Former UK Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher, 87, is recovering in hospital after undergoing a minor operation yesterday to have a growth removed from her bladder.
“She is absolutely fine,” the spokeswoman said of the ex-premier, who has suffered some ill health in recent years.
Baroness Thatcher was expected to need several days of recuperation, meaning she will spend Christmas in hospital, where she is accompanied by her daughter Carol.
Her son is believed to be on holiday overseas.
Obamas holiday in Hawaii
US President Barack Obama and his family are spending the Christmas holidays in Hawaii, where the US President was born and raised.
America’s first family left Washington aboard Air Force One en route to Honolulu. White House officials say the President’s holiday itinerary does not include any scheduled public events.
Mr Obama and his family traditionally spend the end-of-year holidays in Hawaii.
Seals join endangered list
Two types of ice seals have joined polar bears on the US government list of species threatened by the loss of sea ice, which scientists say reached record low levels this year due to climate change.
Ringed seals, the main prey of polar bears, and bearded seals (pictured) in the Arctic Ocean will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
A species is threatened if it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of its range.
Court clears ex-President
A Costa Rican appeal court has overturned a former President’s conviction on corruption charges, ruling that prosecutors waited too long to try the case.
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who was President in 1998-2002, had been sentenced to five years in prison last year but was not jailed pending his appeal.
Mr Rodriguez and other former government officials were charged with taking bribes in exchange for giving the Latin American branch of the French telecom company Alcatel a £92 (€113) million mobile phone contract while he was President in 2001.
Peace talks adjourned
Colombian government representatives and left-wing rebels adjourned peace talks for a Christmas respite, with no agreement on what kind of country they want after 21 days and more than 100 hours of negotiations.
The government delegation and negotiators from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, have been sitting across the table in the Cuban capital Havana since November 19, seeking a deal to end the country’s violent, decades-old conflict.
Although they are still working on the first point of their six-item agenda, both sides insisted talks were developing in a respectful atmosphere. (PA)