Santa Claus must now abide by a strict code of conduct in order to preserve the holiday ideal. "We are trying to eradicate shoddy Santas," James Lovell of the Ministry of Fun agency tells Reuters. "Santa is a magical and cuddly man, not a fat, smelly slob," says Lovell, whose agency fills 500 Santa positions a year. "I even saw a Santa last year wearing trainers (sneakers). "

Luxury car maker Mercedes loses a case in German court brought by an overweight man who says his heft caused multiple breakdowns in the car. The court ruled that Mercedes must release the insurance salesman from a car lease deal after a dispute over whether he was too heavy to drive the luxury vehicle, Bild newspaper reports Tuesday.

A highly popular British pop band storms out of its debut performance on BBC TV's The two siblings who make up the group The Magic Numbers, refuse to perform their single on Sunday's edition of the show after taking offense to comments made by guest host Richard Bacon.