GIVEN that most Christmas TV advertisements depict a flurry of shopping, cooking, and cramming the house full of visitors, it is a sobering thought that more than 1.5 million people in the UK may be spending the festival on their own. A poll published earlier this month by Age UK …

BANGKOK, Dec 18 — The queen of Thailand today won a gold medal in sailing at the South-east Asian Games, a regional competition being held in her country this month. Queen Suthida, the wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, competed in the mixed keelboat SSL47 category, on a 47-foot (14-metre) sailboat …

Gwenno Ephraim was last seen five months ago, heading towards the Menai Suspension Bridge 12:00, 18 Dec 2025Updated 19:39, 18 Dec 2025 Gwenno Ephraim was ‘failed’, her MP has said, months after she was last seen walking towards the Menai Suspension Bridge(Image: North Wales Police) Gwenno Ephraim had been happy …

A Nottinghamshire Doctor Who superfan has been left “absolutely devastated” after a package of “irreplaceable” memorabilia was lost in the post. Mansfield man Jon Pertwee, who changed his surname to honour the actor who played TV’s Third Doctor, was dealt the heart-breaking news after a nail-biting weeks-long wait to find …

Jamie-Lee Harper pleaded guilty to charges of causing unnecessary neglect and suffering to animals between September 1 and November 24, 2022. 12:11, 18 Dec 2025Updated 12:13, 18 Dec 2025 Dog at the farm(Image: SSPCA) An “animal lover” who kept 22 dogs and puppies in squalid, rat-infested conditions at a Scots …

Royal Mail has warned of the disruption to their system due to staff absences caused by sickness and resourcing issues, with multiple postcodes across the north-east affected. This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more Aberdeen areas are facing …

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to unveil the agenda for the next phase of his government in the immediate aftermath of May’s crucial elections. The King’s Speech has been pencilled in for May 12 or 13 next year, the BBC has been told, just days after elections across …

Everyone has their own traditions at Christmas – watching a favourite festive film, sending cards to loved ones, settling in for the King’s Speech, or adding a knitted Christmassy ‘topper’ to the postbox we all use. But this year, many in Norfolk are wondering whether Royal Mail’s new festive tradition …

Metsä Board Corporation press release 18.12.2025 SALT! Supplements, founded by athletes Alfonso Iovine and Kim Connor Streich, set out to create hydration products that meet the needs of sportspeople seeking effective and appealing solutions. For their latest electrolyte stick sachets, the brand sought packaging that …

The judge said it was he finally ‘faced the consequences’ Martin Naylor Courts and legal affairs correspondent 04:00, 18 Dec 2025 Prolific bike thief Luke King(Image: Nottinghamshire Police) A prolific Nottingham bike thief’s luck has finally run out after a judge decided to send him to prison. Solemn-faced Luke King …