The Trump family is celebrating another Christmas at the President’s enchanting Mar-a-Lago estate.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and Fox News host Lara Trump pulled back the curtain on the family festivities, including what gifts may be circulated and the special recipes on offer. 

But how does anyone possibly buy a gift for the most powerful man in the world? 

That, Lara Trump puts it, is ‘always a conundrum.’

The answer, at least recently, has been to focus on more touching effects. 

‘We get a framed photo, and so if you look behind him in the Oval Office on his desk, he does have a lot of framed photos,’ she explained. ‘All of those pictures there have been given to him by us and the family over the course of many years.’

‘The one that I think we gave him, maybe last year, was a framed photo of his mom, and he’s got that always right behind him on the desk.’

Naturally, the next question is what does the billionaire real estate mogul turned president gift to his family? During his first term, the president gave out ornaments, Lara Trump shared, adding they were designed with Melania Trump’s input. 

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump (pictured on Christmas Eve in 2019 at Mar-a-Lago) are expected to celebrate Christmas at their Florida home

Tiffany and Lara Trump are pictured at the president’s inauguration this year. Lara Trump told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview all about the Trump family’s Christmas traditions

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania in their annual Christmas photo

The many young children in the Trump family, meanwhile, prefer grandpa’s hidden candy stash over the tree decorations – especially because he maintains a healthy helping of king-sized, or shall we say presidential, candy bars ready for the taking despite mom or dad’s objections. 

‘He’s kind of famous for the candy bowl in his office,’ the Fox News host shared. ‘Sometimes it’s a full-size candy bar situation. There’s always Starbursts in there.’

That tradition goes beyond Christmas. There are reportedly stashes of pink and red Starbursts – the president’s favorites – tucked inside executive’s fleet of transportation, from Air Force One and Marine One to his personal Trump Force One, Lara said.

The Christmas agenda in the Trump household, however, is remarkably ordinary. 

‘Christmas Eve is usually a church service and dinner,’ Lara said. The family typically attends Bethesda-by-the-Sea, an Episcopal church just minutes from Mar-a-Lago where the president and Melania were married. 

Shortly after dawn on Christmas morning, and a highly-anticipated visit from Santa, frantic excitement among the little ones begins as they rush to open presents under the tree. 

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speak on the phone with children as they track Santa Claus with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, on Christmas Eve in the State Dining Room of the White House in 2018

President Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in January. A picture of his mother can be seen on the right side of the table behind him. Lara Trump says it was a Christmas gift, as are many of the framed pictures on that table 

Group portrait of, left to right, Donald Trump, Barron Trump and Santa Claus on Christmas Day at the Mar-a-Lago estate

All the Trump children maintain residences in Jupiter, Florida, just up the road from their father’s residence in Palm Beach, and will begin Christmas morning separately before coming together later.

Like any big American family celebrating Christmas, there’s, of course, implied chaos.

‘Christmas morning is a little challenging. You know, Santa shows up and he’s got all the gifts at everybody’s particular house … We’re all kind of in our own immediate homes there on Christmas morning and after we gather post-chaos of opening gifts,’ Lara said.

Soon, they are ready to go to grandpa’s to exchange even more presents. Barron Trump, 19, presumably, will be with his parents.

The holiday is perhaps the sole annual occasion where extended family gets together and just spends time with one another, Lara explained.

The president will likely make a flurry of calls to world leaders. But first, he will phone his closest family members. 

‘I think first and foremost, to the family members who aren’t physically with us on Christmas, which, you know, maybe like his sister, Elizabeth, I’m not sure if she’s gonna make it down,’ Lara said. ‘She’s getting a little bit older. It’s harder for her to travel.’

She added: ‘He’s got a list of other folks who, politically, he wants to make sure he connects with.’

The celebration is drastically different from how it used to be, and the family – a decade into their patriarch’s pouncing into politics – is prone to being quarantined on Christmas.

The Trump family typically attends church on Christmas Eve at Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida. The Trump kids love the candlelight vigil and Christmas songs, Lara said

Ivanka and Jared Kushner celebrating the holidays

In the past, the family would gather in the more ‘intimate’ Mar-a-Lago living room, where some guests, along with the Trumps, were able to relax and enjoy the holiday. 

Sometimes the receptions are in the ballroom, a setting fit to host up to 700 guests. 

‘It has grown into such a monster now,’ the president’s daughter-in-law remarked. 

‘We kind of have to be like roped off as a family, which is a little bit different holiday situation,’ she said of the family’s recent Mar-a-Lago receptions. Though this year the family is returning to the cherished living room for their Christmas celebrations. 

Last year, for example, Elon Musk and his mother, Maye Musk, joined the Trump family for Christmas dinner.  

The candlelight vigil and requisite hymns are a favorite of the youngest Trump children, who Lara says ‘know all the songs.’

For these Trump tots, the magic of Christmas and its patron saint, Santa, not to be confused with namesake Jesus Christ, is still alive and well. Though Lara couldn’t recall when Barron lost faith in the chimney-crawling character. 

No family gathering is complete without a delicious family recipe, and the Fox News host, who went to culinary school, said she dutifully provides a chocolate peppermint trifle every year. It’s always ‘destroyed’ by the end of the night, she said.

Finally, the night concludes with a family tradition that dates back to Fred Trump, the president’s businessman father, who first forayed into real estate. 

The president will conclude the family dinner by slamming his hands down on the table and saying ‘Well, that was Christmas.’ 

