Victoria Beckham danced with her rarely-seen father Tony Adams during her family Christmas celebrations without her eldest son Brooklyn.

The former Spice Girl turned fashion designer, 51, shared pictures and videos from the festive day with her fans on social media.

In one heartwarming clip that has warmed fans’ hearts, Victoria can be seen dancing with her dad Tony at her Cotswolds home.

The duo enjoyed the sweet dance to the Bee Gees classic More Than A Woman as David twirling his daughter during the impromptu routine.

The rest of the clan could be seen watching on at the long table after they enjoyed their Christmas dinner.

Victoria had wowed in a grey satin dress for the big day, while Tony looked smart in a white suit shirt with black trousers.

Victoria Beckham danced with her rarely-seen father Tony Adams during her family Christmas celebrations without her eldest son Brooklyn

In one heartwarming clip that has warmed fans’ hearts, Victoria can be seen dancing with her dad Tony at her Cotswolds home

The duo enjoyed the sweet dance to the Bee Gees classic More Than A Woman as David twirling his daughter during the impromptu routine

Fans were left in awe of the sweet daughter and father moment, with one commenting: ‘Treasure this Victoria. I wish my dad was still here to dance with’;

‘Well, I can say her daddy sure knows how to dance. She’s so lucky to have a daddy’;

‘Awwwh, he’s trying to dance ballroom and she wants disco, but still absolutely gorgeous’;

‘What a darling man, so sweet. It’s clear Victoria and David are very close to their parents. Lovely’. 

During her Netflix documentary earlier this year, Victoria had praised Tony for her humble upbringing and work ethics. 

The star, who has a combined fortune of £500million with husband David, explained how her electric wholesaler dad ‘started with nothing’. 

‘He used to sit me and my brother and sister in a little production line, we would build things, plugs and electrical things,’ before the family piled in her dad’s van to ‘deliver what we had built… Dad worked so, so hard and he expected me to be the same.’ 

Meanwhile, the dancing continued over the festive period, with Victoria sharing a clip of husband David, 50, dancing with their daughter Harper, 14. 

During her Netflix documentary earlier this year, Victoria had praised Tony for her humble upbringing and work ethics (pictured in 2011)

Fans were left in awe of the sweet daughter and father moment

The dancing continued over the festive period, with Victoria sharing a clip of husband David, 50, dancing with their daughter Harper, 14

Victoria also posted a video of her and David dancing to Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb’s song Guilty with the pointed lyrics: ‘We’ve got nothing to be sorry for’

Nicola Peltz had posted cosy Instagram photos of Brooklyn playing happy families with his in-laws, Nelson and Claudia Heffner Peltz, amid the ongoing feud with his parents

It saw them dance to the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton hit, Islands in the Stream, as the pair looked in great spirits as they smiled together.

Victoria also posted a video of her and David dancing to Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb’s song Guilty with the pointed lyrics: ‘We’ve got nothing to be sorry for’.

She penned: ‘David and Victoria giving their very best Barry and Barbra on Christmas Day xxx kisses from us both xx @davidbeckham.’

Her message comes after estranged son Brooklyn, 26, blocked his mother and the rest of his family on social media amid their escalating family feud.

Brooklyn spent Christmas this year with wife Nicola Peltz’s billionaire parents in Miami, Florida.

She also appeared to make a pointed dig at the Beckhams as she shared cosy snaps of Brooklyn playing happy families with his in-laws, Nelson and Claudia Heffner Peltz.  

Posing in matching festive pyjamas with his wife, Brooklyn looked to be having the time of his life spending Christmas in the states.

‘We wish everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year filled with so much love, peace and happiness ❤️⭐️ ‘, Nicola captioned her post. 

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A feasibility study has concluded that a railway tunnel beneath the Strait of Gibraltar is technically viable, with Spain now commissioning blueprints for the ambitious project

Milo Boyd Deputy travel editor and Emily Wright

10:46, 30 Dec 2025

The tunnel would be bored beneath the nine-mile stretch of water separating southern Spain from Morocco(Image: Getty)

A colossal underwater tunnel linking Europe and Africa could finally be on the cards after the project received a major boost.

The ambitious project, which would see the tunnel burrow beneath the Strait of Gibraltar, has been reignited by Spain after being mooted by various governments for decades. Now scientists have declared that such an engineering feat is possible.

In October, a study commissioned by the Spanish Government and carried out by German tunnel experts Herrenknecht concluded that drilling a railway tunnel below the Strait would be technically achievable with current technology. Since then, Spanish consultancy firm Ineco has been tasked with drawing up a blueprint for the project by the end of next year, with hopes that Government approval could be granted as early as 2027.

The concept of creating a man-made link between Europe and Africa first surfaced in the 1970s, popping up intermittently in election campaigns and Government agendas since then, but no tangible steps have been taken until now. Previous proposals included the establishment of a joint Spain-Morocco committee in 1979 to assess the feasibility of the plan.

A tunnel between Europe and Africa under the Strait of Gibraltar is possible(Image: Getty)READ MORE: I stayed at UK’s worst hotel and used UV light in my windowless room – I wasn’t preparedREAD MORE: Wizz Air’s new £40 route to sun-drenched city that is ‘world’s best place to live’

The proposed tunnel, to be drilled beneath the nine-mile stretch of water separating southern Spain from Morocco, would take inspiration from the Eurotunnel, which opened in 1994 and links Britain to northern France under the English Channel.

The Herrenknecht report, formally commissioned by the Spanish Society for Studies on Fixed Communication across the Strait of Gibraltar (Secegsa), under the Ministry of Transport, has assessed the feasibility of constructing the railway tunnel in its most complex sections, especially under the Camarinal Threshold – an area with extremely difficult geological conditions.

