LONDON: Britain's government will make 3,000 tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest available to displaced Ukrainians after their country was unable to host the competition because of Russia's invasion last year.
The government also said it would provide 10 million pounds ($12 million) of funding to help host Eurovision in May on behalf of Ukraine, which won the competition in 2022 and would normally have become host for the following year.
"Today's announcement means that thousands of tickets will be offered to those displaced by war, so that they can take part in a show honoring their homeland, their culture and their music," Britain's Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said.
"As always, we stand together with the Ukrainian people and their fight for freedom."
The northern English city of Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision. Britain was the runner-up last year.
British broadcaster BBC will stage the event, which normally draws a television audience of close to 200 million and was last held in Britain in 1998. Ukraine has automatically qualified to the grand final of the competition.
UK to offer 3,000 Eurovision tickets to displaced Ukrainians
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UK to offer 3,000 Eurovision tickets to displaced Ukrainians
- The UK government has pledged $12 million to help host Eurovision in May on behalf of Ukraine
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
