London, Dec 26 (IANS) Hoping to make her father's last Christmas wish come true, a 10-year-old British girl abandoned the usual family festivities and served dinner to 50 homeless people. The girl said it was her "best Christmas ever". Gracie McNulty's father Craig died in an accident and she was not sure how to cope with her first Christmas without him, the Daily Mail said.
London, Dec 26 (IANS) In a bizarre rule, the European Union (EU) has said that playing with plastic toy footballs can be dangerous for children under three as they can choke on them, the Daily Mail reported. The daily said that brightly coloured plastic balls with a circumference of 25 inches, just under the size used in the English Premier League, now come with a caution: "Warning! Not suitable for children under three years
London, Dec 26 (IANS) The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain has described the government's plans for gay marriage as undemocratic and a "shambles". Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols said the government had no mandate to push through same-sex marriage laws. "There was no announcement in any party manifesto, no Green Paper, no statement in the queen's speech
London, Dec 26 (IANS) Contrary to rumours that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart would spend holidays together, the actor was seen hitting a local club all alone on Christmas eve. Pattinson, who just finished a promo tour for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II", went casual in a hoodie and a baseball cap as he came to the Sun Inn pub Monday night, reports aceshowbiz.com
London, Dec 26 (IANS) Humans could make contact with alien life within the next 12 years, says a former official from the British defence ministry's UFO project. The development of a supersized radio telescope called Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will unleash "new and exciting possibilities" on whether there is life out there in the universe, former UFO Project leader Nick Pope told the Daily Express
London, Dec 26 (IANS) The National Audit Office of Britain will launch an investigation after the BBC reportedly gave 200 senior managers pay-offs of more than 100,000 pounds each in the past three years, the Daily Telegraph reported.
London, Dec 26 (IANS) British lawmakers will next year question chiefs of intelligence agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and may demand any sensitive material and investigate any operation they wish, a media report said. Officials will be able to go to the agencies to review and retrieve documents in person rather than relying on them to decide what evidence is relevant to any inquiry, the Daily Telegraph reported. Malcolm Rifkind, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), said parliament and the public can have confidence that "nothing is being held back".
London, Dec 26 (IANS) Singer Taylor Swift has been named the most charitable celebrity of 2012. The 23-year-old was awarded the honour by DoSomething.org, a non-profit organisation that aims to motivate young people to take action on social changes through national campaigns. The organisation released its list of Top 20 Celebs Gone Good of 2012, and Swift topped the list after donating $4 million to the Country Hall of Fame museum, reports dailymail.co.uk
Melbourne, Dec 26 (IANS) Australian cricketer Leah Poulton Wednesday announced her retirement from the One Day International (ODI) cricket. Poulton will continue to be available for Twenty20 Internationals and will also play domestic cricket for the Lend Lease Breakers in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL), said Cricket Australia. Poulton made her international debut in a T20 match in the Rose Bowl Series against New Zealand in October 2006.
London, Dec 26 (IANS) Singer Kimberley Walsh is keen to return to theatre so that she can show off her newly acquired footwork skills on reality show "Strictly Come Dancing".