The most recent cost estimate for the project is €8.5 billion (£7.4 billion), according to Voz Populi.

The project, featuring two separate railway tunnels each carrying trains in one direction, is set to connect Punta Paloma in Cadiz with Morocco’s Cape Malabata, near Tangier. The tunnel would span roughly 26 miles, with nearly 17 miles of the route submerged underwater, reports the Express.

It’s also projected to reach a depth of 1,540 feet – significantly deeper than the Channel Tunnel, which only dips to 246 feet below sea level. Upon completion, the journey is estimated to take about 30 minutes by train, with the capacity to carry both passengers on high-speed AVE trains and freight.

The project faces significant technical challenges, particularly due to its location at the boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates along the Azores-Gibraltar fault line, Morocco World News reports.

If given the green light, fieldwork is anticipated to commence in 2030, with the main construction phase scheduled for between 2035 and 2040. However, these dates could be subject to change.

While initial plans aimed to complete the tunnel by 2030, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, experts have since stated that this timeline is unrealistic, given the project’s complexity and its current preliminary stage of studies.

The current proposed route, from Punta Paloma to Cape Malabata, comes after decades of discarded proposals, including an early concept for a suspension bridge. This type of connection was eventually ruled out due to the Strait’s depth, seismic activity and extreme wind conditions.

The project is being jointly managed by SECEGSA and its Moroccan counterpart, SNED (National Society for Strait Studies). Both organizations are working to establish a reliable rail connection for passengers and freight between Europe and North Africa.

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The two men accused of committing the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack “acted alone”, Australian police have said.

A vehicle of one of the accused had been found with homemade Islamic State (IS) flags but authorities say the father and son were not part of a “broader terrorist cell”.

Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on more than 1,000 people celebrating the Jewish festival Hanukkah on 14 December.

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‘Everything in my body and brain asked me to go and defend innocent lives,’ said Ahmed al Ahmed.

The bystander hailed as a hero for intercepting and disarming one of the gunmen has told CBS News why he intervened and how he “couldn’t handle” hearing children, men and women screaming.

“Everything in my organs, in my body, in my brain asked me to go and to defend and to save innocent life,” said Ahmed al Ahmed.

“I risked my life for innocent humans”, he added, describing how he jumped on the back of a gunman, hit him and took the gun.

One of the alleged perpetrators, Naveed Akram, faces 59 charges – including 15 counts of murder – while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.

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An investigation into why the two men had spent most of November in the Philippines found “no evidence to suggest they received training or underwent logistical preparation”, Australia Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

Ms Barrett repeated her belief that they were inspired by IS.

‘Opportunity to show defiance’

Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said victims of the attack would be commemorated on New Year’s Eve with a minute’s silence and images of a Jewish menorah projected onto the Sydney Harbour bridge.

New South Wales Police said “all available resources” would be used for the event with more than 2,500 officers on duty in Sydney.

New South Wales premier Chris Minns called on people to attend the traditional fireworks at Sydney Harbour.

“What the terrorists hope is that people crawl up in a ball and don’t go about living their normal lives, but we need to show defiance in the face of this evil and the best way of doing that is to spend some time with your friends and your family on New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour,” he said.

“This is an opportunity to live your life and show defiance to that kind of ideology.”

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Israeli attacks, violating a ceasefire agreement, are reported across Gaza, as Palestinian misery compounded by rains.

Israeli forces have carried out strikes across the Gaza Strip as they continue with their near-daily violations of the ceasefire agreement, with Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave continuing apace and displaced Palestinians enduring the destruction of their few remaining possessions in flooding brought about by heavy winter rains.

Israeli air strikes on Tuesday targeted locations north of Rafah and east of Khan Younis, the Maghazi camp in central Gaza and Beit Lahiya in the north of the Strip, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported.

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Reporting from Gaza City, Khoudary said artillery shelling had been reported in the territory’s southern and central regions, while there had also been an attack in the Gaza City neighbourhood of Shujayea, striking close to the tent of a displaced family.

She said the latest attacks, in violation of the United States-brokered ceasefire that came into force in October, numbering nearly 1,000 now, were coming at a time of immense hardship for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, as heavy rains and strong winds had ravaged their makeshift camps, destroying the few possessions they had left.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Sunday that Israel had committed 969 ceasefire violations since it came into effect on October 10, resulting in the deaths of 418 civilians and injuries to more than 1,100.

“Palestinians are still very traumatised and anxious,” Khoudary said. “The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate as the rain continues.”

Displaced Palestinian children shelter inside a flooded tent in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on December 29, 2025 [Eyad Baba/AFP]

Calls to allow supplies in

Aid groups have repeatedly called for Israeli authorities to lift restrictions to allow more supplies, including shelter equipment, into the territory, where displaced families have been trying to stay dry in flimsy, battered tents that offer scant protection from the elements after months of use.

“Families here are helpless while the Israeli authorities continue to restrict all kinds of shelter into the Gaza Strip,” Khoudary said.

Officials have warned that the severe conditions also bring new dangers, with the threat of disease and illness as overwhelmed and damaged sewage systems contaminate floodwaters, as well as the risk that buildings could collapse amid heavy rain and wind.

At least two people have been killed by damaged structures falling amid the severe weather in recent days.

‘We are still suffering’

In a displacement camp east of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, heavy rain in recent days has left tents submerged in muddy water, destroying the few possessions that the families had taken with them from their homes.

Inside the tents, an Al Jazeera team found essential items like pillows, mattresses and bedcovers soaked in muddy water.

“The tent has been flooded,” said Mohammed al-Louh, a resident.

“I took my family out, but I couldn’t even get a blanket, a mattress or a bag of flour. I have no way to sleep with my children or keep them warm.”

Another man, Haitham Arafat, said he had lost his son and daughter as well as his home to Israel’s genocidal war, and was still suffering amid the severe conditions.

