US homeland security chief Kristi Noem said late on Thursday that President Donald Trump ordered her to pause the diversity visa lottery which was used by the suspect at the Brown University shooting.

“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”

How is the visa suspension linked to the Brown University shooting?

Noem said the shooting suspect entered the US in 2017 using the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1).

The suspect, a 48-year-old Portuguese man who two decades earlier was a Brown University student, later obtained a green card under the same program.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said.

Last week, two people were killed and nine others were wounded in a mass shooting at Brown University.

Authorities on Thursday found the suspect dead of self-inflicted wounds at a storage facility in the state of New Hampshire and are investigating the case.

Investigators believe the man was also responsible for the killing of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was fatally shot in Boston on Monday, US Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said.

What is the diversity visa lottery?

• The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) makes ‍over 50,000 immigrant ​visas available annually, according ⁠to ​the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Eligible applicants must be “from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States,” according to the State Department
• The diversity visa program was created by Congress
• The decision to halt the program is expected to be legally challenged

Edited by: Rana Taha

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Finding comfortable sneakers is hard enough, but if you have wide feet or foot pain, the hunt can feel even more daunting. According to QVC shoppers, though, there’s a pair of Skechers that fit the bill. 

The brand’s Summits Sneakers have built-in arch support and a slip-on design that make them the “most comfortable shoes” shoppers with wide feet have ever owned. Those with plantar fasciitis even say the shoe “eases the pain,” and they’re on sale right now at QVC.

Skechers Slip-In Arch Fit Summits Sneaker

QVC

Unlike traditional sneakers, these Skechers have a slip-in design, so you can slide your foot in while standing without ever touching the shoe. The comfortable heel pillow in the back stops you from slipping out of them when walking. They’re lightweight and flexible with a soft mesh upper that’s PETA-certified vegan and has metallic threads for a bit of sparkle.

The shoes come in medium and wide fits and have bungee laces that stretch to accommodate your foot. The design is sleek and not bulky, making them wearable for everyday errands and workouts, and if they get dirty, you can toss them in the washing machine.

Part of why they’re so versatile is in the multiple comfort-enhancing design elements. They have Skechers’ Arch Fit technology that gives the footbed an orthotic level of support and helps reduce overall stress on the body, assisting in distributing weight for a more comfortable gait. Plus, they’re accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Shoppers love them, too. Those with wide feet call them their “new everyday go-to.” Plus, those with chronic pain and plantar fasciitis say they can “walk longer” while wearing them and that the arch support helps ease their “back and leg pain.” They’re also versatile, with one customer proclaiming they wear them “year round” and are warm in winter with socks and cool for summer without.

If you’re looking for a new pair of everyday sneakers or want to snag a new pair of walking shoes to help you meet New Year’s fitness goals, these wide-friendly, pain-reducing Skechers are the way to go. 

Keep scrolling for more slip-on sneakers from the brand at QVC.

Skechers Slip-Ins Go Walk Travel Shoes

QVC

Skechers Slip-ins Virtue Vegan Rhinestone Shoes

QVC

Skechers Summits Knit Slip-On Sneaker

QVC

Skechers Slip-Ins Go Walk Flex Mesh Sneakers

QVC

Martha Stewart x Skechers Slip-ins Virtue Rhinestone Shoes

QVC

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The gunman who killed two students at Brown University was found dead in a storage unit as it was revealed his main target was an MIT professor he shot dead in Boston. 

The suspect – 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente – was revealed to be a Portuguese national who studied at the Ivy League school in Rhode Island more than 20 years ago.

After being on the lam for days, his eventual demise stemmed from a Reddit post that flagged his suspicious activity outside the Providence campus. 

‘Tonight our Providence neighbors can breathe a little easier,’ Mayor Brett Smiley said at a news conference Thursday night. 

Neves Valente had attended Brown to pursue a masters of science in physics from 2000 to 2001, before he took a leave of absence and ultimately withdrew.

It remains unclear why Neves Valente opened fire at the Rhode Island school, killing Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, of Virginia, and 19-year-old Ella Cook, of Alabama.

But University President Christina Paxson said it was likely he took classes inside that building when he attended the school. 

The development about the shooter’s fixation on MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro raised new questions about his motive for the slaying and the timeline of the shootings.

On December 13, Neves Valente opened fire during a study session at the Ivy League’s School of Engineering Barus and Holley Building.

Two days later, he fatally shot Loureiro inside his Boston home. 

Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, who attended Brown University from 2000 to 2001, has been unmasked as the gunman who opened fire at the school on December 13

Armed police officers gathered outside of a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on Thursday, where a vehicle that was rented to Neves Valente was found abandoned

There was a heavy police presence outside of the storage facility

Authorities revealed that gunman’s original target was Loureiro and the pair had attended the same school in Portugal from 1995 to 2000. 