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WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Suzanne Capper endured horrific abuse at the hands of some so-called ‘friends’, who pulled out her teeth, shaved her hair and bathed her in disinfectant, before setting her alight

Suzanne Capper died on 18 December 1992 after falling into a coma(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Suzanne Capper was a friendly 16-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her, before a row with over a missing duffle coat spiralled into seven days of lethal torture.

It was a horrific case that shocked Britain, even reducing jurors to tears as depraved details emerged in court. The teen was held captive, beaten, injected with drugs and abused in an endless cycle of horror, all carried out by people who were supposed to be her friends.

A group of six accomplices, with ages ranging from 16 to 29, inflicted unthinkable cruelty on Suzanne in a week-long nightmare. The 16-year-old, from Moston, Greater Manchester, was then driven to woods near Romiley in Stockport where she was doused in petrol and set on fire. She managed to survive long enough to name her attackers.

Suzanne’s heinous ordeal began in December 1992. Described as a “a gentle and easily influenced girl,” she was living with her stepfather but was spending an increasing amount of time at the home of Jean Powell, 26.

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

Suzanne had spent time babysitting Powell’s three children at a terraced house in Moston and had stayed overnight. The teen was said to be lonely with no friends, and looked for companionship in Powell. Suzanne was “polite” and “passive,” willing to do anything to do anything her friends asked.

Powell’s squalid home was a hot bed for drug dealing, parties and sex. The mum had also struck up a friendship with Bernadette McNeilly, 23, who had recently moved in three doors away. McNeilly, who had three children, subsequently moved in with Powell and her three children, where the two shared a bed in the downstairs dining room because the bedrooms were “full” of kids.

Powell was separated from her husband Glyn, although the two remained friendly and he would visit regularly. McNeilly’s boyfriend, 16-year-old Anthony Dudson, was also having a sexual relationship with Powell, who was also sexually involved with Jeffrey Leigh. He was a regular visitor to the house, as was Powell’s younger brother, Clifford Pook.

Powell and McNeilly would frequently bully Suzanne – according to her sister Michelle: “It was not that she was scared of them, it’s just that she would do anything for them. She pampered their every whim.”

Bernadette McNeilly(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

At the time of Suzanne’s death, McNeilly and Dudson were angry because they had become infected by pubic lice, which they concluded they had caught from Suzanne, who regularly slept in the bed they shared. McNeilly also thought Suzanne had stolen a pink duffle coat worth around £50.

On 7 December, McNeilly and Powell found Suzanne at her stepfather’s home and lured her to Powell’s house, telling her that a lad she fancied was there. Glyn and Dudson were already waiting.

As soon as she arrived, Suzanne was grabbed and held down while Glyn and Dudson shaved her head and eyebrows. She was then beaten by the group and taken to the bathroom where she was forced to shave off her own pubic hair in ‘revenge’ before being locked in a cupboard overnight.

Anthony Dodson(Image: MEN Media)

The following day, on 8 December, she was transferred to McNeilly’s house amid concerns that the six children were being disturbed by Suzann’es crying. There she was tied to a bed base with cord, rope, electric flex, belts and a chain.

Suzanne spent a further six days and nights in captivity, with her back blistering and socks stuffed in her mouth to prevent her from crying out. She endured horrific torture. The teen was regularly beaten, injected with amphetamines, and burned with cigarettes. She also had two front teeth pulled out.

Having been forced to lay in her own urine and feces for several days, Suzanne was placed in a bath containing concentrated disinfectant and scrubbed with a stiff brush with sufficient force to remove skin.

Glyn Powell (Image: MEN Media)

In the early hours of 14 December 1992, Suzanne was forced into the boot of a stolen white Fiat Panda car and driven 15 miles to a narrow lane on the outskirts of Stockport.

In the car were McNeilly, the Powells and Dudson. Upon their arrival, Suzanne was pushed down an embankment, into a patch of brambles, where McNeilly poured petrol over her. She was then set on fire with McNeilly reportedly singing “Burn baby burn! Burn baby burn!” from The Trammps song “Disco Inferno”.

READ MORE: House of horrors where ‘sex suicide pact Brit went to die’ – ‘frantic texts, beatings and video’

Incredibly, she did not die as her attackers had intended – quickly and anonymously. She managed to scramble back up the embankment and stagger along the country lane for approximately a quarter of a mile, where she was found with horrific injuries by workmen who raised the alarm.

Suzanne survived for four days, long enough to tell police who she was and who was responsible. She was able to give the names of her six assailants, as well as Powell’s address, before falling into a coma. Having suffered from 80 per cent burns and multiple organ failure, Suzanne died on 18 December 1992, without regaining consciousness.

Mourners pictured at Suzanne’s funeral on 18 January 1993(Image: Mirrorpix)

Her attackers were charged on 23 December 1992, and their trial commenced on 16 November 1993, lasting 22 days. All six denied murder and, in their testimonies, each tried to minimise their part in the crime.

After the trial, Jean Powell (now Gillespie), who was 26 at the time of the killing, Bernadette McNeilly, 24, Glyn Powell, 29, and Anthony Dudson, 16, were all found guilty of murder. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years.

Dudson was given a minimum term of 18 years – later reduced to 16. Clifford Pook, Jean’s brother, and Jeffrey Leigh, 27, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and were given 15 and 12 year sentences respectively.

Jeffrey Leigh(Image: Jim Duxbury/Shutterstock)

The murder happened just two months before James Bulger was murdered in Liverpool and, despite the twisted and prolonged violence used, did not generate the same level of media coverage as that case.