“I fled to this place. Does this mean the war is over?” he said.

“No, we are still suffering. We haven’t slept for two days because of the heavy rain.”

Reporting from the camp, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili said the winter storms had brought a new “chapter of suffering” for Palestinians who had been plunged into a humanitarian crisis by Israel’s war.

“What was meant to be a temporary shelter for them has turned into a flooded trap,” he said.

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Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has told the government it must do more for workers in 2026 or risk sowing the seeds of its own destruction.

Graham accused Labour of being preoccupied with its “failing leadership” and described the debate about who might replace Keir Starmer as inevitable.

Writing in the Times, she said: “For too long it has been everyday people, workers and communities who have paid the price for crisis after crisis not of their making. In 2026 this must stop. The government needs to decide what it stands for and who it stands for. If we have to ask, it is not working.

“The party faithful can agonise about its failing leadership and a ‘night of the long knives’. But a new Labour leadership with the same policies simply won’t cut it. The doom loop cannot be broken with more austerity lite, no matter who is in Downing Street.

“Britain needs vision. We led the first Industrial Revolution and we are nowhere in the fourth. Rudderless.”

Graham said the next prime minister would face the same problems unless they undertook a shift in policy, and that replacing Starmer with the former deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner; the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham; the health secretary, Wes Streeting, or the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, would not persuade workers to back Labour.

“It cannot just be a question of changing the leader or improving the sales pitch,” she said. “There is much agonising right now about whether, when and who should replace the prime minister. That is inevitable.”

Unite, Labour’s most powerful union backer, was the only union that did not endorse the party’s manifesto “as it did not back jobs”, Graham said.

“We fought back on the winter fuel allowance cut and the self-harm of net zero targets that came without the needed investment in new industries. Trade unions are there to fight for workers, not to side with politicians,” she said.

“In the recent budget, Labour opting for stealth taxes on workers instead of a wealth tax on the mega-rich was the wrong choice. Labour must stop being embarrassed to be the voice of workers.

“In the coming year, if this government does not depart from its current path, it will surely be sowing the seeds of its own destruction.”

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Kelly Ngand

Jake Kwon,Seoul correspondent

Watch: ‘Trusting time’ – NewJeans discusses court ruling in record label dispute

Chart-topping K-pop band NewJeans is losing one of its members in what is yet another twist in the group’s bitter year-long feud with its record label.

Ador announced on Monday that they had “terminated” their contract with 20-year-old Danielle Marsh and the return of Minji remains uncertain, leaving the band with three members.

On Tuesday, local media reported that Ador is suing Danielle, her family member, and ex-boss Min Hee-jin for $32m in damages. None of them have spoken publicly yet. The BBC has reached out to Hybe, Ador’s parent company, for comment.

Coming less than two months after reports that NewJeans would return to the label as a band of five, this news dashes fans’ hopes of a comeback.

Many took to social media with the slogan: “NewJeans is five or nothing, while others questioned why Danielle was singled out.

“Does this make any sense??? NewJeans without Danielle isn’t NewJeans. Do you think you can just erase a member this easily? Give us back Danielle,” one wrote in an X post.

“It’s not fair at all. Free NewJeans [all 5 members],” another wrote on Instagram. “All they wanted to do was to be [artists] and make their fans happy.”

NewJeans, which became the eighth biggest-selling act in the world a year after their debut in 2022, were seen as a game-changer by critics for their blend of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies.

Then came a dramatic fallout with Ador in 2024, sparked by the controversial dismissal of the agency’s former CEO Min Hee-jin, whom NewJeans regarded as a mentor.

The move shook the K-pop world, setting off a battle between hugely successful and very young stars – they are between 17 and 21 years of age – and a South Korean entertainment giant, Hybe, which owns Ador.

NewJeans accused Ador of “mistreatment” and “deliberate miscommunications and manipulation”, then announced they would leave the agency. Ador in turn launched a lawsuit blocking their departure, which it won in October this year. A district court ruled that NewJeans must honour their contract with the label which runs until 2029.

A month later, local media reports indicated that all five members would return to the agency.

Getty Images

NewJeans have delivered remarkable success since they debuted in July 2022

Then in a surprising turn, Ador issued a statement on Monday, saying it would take legal action against a family member of Danielle’s and Min, who founded the label and created NewJeans before her dramatic departure.

Both of them, Ador claims, “bear significant responsibility” for the fallout between the agency and the K-pop group.

Monday’s statement did not mention a lawsuit against Danielle, saying only that Ador had decided it was difficult to continue working with her, and told her they would be ending the contract.

Ador also claimed that NewJeans’ members had been “exposed to persistently distorted and biased information” which led to “significant misunderstandings” about the label.

That statement named two other NewJeans members: Hanni, who it said decided to remain with the label after “extended conversations” which included her family, and Minji, who is still in “ongoing conversations” with the agency.

It’s been a whirlwind for fans, especially since Ador initially announced in November that only two members, Hyein and Haerin, would return to the agency, sparking fears the group would split up.

These fears were allayed when Hanni, Danielle and Minji said in a separate statement hours later that they too would return – but only for a short time, as it turns out.

Getty Images

Ador announced on Monday would terminate its contract with NewJeans member Danielle Marsh

“NewJeans is a very important group that changed the world of female K-pop acts. For the music listeners and fans, it has been the hope to see their return as a full five-member team. That’s no longer possible,” music critic Lim Hee-yun told the BBC, adding that this outcome would not “make anyone happy”.

Mr Lim believes Ador would be pressured to recruit new members into the group, especially if Minji also leaves the label.

It is hard for three-member groups to find success in the K-pop industry, where fans pay close attention to the relationships and chemistry between members.

Danielle’s future as a musician is also uncertain.

