Author: staff

Published on 31/12/2025 – 13:12 GMT+1 As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to prepare special messages to share with friends and family as we welcome in the new year. In this comprehensive guide, you will find a selection of the best WhatsApp messages, organised by category so you can find the perfect one for every special person in your life. Pitfalls to avoid when sending your New Year’s messages Personalise the message to the recipient. Avoid forwarding the same message to all your contacts. Schedule or prepare important messages in advance so they don’t get lost at the…

Barrot underlines the Clooney family is “permanently based” in the south of France, where their children attend school, and that the couple “maintains personal and professional ties with [France].” The letter points to the Clooneys’ philanthropic work and notes that “through their life paths and commitments, they embody the values of solidarity, freedom, and creativity that France promotes around the world.” It also states that “Mr. Clooney’s professional activity generates enormous financial benefits from which the French film industry profits.” A spokesperson for France’s foreign affairs minister confirmed that the request to offer the Clooney family citizenship, which was officially…

Updated: 31/12/2025 – 12:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this December 31st, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

Six people, including three children, were injured after Russian strikes hit the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, local officials said. The attacks targeted civilian and logistical infrastructure, as well as energy facilities, according to the State Emergency Service. Footage from the scene showed a high-rise building on fire, with smoke rising as first responders evacuated residents. Emergency crews worked through the night to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters rescued eight people, including one child. Officials said four residential towers and at least 14 cars were damaged.

For many people in Germany, the week begins with stocking up on fireworks for New Year’s Eve at their supermarket of choice. In Germany, the sale of fireworks is permitted by law only on the last three working days of the year: this year, 29, 30 and 31 December. By statute, fireworks may only be set off on 31 December and 1 January, and they remain an essential part of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the eyes of Germans. But not everyone sees them as a symbol of cheer: the loud bangs can retraumatise people who have experienced war, military…

With festive decorations and bright adornments, wooden chalets and the smell of mulled wine, Europe’s holiday markets draw millions of visitors each winter. People go to enjoy the atmosphere, meet friends, and spend on food, drinks and gifts. Some visitors are drawn to high-adrenaline attractions such as giant Ferris wheels or the thrilling Starflyer ride. For many cities, Christmas markets are not just about tradition but also about growing visitor spending and tourism, which help boost the local economy. Across 20 European holiday markets, visitor spending has increased by an average of 15% per year since 2022 according to Visa’s…

This year’s extreme weather has hit marginalised groups the hardest, as experts call for an “urgent” transition away from fossil fuels. A new impact report from World Weather Attribution (WWA) analyses 22 climate-fuelled disasters from the last 12 months, warning that heat-trapping emissions are driving global temperatures up and fuelling destructive weather events across every continent. While 2025 will not break the global heat record set by 2024, the report identifies extreme heat as one of the deadliest forms of extreme weather. While floods and storms leave a trail of physical destruction, extreme heat is a “silent killer’ – it…

From Moon missions to an expedition to Mercury, 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year for space. The first part of the year will see four astronauts orbit the Moon for the first time since the Apollo missions of the late 1960s. The goal is to start testing the Orion spacecraft they will be flying in for an eventual human landing on the Moon. All eyes will also be on China as the country brings astronauts to some of the Moon’s darkest corners in the summer, looking for clues that life could one day thrive there. The European…

2025 proved to be a pivotal year for high-stakes elections across the European Union. Romania found itself at the centre of coordinated foreign interference campaigns on social media, while Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk failed to consolidate his party’s position against conservatives in the presidential race. And while the Christian Democrats returned to power in Germany, right-wing billionaire Andrej Babiš was re-elected in the Czech Republic. Now, the EU is entering 2026 with Russia’s war in Ukraine continuing on its eastern flank. With member states divided on how best to support Kyiv and tensions rising between the bloc and the…

Talks between Washington and Kyiv on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine have reached a crucial stage, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss peace terms. Zelenskyy reported that Trump had offered Ukraine 15 years of security guarantees from the U.S. The Ukraine leader has repeatedly accused Moscow of feigning interest in ending the war while continuing to attack its territory. Russia had used the Oreshnik, armed with conventional explosives, to strike an industrial complex in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the time that…