral business after the family says they received a bag containing what they thought was was the young man’s clothing — but turned out to be a brain. 

Alexander Pinon died on May 19 at a Santa Clara, Calif., residence, according to a complaint filed by his relatives in Santa Clara Superior Court on Oct. 2.

His family contracted the services of Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel in San Jose for a “full-service memorial tribute package,” to the cost of more than $10,000 and including the embalming, dressing and casketing of Alexander’s body, per the complaint, which was reviewed by PEOPLE.

The suit states that the family did not want Pinon to be dressed in the clothes he wore at the time of his death but rather alternative attire for the visitation and funeral services.

Pinon’s father allegedly met with the funeral home director, Annette Singh, at the mortuary on June 4 to pick up his late son’s previous clothing.

The funeral home director gave Pinon’s father a red bag that indicated “biohazardous material” and purportedly contained the clothes, the complaint states.

Pinon’s dad then drove home with the intention of cleaning his son’s clothes, per the complaint. He “opened up his washing machine, and dumped the contents of the bag straight into the washing machine.”

It was at that moment that he made the macabre discovery. 

“The bag did not contain any clothing, but rather, it only contained human brain matter,” according to the suit. 

Samer Habbas, an attorney for Pinon’s family, told ABC station KGO in a story posted on Friday, Dec. 12, that they were unaware at the time whether it was their son’s brain in the washing machine.

“They didn’t know if it was mixed up with somebody else’s brain, whether it was their son’s, they had not a single idea,” Habbas said.

Pinon’s father retrieved the brain from the washing machine, put it back in the bag and delivered the contents to Singh with the funeral home that same day, according to the family’s suit.

Habbas alleged that Singh took the bag from Alexander’s father and never explained whose brain it was and didn’t offer an apology.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Service Corporation International — a parent corporation affiliated with Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel — tells PEOPLE that “due to active litigation, we won’t be commenting on this matter.”

Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel and Singh did not respond to PEOPLE’s separate requests for comment.

KGO reported that one of its reporters went to Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel and was told by an office manager that Singh had left the company two weeks ago. After the reporter located Singh at her home, she was seen driving away without answering questions about the allegations.

Alexander’s funeral services occurred on June 5 at Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery. Over the next few weeks, his mother repeatedly messaged Singh to inquire about the status of her son’s clothes, the family’s complaint states.

On July 8, Singh allegedly texted Alexander’s mother to say that she would get back to the family that day.

Based on information they received, the family alleges in the complaint that Singh placed a box at the funeral business’s courtyard sometime in June and told staff that it just contained clothing that she was going to have professionally cleaned.

By late August, the box still remained in the courtyard, according to the suit. A funeral employee allegedly opened the box and discovered a red biohazard bag stuffed among other bags.

“The same employee then opened and looked inside the red biohazard bag and immediately [was] overwhelmed with the smell and witnessed a clay-like, light brown, and purple in coloration material that was severely deteriorated,” the complaint states.

Another employee came over to look into the contents of the red biohazard bag and quickly realized that the red bag did not contain any clothing but instead a rotting human brain,” the complaint continues.

Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel.

Google Maps

Funeral employees later confirmed that the red bag that Singh hid in the courtyard was Alexander’s brain, according to the complaint.

The suit alleges that the family believes Alexander’s brain and clothing are still in the funeral business’ possession. 

Alexander’s family claims that the handling of their son’s remains by defendants Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel, Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary and Singh caused them “emotional distress, trauma, and mental anguish.”

“Discovering one’s own child’s brain matter in a washing machine and then having to scoop it out, and later learning that part of your loved one’s body was hidden and left to rot, is a horror no family should ever endure,” the complaint states. “Plaintiffs have suffered shock, grief, nightmares, anxiety, depression, and other lasting psychological injuries as a direct result of DEFENDANTS’ conduct.”

Attorneys for Alexander’s family are attempting to get back the brain they believe to be their son’s, KGO reported. His body has already been buried. 

“We don’t know the extent of how much suffering they’re gonna go through for the remainder of their life,” Habbas told the station. “But I can tell you, it’s something that they’re never gonna forget, it’s something they’re gonna have to live with forever.”

