The Pigeon Express
UK bank Santander got into the Christmas spirit this year by paying out a total of £130 million to customers by mistake on December 25. The total payment was split over 75,000 transactions for around 2,000 corporate and commercial customers, Santander said in a statement published on Thursday. “We’re sorry that due to a technical […]
A swimming group were forced to cancel their Boxing Day river dip after a water company announced a “sewage release” on Christmas Day. Residents in Wolvercote, Oxford, were informed about the release into the River Windrush in an email from Thames Water. Swimmer Dr Fiona Palumbo Tolan said the group found it “deeply distressing”. Thames […]
A California man shot and killed his grandmother and his father’s girlfriend as the family opened Christmas presents, authorities said. Fresno County sheriff’s deputies found the victims after responding to a call about shots fired at a home on December 25. Officials said they learned through interviews that the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Austin Alvarez, […]
A father and his two school-aged sons died on Christmas Day when their house caught fire, likely due to a combination of electrical issues and a dry Christmas tree, according to Quakertown, Pennsylvania, Fire Marshal Doug Wilhelm. “The area of origin was a Christmas tree, so we’re not sure if it’s because of electric or […]
US airlines scrapped nearly 1,000 flights on Saturday, the second straight day of massive cancellations as surging Covid-19 infections have sidelined some pilots and other crew members, upending plans for tens of thousands of holiday travelers over the Christmas weekend. A total of 957 Christmas Day flights, including domestic flights and those into or out […]
A caller pranked US President Joe Biden by dropping an anti-Biden taunt into their chat during a White House Christmas event. Mr Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were hosting the festive call for families when a father told the president: “Let’s go, Brandon.” Apparently unaware of the gibe, Mr Biden said he agreed. The […]
Christmas travel will increase the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, even among the fully vaccinated, the top US infectious disease expert says. “There’s no doubt about this, [Omicron] has an extraordinary capability of spreading,” Dr Anthony Fauci told NBC’s Meet the Press programme on Sunday. Dr Fauci, who advises the US government on the […]
The Netherlands has announced a strict lockdown over Christmas amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Non-essential shops, bars, gyms, hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-January. Two guests per household will be allowed – four over the holidays. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the measures were “unavoidable”. Countries across […]
A giant straw goat that has become an annual highlight in the Swedish city of Gavle has been burned by an arsonist. A man in his 40s was arrested after the structure was set alight in the early hours of Friday. The goat has been attacked many times before but survived every festive period since […]
Queen Elizabeth II has canceled a pre-Christmas family lunch as a precaution because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom, reports said. According to press reports, the decision is a precautionary one as it is felt the lunch would put too many people’s Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead. While […]
One festive family had the biggest surprise lurking in the branches of a Christmas tree they decorated. Rob and Marcela Wild wasted no time in calling in a professional after they discovered one of Africa’s most venomous snakes hiding between the tinsel and baubles at their home in South Africa. Having decorated the tree just […]
The Christmas tree in Bailiff Bridge is shining a metaphorical light on the West Yorkshire village, having been described as “the worst in the north” after it was decorated only a third of the way up. Council bosses say the issue with sprucing up the spruce is that the natural tree has grown too tall, […]