It was unclear what the shooter’s motive was or what his relationship with Loureiro had been.

The frantic search for the suspect took a dramatic turn on December 16 when Providence police received a tip from an anonymous source referencing a Reddit post.

‘I’m being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving,’ the post read. 

‘It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke [Street] side.’ 

The suspect was found dead after a six-day manhunt, when authorities located a vehicle he used parked outside of a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Officers were then able to secure a search warrant for a unit believed to have been rented by the suspect, and found Neves Valente dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an unoccupied unit.

Neves Valente had two firearms on him at the time of his death, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha revealed. 

‘He was found dead with a satchel, with two firearms and evidence in the car that matches exactly what we see here in Providence,’ Neronha said. 

Authorities had said they had identified the shadowy figure caught on surveillance footage near the scene of Saturday’s shooting, whose face they had been attempting to find with the help of grainy surveillance footage

Authorities had earlier said they had identified the shadowy figure caught on surveillance footage near the scene of Saturday’s shooting, whose face they had been attempting to find with the help of grainy surveillance footage. 

He had also been caught on surveillance footage near the professor’s apartment, and was seen on camera entering the storage center in New Hampshire wearing the same clothes that he was pictured in in Rhode Island, according to Leah Foley, the US attorney in Massachusetts.

Foley said Thursday night that Neves Valente rented a hotel from November 26 through November 30, and then rented a vehicle on December 1 – which had been seen around Brown University through the day of the shooting on December 13. 

Police were ultimately able to track him down after a homeless witness came forward.

An affidavit from Rhode Island detailed how a custodian at the school noticed a suspicious person wearing a surgical mask who walked with a limp and stopped in the bathroom of the Barus and Holley Building on December 13. 

After authorities discovered the mysterious Reddit post, a man identified as ‘John’ told police he first encountered the suspect inside the Barus Holley bathroom at around 1.45pm to 2pm.

John described the suspect’s clothing as ‘inappropriate and inadequate for the weather,’ wearing a baggy jacket with at least two undergarment shirt layers.

Authorities identified the suspected Brown gunman as Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, at a news conference on Thursday

The witness also ‘described the pants and shoes as kitchen/restaurant worker style, of poor quality or would be associated with Walmart (John cast no judgment as to the quality),’ the affidavit said. 

The suspect then kept switching directions every time he saw John, the witness, who described the pattern as a ‘game of cat and mouse’.

After exiting the bathroom, John said he watched the suspect unlock a gray or silver Nissan sedan, before he walked away from the vehicle.

But eventually, John said, he was able to catch up to the suspect, asking him: ‘Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?’

The suspect then reportedly responded, ‘I don’t know you from nobody’ and repeatedly asked John, ‘Why are you harassing me?’  

When detectives then showed John two images they obtained of the suspect’s vehicle, he replied: ‘Holy s**t, that might be it!’

Then, when he was presented with a still of video surveillance footage renting the suspect vehicle, John said ‘the stomach makes [him] think that it’s [him],’ the affidavit says. 

Authorities on Thursday said John’s testimony was critical to finding Neves Valente. 

‘That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence that matched the satchel that we see here in Providence,’ Neronha said.

The Brown University shooting which killed two students and the assassination of an MIT professor two days later may be connected, police have said. (Pictured: Victim Ella Cook)

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, the second Brown University victim killed on Saturday, has been remembered by his roommate as an aspiring neurosurgeon and ‘ball of joy’

Married father-of-three Nuno FG Loureiro (pictured), 47, was gunned down at his home in a leafy Boston suburb at 8.30pm on December 15

The big break in the case then came when authorities investigating the Brown shooting saw a call-out from Massachusetts police probing Loureiro’s murder – and realized a vehicle of interest in that case was just like the one they were looking for.

It was the same make and model, but the license plates were different, law enforcement officials told CNN.

A witness then provided a license plate to authorities probing the Brown shooting, who then investigated the vehicle and its past drivers – which police say ultimately led them to confirm the two vehicles were the same.

Police now say the unidentified suspect employed a series of countermeasures to avoid being tracked beyond swapping the license plates, as he apparently planned to avoid surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology by making himself unidentifiable.

He even used a cellphone that obfuscated his location and credit cards that were not in his name, Foley said. 

But officers in Massachusetts were able to determine that the Google email he had used to check into a hotel in Boston logged in from an IP address half a mile away from Loureiro’s home on December 14.

The following night, a surveillance camera also captured a blue or gray Nissan Sentra about a mile from the physics professor’s home and footage showed him entering a nearby apartment building.

