A YouGov survey has found that 50% of Brits would be open to the idea of an ethnic minority Santa. There was less support, however, for a female or a gay Santa, with only 27% and 39% finding such a prospect palatable. An advert recently released by the Norwegian postal service showed Father Christmas kissing a man, 50 years after homosexuality was decriminalised in the country.
Longest running Santa school honoured
A US school dedicated to preparing people to portray Santa has been named the world’s longest-running institution of its kind by Guinness World Records. The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, founded in October 1937, has been operating continuously for 84 years. Its Clausesque curriculum includes how to properly dress as Santa, how to sing and dance to Christmas music, how to make toys in a workshop and how to ride a sleigh.
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Space agencies ‘should join 62-mile high club’
Nasa has been encouraged to do more to encourage the study of sex in space with its astronauts. A new study has also called on the UK Space Agency to start exploring “space sexology”, which is defined as the scientific study of extraterrestrial intimacy. The Daily Star said boffins want to help saucy space travellers join the “62-mile high club”.
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6 exquisite homes with vast acreageFeature Featuring an off-the-grid contemporary home in New Mexico and lakefront farmhouse in Massachusetts
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Film reviews: ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,’ and ‘Sirat’Feature An inconvenient love torments a would-be couple, a gonzo time traveler seeks to save humanity from AI, and a father’s desperate search goes deeply sideways
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Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
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Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
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Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
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Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
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China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