“Not only will there be a large part of the public that see her negatively [because of this controversy], but the record labels will too… She might need to pursue being a solo act as an actor, model, or an influencer,” Mr Lim said.

Additional reporting by Leehyun Choi and Hosu Lee in Seoul

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The leader of Yemen’s presidential council announced a state of emergency on Tuesday after a Saudi Arabia-led strike on the southern port of Mukalla.

Saudi Arabia said the strike targeted an arms shpiment from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) meant to reach Yemeni separatists.

UAE forces asked to leave Yemen

The Saudi-backed presidential council issued a 72-hour ban on all border crossings in its territory except those allowed by patron Riyadh, while also calling for UAE forces to leave its territory in 24 hours.

The security pact between Yemen and Abu Dhabi has also been canceled by the council.

The Saudi military announced the strike in a statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, saying it targeted a shipment that arrived to Yemen from the Fujairah, a city located on the UAE’s eastern coast.

According to the statement, the ships’ crew “had disabled tracking devices” on them and unloaded “large amount” of weapons and vehicles for the STC’s armed forces.

Why did Saudi Arabia strike Yemen?

The statement labeled the weapon shipment an “imminent threat and an escalation that threatens peace and stability,” also adding the military had carried out the attack during the night to reduce collateral damage.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said its “sisterly state” UAE’s actions in Yemen were “extremely dangerous.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether other armies took part in the attack other than the Saudi military.

Separatist group Southern Transitional Council (STC) are backed by the UAE, while Yemen’s presidential council are backed by Riyadh.

The attack signals the escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with the two countries backing competing sides in the war against the Iranian-backed Houthis.

The UAE has not officially responded to the attack.

Edited by: Farah Bahgat

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Countries like the US and UK slashing global aid is “painful” for Africa, the head of the continent’s leading health agency says – but it also offers an “opportunity” for governments to drive down corruption and raise taxes to fund their own health systems.

Speaking to The Independent, Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which works across 55 countries, says the aid cuts are “not a blessing for us, but today it becomes an opportunity to see how to build a sovereign health system in Africa”.

Across this year, several countries have announced deep cuts to their overseas aid spending, often in a move to shift money to defence. While none has cut as deeply as the US, the UK government is near the top of the pack with planned cuts of 40 per cent over the next three years.

“It’s a painful experience to see that and it’s our choice to sit, to cry, or to wake up and to act, and I think now the action that African countries are taking is to wake up and to move on,” Dr Kaseya says of the sudden cuts, which have wrought serious damage.

The Africa CDC chief says there are untapped ways of African governments raising more money that don’t require overseas aid, for example tackling “corruption” in the way drugs and equipment are bought as well as the problem of “ghost workers”. This is a common payroll scam where salaries are paid out to workers who don’t exist, have died or are duplicates. The money generally ends up in the pockets of a smaller number of government workers.

“In some countries, it can be [up to] 40 per cent of civil servants being ghost workers,” Dr Kaseya says, which costs his home country the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) $800m a year.

The Africa CDC head recalls a conversation with one head of state who was in despair after cuts to the global vaccine alliance Gavi in his country. “His first reaction was, we’ll die here,” he says, but then Dr Kaseya asked him “how can we survive?” The country has since introduced a new system to collect taxes to fund the health sector.

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People living with HIV in Senegal have lost swathes of services after Trump’s aid cuts – and some have died (Vincent Becker/The Global Fund)

But Dr Kaseya concedes aid was still necessary in some areas. “The first source of health expenditure in Africa is out-of-pocket,” he said, in other words, “poor people paying”. Specific aid programmes for example for HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria or maternal and child health had relieved people of that burden, but where they have stopped, “someone must pay,” he says.

“The government is not increasing the budget. It means it’s these same people who must increase their out-of-pocket [spending] to cover the services,” he adds.

Looking back on the past year, Dr Kaseya says responses to dangerous disease outbreaks had been compromised by aid cuts, including to Mpox in the DRC. When donors which had pledged money for vaccines, testing and health workers did not fulfil their commitments, he says, “when they stopped, we saw in DRC the testing rate moving from 60 per cent to less than 32 per cent”.

open image in gallery

The Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, is working to make tests and vaccines which can be used locally and sold to neighbouring countries. (Vincent Becker/The Global Fund)

One route to help with this is building up the manufacturing of drugs and medical equipment on the continent, making African countries less reliant on donors.

There are already more than 500 medical manufacturers in Africa, including in South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda and Senegal, Dr Kaseya says, making him “mostly optimistic on the way things will move in Africa”. For example, the continent is moving towards becoming self-reliant when it comes to buying syringes, while in some countries 97 per cent of antibiotics are now bought locally.

“We need to see how to be more balanced and more positive and optimistic,” about the continent’s future, he adds – while focusing on raising domestic funding, building local manufacturing and being more proactive about pandemic preparedness.

“When we do that, we start a conversation with our brothers and sisters from around the world: ‘Do you still think that you have to dictate to us how we can sit and talk together?’

“This is the reform of the global health architecture we are talking about”.

This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project

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NEED TO KNOW

• Jenelle Evans got a mommy makeover at the beginning of December
• The mom of three tells PEOPLE she knew the time was right because she’s decided she’s “completely” done having kids
• Nearly a month post-op, Evans says she’s finally starting to see the results she was looking for

Jenelle Evans is pulling back the curtain on her new look.

The reality TV star, who got her start on 16 and Pregnant at age 17, revealed on Instagram on Dec. 18 that she’d gotten a mommy makeover. Evans, now 34, shared a set of before photos, along with a set of glam shots that show the results of her surgery, which she got at the beginning of December.

Evans turned to Dr. Rachel Mason at La Femme Plastic Surgery in Las Vegas, writing in her Instagram caption that she’d replaced her breast implants and gotten a tummy tuck to address her diastasis recti (separated abs).