About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, dressed in the same clothes that he was seen wearing right after Loureiro’s murder, Foley said.

Loureiro’s neighbors remembered him as a kind-hearted, ‘wonderful man’, while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory, as shown in the photograph above 

He would later be found dead inside the storage facility. 

The shooting on Saturday took the lives of Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, of Virginia, and Ella Cook, of Alabama, 19, who were in a study session at the Ivy League’s School of Engineering Barus and Holley Building when the gunman burst in shortly after 4pm and opened fire. 

He then fired 40 rounds, killing the two students and wounding 12 more. 

The building had been unlocked for exams, Paxson admitted, though she denied that a lack of cameras hindered the investigation.

Two days later at around 8.30pm on Monday, Neves Valente also fatally shot married father-of-three Loureiro inside his Boston home, nearly 50 miles away. 

Loureiro’s neighbor and friend, Louise Cohen, said she discovered his body after hearing shots disturb the peace of their beautiful area on Gibbs Street. 

Cohen said she was lighting a menorah candle when she heard gunshots fired. She rushed to the hallway of their building and found Loureiro lying on his back. 

The professor’s heartbroken wife was also in the entry along with another neighbor, and they scrambled to dial 911. Loureiro was taken to hospital but died the next day.

Loureiro’s neighbors remembered him as a kind-hearted, ‘wonderful man’, while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory.

MIT paid tribute to him as, ‘a lauded theoretical physicist and fusion scientist’ who became the director of the college’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024, an institution with more than 250 full-time researchers.

Loureiro specialized in nuclear science, engineering and physics. He leaves behind ‘many devoted students, friends, and colleagues’, according to his MIT obituary. 

His academic career started at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, where he gained a physics degree. 

Loureiro obtained a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005, before starting post-doctoral work at Princeton later that year. 

He also worked at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Centre for Fusion Energy between 2007 and 2009.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth acknowledged that the beloved professor died in the wake of the Brown University shooting just two days before.

‘This shocking loss for our community comes in a period of disturbing violence in many other places,’ she said in a statement. 

‘It’s entirely natural to feel the need for comfort and support. 

‘If you or anyone you know would like counsel or just a listening ear, I encourage you to make use of our many campus resources.

‘In time, the many communities Nuno belonged to will create opportunities to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.’

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The Bohai Strait Tunnel in China will feature two parallel tunnels for high-speed trains stretching 76 miles, slashing travel time between Dalian and Yantai by almost 90%

China is planning to build the world’s longest underwater tunnel (AI image)(Image: AI)

The world’s longest tunnel, set to cut a six-hour journey down to a mere 40 minutes and costing over £20billion, has been given the go-ahead. The Bohai Strait Tunnel in China will consist of two parallel tunnels for high-speed trains spanning an impressive 76 miles.

These trains, clocking speeds of over 150mph, will slash the travel time between the cities of Dalian and Yantai by nearly 90%. They’ll outpace Eurostar trains, which only hit 100mph when using the Channel Tunnel.

Depending on the exact route selected by the planners, the Bohai Strait Tunnel could stretch over 75 miles, with approximately 56 miles burrowing beneath the sea bed.

A whopping 56 miles of the tunnel would be submerged, surpassing the combined lengths of the 24-mile Channel Tunnel and Japan’s 14.5-mile underwater section of the Seikan Tunnel.

This incredibly ambitious project, carrying an estimated price tag of 220 billion Yuan (just over £23,300,000,000), is predicted to take between 10 and 15 years to finish. For comparison, it took roughly six years to construct the significantly shorter Channel Tunnel.

The planned route will slash journey times(Image: wikipedia)

Planners assure that the tunnel will boast cutting-edge safety technology, including advanced ventilation systems, waterproofing, structural sensors, and emergency exits, all designed to safeguard passengers as they traverse the earthquake-prone zone between the Liaodong and Shandong peninsulas.

Both cities are crucial industrial powerhouses. Dalian has grown from a significant port into a leading financial, shipping and logistics hub for East Asia.

Meanwhile, Yantai, traditionally celebrated for its fruit cultivation, has recently witnessed substantial growth in petrochemicals, automotive manufacturing, electronics, pharmaceuticals and cutting-edge tech sectors.

At present, the quickest link between the two cities is the Bohai Train Ferry, which requires roughly eight hours to traverse the strait.

The trains will reach speeds of around 150mph (AI image)(Image: AI)

By dramatically reducing the journey time between the cities, Chinese officials aim to boost their expanding economic output. A government representative stated in 2018 that authorities were eager to launch the project “as soon as possible.”