All six have since been released after serving their minimum terms. Bernadette McNeilly was released in 2015, while Jean Powell (later Gillespie) was released in 2017. Anthony Dudson was set free in 2013, while Glynn Powell was released in May 2023. Clifford Pook was released in 2001, and Jeffrey Leigh in 2008.

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Ukraine has hit a major Russian oil refinery with British missiles, Ukrainian military and security officials said on Thursday.

The Storm Shadow missiles caused multiple explosions at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

“Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” the General Staff said on ‍the Telegram app on Thursday.

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What are Storm Shadow missiles?

The refinery was one of southern Russia’s biggest suppliers of oil products and was supplying diesel and jet fuel to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, according to the officials.

The UK gave Ukraine permission to use its Storm Shadow missiles inside Russia last year, with the first known strikes happening in November that year.

Image:
A long-range air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile. Pic: PA

Ukrainian-made long-range drones hit oil product tanks in Russia’s Temryuk port in the Krasnodar region ​and a gas processing plant in Orenburg.

The Orenburg plant is the largest facility of its kind and is around 1,400km (870 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

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Russian officials in Krasnodar said two oil product tanks caught fire at the southern port of Temryuk after the drone attack.

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

Flames covered about ‌2,000 square metres, authorities at the Krasnodar operational headquarters said ⁠on Telegram.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up their attacks on energy facilities in recent months.

Kyiv has increased its strikes on Russia’s oil refineries and other energy infrastructure since August as it seeks to cut
Moscow’s oil revenues, a ​key source of funding for its war effort.

The chart shows oil refineries struck by Ukraine in the months leading up to December.

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Elsewhere in the conflict, Russian officials said there had been “slow but steady progress” in peace negotiations with the United States.

“In the negotiation process on a ‌settlement of the ‌Ukraine conflict, I mean in ​the negotiation process with the United States, ‍there is slow but steady progress,” said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday.

She added, however, that western European powers were trying to torpedo the progress of peace talks and the United States should counter such moves.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy posted on Telegram to say he had spoken to the US’s Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “for nearly an hour”.

“It was truly a good conversation: many details, good ideas, and we discussed them,” he said. “We have some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer, and this concerns formats, meetings, and of course, timing.”

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

Published On 25 Dec 202525 Dec 2025

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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent a “successful” surgery for an inguinal hernia, his wife has said.

The 70-year-old former leader left prison on Wednesday for the first time since late November to undergo the procedure on Thursday at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.

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“Successful surgery completed, without complications. Now we wait for him to wake up from anaesthesia,” his wife Michelle announced in an Instagram post.

Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year term since November for an attempted coup. He was granted court permission to leave prison after federal police doctors confirmed that he needed the procedure.

Doctors say Bolsonaro’s double hernia causes him pain. The former leader, who was in power between 2019 and 2022, has gone through several other surgeries since he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018. He was also diagnosed with skin cancer recently.

Doctors for the far-right president from 2019 to 2022 anticipated that his hospitalisation would last between five and seven more days.

The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia – a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.

“It is a complex surgery,” Dr Claudio Birolini said on Wednesday. “But it is a standardised … scheduled surgery, so we expect the procedure to be carried out without major complications.”

After the operation, doctors are to assess whether Bolsonaro can undergo an additional procedure: blockage of the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, for recurrent hiccups, Birolini said.

Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to prison in September after he was found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.

Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.

He has been confined to a small room with a minibar, air conditioning and a television at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia.

Succession

Early on Thursday, his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, told reporters before the surgery that his father had written a letter confirming he had appointed him as the Liberal Party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election. Flavio announced on December 5 that he would challenge Lula, who is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term, as the party’s candidate.

The senator read the letter to journalists, and his office released a reproduction of it to the media.

“He represents the continuation of the path of prosperity that I began well before becoming president, as I believe we must restore the responsibility of leading Brazil with justice, resolve and loyalty to the aspirations of the Brazilian people,” Bolsonaro said in the handwritten letter, dated Thursday.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasilia, on December 17, 2025 [AFP]

According to Flavio, the letter sought to clarify any “doubt” about his father’s support for his presidential bid.

“Many people say they had not heard it from his own mouth or had not seen a letter signed by him. I believe this clears up any shadow of doubt,” he said after reading the letter.

The former president and several of his allies were convicted by a panel of Supreme Court justices for attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system following his 2022 election defeat.

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Two men are believed to be missing in the water off a beach in Devon, after a number of people were reported to be in difficulty.

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

A number of people were safely recovered to shore, with two checked by paramedics and one taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall police said:

“The next of kin of one man have been spoken to. Enquiries to speak to the family of the second man are ongoing; however, a local friend has been informed as part of these efforts.

“A significant amount of emergency service personnel were deployed to the incident and we ask that people do not enter the water for public safety reasons – due to the current weather warnings we ask that this is the case today and for any Boxing Day swims.”

In a statement, the Coastguard said its search was stood down at 5pm.

A spokesperson said: “Alerted at around 10am, Exmouth and Beer Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats from Exmouth, Teignmouth and Torbay and coastguard search and rescue helicopters and fixed wing aircraft were sent to the scene to assist, alongside police and ambulance service.

“Searches have continued throughout the day to find two men believed to still be in the water. After extensive shoreline and offshore searches, the coastguard part of the search was stood down at 5pm.”

A number of Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall were cancelled this year because of a yellow weather warning for wind.

