Greggs has revealed plans to open up to another 160 stores in the year ahead as it cheered a strong end to 2023. The high street bakery chain opened a record 220 new shops over 2023, taking its total estate to 2,473.more

The head of the federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Thomas Haldenwang, believes that democracy in Germany is at greater risk than society thinks. He also emphasized that one of the threats is the growing right-wing extremism, reports the Tagesschau portal.more

A robot which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify potential potholes is to be tested on public roads in Hertfordshire. The Autonomous Road Repair System (ARRES) robot identifies cracks or holes and fills them to stop surface water getting in.more

The hybrid threat from Russia still exists, which is why all crossings on the eastern border will continue to be closed, said the head of the Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mari Rantanen.more

Iga Swiatek will start her participation in the Australian Open with a match against American tennis player Sofia Kenin. Magda Linette faces Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, Magdalena Fręch faces Australia's Daria Saville and Hubert Hurkacz faces a match against a qualifier.more

The London to Birmingham stretch of the HS2 railway could cost more than £65bn in current prices, the boss of the company building it has said. Sir Jonathan Thompson said a rise in the cost of materials such as concrete and steel over the past few years have added £8bn to £10bn. In October the government cancelled the sections between the West Midlands, Manchester, and the East Midlands.more

Compared to 2022, the well-being of Poles in 2023 has improved. Men are generally in better mental condition than women - according to a CBOS survey.more

Lazio and Atalanta's players advanced to the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. In the Rome derby, Lazio beat Nicola Zalewski's Roma 1:0, while the team from Bergamo won away against AC Milan 2:1.more

Some people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are entitled to cold weather payments after prolonged periods of below-zero temperatures. In Scotland, those on low incomes and benefits may receive a winter heating payment, which does not depend on how low the temperature falls.more

Most key NHS targets have been missed for at least seven years across the UK, BBC News research shows. The review of records going back 20 years also reveals Northern Ireland and Wales have never met the four-hour accident-and-emergency (A&E) target. The analysis focused on the three key hospital targets, covering A&E, cancer and waiting times for planned care.more

Sainsbury’s won shoppers from all its major grocery rivals this Christmas but sales at its Argos chain dived, in a worrying sign for high street rivals. The UK’s second-biggest supermarket reported an 8.6% rise in grocery sales in the six weeks to 6 January but Argos sales fell 4.2% in the same period as shoppers reined in spending on electrical goods and furniture.more

Grant Shapps suggested yesterday that a retaliatory attack against Yemen's Houthi rebels for their shelling of merchant ships and warships was imminent, British media report.more

Liverpool's players won at Anfield against London Fulham 2:1 in the first semi-final match of the League Cup in England. First, Brazilian Willian scored for the visitors and 'The Reds' responded with goals from Curtis Jones and Dutchman Cody Gakpo. Both were assisted by Darwin Nunez.more

More than 700 British postal workers wrongly accused of theft years ago and convicted will be cleared of the charges through an act of parliament and will receive financial compensation, announced Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.more

Poles in Canada will have fewer formalities in certifying the validity of Canadian documents. This country has joined the Hague Convention on the abolition of the requirement to legalize foreign official documents, and new rules apply from today.more

The number of child sex abuse offences in England and Wales has more than quintupled in the past 10 years - from 20,000 in 2013 to 107,000 in 2022 - and more than half of these were committed by other children, according to a police report published yesterday.more

There were 149 bomb attacks in Sweden in 2023, which is the highest number in the history of such statistics, conducted since 2018, the Swedish police reported. Last year, the services confiscated over 10 tons of explosives.more

Real Madrid's footballers defeated Atletico Madrid 5:3 after extra time in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup being played in Riyadh. The rival of the 'royals' in the final will be the winner of today's meeting between Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona and Osasuna Pamplona.more

The British media describe the recent events in Poland related to the arrest of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik as a "dramatic escalation" and "unprecedented", although their reports are rather informative, without indicating who is right in the dispute.more

The US space agency NASA has announced that the landing of astronauts on the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission will take place in 2026, a year later than planned. A year earlier - in 2025 - the preceding Artemis II mission to take astronauts on a flight around the Moon will also depart. The delay is intended to allow more time to resolve safety issues with the mission.more

Sadiq Khan has confirmed when Transport for London (TfL) fares will go up. The Mayor of London also responded to questions over whether the way customers pay could become 'dynamic'.more

The year 2023 was the warmest year ever measured, with an average global temperature of 14.98 degrees C., 1.48 degrees higher than in the pre-industrial era, reported Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the EU's Earth Observation Programme.more

The governing professional men's and women's tennis organisations ATP and WTA have announced that they intend to reduce the likelihood of matches stretching late into the night. To this end, changes have been made to tournament programmes.more

In December, the final episodes of the hit series 'The Crown' hit the Netflix streaming platform. However, this is not the end of the attractions prepared by the creators of this production about Elizabeth II and the British royal family. On 11 January, the London auction house Bohnams will launch an exhibition of nearly 450 costumes, props and set pieces from the series.more

Three-quarters of Poles (75 per cent) surveyed agree with the statement that the Catholic Church in Poland should be financed by contributions from the faithful; 18.7 per cent of respondents are of the opposite opinion, according to an IBRiS poll commissioned by Radio ZET.more