Lu Dadao, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, informed journalists that a tunnel beneath the Bohai would revolutionise transport networks across China. They said: “By avoiding the hubs in Beijing and Tianjin it would relieve pressure on railways between Beijing and Tianjin, Beijing and Shanghai, and even Beijing and Guangzhou.”

Du Yanliang, from the Chinese Academy of Engineering Sciences, explained to ThePaper that the tunnel would also forge stronger links between the north-east’s traditional industrial heartlands, the Bohai economic zone and the Yangtze delta region. The scheme hasn’t been without its critics, though, with green campaigners highlighting that the region teems with wildlife, particularly serving as a crucial habitat and breeding ground for the spotted seal, a Class 2 protected species.

Multiple zones within the planned construction area have been identified as possible locations for nature reserves.

Sun Fenghua from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has emphasised the importance of “serious research into all issues associated with construction of the tunnel… We must not proceed until these questions are fully understood.”

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Violent protests have erupted in Bangladesh, after the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Protesters burnt down buildings and vandalised offices, including the HQ of the largest daily newspaper. Hadi was standing as a candidate in elections scheduled for early next year.

Published On 19 Dec 202519 Dec 2025

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Tiffanie Turnbulland

Tabby Wilson,Sydney

‘An absolute superhero’: father describes how Jess saved his daughter

When bullets began flying at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, strangers Wayne and Jessica found themselves in the same nightmare scenario. They couldn’t find their three-year-olds.

In the chaos, separately, they desperately scanned the green. People who’d gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah screamed and ducked. Others ran. Some didn’t make it far.

The 10-odd minutes that followed were the longest of their lives.

Wayne’s body was acting as a human shield for his eldest daughter, but his mind was elsewhere: with his missing daughter Gigi.

“We had to wait all that time for the gunshots to stop. It felt like eternity,” he tells the BBC.

Unbeknown to him, Jessica’s gaze had caught on a little girl in a rainbow skirt, confused, scared and alone – calling out for her mummy and daddy.

In that moment, the pregnant mother couldn’t protect her own child, so she’d protect this one, she decided. She smothered Gigi’s body with her own, and uttered “I’ve got you”, over and over again. They could feel the moment a woman about a metre away was shot and killed.

By the time the air finally fell silent, Wayne had become all but convinced Gigi was dead.

“I was looking amongst the blood and the bodies,” he says, growing emotional.

“What I saw – no human should ever see that.”

Eventually, he caught a glimpse of a familiar colourful skirt and found his daughter, stained in red – but okay, still shrouded under Jessica. Her son too would soon be found, unharmed.

“She said she’s just a mother and she acted with mother instincts,” Wayne says.

“[But] she’s a superhero. We’ll be indebted to her for the rest of our lives.”

It is one of the incredible accounts of selflessness and courage that have emerged from one of Australia’s darkest days.

Declared a terror attack by police, it is the deadliest in Australian history. Dozens were injured and 15 people – including a 10-year-old girl – were killed by the two gunmen, who police say were inspired by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

Watch: Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed gifted A$2.5m (£1.24m) in his hospital bed

More people undoubtedly would have been harmed if it weren’t for Ahmed al Ahmed.

A Syrian-Australian shop owner, he’d been having coffee nearby when the shooting began. His father told BBC Arabic Ahmed “saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted”.

Footage of the moment he sprung out from behind a car and wrestled a gun off one of the attackers immediately went viral. He was shot multiple times, and may lose his arm.

Another man, Reuven Morrison, was also seen on the video hurling objects at the same attacker in the moments after Ahmed disarmed him.

Sheina Gutnik easily recognised her dad in the footage.

“He is not one to lie down. He is one to run towards danger,” Ms Gutnick told BBC partner CBS News.

He had jumped up the second the shooting started, she said, and was throwing bricks at one of the gunmen before he was fatally shot.

“He went down fighting, protecting the people he loved most.”

The first two victims of the assault, Boris and Sofia Gurman, were also captured on dashcam footage grappling with one of the men for his weapon. When they succeeded, he got another gun from the car he’d just climbed out of and killed them.

Bondi beach attack: Dashcam video shows couple tackle attacker

“Even in the final moments of their lives, they showed the depth of who they were by facing those moments with courage, selflessness and love,” read a message from their proud son Alex, which was read out at the couple’s funeral on Friday.

“In doing so, they reminded us that they were not only devoted parents, but, in every sense of the word, heroes.”

The list goes on.

Chaya, only 14 years old, was shot in the leg while shielding two young children from gunfire.

Jack Hibbert – a beat cop just four months into the job – was hit in both the head and the shoulder but continued to help festival attendees until he physically couldn’t, his family said. The 22-year-old will survive, but with life-changing injuries.