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A husband shared sport memes and ominous messages about marriage and Satan just hours before killing his wife and shooting his stepdaughter.

He also uploaded an ominous ‘game day’ photo to social media earlier this year where children’s toys and equipment were lying in the background. 

Jason Kenney, 47, killed his wife, Crystal Kenney, and shot his 13-year-old stepdaughter in the face before fleeing the scene, and later turned the gun on himself.

The deadly shooting unfolded after an argument over watching a Monday Night Football game on TV on December 22.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Jason was drinking while watching the San Francisco 49ers–Indianapolis Colts game in a shed behind the house.

He returned inside for the final few minutes and when Crystal challenged him over control of the television, the argument suddenly escalated.

Just hours earlier, at 4.22pm, he posted a jovial meme showing old people dancing with the caption: ‘Mood knowing the 49ers play tonight.’

A few hours before that, at 1.54pm, he tagged his wife with a love heart emoji in response to a video with the chilling caption: ‘Satan wants your wife. I always tell men if they don’t lead their family, Satan will.’ 

A game day photo from the Kennedy household in February

Jason Kenney, 47, fatally shot his wife, Crystal Kenney, and shot her 13-year-old daughter before fleeing the scene before later turning the gun on himself 

Jason Kenney posing with a gun while in a pest control company’s uniform

As the confrontation between Kenney and his wife on Christmas intensified, Crystal told her 12-year-old son to run to a neighbor’s house and call 911. 

The boy fled, but as he was leaving, he heard gunfire.

‘So the 12-year-old flees to the neighbor’s house in order to dial 911, and as he’s leaving the house, he hears a gunshot,’ Judd said.

Deputies arrived within minutes, and once inside the home, they found Crystal Kenney dead, having been fatally shot in the head. 

In a bedroom, they discovered her 13-year-old daughter had been shot twice – once in the shoulder and once in the face.

‘She said, “I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, and he shot me anyway,” Judd said, recounting what the girl told him.

Judd said the bullet struck the girl on the bridge of her nose, traveled upward, and exited through the top of her head.

‘That’s a Christmas miracle,’ he said.

The girl remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, alert and able to speak, authorities said. 

A one-year-old daughter shared by Jason and Crystal was also inside the home at the time of the shooting, but was unharmed. Deputies later found her asleep in her crib.

One of the ominous posts Kenney made 

During a search of the family’s home, deputies uncovered a handwritten note Crystal had written to her husband, Jason, urging him to seek help

After the attack, Jason Kenney fled before deputies arrived. During the drive, Judd said, he called his sister in upstate New York.

‘He told her he had done something very, very bad,’ Judd said, adding that Jason told her ‘the next time you see me will be on the news.’

Jason then drove to his father’s home, where he barricaded himself inside a shed.

Deputies tracked him to the property and attempted to coax him out. Moments later, a single gunshot rang out.

Jason Kenney was found dead inside the shed, having taken his own life, Judd said.

During a search of the family’s home, deputies uncovered a handwritten note Crystal had written to her husband, urging him to seek help. 

‘You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way the family should be. You need God,’ the note read, according to Judd.

Deputies arrived within minutes at the family home. Once inside, they found Crystal Kenney dead, having been fatally shot in the head. Her own husband, Jason, was her killer

The sheriff said the case devastated everyone involved, including seasoned investigators.

‘He just absolutely destroyed a family. Literally, not to mention the mental health of two children without their mother and a father three days before Christmas,’ Judd said. ‘Our homicide detectives are distraught.

‘Three days before Christmas, he shot and killed his wife, he shot his 13-year-old stepdaughter twice, and intended to kill her,’ Judd explained. 

‘When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under it, just like the nuclear family should be. 

‘The only thing he did right that night was shoot himself,’ Judd added.

All three children are now in the custody of their maternal grandparents.

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Miller & Carter Hockley Heath was forced to close down on December 25 – with some customers only finding out they wouldn’t have their £105pp dinners until just before their booking

Miller & Carter Hockney Heath was forced to close on Christmas Day, leaving customers furious(Image: GRAHAM YOUNG)

Hundreds of people eagerly awaiting a slap-up Christmas steak dinner were left devastated after they paid more than £100 per person – only to have the venue close on them.