Jenelle Evans before her mommy makeover.

La Femme Plastic Surgery

Evans tells PEOPLE that she knew the timing was right because she’s “completely” done having kids — she’s mom to Jace, 16, Kaiser, 11, and Ensley, 8 — and wanted to focus on herself and feeling confident in how she looked.

It was also “the right time” for this procedure because she needed to replace her breast implants.

“I had to get my breast redone because they were saline, and saline is only good for 10 years,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that when she met with Dr. Mason, she asked if she was a candidate for fixing her abs as well, to which the doctor told her she would need to get a tummy tuck.

Evans was game for the whole mommy makeover.

Jenelle Evans after her mommy makeover.

Mikael Rich

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Evans tells PEOPLE that Dr. Mason put her at ease from the moment the two met. The reality star was excited to work with a female plastic surgeon — which she says can be sometimes difficult to find — and also Dr. Mason seemed to just “get” her.

“She was really understanding,” Evans says. “She understood all my ‘mom’ problems, I guess you can say, because she has kids herself.”

Evans’ surgery went all according to plan, she says, and her recovery has as well. Forcing herself to slow down and take it easy while her body heals has been the biggest challenge, she admits. As someone who is very active, she is finding it difficult to not lift things and not be on the go all the time.

She’s even needed help getting in and out of bed because of the trauma to her abs.

“You literally have to have help being pulled up out of bed,” she says. “They encourage walking every few hours, but other than that, you’re doing the hunchwalk and you’re going to be doing the hunchwalk for three to four weeks.”

It’s been hard on her back, Evans admits, but she jokes it’s “toning” those muscles and “burning fat” in the process.

Evans waited a few weeks before sharing her surgery with her millions of social media followers. As with anything related to plastic surgery, the comments have been mixed, but Evans says it was important to be transparent about everything, just like she always is.

“Since I started social media, I’ve just shown the real, raw, true self, true personality and everything into my life, all the organic content,” Evans says. “So I think it’s very important to keep up the organic content for my followers and be as loyal as possible, like I have been, and also show girls that you’re not alone. You’re not the only one dealing with this.”

For Evans, she felt discouraged by people telling her to simply “work out harder” when she was feeling troubled by her “mom pouch” on her lower belly. As she details it, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t go away — because it was mostly skin from pregnancy.

“I just wanted everyone to know that I’m just as normal as you guys,” she says, adding that she just tries “not to look at the negative comments” people leave on her posts.

Jenelle Evans during plastic surgery.

La Femme Plastic Surgery

Now that she’s nearing a month post-surgery, Evans says she’s starting to feel like she can really see the results she was looking for — especially since she can walk upright more often than not now.

“I think today is the first day that I looked at myself and was like, ‘Wow, I can see more swelling has gone down and I can see definition in my body now,'” she says. “I can see my abs starting to come out and the definition of the curves in the sides of my hips. Everything is just… I feel like I’m transforming.”

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Jenelle Evans after her mommy makeover.

Jenelle Evans

Those closest to her have been supportive of her mommy makeover journey, Evans says, but she’s been careful about how she discusses it all with daughter Ensley. Evans says her 8-year-old quickly took notice of how much pain she was in post-surgery and told her she “never” wants to do such a thing herself.

Evans told her, “I said, ‘You don’t have to, don’t worry, this isn’t something you have to do when you’re older.'”

Find more on Evans’ plastic surgery journey on her YouTube channel, where she says she’s been documenting the whole process.

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Londoners have been warned not to visit Primrose Hill to watch this year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks after the park’s police were axed as part of a cost-cutting measure. 

The royal park offers panoramic views of central London and in recent years has become a popular site for people to see in the new year.

Last year an estimated 30,000 people descended on Primrose Hill. However, this year revellers will discover the gates to the park locked shut from 8pm today until 6am on New Year’s Day.

The closure of the park comes after the Metropolitan Police disbanded the capital’s Royal Parks unit in November in an effort to help plug a £260million funding gap.

The force have denied the decision to close the park was due to the breakup of the unit. 

There has been growing concerns about the safety at the park following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Harry Pitman on New Year’s Eve 2023. 

The schoolboy was in Primrose Hill to watch the fireworks display when Areece Lloyd-Hall, 18, stabbed him in the neck.

He was jailed for a minimum of 16 years in November.

London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks as viewed from Primrose Hill. In 2024, 30,000 people gathered in the Royal Park to watch the spectacle but this year revellers will find the park closed 

Thousands of people at Primrose Hill for New Year’s Eve last year. The Royal Parks charity, who manage Primrose Hill and a further seven parks across London, have claimed the decision to close the park was ‘was not taken lightly’

The Royal Parks charity, who manage Primrose Hill and a further seven parks across London, have claimed the decision to close the park was ‘was not taken lightly’. 

A spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Last year, an estimated 30,000 people visited Primrose Hill to view the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve firework display. This was not an organised event with an event organiser but a gathering in open parkland, and we have limited controls that we can deploy to ensure public safety.

‘Therefore, we have decided that Primrose Hill will be closed and locked from 8pm on December 30 until January 1.’ 

The Met Police have claimed it is ‘not accurate to suggest’ the decision to shut Primrose Hill was necessary because the Royal Parks policing team was disbanded.

They added that the decisions to close the park was one taken by the Royal Parks, not the police.

And that of the 145 officers deployed to the area in 2024, 15 were from the Royal Parks unit.

Commander Nick John, who is charge of the Met’s New Year’s Eve policing, said: ‘The Royal Parks are urging people not to try to gather at Primrose Hill this year and we would echo those calls.

‘Please make alternative plans. Anyone trying to access the park will find that it is not possible.’