The Met Office warned of “strong and gusty east to northeasterly winds” from 4am until 11.59pm on Christmas Day in parts of the south-west of England and Wales.

It said peak gusts would reach 45 to 55mph but these could reach 55 to 65mph along some exposed coasts and to the west of prominent hills.

Disruption could be caused to transport and power supplies, the forecaster said.

It added: “Large waves will be an additional hazard on some coasts.”

Anyone with information which may assist in the search for the swimmers should contact Devon and Cornwall police by calling 101 or through the force’s website, quoting log number 191 of 25 December.

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Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Last week, the board of the Kennedy Center – which Trump filled with allies – voted to rename the performing arts centre the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Beatty is one of several Democratic lawmakers designated as members of the board by US law. She claimed in her lawsuit that the renaming was illegal because changing the name requires “an act of Congress”.

The suit says Beatty had called into the meeting about the name change but was muted when she tried to voice her opposition.

Beatty argues that Congress intended for the centre to be a “living memorial” to former President Kennedy.

“[I]n scenes more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than the American republic – the sitting President and his handpicked loyalists renamed this storied center after President Trump,” the lawsuit states.

In a statement provided to the BBC, the White House said Trump had “stepped up” and saved the Kennedy Center “by strengthening its finances, modernizing the building, and ending divisive woke programming”.

“As a result, the Board of the Kennedy Center voted unanimously to rename it the Trump-Kennedy Center — a historic move that marks a new era of success, prestige, and restored grandeur for one of America’s most iconic cultural institutions,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said.

On Friday, the president’s name was added to the exterior of the building, and the centre’s website logo now reads “The Trump Kennedy Center”.

The name change has been met with harsh criticism, particularly in Washington DC where the centre has been an iconic landmark since it was built and named for Kennedy.

Musician Chuck Redd cancelled his annual Christmas Eve jazz concert at the centre, a tradition spanning nearly two decades, in response to the renaming.

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Redd has been hosting the annual Christmas Eve “Jazz Jams”at the Kennedy Center since 2006, succeeding bassist William “Keter” Betts.

The Kennedy Center’s website lists the show as cancelled.

Construction began on a performing arts centre in the 1950s and after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Congress decided to name it after him.

Shortly after taking office, Trump fired a slew of the centre’s board members and replaced them with allies, who then voted to make him chairman of the board. His close adviser Richard Grenell became board president.

The centre’s board of trustees currently has 34 members appointed by Trump and 23 others designated as members by US law, according to the centre’s website.

Trump also secured about $257m (£190m) in congressional funding to pay for major renovations and other costs at the venue, saying it was in “bad shape”.

Several members of the Kennedy family took to social media to criticise the name change.

Joe Kennedy III, a former House member and grandnephew of the late president, said that “the Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law”.

“It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he added.

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On its final day, St. Anna’s is almost full again. A choir is singing and the small organ is supporting them. But this is the last mass in the small Catholic church in Gildehaus, a district of Bad Bentheim near the German-Dutch border. In future, the building will no longer be a place of worship.

Towards the end of the service, the demise of this church becomes achingly real. Worshippers from the congregation open the altar and remove the relics. These are small relics of a saint, be they bone fragments or pieces of textile, which are always incorporated into the altar of a consecrated Catholic church.

The decommissioning of churches is an emotional affair. “It affects the heart and the eyes. It’s moving,” Catholic pastor Hubertus Goldbeck tells DW, wiping the beginnings of a tear from the corner of his eye.

What his small congregation is going through is something that many devout Christians across Germany are also facing. When churches shrink, they also have to give up buildings.

A new life for Germany’s deconsecrated church buildings

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The number of church members in Germany is falling rapidly. In 2024 alone, the two major churches lost over a million Christians due to people leaving the church or dying. Currently, more than 45% of Germans still belong to either to the Protestant Church in Germanyor the Catholic Church. Thirty years ago, that figure stood at almost 69%. This is why churches are now being deconsecrated or desacralized.

Since 2000, hundreds of Catholic and Protestant churches were decommissioned. In response to a DW inquiry, the German Bishops’ Conference informed of the closing and decommissioning of 611 Catholic churches between 2000 and 2024. The Protestant Church estimates that some 300 to 350 churches were permanently shut in the same period; more precise figures are not available.

Church buildings on offer

And what happens to former houses of worship? In some cities, especially in Berlin, growing Orthodox Christian congregations have taken over church buildings. But that remains the exception. They are often sold. In the capital alone, several large church buildings are currently up for sale. And it’s not unusual for churches to be demolished.

Some are repurposed. In Jülich, a town between Cologne and Aachen, bicycles are now sold in the former Catholic St. Rochus Church. Thomas Oellers moved his business, Toms Bike Center, into the church building.

Oellers tells DW that the parish approached him and asked him if he could imagine running his business in the church. It is the church where he himself was baptized and took Communion, and where he often attended church services. On the exterior, the listed building has changed remarkably little.

In Wettringen, just north of Münster, an abbey has been transformed into a “soccer church” where footballs are knocked about. In Kleve, the former Protestant Church of the Resurrection serves as a boxing arena. Former churches now house pubs, libraries and book stores. Entire cloisters have even been turned into hotel complexes. In Düsseldorf, a hotel has retained its traditional name Mutterhaus (Mother House) in a nod to its original use as a convent for nuns.

The former convent in the north of Düsseldorf is now used a four-star hotelImage: Christoph Strack/DW

In times of housing shortages, there are more and more cases of architects converting church buildings into residential buildings. In Berlin, Rostock, Trier, Cologne and Wuppertal, for example.