Families living in and around Hockley Heath in Solihull, the West Midlands, had booked coveted spaces for Miller & Carter’s famous Christmas day dinner on December 25. The set menu typically costs £105 per person, and a source told the Mirror that “hundreds” were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to have a tasty dinner without any of the dreaded clean up responsibility.

But the Hockley Heath management team left them devastated when, on the big day, it was forced to close due to an extractor fan issue, leading one family to “write off” their Christmas Day.

READ MORE: GP warns against eating 1 common veg that can trigger bloating this ChristmasREAD MORE: I tried Iceland’s festive desserts – two scored highly but one was a disappointmentLocals have blasted management for failing to inform customers of the closure in a timely manner(Image: GRAHAM YOUNG)

Miller & Carter posted a message to families at 1pm on December 25 saying the location would have to close its doors after experiencing an “unexpected electrical issue” that shorted its entire extractor fan system. A spokesperson wrote on its Facebook page saying that, while engineers had been promptly called out, they were unable to resolve the issue.

They wrote: “There is no easy way to say this but Miller & Carter Hockley Heath has had to close our doors today due to an unexpected electrical issue in our kitchen meaning that our extractor fan system is not working.

“We have had engineers working all morning to try and resolve this issue but unfortunately are unable to do so. This means we are unable to open our kitchens today. Our management team are currently contacting all bookings to advise them of this closure. We apologise for any inconvenience and those affected will be contacted by senior management in the next couple of days.”

Hundreds of people are said to have booked meals at the restaurant for Christmas Day(Image: Getty Images)

The Facebook message was posted at 1.20pm, more than an hour after some people said they had slots booked at the restaurant. One diner, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Mirror the club had “hundreds” of customers who had already booked and paid.

They said: “This is disastrous. I know the pub and hundreds have booked and paid £105 per head for dinner. Now they will have no food in for their own Christmas dinner and have had their plans scuppered. What will they do? It’s a huge blow this Christmas, and I feel sorry for these families.”

Among those left short-changed by the cancellation was James Munro, who booked a 12pm slot at the restaurant for himself and 12 members of his family.

The restaurant informed customers of the issue in a Facebook post at 1.20pm

Speaking to the Mirror, Mr Munro said he had booked the group meal after his sister travelled up from Devon to spend the big day with his family, and were left with a “write off” of a Christmas after Miller & Carter failed to inform them of the closure. He explained: “There were 13 of us, including my sister’s family, a friends family of four and my wife’s mother.

“We heard the news about half an hour before our booking. Initially we were sceptical and assumed they would sort the problem out, so myself and my brother-in-law decided to walk over at midday.

“We were then told the news was true and that the extraction unit had failed and they couldn’t get the part. Apparently the ovens won’t turn on without the extractor as a safety measure. I questioned why we hand’t received a call and they claimed they had tried to call my sister, yet she had no missed calls or voicemails so evidently that wasn’t true.”

One Miller & Carter customer said they only found out abou the closure an hour before their booking(Image: GRAHAM YOUNG)

“They offered no solution and essentially apologised saying there’s nothing they could do. I though we should at the very least have been offered a drink or perhaps even some food to take away to cook at home.”

Mr Munro explained that the closure and late contact meant that he and his family hadn’t even had the chance to cobble together scraps for their own dinner, saying: “Safe to say the day has been a write off, perhaps if we had been informed early enough we might have had time to pull some scraps together.”

Other people following Miller & Carter’s page commented under the restaurant’s post announcing the closure, with some suggesting it should have provided booked diners with food for their own dinner.

Miller & Carter representatives said an extractor fan issue caused them to close down(Image: GRAHAM YOUNG)

One commenter said: “Could they have not just given all the food to the booked customers to take home and cook? Not ideal situation but could of helped in a way.” Another added: “I can only imagine or the stock and prepped food that will be wasted.” A third, who was less fussed about the cancellation, said: “We were booked for Christmas lunch today but these things happen occasionally.”

The Daily Mirror has reached out to Miller & Carter Hockley Heath and Mitchells & Butlers, the parent company of Miller & Carter, for comment.

