The one puzzle that GCHQ has never been able to solve… As the spy agency issues its annual Christmas codebreaking challenge

The one puzzle that GCHQ has never been able to solve… As the spy agency issues its annual Christmas codebreaking challenge

If you plan to spend a portion of Christmas curled up on a warm sofa pondering that day’s crossword puzzle, then you owe at least a small vote of thanks to a man called Leonard Dawe. An exceptional footballer, who played for both Southampton and England’s amateur team before World War I, Dawe had settled … Read more

Lancashire accent is dying out and could disappear ENTIRELY within ‘the next few generations’, study warns

Lancashire accent is dying out and could disappear ENTIRELY within ‘the next few generations’, study warns

There might not be long left to hear one of Britain’s most distinctive accents. Celebrities like Eric Morecambe, Jane Horrocks, and Jim Bowen made the Lancashire accent famous, but scientists say it is now disappearing.  The Lancashire accent is unique for its use of the ‘Arr’ sound in words like ‘car’ or ‘father’.  However, researchers … Read more

Brittany Higgins and fiance David Sharaz fly out of Australia to start a new life in France – here are all the signs they were planning to leave for good

Brittany Higgins and fiance David Sharaz fly out of Australia to start a new life in France – here are all the signs they were planning to leave for good

Brittany Higgins and her fiancé David Sharaz have left Australia behind and will start a new life in a small French village. The couple said an emotional goodbye to Ms Higgins’ mother Kelly and father Matthew, before boarding a flight at Brisbane International Airport on Monday at 11.35pm. Both were dressed head-to-toe in white – the same colour adopted by … Read more

Two-month-old baby who died in hospital after being fed contaminated baby food is named for first time – nearly a decade on from her death

Two-month-old baby who died in hospital after being fed contaminated baby food is named for first time – nearly a decade on from her death

A two-month old baby who died in hospital after being fed contaminated baby food has been named for the first time, nearly a decade on from her death. Aviva Otte died at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Evelina children’s hospital in London. Her death at the hospital, run by Guy’s and St … Read more

Gun-toting brothers who lay in wait to ambush would-be thieves who tried to steal their motorbikes are jailed for more than 40 YEARS after shooting at robbers

Gun-toting brothers who lay in wait to ambush would-be thieves who tried to steal their motorbikes are jailed for more than 40 YEARS after shooting at robbers

Two brothers have been put behind bars for a total of 40 years after they ambushed and fired a gun at men who tried to steal their motorbikes in an ‘extremely reckless’ attack. Christopher Nourse, 45, and his 42-year-old brother Colin, were spending an evening together at Colin’s house when they noticed a group of … Read more

Villagers’ fury after 6ft fence is built around green space that was sold at auction and is stopping one man from trimming his hedgerow – as 600 residents sign petition

Villagers’ fury after 6ft fence is built around green space that was sold at auction and is stopping one man from trimming his hedgerow – as 600 residents sign petition

Highnam residents shocked after giant fence erected around local green space  By Oliver Price Published: 14:18 GMT, 18 December 2023 | Updated: 14:22 GMT, 18 December 2023 A man has been blocked from trimming his own hedgerow by a mysterious six-foot high fence that appeared next to his Gloucestershire village home. Residents of Highnam, on … Read more

Prince Andrew invited former Goldman Sachs banker accused of £40million fraud and a Libyan gun smuggler to royal residences

Prince Andrew invited former Goldman Sachs banker accused of £40million fraud and a Libyan gun smuggler to royal residences

 The Duke invited a gun smuggler and an alleged fraudster to St James’s Palace By Emily Jane Davies Published: 02:36 GMT, 20 December 2023 | Updated: 02:41 GMT, 20 December 2023 Prince Andrew invited an alleged fraudster and a convicted gun smuggler to St James’s Palace, according to court documents. The Duke of York, along with … Read more

Doggy daycare, puppy leave, forest bathing, a cake on your first day and a week in a holiday resort to unwind: Perks to lure pampered GEN-Z workers to the office revealed (but you can forget pizza Fridays as everyone is WFH)

Doggy daycare, puppy leave, forest bathing, a cake on your first day and a week in a holiday resort to unwind: Perks to lure pampered GEN-Z workers to the office revealed (but you can forget pizza Fridays as everyone is WFH)

Mollycoddled Gen Z-ers are being lured back to the office with perks from bosses ranging from free breakfasts to woodland meditation retreats, MailOnline can reveal. Young people entering the world of work have said they are demanding more benefits from their jobs because ‘the world could end tomorrow’ and the pull of the office is … Read more

Breakthrough in sepsis treatment as new blood test can rapidly identify the ‘silent killer’

Breakthrough in sepsis treatment as new blood test can rapidly identify the ‘silent killer’

Sepsis kills around 48,000 people a year in the UK alone It occurs when an infection causes the immune system to attack the body itself The new test could provide a diagnosis in just 45 minutes  By Victoria Allen Published: 22:04 GMT, 17 December 2023 | Updated: 08:12 GMT, 18 December 2023 A blood test … Read more

Luxury ‘festival’ hotel Birch that tried to entice wealthy creatives with pottery, yoga and sourdough baking classes for £150-a-night closes after going into administration

Luxury ‘festival’ hotel Birch that tried to entice wealthy creatives with pottery, yoga and sourdough baking classes for £150-a-night closes after going into administration

A luxury ‘hipster’ hotel that tried to entice wealthy creatives living in London with its ‘festival’ atmosphere, pottery workshops and sourdough baking sessions has gone into administration. The Birch Hotel in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, emerged during the pandemic and quickly became an award-winning hotel. Using a private members’ model, it was billed as a cross between … Read more