In 2023, 16-year-old Harry Pitman (pictured) was stabbed to death by Areece Lloyd-Hall in the park on New Year’s Eve

Areece Lloyd-Hall, from Westminster, was found guilty of murder and having an offensive weapon and was jailed for at least 16 years in November

The decision to disband the Royal Park unit has led to fears that London’s lawless parks will be further ravaged by crime. 

Criminal incidents reported in the parks increased by around a third from 76 in the year 2022/23 to 101 in 2023/24, according to the Royal Parks’ latest annual report.

The murder of Harry Pitman remains the most high profile violent crime to have taken place on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve.

The fatal incident appeared to have been sparked by a scuffle between Harry and one of the defendant’s friends shortly after 11.30pm.

Lloyd-hall had pushed forward and lunged at Harry with a pointed dagger, metres from where uniformed police officers were stationed.

In mobile phone footage played in court, a knife sheath was seen to fly through the air during the fast-paced incident.

Harry held his neck, his white T-shirt covered in blood, as he pushed through crowds calling to officers for ‘help’.

He collapsed and died minutes later, shortly before midnight.

Police officers conduct a fingertip search on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Day 2024

The knife scabbard was left at the scene and was found to have the defendant’s DNA on it.

After a media appeal, Lloyd-Hall went to Hammersmith police station with his father on January 4 2024.

At his trials, college student Lloyd-Hall, who was 16 at the time, claimed he thought he had only hit Harry with the sheath in an attempt to get Harry away from him.

He said he ran off not realising what had happened because he was holding a knife and knew there were police officers nearby.

Meanwhile, terrified cyclists have become the victims of a swathe of violent robberies which has seen them threatened with hammers and sharp objects.

Preying on the groups, the often expensive bikes are regularly snatched by armed, balaclava-clad men on motorcycles, leaving cyclists petrified to go out in the capital. 

The muggers have been operating in Regent’s Park where more than 30 cycling clubs meet between 5.45am and 7am each day before the area opens to cars.

Hyde Park, which is the most visited of London’s royal parks and hosts events such as Winter Wonderland and the British Summer Time concert series, has seen a rise in crime in recent years.

In June this year, a defiant woman fought off a man riding an e-bike as he tried to grab her handbag in the park near Hyde Park Corner Underground station. 

The hoodie-wearing man was seen in a video on a path as he approached two women from behind, and tried to grab one of the pair’s handbags.

But the woman appeared to have heard him coming towards her. As he tried to snatch the bag, she managed to cling on to her possessions and he sped off.

In another horrifying incident in June 2021, onlookers watched as a man was chased through Hyde Park by a gang wielding machetes before being hacked to the ground.

Shocking footage showed a sprawling confrontation between a large group of youths and what appeared to be a single victim in a black tracksuit.

As members of the public fled, the gang pursued the victim through the park before he slipped and fell to the ground enabling them to punch and kick him in the head. 

Other serious crimes reported in the parks include mobile phone snatching, drug dealing and sexual offences.

The Daily Mail have approached the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Parks for a comment. 

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Tiger Woods turns 50 with the golfing icon proving to be one of the most influential and successful sports people in history – with his story still far from being written

Tiger Woods changed the sport when he appeared on the scene(Image: Dave Cannon /Allsport)

Tiger Woods, the American superstar who changed golf by winning the 1997 Masters, celebrates his 50th birthday today.

But after 15 Majors, 82 PGA Tour titles and countless surgeries, the biggest name in golf has not yet finished making headlines on and off the golf course.

Woods, who made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, was arguably the biggest name in world sport even before he completed the Tiger Slam of all four Majors in 2001. He was a revolutionary in the middle-aged, middle-class, white sport because he was young, athletic and black. And super cool. Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed.

In 2000, Ernie Els said: “I think he’s a legend in the making. He’s 24. He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.”

His fame and notoriety only increased with his 2009 sex scandal and his DUI arrest in 2017. His return to win his fifth Masters – and his first Major for 11 years – in 2019 was the ultimate redemption story after years of physical struggles. “If he never got injured, he’d have 25 majors and 125 wins,” claimed his friend Fred Couples .

READ MORE: Tiger Woods’ estimated golf comeback date, latest injury news and retirement fearsREAD MORE: Tiger Woods’ caddie reveals what the golf legend was really like as soon as he left the course

His playing days are now clearly numbered. The world No.2563 has undergone operations on his lower back and his ruptured Achilles tendon and had a lumbar disc replacement since last year’s Open at Royal Troon. He will get PGA Tour invites for life but he is now eligible for the Seniors Tour – where he could use a buggy during the 54-hole events – where he could renew old rivalries.

He is the only player to have won the US Junior Amateur, US Amateur and US Open while the 2026 US Senior Open in July is at Jack Nicklaus’ home course in Ohio in July. “I would love to see him come out and play and compete with us,” said Darren Clarke. “I think he’d have a great time.”

Tiger Woods ended an 11-year wait for a Major when he won the Masters in 2019(Image: Getty Images)

Woods reported earlier this month he has returned to chipping and putting and said: “Just let me get back to playing again, let me do that and then I’ll kind of figure out what the schedule is going to be.”

Off the course, Woods turned down a mega-offer to join LIV Golf and was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board in 2023. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee charged with producing a new streamlined tour for the 2027 season.

Woods is expected to finally captain the US Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor – owned by his friend JP McManus – in 2027. But speaking before his Hero World Challenge earlier this month, the American claimed: “No one’s asked me about it.”

It was the kind of short, evasive response he had often deployed during his career.

But in the final question of the same press conference, the sport’s ultimate lone wolf gave a surprising answer when he was asked why he was now filling his days with Zoom calls and strategy meetings to re-shape the game after his playing career. “Well, the PGA TOUR gave me an opportunity to chase after a childhood dream,” he replied. “I got a chance to hit my first ball in my first PGA TOUR event when I was 16 years old. I’ve been involved with the PGA TOUR ever since then.