Lifeguard Jackson Doolan was photographed sprinting over from a neighbouring beach during the attack, armed with critical medical supplies. He didn’t even pause to put on shoes.

Alexandra Ching/Instagram

Jackson Doolan heard gunshots and took off running towards them

Others at Bondi rushed from the beach into the fire, their red-and-yellow lifesaving boards working overtime as stretchers. One lifeguard even dived back into the surf to save swimmers who’d been sent into a panic by the shooting.

Student Levi Xu, 31, told the BBC he felt he could not shout for help, as he didn’t want to draw attention to himself or risk any potential saviours being targeted.

But lifeguard Rory Davey saw him and his friend struggling, and dragged them back to shore.

“We stood up and wanted to thank him, but he had already gone back into the sea to rescue other people,” says Mr Xu.

Thousands of Australians flocked to donate blood, dwarfing the previous record.

Authorities say many off-duty first responders travelled to Bondi on Sunday – from as far as two hours away – simply because they knew there was a need. Likewise, healthcare workers rushed to hospitals when they heard of the attack, shift or no shift, confronting unspeakable trauma to save lives.

“[They were] just coming into the station and saying ‘I’m ready to go’. Coming to the scene and saying ‘I’m ready… put me in’,” New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park told the BBC.

“Normally on a Sunday night, there is staff available to run one operating theatre [at St Vincent’s Hospital]. There were eight operating at once,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

State premier Chris Minns, too, has been quick to praise the heroics of ordinary, everyday Australians.

“This is a terrible, wanton act of destructive violence. But there are still amazing people that we have in Australia, and they showed their true colours last night,” he said, the day after the attack.

Wayne says he shudders to think what would have happened without people like Jessica and Ahmed.

When he speaks to the BBC, he’s just attended a funeral for the gunmen’s youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.

“I was sitting at this funeral and I was just thinking, tears pouring out of my eyes… I could have been in the front… It could have been my little girl.”

“There could have been so much more devastation without the bravery of [these] people… someone who could run just comes in. Someone who could worry about their own child looks after another child.

“That’s what the world needs more of.”

Additional reporting by Fan Wang.

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Police officers — one toting a submachine gun — and security guards are grouped around the entrances to Magdeburg’s Christmas market. Occasionally, people are stopped and questioned. Large red and green concrete blocks, sand sacks and steel security barriers line the access points to the market, situated in the square by the city hall.

On December 20, 2024, six people were killed here — five women and a 9-year-old boy — and more than 300 were injured, some severely, when a man drove a vehicle into the crowds. His precise motives remain unclear.

Stallholder Mirko Stage was standing just 20 meters (65 feet) away from the area where most victims were killed in Magdeburg on December 20, 2024.

Just around the corner from his sugared-almonds and waffle stand, there are memorial stones set into the pavement, adorned with candles and flowers.

Stage had his stall near the site of the attack, but is happy he decided to come back Image: Julie Gregson/DW

Stage, who lives in Magdeburg, said he had had some qualms ahead of the November 20 opening. “All of us went into this Christmas market with a funny feeling because we weren’t sure how it would be to suddenly reopen here after the events of last year,” said Stage.

He said his experiences had been unexpectedly positive, with stallholders and visitors beginning to open up and process their grief. “First of all, you are shocked and depressed,” he said, “and, at some point, you start talking to one another about what happened.” 

Stage said visitors had approached him to share their experiences. “People who say: “I was standing there as a first-aider and was standing there and there that evening.” Those very people are returning here because the Old Market Square is the city’s living room. We don’t want to let this be taken away from us by some kind of crazy perpetrator,” said Stage.

Karim Champi, an Italian stallholder with Tunisian roots, saw the attacker’s car drive right past his olive-wood handicrafts stall.

His stall now stands in a different location. “This year, there aren’t as many tourists. People are frightened,” he said, tearing up.

Karim Champi, an Italian stallholder with Tunisian roots, saw the attacker’s car drive right past his olive-wood handicrafts stallImage: Julie Gregson/DW

Christmas cheer and tragedy side-by-side

The market has been given a redesign. The optical changes — along with the security measures — are intended to calm people’s anxieties.

Not everyone is convinced by the changes. “It’s like Fort Knox,” said one Christmas market visitor. “It’s madness all this barricading.” The 54-year-old lives almost 60 kilometers from Magdeburg, but he came here with his wife “out of principle and protest.”

“If we don’t come, he has won,” he added in reference to the attacker, sipping a mulled wine.

As dusk settles and the lights go on, more people begin to arrive at the market. The hum of voices, Christmas music, and fairground rides becomes louder. Couples, families and friends of all ages stroll across the square or gather.

