British man sentenced by Russians in occupied Donetsk to 13 years in prison

A British citizen fighting in the Ukrainian army has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for ‘mercenary activities’ by a court in Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, AFP reported today.more

In its judgment issued today, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Polish Constitutional Tribunal violated several fundamental principles of EU law by failing to respect its judgments. It ruled that the Constitutional Tribunal is not independent due to irregularities in the appointment of three of its members and its former president.more

Dentists in England will be paid more to see patients in need of urgent treatment under new reforms published by the Government. It comes as a report suggests dental vouchers worth £150 a year should be introduced in a bid to “end the postcode lottery” of care.more

Paris Saint-Germain footballers triumphed in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, a tournament featuring the best teams from each confederation. In the final in Al-Rayyan, their only match in Qatar, they defeated Brazil's Flamengo 2-1 on penalties. After 90 minutes, the score was 1-1.more

Every third 8-year-old child in Poland is overweight, and almost half have high cholesterol, according to experts from the Institute of Child Development in Warsaw. They emphasise that as a society, we must take responsibility for what children eat, how they spend their time and what their journey to school looks like.more

The final hearing in the extradition case of Michał Kuczmierowski, former head of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (he has consented to the disclosure of his name), began today at 10:00 a.m. (11:00 a.m. in Poland) at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, where the trial is taking place.more

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned yesterday that Russia is preparing for another ‘year of war.’ Earlier that day, Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would achieve its goals ‘by diplomatic or military means.’ He called the US's European allies ‘little pigs.’more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced yesterday before the House of Commons that he is prepared to release the frozen assets of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, former owner of Chelsea FC, in order to help Ukraine. This was in response to a question from a Member of Parliament regarding the United Kingdom's support for Ukraine.more

69% of Poles intend to reduce their Christmas spending, most often by taking advantage of promotions, foregoing the purchase of new decorations and clothes, and preparing meals themselves, according to a survey by ANG Odpowiedzialne Finanse.more

American pop star Mariah Carey will perform at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, organisers announced on Monday.more

London has been named the kindest city in the UK at Christmas, outranking Liverpool and Manchester, according to new research. A study of 2,000 adults commissioned by Santander found that one in three Britons say they are more inclined to carry out random acts of kindness during December.more

Falls in food, alcohol, and clothing prices last month helped drive inflation to its lowest level in eight months in November. The inflation rate fell to 3.2% from 3.6%, a larger fall than analysts expected.more

This year’s Christmas getaway is expected to be the busiest on record, new figures suggest. The AA forecast that traffic for all journey purposes in the run-up to December 25 will peak on Friday when about 24.4 million cars are expected on the UK’s roads.more

Barcelona defeated third-division side Guadalajara 2-0 away to advance to the round of 16 of the Spanish Cup. German Marc-Andre ter Stegen started for the visiting side for the first time in nearly seven months. Wojciech Szczęsny was a reserve, and Robert Lewandowski was absent.more

The Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, said in an interview with LBC radio that work is underway to create Iron Dome, an integrated air and missile defence system. As he explained, this is related to the ‘evolution of threats from Russia’.more

The United Kingdom will rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme, the government in London announced today. In December 2020, the UK left the programme as part of its post-Brexit trade agreement with the European Union.more

Resident doctors across England began a five-day strike today, demanding, among other things, higher wages. With the flu season in full swing, hospital directors are warning of overcrowding in medical facilities and numerous difficulties that may affect patients.more

According to a survey conducted by BIG InfoMonitor, the average Pole will spend PLN 1,122 on this year's Christmas celebrations, which is one third less than last year. Respondents declared that they would spend the most on gifts (PLN 447) and food (PLN 413).more

The British government has pledged £600 million for air defence systems for Ukraine, British Defence Minister John Healey announced yesterday. The support is intended to help repel Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy network during the winter.more

Chelsea held off League One leaders Cardiff City to secure their place in the EFL Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought and absorbing win in south Wales. Roared on by a fervent capacity crowd at Cardiff City Stadium, the home side impressed in and out of possession as they contained their Premier League opponents and showed flashes of their own attacking threat in a goalless first half.more

Australian police announced today that they have charged one of the two men who attacked the Jewish community at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday, killing 15 people, with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and an act of terrorism, Reuters reported. The second attacker was killed.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered an ‘urgent’ investigation into foreign interference in British politics, ‘The Times’ reported yesterday. This is a direct response to the conviction in November of a Reform UK politician for accepting bribes in exchange for pro-Russian activities.more

The European Commission is backing away from a total ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars in the EU from 2035. Yesterday, it proposed that car manufacturers must meet a 90 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from 2035.more

The US has suspended a trade agreement with the UK that was intended to strengthen technological cooperation between the two countries, the ‘Financial Times’ reported yesterday. According to the newspaper, this decision undermines ambitious plans for cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.more

On Sunday, in Priscos, a suburb of Braga in north-western Portugal, Europe's largest live nativity scene was inaugurated. It covers an area of over 30,000 square metres and presents over 90 biblical scenes.more

Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí claimed a historic third-straight The Best FIFA Women’s Player award, and France’s Ousmane Dembélé was crowned The Best FIFA Men’s Player, at a special event held in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.more

