Despite the growing popularity of sending holiday greetings online, Britons still send postcards to loved ones. The Postal Museum in London reports that Britons send around 900 million Christmas cards each year. The first one was sent in 1843.more

New York City sparkled with a record number of Christmas lights, new attractions, and spectacular premieres of festive installations. Almost the entire city transformed into a winter wonderland, delighting residents and numerous tourists.more

Britain is committed to upholding the right to free speech, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday in response to a decision by the United States to impose visa bans on anti-disinformation campaigners.more

American tennis legend Venus Williams tied the knot with Italian actor and model Andrea Preti in an intimate ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida. The six-day wedding celebrations were attended by close family and friends. Venus and Preti first met at a Milan fashion show in 2024, got engaged in July, and celebrated their union with heartfelt festivities. more

A single Powerball ticket holder in Arkansas has landed a staggering $1.82 billion (£1.43bn) jackpot, making it the second-largest win in the history of the US lottery.more

The ghost of Christmas past is meant to exist only within the pages of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Yet a Tube station in West London is reportedly haunted each Christmas by a similar apparition.more

Reports to Lloyds of driving test-related scams have surged by nearly 250% over the past year, the banking giant has said. Lloyds has revealed the purchase scams most reported to it in 2025, as well as the fastest-growing frauds being reported by customers.more

The overall leader of the Ski Jumping World Cup, Slovenian Domen Prevc, who twice finished on the podium in Engelberg, Switzerland, is number one on the payroll and the only one with over €130,000. The best Pole in the World Cup financial circle is Kacper Tomasiak.more

Keir Starmer’s government has been told a closer EU trade deal is a “strategic necessity” for companies in Britain as growing numbers of exporters find it tougher to do business under the UK’s post-Brexit agreement. more

"A Christmas Carol's" message about the need for human kindness has resonated with readers for over 180 years, noted Michael Barrett of the Charles Dickens Museum in London. He acknowledged that the issue of child poverty, which prompted the writer to write the novel, "is still relevant today."more

Two men have been found guilty of planning a gun attack to cause "untold harm" to the Jewish community in Manchester. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a "visceral dislike" of Jewish people and arranged for guns to be smuggled into the UK as part of an "Isis-inspired plot", Preston Crown Court heard.more

NORAD, the U.S.-Canadian Air Defense Command, will be "tracking" the journey of Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve for the 70th time. This tradition dates back to 1955, when children began calling a special Pentagon emergency line wanting to speak with Santa.more

Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola has announced that overweight players will be excluded from the squad for the match against Nottingham Forest after Christmas, the Daily Mail reported.more

The National Lottery has created 365 millionaires in 2025 – one for every day of the year, the operators have announced in a round-up of its year. The winners shared £702 million between them, with four EuroMillions winners scooping a total of £199 million.more

One household throws away 165 kg of food per year, which is approximately 67 kg per capita, according to data from the Institute of Environmental Protection - National Research Institute. According to the Institute, Christmas is the period of greatest food overproduction in Polish homes.more

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London while rallying in support of hunger strikers from the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action. Police said Thunberg was holding a banner supporting the outlawed organization.more

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Former Brazilian and FC Barcelona international defender Dani Alves has returned to football after a three-year hiatus caused by the scandal surrounding the alleged rape of a 23-year-old woman.more

Maybe there was a memo sent round the royals, but many of this year's Christmas cards seem to have similar images of showing their families holding on to each other tenderly. Touching, linking arms, holding hands, hugging, they're all sending messages about how close they are to each other.more

Heathrow's third runway is back on the table, and this time, this time, the government says it's serious again. With the news that the government is backing Heathrow's £49 billion plan for a third runway, the long running debate over airport expansion is back at the top of the agenda.more

Bayern Munich player Harry Kane has been named Personality of the Year 2025 by the prestigious Kicker magazine. The Englishman was praised not only for his goals, but also for his overall attitude on and off the pitch.more

A recent study by consumer whatchdog Which? crowned the UK’s best spreadable butter, with three own-brand options beating Lurpak on both taste and price. In a blind taste test, the consumer champion asked a panel of 67 people to rate eight supermarket spreadables, including Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, M&S, Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose, alongside the well-known Danish brand. more

A former councillor has appeared in court accused of a string of sexual offences against his ex-wife over a 13-year period. Philip Young, 49, is charged with 56 offences, including multiple counts of rape and administering a substance with intent to stupefy his former spouse Joanne Young.more

Strikes by 200 check-in and baggage handlers at London Luton Airport during the final two weekends of December amid an ongoing pay row have been cancelled. The Unite union said an improved offer was made to the staff employed by DHL.more

Preparing a traditional dinner for four people will cost almost 4 percent more than in 2024. However, more and more Poles are not sticking to the Christmas Eve canon of 12 dishes, reports today's "Rzeczpospolita."more