Paths crunching under foot, pink-cheeked children throwing snowballs, trees glistening…..the ideal of a white Christmas is almost close enough to touch (with warm gloves) this year.

Most of us in the UK have grown up with the reality of a dull, grey, mild climate accompanying the Christmas revelry. But if some scientists are right, more of the snowy stuff at yuletide may be nigh.

It’s all to do with the Sun. Our star’s activity – reflected in solar flares and sunspots – moves in an 11 year cycle. So when the sun is at ’solar maximum’ and most active, the intense solar wind causes the famous coloured aurora borealis.

But if you’ve been to Iceland recently hoping to catch a glimpse, you will probably have been disappointed. That’s because the sun is currently at ’solar minimum’ – the least active time in its cycle.

Argentina’s cash-strapped government has just laid out a wad of crisp pesos (600 million a year – about US$155 million - to be precise) to pay for the rights to broadcast Argentine league games for nada on TV .

It’s a move that is bound to go down well in the soccer mad nation, but has been roundly criticised for being populist and a waste of state funds.

It’s very much par for the course for the anti-business, pro-big government ruling Peronist party, who have hiked export taxes and even banned the export of beef in a misguided attempt to keep food prices low in Argentina.