Just when you think you’ve settled in to a nice routine, things change again. It might happen with warning or unexpectedly. Summer is one of those times routines change for a lot of people. It can be easy for your crafting hobby to fall by the wayside whether you have children or grandchildren off school, demands shift at work or you’re planning your own holiday, for example.

Porto is often introduced through its namesake fortified wine, but that does the city a disservice. Spend a long weekend here and you quickly realise that food, rather than Port, is the heartbeat of northern Portugal.

Paddington Bear, a true British icon with an endearing personality has captured the hearts and minds of millions the world over since author Michael Bond created him in 1958.

2026 will see the world’s best men’s rugby union teams battle it out to become the inaugural Nations Championship champions. Six Northern Hemisphere nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales) will take on six Southern Hemisphere nations (Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa) in a bid to become the ‘best nation’ and most ‘dominant hemisphere’.

This Alcohol Awareness Week (6th-12th July), Mental Health Expert Noel McDermott looks at how alcohol is costing us more than just money. Alcohol is a drug, and one that creates physical dependency, and drinking too much creates health problems. Everyone knows this, and many people tell themselves they will stop drinking if they experience negative health consequences.

A change is as good as a rest they say and this novella is certainly a change. If you need waking up, this is the book for you, with its short chapters and fast pace. Despite the narrator’s protestations, it is not an advice manual, not a manual of good advice, at least.

Meetings are an integral part of how organisations operate today. Schedules are often packed weeks ahead, leaving employees with little choice but to spend significant time in discussions, reviewing strategies, monitoring progress and tackling challenges.

July may well prove to be the standout month in this year's theatrical calendar, as the ever-popular Calendar Girls: The Musical arrives at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. With its unique blend of Yorkshire humour, heartfelt emotion and unforgettably dramatic moments, this latest production is a must-see theatrical treat.

The motoring press has been most impressed with the new Renault 5. Praise has been heaped on it from all quarters and it’s easy to see why. However, lurking quietly in the shadows is another new and equally exciting EV from the French manufacturer, namely the Renault 4.

Regular readers of my column will know that, with my husband’s help, I sowed wildflower seeds in one of our paddocks towards the end of last year. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much this year, as sowing seeds in a grassy area can be notoriously difficult. Given that we had decided to sow just two patches in a paddock of almost an acre, I thought I might be asking for too much.

Reuniting with Stuart Price proves to be the masterstroke. Their chemistry remains extraordinary, creating a seamless collection of club music that feels both classic and contemporary. House, disco, electro and synth-pop flow effortlessly into one another, with every transition designed to keep the energy moving. It's a record built to be experienced as a whole rather than dissected into individual streaming moments—a rarity in modern pop.

I defy anyone not to start moving their legs in Charleston fashion with this seductive celebration of 1920s glamour. Nostalgia and a hearkening back to an age of nightclubs, novelty and no small amount of nerve. There is a moment, early in the opening track, Sax-O-Trix, when you realise Chad Smith is not so much playing the saxophone as interrogating it. The virtuosity is immediate and slightly alarming — watch him perform, and you may find yourself short of breath on his behalf.

Step into the stunningly refurbished independent Thai restaurant Sukhothai, and you’ll be blown away by the ambience, the food and the service.

The Old Pantry Sun angles for a perch of glass, Cups alight on their scroll hooks. Life transfers to bone china Her sparkling buds and lustres. Oilcloth glistens to cut scraps of light, A dimmed or glittering stillness, But from the dark, the recessed silence, White food floats dim surfaces.

It is one of those facts that you don’t see coming but, when it does, it completely arrests your attention and leaves you in a momentary state of disbelief!

Few debut artists arrive with as much goodwill as Sienna Spiro. Ever since her powerhouse covers began circulating online, comparisons to Adele and Amy Winehouse have followed her at every turn. While those labels always felt premature, they were understandable: Spiro possesses one of the most naturally commanding voices to emerge from British pop in years. The Visitor confirms that beyond any doubt. What it doesn't quite confirm is whether she has the songs to match.

The singing itself is the chief pleasure here. Just fifteen sopranos and altos produce a remarkably well-blended sound under Searles' direction, the tone consistently lovely and the diction unusually clean for a choir working in such a resonant space. Phrasing throughout is intelligent and unforced.

Marathon winner and former Great Britain representative EDRA, a new British running apparel brand, was launched this week in Leeds with its complete summer running collection showing ‘strong early sales and a great reaction across socials’.

It’s that time of year again when the strawberries are out, the flags are up, and every sports fan in the country has one eye on the tennis and the other on the football. But spare a thought for the patch of grass outside your back door because with a bit of love and the right know how, your lawn could look every bit as good as Centre Court or worthy of hosting the World Cup final.

Visitors to Chester Zoo will be able to spend the whole day and evening at the attraction this summer, with the zoo’s popular Afterglow event included in standard daytime admission for the first time.

Italian favourites Venice, Florence, and Rome top the list of Europe’s most walkable cities. Berlin’s famous parks make it the most walkable city outside of Italy.