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Three women have been stabbed in Paris, according to the capital’s prosecutor’s office.

French police detained a man suspected of carrying out the attacks in three different stations of the Paris metro on Friday evening.

The three women were ‌stabbed at the Republique, Arts ‌et Metiers and Opera stations at around ​4pm local time.

They were given medical attention by firefighters and sustained only minor injuries, two of them to their backs and thighs, according to Le Parisien.

“The young woman was injured in the thigh,” a witness told the newspaper. She was at the Republique station at the time of the attack.

“There was quite a lot of blood; it was a pretty deep cut.”

The prosecutor’s office said their wounds were not life-threatening.

Read more from Sky News:
Police warn sea swimmers as two still missing
Health alert still in force as cold weather set to continue

The suspect, a man in his mid-20s, fled the scene and was then arrested at his home, according to C News.

The prosecutor’s office said he was previously known to police and he was identified thanks to CCTV.

“Thanks to the immediate action” of the emergency services, “the suspected individual has been apprehended”, posted the official Parisian police account on X.

“I extend all my wishes for a prompt recovery to the 3 victims who were slightly injured and taken in charge by the emergency services, whom I also salute.”

The possibility of terrorism has been ruled out, according to local media.

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Washington’s top diplomat says he thanked Asfura, who was backed by Trump, for ‘advocacy of US strategic objectives’.

Published On 26 Dec 202526 Dec 2025

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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has congratulated Honduran President-elect Nasry Asfura, whom President Donald Trump had endorsed, for his victory in the Central American country’s contentious election.

The Department of State said on Friday that Rubio and Asfura in a phone call discussed collaboration on issues such as trade and security.

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“Secretary Rubio commended President-Elect Asfura for his advocacy of US strategic objectives, including advancing our bilateral and regional security cooperation, and strengthening economic ties between our two countries,” the State Department said in a statement.

Asfura claimed a narrow victory on Wednesday in the November 30 election marked by Trump’s intervention on his behalf. Election authorities declared Asfura the winner after weeks of counting amid high tensions and allegations of fraud and impropriety from other candidates.

The right-wing Asfura, representing the National Party, edged out Salvador Nasralla of the centre-right Liberal Party with 40.27 percent of the vote to Nasralla’s 39.53 percent.

“Today, with deep gratitude, I accept the honour of being able to work for you. I extend my hand so we can walk together with determination to work tirelessly for Honduras. I will not fail you,” Asfura said in a video statement released on Wednesday night.

Both Nasralla and Rixi Moncada, the candidate for current President Xiomara Castro’s left-leaning LIBRE Party, who came in a distant third, have disputed the results of the election.

Nasralla said on Wednesday that election authorities had “betrayed the Honduran people”. He also took aim at Trump, who said before the election that a victory for anyone but Asfura would put US economic ties with Honduras at risk.

“Mr President, your endorsed candidate in Honduras is complicit in silencing the votes of our citizens,” Nasralla said in a social media post. “If he is truly worthy of your backing, if his hands are clean, if he has nothing to fear, then why doesn’t he allow for every vote to be counted?”

Honduras has experienced several contested elections since a US-backed coup in 2009. Protests over the November election have thus far remained peaceful.

Before the election, Trump also issued a criticised pardon for right-wing former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of crimes linked to the trafficking of drugs to the US during his time in office.

The pardon came as the US says it is shifting its foreign policy focus to the Americas.

Asfura, the former mayor of Honduras’s capital, Tegucigalpa, is of Palestinian descent. But his National Party is staunchly pro-Israel.

Under Hernandez in 2021, Honduras became only the fourth country to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in breach of international law.

Asfura has also aligned himself with Trump and other right-wing leaders in the Americas, including Argentina’s Javier Milei.

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Tributes have been paid to one of two men who went missing during a Christmas Day swim.

The family of Matthew Upham issued a tribute to him on the Instagram account of his antiques business, saying he was “deeply loved and forever missed”.

Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton at 10.25am on Christmas Day after concerns were raised for people in the water.

