World’s largest nativity scene towers over city with record-breaking holy figures


Here are some of the unusual ways countries around the world celebrate the festive season

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From the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to Donald Trump’s territorial wishlist, test your travel knowledge. Every answer is the name of a country
Name the six countries or territories Donald Trump has said or suggested he would like to annex, acquire or take control of.
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© Composite: Phil Hackett; Getty Images; Python/Allstar; Alamy

© Composite: Phil Hackett; Getty Images; Python/Allstar; Alamy

© Composite: Phil Hackett; Getty Images; Python/Allstar; Alamy

Beat the post-Christmas blues with these sun-drenched destinations that promise winter warmth

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Passengers can enjoy everything from a new spa to a suite deck following the cruise ship’s recent revamp

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Get that warm feeling by securing a cruise taking in the Great Barrier Reef, the Canary Islands or the Caribbean during the colder months

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Rats, riots and solidarity sketches have cropped up in locations from Bristol to Ukraine

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Family were in the water when the deadly waves hit Tenerife earlier in December

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Some of the most extraordinary hotels in the U.S. are hidden far off the beaten track — these are some exciting ones to discover in 2026

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Sarah Marshall finds Principe has all the tranquility of a Caribbean holiday without the crowds

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Worst rail disruption is on CrossCountry Trains through Birmingham, while easyJet passengers from Tenerife are scrambling to return to Manchester after flight cancellation

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Prosecutors say the man targeted an Azerbaijani couple whose luggage contained items worth tens of thousands of pounds

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When December 25 comes around, queues spill out of every KFC in Tokyo. So when Queenie Shaikh’s visit happened to fall over the festive period, she couldn’t resist joining in to see what all the fuss is about

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The woman was travelling with two medical professionals and a ‘fit to fly’ certificate, said the airline

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Plane Talk: And the journey with most passengers is... a domestic link in Korea, from a secondary airport

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If the train had had a single working toilet I would have been fine. Ditto if it had been the fast route. But I was on the slow train to Derby and knew I was in trouble ...
I had been visiting my boyfriend in London for the weekend. He was a hard-up student and I was still at sixth-form, but beer was pretty cheap in 2000, so we had been out for a few pints. Now we were racing to St Pancras so I could get the last train home to Derby.
I legged it through the station and made it on to the train with seconds to spare. No time for the loo, but I’d relieve myself on the train. Or so I thought.
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© Illustration: Mark Long/The Guardian

© Illustration: Mark Long/The Guardian

© Illustration: Mark Long/The Guardian
This hidden gem has country inns, canalside walks, a stunning viaduct, the historic town of Market Harborough – and not a tour bus in sight
It was a chilly Sunday in November 2000 when the gods chose to smile on Ken Wallace. The retired teacher was sweeping his metal detector across a hillside in Leicestershire’s Welland valley when a series of beeps brought him up short. Digging down, he found a cache of buried coins almost two millennia old. He had chanced upon one of the UK’s most important iron age hoards, totalling about 5,000 silver and gold coins.
More than 25 years on, I’m staring at Ken’s find at the civic museum in the nearby town of Market Harborough. The now gleaming coins are decorated with wreaths and horses. They’re about the size of 5p pieces, but speak of a wild-eyed age of tribal lands and windswept hill forts.
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© Photograph: Darren Staples/Alamy

© Photograph: Darren Staples/Alamy

© Photograph: Darren Staples/Alamy