Overall index increased by +0.4. Retrospective (+1.5) and forward-looking (+2.6) household finance figures continue recovery. Perceptions of house prices worsened over the past 30 days (-3.2) and looking ahead to the next 12 months (-0.5). Business activity measures improved over June (+3.6), as did outlook (+1.2)

Andy Burnham used his first major speech since launching his bid for the Labour leadership to set out an "innovation nation" vision for Britain, built around deeper devolution, a championing of science and entrepreneurship, and a fundamental rethink of how young people are educated and trained.

A third of people in the North East have never discussed inheritance, with widespread gaps in tax and estate planning knowledge

Few artists capture the complexities of human emotion quite like Scott Quinn. The British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist returns with his poignant new single, Places in London, a heartfelt reflection on the hidden losses that linger after heartbreak.

Sir Keir Starmer's decision to step down has triggered a pivotal moment for Labour and for the future direction of public services, with Andy Burnham the leading contender to succeed him. Burnham has previously spoken about the need for stronger community-based services and reforms to health and social care, making the sector one to watch closely as the leadership contest unfolds.

Following the issue of a rare red weather warning, LNER is advising customers travelling throughout this week to check before they travel and strongly recommends customers booked to travel on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 June 2026 do not travel.

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry has announced that its annual Customer and Communities Improvement Fund, and its Biodiversity Improvement Projects fund, are now open for applications. The two funds are being launched to support local projects that encourage sustainable growth and create a positive impact for local communities across the CrossCountry network.

With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the tragic collision between two passenger trains on Friday 19th June. I realise honourable members will be aware of some of the details, but today I’d like to set out the facts as we know them so far. At approximately 17.15 on Friday evening, two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided at Elstow near Bedford.

There’s no escaping it now: artificial intelligence has well and truly arrived in hospitality. From the moment a guest starts searching for somewhere to stay or eat to the follow-up review after they’ve gone home, AI is increasingly shaping the journey. It promises smoother bookings, sharper recommendations, and smarter marketing.

This is a beautiful novel which evokes all sorts of emotions. Set in Trinidad and partly in New York City, it is written in a patois which has a musical lilt to it and which quickly becomes familiar. Likewise, although the dialogue is not punctuated, it is laid out in such a way as to make it easily readable.

While the world watches the FIFA World Cup, Chester is gearing up to host its own global tournament, and this one comes with bells on. Twenty-five town criers from across the globe will descend on the city this September for the World Town Crier Tournament, organisers Marketing Cheshire have confirmed. The details were announced, fittingly, by Chester Town Crier David Mitchell.

The disc closes with a winning account of La plus que lente, beautifully turned and rounding off what is, in sum, a most agreeable album. There is creativity and no shortage of skill in these interpretations. Rêverie, in particular, charms from the first bar. Much of that charm comes down to sound as well as substance: the recording was made on a Bösendorfer 280VC concert grand in the Concert Hall at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, and Chandos's engineers have captured its warmth with their customary skill.

She opens with the lyrical and rather lovely Handel Violin Sonata in D major — rhythmical and expressive, with delightful accompaniment from Bai. The playing throughout is perfectly balanced and crisply articulated, the dynamics judged with care, each movement elegantly shaped.

Whilst pot-bellied pigs are extremely affectionate and endearing, it is important to remember that caring for these small-breed pigs requires understanding and dedication. Pot-bellied pigs have wonderful personalities and are very clever animals; in fact, they are thought to be among the top five most intelligent animals in the world and are often considered much smarter than dogs.

Conservationists at Chester Zoo have welcomed a rare northern giraffe - and hope he'll prove quite the catch. Kris, a lively three-year-old male, has travelled from West Midlands Safari Park to meet the zoo's resident female herd. His introduction has been carefully planned, with conservationists matching the animals based on genetics, age and temperament.

If there is one thing every outdoor artist in Manchester learns quickly, it is never to trust the weather forecast. In the days leading up to Didsbury Festival 2026, the prediction was fairly bleak. Rain seemed inevitable.

Mitsubishi stopped selling its range of vehicles in the UK in 2021, but now the Japanese company is back with two new vehicles. At the recent launch event, I got to sample both the L200 pickup and the Outlander PHEV. The latter is a story for another day. This is the seventh generation of the L200 and it has been on sale in other markets for quite some time.

Sweeping reforms to England's home-buying system, unveiled today, have been welcomed by one of the country's leading mortgage lenders as a step towards tackling Britain's affordability challenges.

Northern's 'Creating Customer Confidence' programme is helping to deliver one of the biggest customer satisfaction turnarounds in the operator's history. Train operator Northern has moved up from the bottom of the national rankings in Transport Focus's latest rail passenger scorecard, in one of the clearest signs yet that the operator's drive to rebuild passenger trust is working.

Over 100,000 passengers surveyed in the biggest rail satisfaction survey in British history. 87 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. CrossCountry worst-performing train operator in survey with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied. Hull Trains passengers most satisfied with their journey. Results will be used to drive day-to-day improvements for passengers and inform Great British Railways priorities.

ONS data that shows inflation to have held at 2.8 per cent in May

The Russian-born German pianist Igor Levit, one of the most politically outspoken and intellectually restless musicians of his generation, is to launch his own record label — NO SILENCE — with three debut releases due on 23 October 2026 in partnership with Sony Classical.