“Now I am able to make an impact in a different way for other generations to come. Not just generations that I played against, but for future generations like a 16-year-old looking for a place to play and maybe in hopes of playing PGA TOUR.”

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Over the past year, Gaza’s infrastructure has been subjected to a devastating reality.

What once functioned under strain has been pushed beyond the point of collapse. Electricity networks, water systems, hospitals, roads and municipal services have been systematically destroyed or severely damaged, leaving daily life defined by survival.

It is not unusual for families to plan their days around the sound of generators, if fuel is available at all. Parents and children queue for hours for a few litres of unsafe water or a pack of bread.

Hospitals operate in near darkness, doctors performing life-saving procedures using mobile phones for light. Streets that once carried children to school are reduced to rubble.

Gaza’s reality is always harsh

Life in Gaza was never easy, even during the moments the outside world labelled as “normal”.

For most people, life was lived with constant uncertainty. You learned not to plan too far ahead, because calm was fragile, always temporary.

There were days with electricity, when the streets felt quieter, and families allowed themselves a small sense of relief, but everyone knew it could disappear at any time.

Gaza’s infrastructure mirrors that. It was fragile long before the latest devastation of Israel’s genocidal war.

Decades of illegal Israeli blockade, repeated military assaults and tight restrictions on construction materials meant systems were always patched up, always operating on borrowed time. Nothing truly recovered.

One of the most visible losses has been electricity. Across the Gaza Strip, darkness is not an exception. Our only power plant was severely damaged and shut down due to fuel shortages; close to 80 percent of power transmission has been destroyed.

For families, this loss is felt in small, relentless ways. A mother charges her phone whenever a neighbour’s generator briefly hums to life, knowing it may be her only chance to contact family.

Children do their homework by candlelight, if they do it at all. Refrigerators sit useless, food spoiling.

Access to water has also deteriorated sharply. Israel’s bombardment damaged wells, desalination plants and pumping stations. Without electricity or fuel, clean water cannot be extracted or distributed.

Over the course of our reporting on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, we documented families lining up with plastic containers, waiting for water trucks that may or may not arrive. When they do, the water often smells of salt or metal, its taste sharp and unfamiliar.

Many have no choice but to drink it anyway. Children fall sick with stomach infections. Skin rashes spread. Washing becomes a luxury.

The cumulative effect: Paralysis

Hospitals, once overstretched but functioning, now operate in crisis mode. Over the past month of fieldwork, I visited many medical facilities that have been damaged or forced out of service entirely.

Those still functioning face severe shortages of medicine, equipment, electricity and staff.

I remember the depressed feeling I had after visiting two intensive care units in Gaza City and the central area of the Strip.

Both were overcrowded, forced to put patients two to a bed.

The dialysis machines operated under constant threat of power loss, as did operating theatres that would often go dark mid-procedure.

Harshest of all, the medical teams are often forced to make impossible decisions about who receives care and who must wait.

Beyond health and utilities, the destruction of roads, public facilities and municipal infrastructure has fractured Gaza from within: rubble-filled streets, sewage-flooded roads, slow ambulances and aid delivery.

Rubbish collection has largely ceased, leading to the spread of disease. Telecommunications infrastructure has been repeatedly knocked out, isolating families and cutting people off from emergency services and the outside world.

There’s a cumulative effect of Israel’s intense bombing campaign – which is being carried out deliberately to paralyse daily life – because infrastructure systems depend on one another.

Without electricity, water cannot be pumped. Without fuel, hospitals cannot function. Without roads, aid cannot reach those in need.

Each collapse accelerates the next while creating new layers of difficult living conditions.

As the year 2025 approaches its end, Gaza’s entire infrastructure no longer supports normal life; it barely sustains survival.

Talking about rebuilding does not simply mean reconstructing buildings, but also the restoration of systems that allow people to live with dignity: safe water, reliable electricity, functioning hospitals, and basic public services.

Until then, Gaza’s civilians continue to endure the consequences of another year that has shaken the foundations of daily life.

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Octopus Energy has agreed to sell a stake in its Kraken software arm, in a move that would value the division at $8.65bn (£6.4bn) and could open the way for a stock market flotation.

The technology, which it already licenses to some rival suppliers, has been vital to the energy company’s success, making it easier to manage customer billing, smart meters, electric vehicle charging and home batteries to make using renewable power cheaper.

Octopus said new investors, including the asset manager Fidelity International and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, had joined existing shareholders to acquire a $1bn stake in the business.

The stake sale, which leaves Octopus with a 13.7% stake in Kraken, comes after Octopus announced in September that it was planning to spin out the division as a stand-alone company.

The Octopus founder, Greg Jackson, said in a statement: “Kraken is in a class of its own, in terms of technology, capability, and scale. As an independent company with world-class backers and outstanding leadership, it will be free to grow even faster and is set to be a true UK-founded success story.”

Octopus is Britain’s largest household energy supplier, having taken the crown in January from British Gas, which held the position for nearly four decades after its privatisation under Margaret Thatcher.

Founded by Jackson in 2015, Octopus grew out of a government push to open the market beyond the big six energy companies. In January, it became Britain’s largest household energy supplier, having taken the crown in January from British Gas, thanks in part to Kraken, which has allowed it to offer tariffs that take advantage of real-time electricity price fluctuations to lower bills.

The company has licensed Kraken for use by other energy suppliers including E.ON, EDF and Good Energy in the UK. The software is also used in other countries by energy suppliers including Tokyo Gas in Japan and Origin Energy in Australia.