A number of people were safely brought to shore but two men – one in his 40s and another in his 60s – could not be found. Of the people who were rescued, two were checked by paramedics and one was taken by ambulance to hospital as a precaution.

In a statement posted on Upham’s Instagram account, his family said: “Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved family member Matthew Upham, who was reported missing on Christmas morning.

“Matthew is deeply loved and will be forever missed.

“We would like to express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to the emergency services who responded, particularly the RNLI and coastguard, for their dedication, professionalism, and tireless efforts during this extremely difficult time.

“We are profoundly grateful for their compassion and support.As we grieve and support one another, we kindly ask that our family’s privacy is respected.

“We thank everyone for their understanding, kindness, and condolences.”

Upham, from Budleigh Salterton, ran an antiques business called Matthew Upham Antiques in the Devon town.

A coastguard search for the two men has been called off.

On Boxing Day, police said both men were still missing. A spokesperson added: “Police inquiries are ongoing. A police presence remains at the scene.”

The coastguard stopped searching the water at 5pm but police said onshore inquiries continued into the evening. The men’s families had been informed.

While there is no official weather warning in place on Boxing Day, some sea swims have been cancelled and police in Devon and Cornwall have urged people not to get into the water.

Map of Devon

On Christmas Day, Det Supt Hayley Costar, of Devon and Cornwall police, said officers had responded to “a truly tragic incident” in Budleigh Salterton. “Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident,” she said.

“There have been weather warnings in place this week and a number of official and unofficial swims have already been cancelled. While there are no official warnings in place for tomorrow, we urge anyone with plans to go swimming in the sea on Boxing Day not to.”

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, 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.”

Julia Robb, a resident who had been watching swimmers at the beach before the men went missing, said it had been a “very cold and windy” day and the waves “would have been at least 6ft”. She said it was only when she heard helicopters it became clear something was wrong.

Robb added: “It was a sad thing to happen on what had been such a positive morning. I just feel sorry for those who have been affected. I think it will be shocking for the whole community. We are a small town. People are very friendly. I think it is important to think of the friends and families of those who have been affected.”

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At least eight people were killed on Friday when an explosion struck a mosque used by Syria’s Alawite minority in Homs, state media reported.

The blast, believed to be the first attack on a mosque since the overthrow last year of longtime leader Bashar Assad, himself an Alawite.

The blast was claimed by an Islamist militant group formed shortly after Assad’s ouster.

Syrians still wait for rebuilding one year after Assad

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What do we know?

The Interior Ministry labeled the explosion at the Imam Ali Mosque in Homs, Syria’s third‑largest city, a “terrorist bombing.”

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the mosque is attended primarily by members of the Alawite community.

State news agency SANA, citing a security source, reported that the blast was caused by explosives planted inside the mosque.

A government official said the devices detonated during the crowded Friday prayer service.

Photos released by SANA showed extensive destruction and bloodstains inside the prayer hall.

In addition to the eight fatalities, Health Ministry official Najib al‑Naasan told SANA that 18 people were injured.

The official said ⁠the figures were not final, indicating that the death toll could rise.

The Syrian government blamed the church attack on a cell of the Islamic State (IS) groupImage: AP Photo/picture alliance

Islamist group claims responsibility

A local security official told SANA that investigators had not yet identified the attacker or confirmed any link to armed groups.

However, in a statement on Telegram, the Islamist militant group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said later Friday that its fighters had “detonated a number of explosive devices” at the mosque.

The group was formed after the ouster of Assad, who is a member of the Alawite community.

Syria has faced multiple episodes of sectarian bloodshed since Assad was driven from power by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a Sunni‑led interim government.

After his ouster, Assad fled to Russia, and since then, Alawite communities have faced a series of crackdowns.

The Syrian government has recently stepped up security campaigns against Assad loyalists and the self-declared Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

On December 19, the United States launched strikes aimed at IS targets in Syria, not the Syrian state, in retaliation for an attack which killed two American servicemen and an interpreter a few days earlier.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar blasted the Palestinian Authority (PA) for emboldening terrorism with its infamous “Pay-for-Slay” program after a Palestinian on Friday murdered two Israelis.