Fact check: How fake news target Europe’s Christmas markets

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Mixed opinions about market reopening

Magdeburg’s Christmas market has about 140 stands this year. Traditional wooden Christmas decorations from the Ore Mountains and illuminated stars are on offer. But lots of food, too — from German Bratwurst and Christmas biscuits to burgers, Belgian waffles and, this year, falafels.

Market managing director Paul-Gerhard Stieger said not everyone had agreed with the decision to hold the event again this year.

“Some of those affected by the attack, of course, say: ‘How can you do this here?’ and there are some city residents of that opinion, too,” Stieger said. “But there are also people directly affected who have approached us and said they think it is important that the Christmas market takes place here.”

The number of visitors is down this year. Turnout, says Stieger, is nonetheless better than expected. He conceded that holding the event was a tricky balancing act. “Of course, a Christmas market is a commercial event, but it’s also the stallholders’ livelihood. It’s their peak season.”

Vendor Fares Saleh Aga came from Syria to Magdeburg eight years ago and has set up shop at the Christmas market this year to send a signalImage: Julie Gregson/DW

The market organizer said only two stallholders had pulled out — one in connection with the tragic events. And there were even 10 newcomers this year, Stieger said.

Among them is Fares Saleh Aga, who came from Syria to the city eight years ago and now runs a falafel store in the city. He said he had decided to come here to send a signal.

“People walk past me and see a friendly face. The meaning of Christmas is peace. I am very happy. The people are nice,” said Aga, who was giving people heart-shaped chickpea balls to taste.

One visitor there with her husband and son said she welcomed the inclusion of food from other cultures. The 49-year-old conceded feeling a little uneasy, but added, “Christmas markets are definitely part of Christmas for us. It is our tradition and we love Christmas.” She said she also wanted to support the traders.

German far-right AfD rallies after Christmas market attack

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Fake news about canceled Christmas markets

Frank Hakelberg, CEO of the Deutscher Schaustellerbund, a national organization representing event stallholders and fairground operators, confirmed that this year’s visitor figures were lower across Germany, but said they seemed to be picking up in the run-up to the holidays. He blamed a social media campaign, in part, for the slow start to the season.

Hakelberg said his organization had fielded media inquiries from all over the world after rumors went viral that Christmas markets were being canceled in Germany. In fact, he stressed that only a handful or so of the 3,200 major markets in the country had been called off.

He said there was no such thing as 100% security — no matter how tight the measures are.

Germany’s Christmas markets open amid security concerns

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On December 12, a man was detained in Magdeburg in connection with suspected plans to attack the Christmas market.

The trial of last year’s perpetrator has been underway in the city since October. He is charged with six counts of murder and 338 counts of attempted murder. The now 51-year-old was detained minutes after the attack and has admitted to driving the hire car involved. He does not appear to have had Islamist motives.

The market is closed on Saturday. Instead, memorial services will be held to commemorate the one-year anniversary. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Saxony-Anhalt State Premier Reiner Haseloff will be present. A cross-faith initiative is calling for people to form a chain of light around the Christmas market.

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.

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Kremlin welcomes EU summit decision not to use Russia’s frozen assets

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said today that “law and sanity” won, after European Union leaders decided to borrow cash to fund Ukraine rather than use Russia’s frozen assets.

“Fatal blow to Ursula, Merz, Starmer & the warmongers: they burned political capital pushing illegal moves against Russia’s reserves—and FAILED. ‘There’s no alternative,’ they said. Apparently there is. The whole world just watched you fail to bully others into breaking the law,” he said on X in a post this morning.

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 06:15

Zelensky thanks EU leaders for loan: ‘Strengthens our resilience’

Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked EU leaders for the loan to Ukraine that was agreed last night in Brussels.

“I am grateful to all leaders of the European Union for the European Council’s decision on €90 billion in financial support for Ukraine in 2026–2027. This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience,” he said on X.

The Ukrainian president said the deal ensured financial security for his country and said Russia’s assets in a Belgian clearing house must be kept frozen.

“It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years. Thank you for the result and for unity. Together, we are defending the future of our continent,” he said.

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 05:49

Will need to speak to Putin, says Macron

French president Emmanuel Macron said it “will become useful” to speak to the Russian leader Vladimir Putin after the EU agreed on a loan to finance Ukraine.

“I think that we Europeans and Ukrainians need to find a framework to engage a discussion in due form,” he said.

The French president added that Europeans should not let the conversation be led solely “by intermediaries” as peace talks continue between Moscow and Washington.