Pubs in England and Wales could stay open until 01:00 next summer if a home nation reaches the quarter-finals or further at the football World Cup. The government has launched a six-week public consultation on extending pub licensing hours to allow fans to come together and support the teams.more

The UK unemployment rate in the three months to October has increased to 5.1%, according to official figures. That marked a rise from 5% for the three months to September.more

The ‘sons and daughters’ of Great Britain must be ready to fight in the face of the growing threat from Russia, British Armed Forces Chief of Defence Staff Richard Knighton said yesterday. He warned that the Russian military is growing in strength and is battle-hardened from fighting in Ukraine.more

The world number one, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, was voted the best tennis player of 2025 in the WTA poll by sports journalists. This is the second time in a row that she has received this honour.more

US President Donald Trump has sued the British public broadcaster BBC, demanding $10 billion in damages for alleged defamation and violation of unfair trade practices. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in federal court in Miami, Florida.more

A court in Liverpool today sentenced Paul Doyle, who drove his car into a crowd of celebrating fans in May, to 21 years and six months in prison. The man pleaded guilty to 31 charges, including seriously injuring 29 people aged between six months and 77 years old.more

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced yesterday that the Chinese ambassador to the UK had been summoned in connection with the sentencing of pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who holds a British passport.more

Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan will remain the world's bloodiest conflicts next year, according to a forecast by research institutes in Oslo and Uppsala. The estimates were made using an advanced artificial intelligence system.more

After talking to Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick will decide which of them will defend in today's Spanish Cup round of 32 match against third-division Guadalajara. The coach assured that Robert Lewandowski will also be ready to play.more

London’s Chief Nurse called for people in the capital to come forward to get the vaccine against super flu ripping through the city so more than two million have had the jab by Christmas. Some 1.87 million Londoners had had the flu jab as of December 7, up from just over 1.8 million on November 30, 1.7 million on November 23, and slightly more than 1.6 million on November 16.more

Spain has imposed a fine of €64 million on the short-term rental platform Airbnb for publishing offers that do not have the appropriate licences, the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced yesterday.more

Britain’s new spy chief is warning of the acute threat to Europe from an “aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist” Russia under Vladimir Putin. Blaise Metreweli accused the Russian president of “exporting chaos” with his war in Ukraine, air incursion into eastern Europe and hybrid warfare including against Britain.more

Manchester United took the lead three times, but also trailed for over a quarter of an hour and ultimately drew 4–4 with AFC Bournemouth in front of their home crowd in the last match of the 16th round of the Premier League.more

US President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he had held long and productive talks with the leaders of Ukraine, European countries and NATO. We are closer than ever to resolving the war in Ukraine, he added.more

Electric flying taxis may become available to London airport passengers from 2028, a UK company has announced. Vertical Aerospace hopes its Valo aircraft, which has a capacity for up to six passengers, can get regulatory approval in three years – with the first planned commercial routes to include airport-to-city centre connections.more

Istanbul has ranked as the world’s most congested city for the second year in a row. Transport analytics company Inrix found that traffic delays rose by 12% in the Turkish city over 2024, with the average driver losing 118 hours to traffic. The findings come from Inrix’s 2025 Global Traffic Scorecard which analysed congestion and mobility trends in more than 900 cities across 36 countries.more

The leader of the overall Ski Jumping World Cup standings, Slovenian Domen Prevc, who triumphed twice again during the weekend, this time in Klingenthal (previously in Wisła), is the undisputed number one on the payroll and is the only one to have already exceeded 100,000 euros.more

With Brits rewatching their favourite Christmas films, they might be left wondering if there’s anywhere quite like the quaint villages taking centre stage in festive classics. One village in particular stands out - Shere in Surrey.more

The festive season is among the most turbulent periods for travel, with thousands of Britons taking planes or trains to reconnect with loved ones, whether domestically within the UK or internationally. Given that travel chaos is already expected in the lead-up to Christmas, it's crucial to grasp your rights concerning refunds and compensation should you encounter any delays or cancellations.more

Reform UK claims it is now the largest political party in Britain, following reports Labour has lost more members. According to the Times newspaper, internal figures show Labour's membership has fallen below 250,000.more

Lens won 2–0 at home against Nice in the 16th round and returned to first place in the French top flight. Before the Christmas and New Year break, they are one point ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, who won 3–2 away against Metz on Saturday.more

Thousands of people are set to endure a bleak Christmas sleeping rough, following record numbers of people counted on the streets for this period of the year. 2,195 people were counted sleeping rough in London in September.more

The municipal authorities of London, Paris, Berlin and New York have tightened security measures in connection with the start of Hanukkah, following yesterday's attack on the Jewish community celebrating at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.more

Real Madrid defeated Alaves 2–1 away. After 16 rounds of the Spanish top flight, Los Blancos are in second place, four points behind leaders Barcelona.more

A popular high street chain is due to enforce a number of closures. River Island says a total of 33 stores will be shut by the end of January. The news comes as part of a major restructuring plan to save the high street brand, which has been approved by the High Court.more

A special Christmas Eve dinner for people experiencing homelessness, loneliness and difficult life situations was organised on December 13 by the Barka Foundation for Mutual Help Ireland, in cooperation with the Consular and Polish Diaspora Section of the Polish Embassy in Dublin.more