King Charles’ Christmas message breaks TV viewing records December 26, 2022 King Charles’ first ever Christmas message has broken TV viewing records, becoming the most watched Christmas speech by a monarch since official records began two decades ago. The King’s speech was also the most popular Christmas TV programme on Christmas Day, with a combined audience of over 10 million viewers. It was almost double as [...]
Meeting of minds? Putin and Xi to meet before the end of the year December 26, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will speak before the end of the year, Russian state news agency TASS said on Monday, without giving details of the timing or format. It quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the two sides would release details in due course. Putin and Xi proclaimed [...]
Boxing Day trains: Cancellations leave football fans and shoppers facing chaos December 26, 2022 Shoppers hoping for a Boxing Day bargain could face traffic jams as rail strikes see train services brought to a halt. Thousands of people planning to travel by train have been forced to make alternative plans amid continued industrial action. Hundreds of departures usually run on December 26 after the Christmas Day shutdown. But Network [...]
Family gather at Pele’s bedside as Brazilian legend’s cancer worsens December 25, 2022 Brazilian soccer legend Pele’s family members gathered at the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo on Saturday, where the 82-year-old, widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been since late November. Doctors said this week that Pele’s cancer had advanced and that he requires care related to renal and cardiac dysfunction. His family [...]
Central London footfall collapses in run-up to Christmas as strikes hit December 25, 2022 Christmas Eve footfall in central London was almost 15 per cent down on the week before as rail strikes effectively wiped out last-minute shopping plans. December 24 is usually a bumper day for retailers as Londoners rush to pick up last-minute gifts before getting trains home, whilst Brits also flock into the capital for a [...]
There’s no escape: ALL Boxing Day trains axed as result of strike action December 25, 2022 Thousands of people planning to travel by train on Boxing Day are being forced to make alternative plans as a rail strike means no services will run. Hundreds of departures usually run on December 26 after the Christmas Day shutdown. But Network Rail said Britain’s railways will remain closed for a second consecutive day due [...]
What to watch this Christmas: Top TV shows of 2022, from Severance to 1899 December 25, 2022 That we’re living in a golden age of TV has become something of a truism, but even against that backdrop 2022 has been an excellent year for new shows. Here are just a few of our favourites, from top comedies to steampunk science fiction and crime noir. Bad Sisters – Apple TV The latest show [...]
Britain’s most-Googled Christmas film has been revealed December 25, 2022 You know the joke about Mariah Carey being defrosted every Christmas, right? If not, in a nutshell, the search traffic for Mariah Carey and her Christmas song All I Want For Christmas Is You starts increasing every year around November when Christmas obsessives get excited. Social media users start screenshotting the increased search traffic around [...]
Heathrow strikes: Airport says departures and arrivals still operating ‘smoothly’ December 24, 2022 BORDER FORCE strikes at Heathrow appear so far to be having little impact on the airport’s arrivals and departures. A spokesperson for the airport told City A.M. this morning that despite a walkout by staff, “operations continue to run smoothly and the airport is operating as normal. The Immigration halls are free flowing with Border [...]
Sign of the times: Bank branches shut doors in their thousands December 24, 2022 More than 5,000 bank and building society branches have closed over the past seven years, according to analysis from Which? The consumer group counted 5,162 bank and building society branches which have closed since January 2015. A further 206 branches are set to close by the end of 2023, according to the Which? findings, as [...]