Emmanuel Macron arrives to a press conference after the European Council meeting in Brussels (AFP via Getty Images)

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 05:37

Belgium says Ukraine and Europe are both winners after loan deal agreed by EU

Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever welcomed the loan for Ukraine as a win for Europe, having led the objections to using frozen Russian assets to fund it.

“I think Ukraine has won… Europe has won, and financial stability has certainly won,” he said, answering a question on whether he saw the result of the talks as a win.

“I contributed to finding a solution for Ukraine, which was of the essence,” he said.

De Wever said that he was in theory “willing to discuss” the frozen assets plan again in future, but said fresh discussions in January were “not realistic”.

Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever talks to the press after pictured during a summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union in Brussels (AFP via Getty Images)

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 05:25

How Europe will fund Ukraine loan of €90bn from joint borrowing

European leaders have agreed to meet Ukraine’s immediate financial needs for the next two years via a joint borrowing mechanism, avoiding the controversy of funding a loan through frozen Russian assets.

A 15-hour high-stakes summit in Brussels concluded with EU leaders announcing they will borrow cash to fund Ukraine’s defence against Russia until the end of 2027.

In doing so, the bloc has to set aside its plan to make Russia indirectly finance Ukraine with Russian sovereign cash held in Brussels, following objections primarily from Belgium and Hungary.

The cash for the loan will be raised through joint borrowing by 24 of the EU’s 27 countries, excluding Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia. All members were required to agree to the plan because it’s guaranteed by the central EU long-term budget.

European leaders said the plan will only require Ukraine to pay back the loan if Russia provides reparations at the end of the war. If Moscow declines to do so, the EU says it still reserves the right to take the €90bn back out of the €210bn worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly at Belgian financial clearing house Euroclear.

Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen attend a press conference after the European Council meeting in Brussels (AFP via Getty Images)

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 05:06

Watch: Putin calls European leaders ‘little pigs’ ahead of crucial summit in Brussels

Putin calls European leaders ‘little pigs’ ahead of crucial summit in Brussels

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 04:42

Zelensky says he understands Belgium’s concerns about using Russian assets

Volodymyr Zelensky said he understand Belgium’s concerns on using frozen Russian assets after a conversation with the country’s prime minister Bart De Wever.

“Together with Prime Minister of Belgium @Bart_DeWever, we discussed mechanisms for using frozen Russian assets. I understand all of Belgium’s concerns; however, a decision on the reparations loan must be made. It is fair and will ensure long-term predictability for Ukraine,” he said on X.

“We also discussed coordination in diplomacy between Europe and the United States for the sake of peace, Ukraine’s future membership in the European Union, support for Ukraine’s energy system, and reconstruction,” Zelensky said.

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 04:23

EU has avoided chaos and division with agreement on Ukraine funding, Belgium says

EU leaders have avoided “chaos and division” with their decision to provide Ukraine with a loan through borrowing cash rather than use frozen Russian assets, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever said in the early hours today.

“We remained united,” De Wever said after EU leaders had discussed for hours how to provide Ukraine with the money it needs to sustain its fight against Russia’s invasion.

Some €210bn (£183bn) worth of Russian assets are frozen in Europe, most of them in the Belgian financial clearing house Euroclear. Belgium had objected to the loan plan, calling it legally risky and warning that it could harm Euroclear’s business.

Belgium was rattled last week when Russia’s Central Bank launched a lawsuit against Euroclear to prevent any loan being provided to Ukraine with frozen Russian funds.

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 03:49

Germany’s Merz hails zero-interest loan for Ukraine

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has hailed the deal reached by European leaders working late into Thursday night in Brussels.

“The financial package for Ukraine has been finalised,” Merz said in a statement, noting that “Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan”.

“These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come,” Merz added.

He said the frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid war reparations to Ukraine. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that would cost over €600bn (£525bn).

“If Russia does not pay reparations we will — in full accordance with international law — make use of Russian immobilised assets for paying back the loan,” Merz said.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the German chancellor Friedrich Merz attend a meeting on immigration at the EU summit in Brussels (AP)

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 03:43

Macron says EU leaders delivered what they committed for Ukraine

French president Emmanuel Macron described the deal agreed between the EU leaders as a major advance, saying this option “was the most realistic and practical way” to fund Ukraine and its war efforts.

Calling the gathering a “very good summit for Ukraine”, Macron said the European leaders delivered what they committed to do for Ukraine.

He added that the deal included a mechanism to protect three countries — Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — from any financial fallout.

Arpan Rai19 December 2025 03:22

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NEED TO KNOW

• Frank Athen Walls was executed by three-drug lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18
• He was executed at Florida State Prison near Starke, Fla., marking the 19th prisoner execution in Florida this year
• Walls was convicted of two counts of murder and was sentenced to death in 1988 for the murders of Edward Alger and Alger’s girlfriend, Ann Peterson

A Florida man was put to death for killing two people, a man and his girlfriend, during a home invasion.

