The leaders of Great Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine, as well as the leaders of other partner states of Kyiv, believe that the critical moment has come and therefore support for the Ukrainian side should be increased, reads a statement issued yesterday by the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.more

A team of UK-based scientists are developing technology to create the first synthetic human chromosome. The ability to write large genomes has the potential to transform our understanding of human health, opening opportunities to develop cell therapies, climate-resistant crops and more. more

Milan is the latest Italian city to ban the installation of key boxes on the walls and doors of tenement buildings for apartments rented by tourists. Authorities in the Lombardy capital enacted the ban two months before the opening of the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, which are expected to attract thousands of tourists.more

A well-known UK restaurant chain faces potential closures after recording losses exceeding £8 million. John Vincent, who established Leon in 2004 and has recently reacquired the business from EG, revealed to the Sunday Times that certain unprofitable locations may need to shut down as part of his efforts to restore the company's financial health.more

Last year, Poland rose to second place among European exporters of Christmas baubles, overtaking Germany. At the same time, our market is flooded with cheap imports from China, which account for 80% of all ornaments reaching Poland, reported "Rzeczpospolita."more

Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Portuguese national football team, has announced that he has become a shareholder in Perplexity, an American high-tech company. The company is developing an artificial intelligence-based search engine.more

Egypt has said thousands of artefacts can remain in British museums, but renewed its calls for the Rosetta Stone to be returned. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said many of the items on show in the UK were legally removed from the country and now form part of "London's identity".more

Severe weather warnings including an amber warning have been issued ahead of Storm Bram which is forecast to hit the United Kingdom on Tuesday and Wednesday. Gusts of up to 90mph (144km/h) are likely across north-west Scotland but strong winds will be felt widely.more

Real Madrid unexpectedly lost 0–2 to Celta Vigo in front of their home crowd in the 15th round of the Spanish top flight. The second-placed team has failed to win four of its last five matches in the competition. It is now four points behind leaders Barcelona.more

Young people will be stripped of their right to claim benefits if they refuse a taxpayer-funded job after 18 months without a job, the work and pensions secretary says. Pat McFadden told the BBC they would need a "good reason" to decline one of the 55,000 six-month placements, to be rolled out from next April.more

The British government announced today that it is launching a new military program called Atlantic Bastion. It combines drones, submarines, and aircraft using artificial intelligence technology to identify threats from Russia in the Atlantic.more

Queen Elizabeth's School in Barnet, London, has been crowned the UK's top-performing secondary state school in the prestigious annual Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026.more

Napoli beat Juventus 2–1 at home in the top match of the 14th round of the Italian top flight. Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund scored both goals. These were his first goals for the club since 5 October.more

Labour has suffered a devastating blow as their support crumbles to a mere 14 percent in a shocking new opinion poll. The dismal results suggest Sir Keir Starmer's party could be heading for their worst election performance in over 100 years.more

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Dog owners in England and Wales now face unlimited fines if their pets worry livestock, including newly protected llamas and alpacas. Peers and MPs have jointly agreed to lift the previous £1,000 cap on penalties for dog attacks on farm animals. more

Britain's Lando Norris of McLaren won the Formula 1 world championship title for the first time in his career yesterday. He finished third in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull won for the 71st time in his career.more

59.4% of Poles believe that, given the current international situation, Poland should reinstate compulsory military service, according to a United Surveys poll commissioned by Wirtualna Polska. 30.9% oppose such a measure.more

Heathrow faced anger from passengers and taxi drivers when it said its drop-off fees will go up from £6 to £7 in the New Year. Drivers who go over ten minutes will be hit by an £80 penalty charge, although this is reduced to £40 if paid within a fortnight. The same penalty applies to drivers who do not pay the £7 drop-off charge online before midnight the next day.more

The Swedish military observes Russian submarines in the Baltic Sea almost weekly, Swedish Navy Operations Chief Captain Marko Petkovic told The Guardian. He believes Moscow is steadily strengthening its presence in the region.more

Kacper Tomasiak took fifth place, Piotr Żyła was seventh, Maciej Kot was 14th, Paweł Wąsek was 25th, and Kamil Stoch was 27th in Sunday's World Cup ski jumping competition in Wisła. Domen Prevc of Slovenia won. Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan, who was in the lead after the first round, came second.more

Alex Norris, the asylum minister, said anyone without the right to stay in the UK would be deported. He pledged to "ramp up" removals of families deemed not to be legitimate refugees by officials.more

According to the "Poles' Own Wallet: E-commerce for the Holidays" study, 46% of Poles say they most often buy cosmetics and perfumes online as holiday gifts. Respondents also frequently buy books and toys.more

Donald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created Fifa peace prize, claiming “the world is a safer place now” as he received the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC.more

London’s high streets are bracing for more disruption as Halifax prepares to shut another 14 branches across the UK in 2026 - including one in the capital. The latest round of closures comes as banks continue to scale back their physical presence in favour of digital services. One of the branches set to disappear next year is the Halifax in Wandsworth, scheduled to close on January 15, 2026.more