Jackson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that a stock market listing could be on the horizon, and that the London Stock Exchange was a top contender for the UK-headquartered businesses initial public offering.

“There’s every chance that the Kraken may, list at some point in the medium term. And, look, I think for large tech companies like Kraken, it’s going to be between London and the US. Personally, I really hope it’s London,” he said.

“The one thing about Kraken is we’ve got this global investor base. It’s a global business. And so really the stock exchanges have got to kind of show why they are the right one for a business like this.”

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Makuochi Okafor,BBC Africa, Lagosand

Ian Aikman

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The former heavyweight champion was a passenger in the crash, which killed Latif “Latz” Ayodele (left) and Sina Ghami (right)

British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria, which killed two members of his team.

The former world champion was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway in Ogun State, near Lagos.

The two men who died were Joshua’s close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, the boxer’s promoter Matchroom Boxing said in a statement.

It added that Joshua was in a stable condition in hospital, where he was taken for “checks and treatment” and will remain for observation.

Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi of Nigeria’s Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) said early investigations showed the Lexus had been travelling along the highway from Lagos to Sagamu when it “experienced a tyre burst due to excessive speed” and then “lost control”.

Mr Akinbiyi said Joshua and the driver were rescued from the wreckage and taken to a hospital in Sagamu for medical treatment.

The two other passengers – Mr Ghami and Mr Ayodele – were pronounced dead at the scene, Mr Akinbiyi added.

In a statement Matchroom said: “Our deepest condolences and prayers are with the families and friends of all those affected – and we ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time.”

The group’s chair, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, paid tribute to the “two great men” who were killed in the crash. “Rest in eternal peace Sina and Latz. My thoughts and deepest prayers are with everyone,” he said.

Boxing expert Steve Bunce described Mr Ghami and Mr Ayodele as “two of Joshua’s closest friends” and as “massive parts of the Anthony Joshua machine”.

“They’ve been with him, if not from the start, at least very early on. Latz is AJ’s personal trainer and Sina is his strength and conditioning man. They are with him all the time,” Bunce told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video to Instagram of himself and Mr Ayodele playing table tennis. Mr Ghami had recently posted on social media from Lagos.

A joint statement from the Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua was stable and conscious, and had been in contact with his family.

They said earlier that Joshua had “narrowly escaped death” in the crash, and there will be a “comprehensive investigation” into what happened.

Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he had spoken to the 36-year-old boxer personally to convey his condolences and wish him a “full and speedy recovery”.

“AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care,” he said in a post on X.

Federal Road Safety Corps

Nigeria’s road safety authority shared this image of the crash site

The crash took place on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

Pictures shared by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) showed a wrecked car at the site of the crash, with a crowd of onlookers gathered around.

Local officials said Joshua and another man – the vehicle’s driver – were rescued by the boxer’s security team.

Video from the scene showed the boxer being helped out from the back seat of a wrecked SUV.

Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua and another passenger were “immediately evacuated to a specialised medical facility in Lagos”.

Adeniyi Orojo

An image taken by an eyewitness shows Joshua in the back of the crashed car

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is known as one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads, with particularly heavy traffic at this time of year as many Nigerians living abroad visit for the festive period.

Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria, near the crash site.

He had been spending time in the country following his recent victory over American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December.

Paul posted on X after the crash: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Video shows the moment Joshua was helped from the wreckage

A relative of Joshua’s in Nigeria, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that news of the crash came as a “shock” to the family.

They said they were hoping for his “speedy recovery” and offered prayers for those who died in the crash.

The family member confirmed that Joshua was travelling from Lagos to Ogun State when the accident happened. His family had been expecting him to join them in Sagamu for New Year celebrations.

The boxer’s family is well known in the town and traces its ancestry there across several generations.

There are plans to build a new indoor boxing venue named after Joshua in Ogun, where the boxer is a sports ambassador.

Instagram

Sina Ghami (left) and Latif Ayodele (right) are remembered as integral parts of Anthony Joshua’s “machine”.

Tributes have poured in for the two members of Joshua’s team who were killed in the crash.

Ghami had been Joshua’s full-time strength and conditioning coach for more than 10 years, helping him prepare for major clashes of his career including this month’s defeat of Jake Paul.

He also co-founded the London-based gym Evolve. The gym said it will close on 30 December “as we mourn the loss of our beloved owner”.

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The two men accused of the Bondi beach terror attack earlier this month were not part of a “broader terrorist cell”, Australian Police said.

Fifteen people died and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 celebrating the Jewish holiday Hanukkah in Bondi’s Archer Park on December 14.

Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, while his father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Australia Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett stated an initial investigation into why the two men had spent most of November in the Philippines had found “no evidence to suggest they received training or underwent logistical preparation”.

She added that police in the Philippines found the pair had rarely left their hotel in Davao City.

“These individuals are alleged to have acted alone,” said the commissioner, who did got give details on a reason for the visit, but repeated her belief they were inspired by the so-called Islamic State group.

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Naveed Akram and Sajid Akram are not believed to be part of a ‘broader terrorist cell’ (NSW Courts and Tribunals)

“There is no evidence to suggest these alleged offenders were part of a broader terrorist cell, or were directed by others to carry out an attack. I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism.”

New South Wales (NSW) Police said “all available resources” would be used on New Year’s Eve with more than 2,500 officers – many of them armed – on duty in Sydney.

State premier Chris Minns defended the move, saying “security needs to change” and called on people to attend the traditional fireworks at Sydney Harbour.

“It’s an opportunity to thumb our nose at the terrorists and their ideology that really would have us living in a ball and not celebrating this beautiful city,” he said.

“This is an opportunity to live your life and show defiance to that kind of ideology.”

Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the victims of the attack would be commemorated at 11pm on New Year’s Eve with a minute’s silence and images of a Jewish menorah projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s pylons.

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