One of the earliest large complexes is the Lukas-K-Haus in Essen. The Protestant St. Luke’s Church, built in 1961, was deconsecrated in 2008 and converted into apartments between 2012 and 2013. At the bottom of the stairwell, two plaques now hang: one from 1959 and the other from 2012. And the abstract-colored windows there are still the original church windows.

Alexandra Schröder has lived in the old church since its repurposing. “No one would have thought that I would be living above an altar, ” she says. For her family, it was simply practical at the time as the apartment had several bedrooms and there were good schools nearby. That was the deciding factor.

One floor below is a physiotherapy practice. Director Jessica Günther explains that she came across the converted church building by chance while looking for new premises. She says the building has a “nice, calm feeling” that is good to work in. She knows that the steps inside her practice once led up to the altar but doesn’t want to overstate the importance of that.

St. Luke’s Church in Essen was deconsecrated in 2008 and later converted into apartmentsImage: Christoph Strack/DW

But one of her patients is positive about this. It is an expression of faith to “help people in need,” Stefan Hebenstreit tells DW. Even if the buildings are no longer churches, using them as a daycare center or a physiotherapy practice is “very practical.” Hebenstreit, a practicing Christian who has suffered several strokes, says this slowly and thoughtfully.

The sound of the bells is missing

To hear anything critical about the church conversion, you have to speak to people on the surrounding streets who have lived around St. Luke’s for decades. One misses the sound of the bells. Another regrets that the clocks on the church tower have stopped forever.

The two major churches have official commissions and papers on the issue of repurposing churches. Researchers concern themselves with the question too. And yet the specific neighborhood itself is often pivotal.

Art historian Klaus-Martin Bresgott from the cultural office of the Protestant Church in Germany and a group of architecture students investigated how important former church premises can be for a neighborhood and a residential area, using the example of a large church in Berlin.

The Protestant Church no longer needs the huge St Stephen’s Church (Stephanuskirche) in the district of Wedding. The building, which was erected between 1902 and 1904, was always too big in fact. But back then, people liked to build big. Today, the church is closed and in such need of refurbishment that you are no longer allowed to go inside even wearing a hard hat.

St Stephen’s Church in Wedding is too delapidated to enter safelyImage: Christoph Strack/DW

Bresgott and the students did not examine the building first, instead they interviewed people in the neighborhood, which has the reputation of being an area with social problems. One thing is clear: The neighborhood lacks public space, opportunities to gather, play sports or engage in cultural or community activities.

Times always change and sometimes churches are considered more important. other times they were unimportant, says Bresgott to DW.

“We know that during the Napoleonic Wars, churches served as horse stables for decades. But they remained standing.” For him, St. Stephen’s Church is a perfect example of how a church that was too big in the first place could still serve society. “We must not immediately panic and say: close down, give up, ” he warns.

This article was originally written in German.

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

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Poland scrambled fighter jets Thursday after detecting a Russian reconnaissance aircraft operating near its airspace, authorities said.

Poland’s Operational Command wrote on X that the aircraft was intercepted and escorted out after it was identified over international waters in the Baltic Sea.

The command said separate airspace incidents were also detected overnight near Poland’s eastern border.

“At night, entries into Polish airspace of objects from the direction of Belarus were observed. After conducting detailed analyses, it was determined that these were most likely smuggling balloons, moving in accordance with the direction and speed of the wind,” the command said.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL WARNS RUSSIA COULD TARGET ALLIANCE MEMBERS NEXT AMID RISING TENSIONS

A NATO AWACS tactical director assesses the air and surface situation aboard an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft during a flight over Polish airspace as part of the alliance’s Eastern Sentry mission, Sept. 19, 2025. (John Thys/AFP via Getty Images)

“The flight of all objects was continuously monitored by radar systems. To ensure safety, a portion of the airspace over the Podlaskie Voivodeship was temporarily closed to civilian traffic,” it added.

No threat to Poland’s airspace was detected, authorities said, and officials continued to monitor the situation.

The incident comes just days after Polish aircraft were scrambled again on Tuesday as Russia carried out widespread strikes against Ukraine.

NATO WARNS RUSSIA AFTER POLAND SHOOTS DOWN ‘HUGE NUMBER’ OF DRONES THAT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE

A woman sweeps up glass shards from a window after an apartment building was hit by a Russian drone during an aerial attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Polish authorities said the response included support from NATO allies, with Spanish aircraft assisting in air policing and Dutch forces providing air defense systems support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 650 drones and more than 30 missiles two days before Christmas, targeting Kyiv’s energy sector and civilian infrastructure.

GERMANY WARNS RUSSIA COULD ATTACK NATO BY 2029 AS INTELLIGENCE THREAT ASSESSMENTS MOUNT

Graves of fallen Ukrainian soldiers are decorated with Christmas trees and New Year’s ornaments at Lychakiv Military Cemetery on the day before Christmas Eve, Dec. 23, 2025, in Lviv, Ukraine. (Yuriy Dyachyshyn/AFP via Getty Images)

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“Tragically, lives were lost. In the Kyiv region, a woman was killed by a Russian drone. One person was pronounced dead in the Khmelnytskyi region. In the Zhytomyr region, a four-year-old child was killed after a Russian drone struck a residential building. My condolences to the families and loved ones,” Zelenskyy said.

