Weird News: Santa Claus elected North Pole mayor

A man named Santa Claus has won his bid to become the mayor of the North Pole.

Santa, 68, won with 58 write-in votes from the town in Alaska of 2,200 people. Despite his bid being real, Santa has become a viral sensation since announcing he was running for the position, having gained more than 300,000 likes on a post on his Facebook page. He has thanked those who had voted for him in an updated post. He wrote: "I'm happy to announce that I have been elected to the North Pole City Council! My thanks to everyone who voted for me, the news media that covered my campaign, and all who supported my run for office via social media. I look forward to continuing to serve my community."

A room is available for rent for PS1 a week in London. A homeowner in Stratford is offering rental of his house for the ridiculously cheap price, but it's only available to IT and business graduates who will assist him with the development of his web and mobile skills. The property features five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garden. EasyRoommate.com, who are advertising the room, have urged those looking to take up the rental to approach the arrangement with caution. They said: "Although this kind of advert seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we advise you to proceed with caution. Some landlords like to take advantage of desperate room-seekers and expect more than you are willing to bring to the table".

Bridge players have lost their High Court fight to make the game a sport. Whilst Mr Justice Dove acknowledged the "health benefits" for the mind and the fact playing the card game was beneficial for elderly people, "providing them with a sense of inclusion and community they might otherwise not have", he could not conclude there was any element of "physical activity" involved. And Sport England refused to recognise bridge as a sport because they claimed it is just like "reading a book". On the other hand, English Bridge Union argued that model aircraft flying and snooker - both recognised as sports - offer little physical fitness to the nation.