41 m. ago ‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research

Wealth of datasets compiled as private passions are now a goldmine for those hunting for their ancestorsThe autumn sunlight is filtering through quietly falling leaves as Louise Cocker stands in front of the gravestone of James Henry Payne and takes a quick photograph. Payne died at the age of 73 in October 1917 and was buried in the Norfolk town of North Walsham, along with his wife Eleanor and son James Edward, who was killed in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. “Not lost”, reads the simple slab, “but gone before”.This is far from the first Norfolk gravestone Cocker, 53, has photographed – in fact, over 24 years, she has captured almost half a million of them, driving around the county on her weekends and days off from her job in the local Lidl supermarket. As a result, she has produced a remarkable dataset of 615,000 names – many graves contain more than one person – which experts consider one of the most comprehensive photographic records of gravestones and memorials in En...

Politics

41 m. ago How Man United should line up vs Newcastle in Boxing Day Premier League fixture

Manchester United welcome Newcastle to Old Trafford this evening as they look to return to winning ways in the Premier League.

Politics

76 m. ago Ashes LIVE: Nightmare start for England in response to Australia's 152 as wickets tumble in Boxing Day Test

The hosts are trying to roll to a 4-0 lead in the series without skipper Pat Cummins and spin king Nathan Lyon.

Politics

1 hour ago Brentford vs Bournemouth Premier League preview, team news and prediction

Premier League football returns after the Christmas festivities with Brentford looking to climb up the table while Bournemouth - missing out on Europe last season - will be hoping for a resurgence after such a strong start

Politics

2 h. ago Ashes LIVE: Five wicket haul from Tongue has Aussies licked for 152 as wickets tumble AGAIN just before tea in the Boxing Day Test

The hosts are trying to roll to a 4-0 lead in the series without skipper Pat Cummins and spin king Nathan Lyon.

Politics

2 h. ago Myanmar will hold its first general election in 5 years as criticism of the military rule mounts

Myanmar will hold the first phase of a general election on Sunday, its first vote in five years and an election framed by the ruling military as a return to multi-party democracy

Events

3 h. ago Ashes LIVE: Australia cops a Tongue lashing with four wickets tumbling before lunch as England roars to life in Boxing Day Test

The hosts are trying to roll to a 4-0 lead in the series without skipper Pat Cummins and spin king Nathan Lyon.

Politics

5 h. ago Louis is the love of my life. We're in our 50s, share a son, live together and have just had the most blissful Christmas. But we have a secret you'll never guess...

Fergus, his father and I spent Christmas day yesterday together. This wouldn't be remotely unusual, except that Fergus's father, Louis, and I have a surprising secret...

Society

5 h. ago Can you return Christmas gifts without a receipt? Know your consumer rights

All retailers will want to see some proof of purchase – though not necessarily the original receipt

Politics

6 h. ago Inside Nicole Kidman's first Christmas without Keith Urban: 'This is all she wanted'

Nicole Kidman returned home to Australia for her first Christmas since splitting from husband Keith Urban.

Politics

6 h. ago ‘Christmas miracle’ as stunned owner reunited with cat five years after pet vanished ‘into thin air’

A MISSING cat that had not been seen for five years suddenly returned to her family just in time for Christmas. The black cat called Bindi "vanished into thin air" in August 2020 but was miraculously found last week. Her 29-year-old software project manager owner Jilly Fretwell said: “it was really odd for her to...

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7 h. ago Boxing Day Test 2025: Australia v England fourth Ashes Test, day one – live updates

Over-by-over updates from the MCG, hosts lead series 3-0 The Ashes top 100 | Follow us on Bluesky | And email Tim“And merry Christmas to you!” says Gareth Wilson. “If I can gently disagree with Andrew Benton, what is most galling, and slightly puts your lovely stat on runs difference to bed, is that Australia have not been amazing. They haven’t needed to be. Sure – one Travis Head innings, one Alex Carey Test, and some good Starc, but none of those by themselves should have been enough to go 3-squat up. ”England have faced a historically poor Aussie team and STILL blown it. It’s depressing, but hey, 0-0 right?“Love your work.” Thanks! The Christmas spirit is flowing. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago Coronation Street legend Gail Platt makes a surprise RETURN on Christmas Day in emotional scenes

The much-loved character, played by Helen Worth, bowed out of the cobbles after tying the knot with sixth husband Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson).

Politics

7 h. ago Two years on from October 7, the cradle of Christianity buzzes again as pilgrims cautiously return to Nazareth

Pilgrims and tourists are finally returning to the birthplace of Christianity for the first time since the war in Gaza broke out.

Politics

8 h. ago Benjamin Nygren tells Hearts that Celtic will 'hunt down' league leaders in bullish title warning

The Hoops playmaker is not getting hot and bothered about the Jambos going into New Year with a lead at the top

Events

8 h. ago Scott McTominay's stance on Man Utd return as 'issues' emerge at Napoli

Scott McTominay has been linked with a return to the Premier League after a stunning start to life in Italy with Napoli, but the midfielder has previously spoken of his love for the Serie A side

Politics

9 h. ago The Traitors series four hints at huge twist with new trailer as a sinister RED CLOAK is revealed

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the hit BBC guessing game will be returning to our screens on New Year's Day.

Culture

9 h. ago Prescott leads Cowboys past skidding Commanders to kick off Christmas triple

Prescott ties Romo with fourth 30-TD seasonCowboys convert all six fourth-down attemptsWashington rally falls short behind Josh JohnsonDak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders 30-23 Thursday.Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) cut the gap to a touchdown on three different occasions, they couldn’t complete the comeback and absorbed their 10th loss in 11 games. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Prescott leads Cowboys past skidding Commanders as Lions eliminated with loss

Prescott ties Romo with fourth 30-TD seasonCowboys convert all six fourth-down attemptsLions eliminated after error-strewn loss to VikingsDak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing past the Washington Commanders 30-23 Thursday.Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to go up 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) cut the gap to a touchdown on three different occasions, they couldn’t complete the comeback and absorbed their 10th loss in 11 games. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Call the Midwife fan favourite makes surprise return in Christmas Special after years away

A CALL the Midwife fan favourite made a surprise return during this year's Christmas Special after years away. The popular BBC period drama aired the first of two festive episodes this evening. It saw a group of Poplar residents head to Hong Kong to help the sisters of Branch House after the building collapsed and...

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