“This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities. An attack ahead of Christmas, when people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe. An attack carried out essentially in the midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war,” he added. “Putin still cannot accept that he must stop killing. And that means that the world is not putting enough pressure on Russia. Now is the time to respond. Russia must be pushed toward peace and guaranteed security.”

Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.

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A Detroit family got an unexpected early Christmas present when they were reunited with their pet dog after it had been missing for four years.

Felicia Fritz adopted her puppy, Toby, in 2018. Fritz told WXYZ that Toby would sometimes come and go from her home, but in 2021 he left and never came back.

Four years passed, and Fritz had all but accepted that her Toby was gone for good. But Toby was still out in the world, and eventually was picked up by the Humane Society, where he was adopted by an older man and renamed Ziggy.

The man who adopted Ziggy became too ill to care for the dog, and surrendered him to the Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue.

“As far as we knew, Ziggy was a surrender, and his owner was not going to be able to come back for him,” Krissy Powe, a board member with Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue, told WXYZ.

That is when a little social luck helped Ziggy, or Toby, find his way back home.

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Felicia Fritz is reunited with her dog, Toby, after he disappeared for four years. Toby was adopted and later surrendered to the Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue. Fritz saw a picture of Toby posted on social media and the pair were reunited. (Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue)

Ziggy spent more than a year in the shelter. But he was used to running around outside and living with humans — the shelter life was taking its toll on the dog, and the staff knew the sooner they could find him a home, the better.

“We knew that mentally the shelter was taking a very bad toll on his mental well-being, and when he reached that year mark, we knew we had to try to go hard and try to find him a home,” Powe said.

The animal rescue workers turned to social media. They shared photos of the dog across various social networks, hoping that they’d entice a prospective pet owner to adopt him.

Someone from Ziggy’s past saw the photos — his former owner, Fritz.

“When I scrolled… to just like close my phone, [Toby] was right there on my phone,” she told the broadcaster.

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Toby had been renamed Ziggy when he was given to the rescue. He has found his way to his original owner just in time for Christmas. (Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue)

Fritz used old photos of Toby to prove to the shelter that she was his original owner, and they eventually agreed to release the dog into her custody. The moment and Toby’s journey were shared on social media. A video on Facebook from the rescue had more than 400 likes.

“Like a whole sense of my family’s complete, it didn’t even feel real, honestly. It did not feel real at all,” Fritz said. “For a long time, I just lost all faith, I’m not going to lie, I lost all faith, and when I found him, it was like, okay.”

She has since microchipped Toby, and said she will never forget the Christmas that brought her dog back to her.

“This is one I’ll never forget, my kids will never forget. I am so blessed, and it’s something that money cannot buy,” she said.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Cardi B spent Christmas surrounded by her family, celebrating the holiday for the first time as a mother of four
• The proud mom got candid as she shared that the “perfect Christmas picture” doesn’t exist at her house
• The rapper shares daughter Kulture, 7, son Wave, 4, and daughter Blossom, 15 months, with estranged husband Offset, and shares her newborn son, 7 weeks, with boyfriend Stefon Diggs

Cardi B is celebrating her first Christmas as a mom of four!

On Thursday, Nov. 25, the rapper, 33, shared a series of photos on her Instagram as she rang in the Christmas season surrounded by family, including her four kids — daughter Kulture, 7, son Wave, 4, daughter Blossom, 15 months, and her 7-week-old newborn son, whose name has not yet been revealed.

In one photo, Cardi, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, could be seen holding her baby boy and standing in front of a Christmas tree. Her older son, Wave, sat on a toy polar bear and watched his sister Kulture carry his other sister Blossom, who was pictured crying.

She also added snaps of Kulture posing in front of the tree, as well as individual pictures of Wave and Blossom.

“The perfect Christmas picture don’t exist in this house 😩❤️🎄,” joked Cardi in her caption.

Cardi B and her son.

Cardi B/Instagram

The rapper recently welcomed a son in November, her first baby with boyfriend Stefon Diggs, 32. Cardi shares her three older children, Kulture, Wave and Blossom, with her estranged husband Offset, 33.

Cardi first shared a glimpse of her newborn on Nov. 19. In a post on Instagram, the rapper included a few snaps of her cradling her son in a nursery (sporting a New England Patriots cap and onesie, a nod to Diggs’ NFL team!), plus a photo of her, Diggs and her baby in the hospital, shortly after giving birth.

“11/4 🧸🩶🏈,” Cardi wrote in her caption, seemingly sharing her son’s birthday.

Days later, on Nov. 24, Cardi revealed that she had cast a portion of her umbilical cord into gold. Per Mommy Made Encapsulation, the company that made the keepsake, the item is the “umbilical cord dehydrated in the shape of a heart and then dipped in gold chrome.”

Cardi’s younger son arrived just in time for the holiday season, and the rapper and the NFL player celebrated Thanksgiving by showering their baby with love.

In her Instagram Stories, Cardi shared a snap of her son’s fuzzy white outfit, with Diggs’ name and jersey number emblazoned on the back in a glittery gold font. The rapper also shared a short clip of her three older children: in one video, her daughter Blossom cried as she tried to walk.

In a later selfie on her Instagram Stories, Cardi admitted, “No family picture cause everyone on their worst behavior,” and added of her newborn in another snap, “Even this one being bad😩.”

Cardi B and her newborn son.

Cardi B/Instagram

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As her newborn neared one month old, Cardi shared a sweet snap of her son cuddled on her shoulder in an Instagram Stories.

