Mind Loom

Denise Coates, the founder and CEO of Bet365, received a total pay package of at least £261 million last year, according to newly filed accounts. This includes a salary of nearly £104 million and at least half of the company's £313.6 million dividend payout. Her earnings over the past eight years now exceed £2.6 billion.

The pay rise comes as the company's profits fell 43% due to international expansion and ahead of new online gambling taxes announced by the Labour government.

The UK government has reversed course, raising the inheritance tax threshold for farmers from £1 million to £2.5 million. This means family farms can pass on up to £5 million in assets before facing the tax. The decision follows intense protests against the original plan, which farmers warned threatened their livelihoods. The move is being hailed as a major relief for the agricultural sector.

Lidl GB will donate around 100 tonnes of surplus food from its UK stores on Christmas Eve through its Feed It Back programme in partnership with Neighbourly. The donation is expected to provide over 238,000 Christmas meals to people in need, marking a milestone in what is set to be Lidl's largest year of food redistribution to date. In 2025 alone, the retailer has supported more than 4 million people through surplus donations and provided over 2.6 million festive meals this season.

European cloud provider UpCloud has launched a new data center in Ballerup, Copenhagen, expanding its infrastructure in the Nordic region. The facility aims to support low-latency workloads across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Baltic states while helping businesses meet EU data locality and governance requirements. This move strengthens UpCloud's European network and provides enhanced cloud capacity and performance for regional clients.

BYD UK has rapidly expanded its dealer network from 52 to 125 franchised sites in 2025, supported by 38 retail partners, 18 of which joined this year. The growth solidifies the Chinese electric vehicle brand’s presence and aims to increase consumer access to its New Energy Vehicles across the UK.

Deputy Country Manager Steve Beattie cited strong retailer confidence as key to the expansion, which helped BYD achieve third place in the National Franchised Dealers Association rankings.

The market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire has been named the happiest place to live in Great Britain for 2025, according to Rightmove's annual Happy at Home Index. Residents praised the town for its affordability, access to jobs, friendly community, and proximity to nature—including the Yorkshire Dales and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.

Skipton's historic castle, vibrant market, and strong sense of belonging contributed to its top ranking, beating London areas like Richmond-upon-Thames and Camden.

The UK government has announced that more than 100 mobile masts in rural areas have been upgraded under the £1.3 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, delivering 4G coverage from all major operators to previously underserved regions.

The scheme, a joint effort with EE, Virgin Media O2, Three, and Vodafone, aims to cover 95% of the UK's landmass by the end of 2025. To date, the initiative has extended coverage to an extra 9,500 premises, 1,400km of roads, and over 400 businesses.

Google is considering building a data center in Valer, Norway, having applied for 480MW of power capacity in the region. The site at Gylderåsen was identified in a 2017 feasibility study and aligns with Norway's national strategy to attract data center investments for job creation and green digital transformation.

While Google confirmed the application, it emphasized that no final decision has been made. This follows Google's ongoing construction of its first Norwegian data center campus in Skien, announced in 2022.

Norway is constructing the Rogfast tunnel, which will become the world's longest and deepest undersea road tunnel at 27 kilometers long and 400 meters below sea level. Set to open in 2033, the tunnel will replace a vital ferry crossing on the E39 coastal highway, cutting 40 minutes off travel between Stavanger and Bergen and eliminating weather-related delays.

The project aims to provide a faster, more reliable connection along Norway's storm-prone west coast.

The sight of a robin in winter often evokes feelings of happiness and comfort, a phenomenon rooted in psychology and tradition. Experts explain that the robin provides "cyclical and seasonal stability" during a period of high stress, acting as a cultural symbol of positive energy and resilience. Linked to National Robin Day on December 21st, the bird also serves as a gentle reminder of loved ones, with nearly half of UK adults saying spotting one makes them feel cheerful.

Denmark’s national postal service, PostNord, will deliver its last letter on December 30, ending a tradition dating back to 1624. Citing a more than 90% decline in letter volume over 25 years and the nation's high digitalization, the service will cut 1,500 jobs and remove its iconic red postboxes.

While private carrier Dao will expand letter services, the shift marks a symbolic end to an era, despite a potential resurgence in letter-writing among younger generations seeking a "counterbalance to digital oversaturation."

A new European Commission report warns that Georgia risks losing its visa-free travel privileges with the EU due to a lack of progress on democratic reforms and visa-policy alignment. Under the updated Visa Suspension Mechanism, the EU could first suspend visas for holders of diplomatic and official passports, and later extend the suspension to the entire Georgian population if issues remain unaddressed. The Commission noted a "systemic and deliberate" backsliding with no meaningful corrective measures taken.