Palestinian terrorists murdered 19-year-old Aviv Maor from Kibbutz Ein Harod and Mordechai Shimshon, 68, from Beit She’an on Friday in northern Israel.

The Palestinian Authority “Pay-for-Slay” policy gained wide public attention when Taylor Force, a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, was savagely knifed to death by a Palestinian terrorist on March 8, 2016, while on a tour of Israel. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into law in October 2018, after a vigorous campaign by Force’s parents, Robbi and Stuart Force.

TRUMP ADMIN WEIGHS TERRORISM SANCTIONS AGAINST UN PALESTINIAN AID AGENCY OVER HAMAS ALLEGATIONS

Israeli security forces inspect the scene where a vehicle was used by an assailant in a suspected terrorist attack involving a car ramming and stabbing that killed two people in Afula, northern Israel, on Dec. 26, 2025. (Gil Eliyahu/Reuters)

Prior to Friday’s terrorist attacks, Sa’ar issued warnings to the international community about alleged Palestinian leadership deception. He wrote on X: “Don’t believe Mahmoud Abbas’ lies. The Palestinian Authority’s payments to terrorists and their families haven’t stopped. The PA decided to continue its ‘Pay-for-Slay’ policy. This includes payments to the families of ‘martyrs’ and injured terrorists, jailed terrorists and released terrorists.  The PA is also disguising the payments to the released murderers as payments to pensioners of the Palestinian Security Services!   This is distorted.  End ‘Pay-for-Slay’ now!”

Abbas is the 90-year-old chain-smoking president of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank (the region is known in Israel by its biblical names of Judea and Samaria.)

Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital that contrary to Palestinian Authority claims about stopping the “Pay-for-Slay” program, there has been “no substantial change in Palestinian Authority policy with regard to the payments to terrorists.”

Taylor Force was a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was pursuing his MBA at Vanderbilt University. His bright future was savagely cut short on March 8, 2016, when Taylor was walking with his Vanderbilt friends along the Mediterranean boardwalk promenade in Tel Aviv, Israel. A Palestinian terrorist attacked the group with a knife, and Taylor was stabbed to death. (Courtesy of the Force Family)

He continued that “They are making noises as if they are changing their policies.” But he termed it a “façade” with no change in policy.

Michael said that “Pay-for-Slay will continue in a different manner. Donors and the international community [who finance the PA] will find it more difficult to monitor it.”

UN UNDER FIRE AS USAID INVESTIGATORS PROBE HAMAS DIVERSION OF AID TO GAZA

The counter-terrorism expert, Michael, who is also a fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy, said the PA “defines terrorists as social welfare. They continue to support incitement against Israel. They continue remaining dysfunctional.”

According to a Dec. 19 report in the Times of Israel, a PA-linked organization –The Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Institution (also known as Tamkeen) — disputed the Israeli government claim that “Pay-for Slay” is still intact.

Tamkeen noted in its statement that it “confirms that the payment system linked to the number of years of imprisonment has been completely and permanently abolished and is no longer in effect in any way.” It added that “Claims regarding its continuation fall under the category of deliberate misinformation and falsification of facts.”

Fox News Digital reached out numerous times to the Palestinian Authority for a comment and sent press queries to the Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Institution (Tamkeen.)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meets with then-President Joe Biden in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Friday, July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

When asked by Fox News Digital what donor nations can do to stop “Pay-for-Slay,” Michael said, “Be strict when it comes to financial donations,” adding there are “many ways to pressure the Palestinian Authority.”

He sharply criticized Western European leaders who recognized an independent Palestinian state in 2025 without ensuring that the state would be a non-sponsor of terrorism. “Western leaders, the British prime minister, the French president and the Spanish prime minister are rushing and running to recognize a Palestinian state, and they don’t care what takes place under the Palestinian Authority in the territories.” He said their recognition is “an incentive to continue to ‘Pay for Slay.”’

Michael said the Trump administration is the only one “applying pressure on the Palestinian Authority.”

A Palestinian terrorist from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is seen carrying a weapon during a military parade in the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern West Bank. (Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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He stressed that if the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hamas is not dismantled and disarmed in Gaza, “it will be another achievement of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”

The U.S. State Department and American Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press queries.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com

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