“My cuddle buddy 🧸🩶 I love him soooo much,” she on the photo.

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A Nevada mother accused of allowing her daughter’s father to beat and starve her in a vicious campaign of abuse searched the internet for ‘signs my child is dying,’ court documents showed.

Andrea Loving was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Tuesday in connection to the death of her five-year-old daughter Izabella.

Izabella died from bacterial pneumonia in April, according to court filings obtained by KRNV. She was also found to have suffered multiple blunt force injuries, malnutrition, dehydration and medical neglect.

Loving was initially charged with child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm, but prosecutors have now upgraded the charge against her.

She is accused of participating in the ‘daily mistreatment’ of Izabella alongside the girl’s father Nicholas Loving and allegedly conspired to help him cover up her injuries.

Before the little girl’s death, Loving made several concerning Google searches including ‘signs my child is dying,’ ‘dark blood on boil when popping,’ ‘how long can you go without food,’ ‘kidneys failing,’ and ‘my five year old is peeing blood.’ 

Nicholas Loving, who has also been charged with murder, killed Izabella by hitting, whipping, or shoving her head against a wall, the court documents alleged.

The couple also locked their daughter away in a ‘crudely built cubby closet structure’ to punish her for stealing food or candy from their room, the filings claimed.

Andrea Loving (pictured during her arrest) has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of her five-year-old daughter Izabella

Izabella died from bacterial pneumonia in April, according to court filings. She was also found to have suffered multiple blunt force injuries, malnutrition, dehydration and medical neglect

Andrea Loving told detectives she ‘had no explanation’ for why she allowed the campaign of abuse to carry on, the documents stated.

‘She told me that she could have, that she should have, but she didn’t,’ the detective said of Loving not putting an end to the abuse. 

Loving did allege she feared that for her own safety, the investigator added. 

‘She told me she was scared she might get yelled at by Nicholas but again she told me she could have, she should have, but she didn’t.’ 

Prosecutors said Loving contributed to the abuse by only feeding the little girl ‘a piece of bread for her daily nutrition.’ 

She did text Nicholas ‘on several occasions’ to ask if she ‘had permission’ to feed Izabella. His answer was usually no.

Loving denied taking part in the abuse, but admitted to letting Nicholas ‘kick’ Izabella in her back, legs and genitals ‘with boots on,’ the charging documents state.

Nicholas Loving, who has also been charged with murder, killed Izabella by hitting, whipping, or shoving her head against a wall, the court documents alleged

The little girl had been coughing up blood and mucus, and was sick for up to 10 days before she received medical treatment.

Loving told police she tried to take her daughter to the doctor, but was again forbidden by Nicholas to do so.

She added that she ‘feels bad and guilty’ and often thinks about how she failed to help her daughter. 

She allegedly told investigators ‘I should go to jail for not helping her and Nick should go to jail for killing her,’ the complaint said.

Loving is scheduled to appear in court for her preliminary hearing on February 6. Nicholas is set to be in court that same day. 

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, after the charges against Loving were upgraded, reiterated its ‘commitment to Izzy and to ensuring that every aspect of this investigation is carried forward with the highest level of care and thoroughness.’

‘This development marks another significant step toward achieving full accountability for the tragedy that occurred,’ the department said in a statement to KOLO.

The couple are accused of only feeding Izabella one piece of bread per day and locking her away in a ‘crudely built cubby closet structure’ to punish her for stealing food or candy

Sheriff Darin Balaam added: ‘We continue to work closely with the District Attorney’s Office as this case progresses through the criminal justice system, and we remain deeply grateful for the collaboration among all partner agencies involved from the very beginning.’

He also urged the community to remain vigilant in reporting any suspected child abuse or neglect.

• If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453

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Desperate efforts were made to save the woman after the alleged attack in Devizes, Wiltshire, but she was declared dead at the scene



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UK shoppers are expected to spend £3.8bn this Boxing Day, 2% more than last year, with online sellers experiencing most of that growth but high streets also enjoying a boost from a renewed appetite for post-Christmas bargains.

Boxing Day remains one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but in recent years the dash for the high street has eased as more people opt to search for bargains from the sofa.

With many discounts kicking off from midnight on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day is now worth more than £1bn in sales, with 23 million people in the UK expected to be buying online shortly after unwrapping their gifts. That is half a million more than last year, according to analysis by the research company GlobalData for Vouchercodes.co.uk.

High streets and other shopping centres are expected to record a 1.5% rise in sales on Boxing Day compared with last year, ahead of the 0.6% pace of shop price inflation, according to the latest British Retail Consortium figures. That is less than half the 3.4% growth expected in online sales, according to GlobalData.

Kien Tan at the advisory firm PwC said Boxing Day could benefit from a more lacklustre Black Friday sales period this year, during which retailers were disappointed by demand as shoppers held out for better bargains.

“There are signs are that Black Friday has peaked in the UK and there will still be people looking for bargains on Boxing Day. It’s not necessarily a comeback but it’s still there – a British institution.”

He said the hunt for bargains came as shoppers were feeling more cautious than a year ago as there was “a lot more uncertainty and people are holding back”.

Tan said online shopping was on the rise again, driven by busy middle-aged people rather than fashion shoppers. They are likely to be ready to spend more on furniture and other gadgets for the home in the post-Christmas sales as it is now five years since the pandemic fuelled a boom in spending on home improvements, so many goods bought at that time are becoming worn out.