Frank Athen Walls was executed by three-drug lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18. He was executed at Florida State Prison near Starke, Fla., the Associated Press reports. The death of Walls, 58, marks the 19th execution in Florida this year, the outlet reports.

Walls was convicted of two counts of murder and was sentenced to death in 1988, the AP reports. The Florida Supreme Court went on to reverse the conviction and order a new trial, during which Walls was convicted once again and re-sentenced to death in 1992. Walls was convicted of committing the murders of Edward Alger and his Alger’s girlfriend, Ann Peterson.

The execution began at 6 p.m. local time, and Walls was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m., the outlet reports. A Catholic priest was seated near Walls with his right hand extended toward Walls’ lower leg or foot, per the AP.

Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told the outlet that Walls made a brief statement before being put to death.

“Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say what’s on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years,” Walls was quoted as saying, per the AP.

Per court records obtained by the AP, Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of Alger, who was an Eglin Air Force Base airman, and Peterson, in July 1987. Walls is believed to have then tied the couple up — and after Alger broke loose, Walls slit his throat and shot him in the head. Walls then went to attack Peterson and shot her as she struggled to break free, the outlet reports.

Years later, when new technology was developed, DNA evidence linked Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest in an attempt to avoid another trial and potential death sentence. Walls went on to admit responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors, per the AP.

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Walls became the 47th prisoner in the U.S. to be executed this year after receiving a death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

The highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014 since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, per the AP. Florida has executed the most prisoners in the U.S. this year.

Florida executions are done via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, per the state’s Department of Corrections.

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The 24-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was unconscious after they lost their balance before spiralling out of control for about 300 metres in the French Alps

05:21, 19 Dec 2025Updated 05:27, 19 Dec 2025

Ski authorities have since urged visitors to steer clear of extremely steep off-piste areas due to the potential dangers.(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A British skier has tragically died after plunging almost 300 metres while sking in the French Alps.

The 24-year-old holidaymaker who has not been named was sking down a steep off-piste slope with a groups moments before tragedy struck. The fatal plunge unfolded when two skiers in the group tried to traverse down a particularly steep section of the slope in Les Arcs 2000.

One of the skiers lost their balance before spiralling out of control for about 300 metres. Horrified members of the group sounded the alarm before two ski patrollers rushed to the scene.

Ski authorities in Les Arcs have urged visitors to stick to pisted areas after the death (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

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The dangerous area was above an avalanche dam, located in Chavonnes, Le Dauphiné Libéré reported.

The 24-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was unconscious following the fall. An air ambulance was scrambled from Courchevel to pick the victim up.

Police arrived about half an hour after the first report was made – but despite the efforts of emergency services, the Brit tragically died.

The second skier who also attempted to go down the tricky path is understood to have become trapped at the top of the slope. He was later rescued by a police helicopter.

Les Arcs has since issued a statement offering “its most sincere thoughts to the family and the friends of the victim”.

According to The Times, the deadly slope was wide at the top but narrowed towards the bottom before ending on the ridge, which was covered in a small quantity of hard snow, increasing the risk of accidents.

Ski authorities have since urged visitors to steer clear of extremely steep off-piste areas due to the potential dangers.

British holidaymakers planning their dream winter getaway in the coming weeks face potential hospitalisation or even death, according to Foreign Office warnings. More than 20 million people flock to the European destination each year, with over one million of those being UK travellers.

The Foreign Office has warned that some Brits may be engaging in ‘risky’ activities that might not be covered by their insurance policies.

Being inadequately prepared could result in serious consequences for both your well-being and your finances, particularly if you haven’t been careful about selecting the right insurance cover for your trip. In certain circumstances, you might find yourself liable for more than £3,000 if you lack proper travel insurance protection, and that’s excluding medical expenses and hospital bills.

Foreign Office guidance warns: “Adventure sports can be risky. British nationals in the Swiss Alps have been involved in accidents and have been hospitalised or died. Check the company you are using is well-established and that your travel insurance covers any specific activity.

“For sports activities like skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for sports classed as particularly dangerous (for example, off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or BASE jumping), you could get into difficulty and need emergency rescue. Adventure sports can be risky. British nationals in the Swiss Alps have been involved in accidents and have been hospitalised or died.

“Check the company you are using is well-established and that your travel insurance covers any specific activity. For sports activities like skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for sports classed as particularly dangerous (for example, off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or BASE jumping), you could get into difficulty and need emergency rescue.”

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