Before Christmas, there were signs that shoppers were holding off on purchases. On Christmas Eve, fashion retailers launched early discounts after a mild autumn and winter for much of the country held back sales of knitwear and coats. New Look, Boohoo and Sports Direct all offered discounts of up to 70%, and Next, John Lewis and Topshop offered 50% off.

Visitor numbers were down 4.5% on Tuesday compared with 23 December last year, according to the retail footfall measuring firm MRI as a bounceback in cities including London was offset by poor numbers in towns and shopping centres. Footfall recovered some ground on Christmas Eve, up 0.4% on a year earlier.

Moji Oshisanya, the chief commercial officer of VoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “The uplift in sales over the Boxing Day sales period is driven by two key factors. We’re seeing a resurgence in appetite for the Boxing Day sales, with shopper numbers forecast to be at their highest level in four years – a healthy 105.2 million [over a week]. The Boxing Day sales are often a moment for consumers to treat themselves post-Christmas, and with finances tight, the deals and discounts available will be used to stretch budgets further.

“However, increased participation isn’t the only driver: inflation is also to blame. Over the wider six-week Christmas period, from mid-November to the end of December, sales value is expected to grow by 3.2%, yet sales volume is forecast to fall by 0.3%. This indicates that while people are spending more, driving up overall sales figures, they won’t necessarily be taking home more items.”

Boxing Day now vies with 27 December for the busiest shopping day post-Christmas and that will be particularly true this year as the 27th is a Saturday, so many people will be off work.

About 44% of consumers say they plan to hit the high streets from Boxing Day onwards, with 29% heading to retail parks and 22% expecting to visit big shopping centres, according to MRI.

High street spending has come under pressure in recent years as some big retailers – including most John Lewis outlets, Aldi, Poundland, B&Q, Next and large Marks & Spencer stores, remain closed on Boxing Day.

With family structures more diverse, many households also enjoy several celebratory meals in different locations, while public transport shutdowns can hold up trade on the traditional start to the post-Christmas sales.

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Turkish authorities detained 115 suspected members of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist group on Thursday, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said.

Police said they obtained information that members of the group had planned attacks in the country during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement posted to X.

Special police units launched simultaneous raids at 124 locations in Istanbul and detained 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said.

Several pistols and ammunition were seized during the raids, it added. The police’s counter-terrorism operation is still ongoing.

Extremist groups still active in Syria

Turkey, which shares a 900-plus-kilometer (560-mile) border with Syria, has vowed to continue support for Syria’s fight against extremist groups, including IS.

Ankara has been a strong backer of the interim government in Damascus since former dictator Bashar Assad was overthrown last year.

Syria’s interim leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who once had ties to al-Qaida, has vowed to distance himself from extremist groups in a quest to build unity in the country.

Although IS has lost much of its sway and territory in Syria, the terrorist group continues to remain active as a loosely linked network rather than a self-declared caliphate with control over cities and territories.

This week, Turkey’s intelligence agency conducted an operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and captured a Turkish national. According to the agency, the individual held a senior role in the Islamic State group.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center Honors show saw ratings for the annual event tank with 35 percent fewer viewers than last year, according to a report.

Trump became the first president to host the awards that aired Tuesday night after he boasted that the venue’s board and “just about everybody else in America” had requested he take center stage.

But according to preliminary Nielsen data, the televised awards show on CBS “drew its smallest ever audience on December 23, averaging an estimated 2.65 million viewers,” Programming Insider reports. “To put that in perspective: the 2024 broadcast averaged 4.1 million,” the media ratings website noted.

Trump’s opening remarks from the event that happened on December 7, which lasted 12 minutes, were cut by CBS to two minutes for viewers watching at home, according to The Washington Post.

The president touted the event on Truth Social Tuesday morning and billed it as “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER HONORS” after a board voted last week to rename the iconic Washington memorial and performing arts center after Trump.

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President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center Honors show saw ratings for the annual event tank, with 35 percent fewer viewers than last year, according to preliminary figures. (Getty Images)

Leadership at CBS News reportedly instructed staffers to refer to the event’s original name, not the “Trump Kennedy Center Honors.”

In an email to staffers, obtained by the Post, CBS leadership said the network would continue to refer to the event and building as the “Kennedy Center” because the change would require Congressional approval.

“If the president or other administration officials use the new name in a soundbite, that is their prerogative,” the email reportedly said.

Another note to staffers reportedly followed that read: “We should NOT be calling it Trump Kennedy Center, or the Trump Kennedy Center Honors, unless quoting from those who don’t realize an official name change only comes from Congress.”

The move to rename the venue, a decision that was voted on by a board handpicked by Trump, was not a legal one, according to critics.

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Leadership at CBS News reportedly instructed staffers to refer to the event’s original name, not the ‘Trump Kennedy Center Honors’ (Reuters)

“Under current law, there I think is very little question that the Kennedy Center board cannot rename the Opera House after Melania Trump or pretty much anybody else and would need Congress’s permission for anything like that,” David Super, a Georgetown law professor, told the Post earlier this year, as Congress was mulling renaming the center for the president or the first lady. “… That statute is pretty unequivocal, and I can’t really find any loopholes in it.”

Relatives of Kennedy sharply criticized the decision to rename the center.

Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, wrote on X that the decision left her “speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief.”

Jack Schlossberg, the late president’s grandson, claimed the decision to rename the center was motivated by his ongoing campaign for Congress in New York.

“Our campaign represents everything Trump can’t stand or defeat,” Schlossberg wrote on X.

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