Nearly everyone choosing a medical career now makes this momentous decision as a young teenager. Two sets of exams must be aced, and extracurricular activities buffed to have any chance of gaining what remains, despite the palpably low morale of doctors, a highly competitive profession.

Recent global events have been little short of apocalyptic, with nearly every world leader turning their backs on Donald Trump, rejecting his efforts to start WW3. 'MAGA' – his battalion of devoted and adoring fans have turned their backs on him, denouncing his actions against Iran - thank god.

Mortgage rates have moved higher again this spring, with the average two and five-year fixed deals now sitting at around 5.3 to 5.4 per cent, as lenders respond to a more volatile market. After a relatively stable start to the year, recent weeks have seen a clear shift.

An enduring symbol of the expansive Inca Empire, visitors are spellbound by Machu Picchu’s mysticism, beauty and cultural significance. Often referred to as the lost city of the Incas - and designated one of the ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’ in 2007 - the 15th century citadel in the Andes towers almost 8,000 feet above sea level.

When you’re eating a triangular slice of delicious floppy pizza, do you sometimes find the tip of the pizza droops - so it’s harder to point it to your mouth? Most pizza, if it’s been cooked right, has the same floppiness as a piece of paper (with the added weight of toppings) - so if you hold one end, the other end will naturally curve downward.

There is always something happening on the smallholding, and this time it is Jasper’s turn to worry me. A few weeks ago, I noticed Jasper was having a bit of difficulty with his left back leg. He could still walk, but he was slower than usual and kept stopping to lift his leg.

With five wins under their belt, France is pretty high up on the leaderboard of Eurovision winners. However, their last win was nearly 50 years ago – when, in 1977, Marie Maryam took home the trophy for the iconic L'Oiseau et l'Enfant.

Rather than revisiting past glories, T’Pau has created something that feels relevant in 2026. It’s an album that respects their legacy while refusing to be confined by it.

Chandos has performed a genuine service in assembling all four of Arvo Pärt's symphonies on a single disc. Complete recordings of Pärt's symphonies are rare, and the works themselves bear little relationship to one another, each representing a distinct phase of a restless and searching creative life.

With global travel becoming increasingly uncertain, a consumer rights expert and former stewardess is advising holidaymakers to pay particular attention to their travel insurance. Consumer expert Jane Hawkes, whose website Lady Janey features advice on consumer advice and money-saving tips, says risking no or insufficient travel insurance can be costly in the long run.

We’ve all spent years being told to avoid stress - but one of the a leadership expert explains why it might often help to embrace it. Drew Povey, author and founder of the Drew Povey Consultancy, says it’s time that we shrug off the view that all stress is bad and instead use it to achieve our full potential.

A cosy crime, this novel is set on a suitably isolated, fictitious Welsh island which is inhabited by a close-knit population who look out for each other and don’t seek publicity.

In Passing How swiftly the strained honey of afternoon light flows into darkness and the closed bud shrugs off its special mystery in order to break into blossom: as if what exists, exists so that it can be lost and become precious Lisel Mueller’s poem of natural evanescence is rendered with a delicacy that befits a barely perceptible transitioning of forms.

Fast Money Music is the guest-packed, nostalgic hit from the alias of Nick Hinman. Written across a decade, Fast Money Music explores longing, identity, rejection, and, above all, how timing is everything. "It’s part novel, part autobiography, part love story, part tragedy, and part comedy: life on life’s terms" says Nick.

Buying a fixer-upper - a property that needs repair, renovation, or updating but offers the potential to add value - is, in my opinion, the most exciting way to get the home of your dreams. But it’s also a big and sometimes daunting commitment – especially if it’s your first renovation project.

There’s also a sense of lived-in joy running through the album. Snippets of everyday life and understated details give it a human touch, grounding the polished production in something real. It makes the listening experience feel less like a performance and more like an invitation into her world.

Kering (Gucci): A buzzing show has yet to translate into a meaningful recovery in sales; questions remain around innovation in core categories. LVMH (Louis Vuitton): Reliance on logos is driving consumer fatigue – risk of pricing out aspirational consumers.

It’s April again, which means unpredictable downpours, the hopeful return of sunshine, and—most importantly—Autism Acceptance Month. If you’re thinking, 'Wait… what exactly is that?' You're not alone. Lots of people know autism exists, but understanding it is a whole different story. Autism is a spectrum, and there’s always more to learn.

Group Editor Andrew Palmer discovers how a simple entrepreneurial innovation is causing a revolution not only in the quality, health and safety sector but has many more ingenious applications.

New TUC survey findings published today reveal 8 in 10 workers have experienced abuse at work in the past year. 45% of surveyed workers have experienced threats of physical harm in the last 12 months. TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak says “ministers must prioritise HSE funding to keep workers safe”.

The Same Day Emergency Care centre at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle is to be expanded as part of the Government’s drive to end corridor care. It is one of 40 new and expanded urgent care sites across England which have been announced by Labour, as part of a £215.5 million programme to ease pressure on A&E departments, reduce waiting times and improve patient flow through hospitals.

Entrepreneurs behind ground-breaking agricultural innovations will be celebrated at the Great Yorkshire Show, to inspire new ideas for game-changing farming practices. Entries are open until 11 May 2026 for the Great Yorkshire Show Innovation Awards across five categories.

New survey asks 2,085 business decision makers about their confidence, their major concerns, and technological adoption The survey finds a negative view of the economic outlook, with those working in SMEs more pessimistic.However, when asked about their own prospects for the next 12 months, business decision makers are broadly positive. More than half (56%) say they are concerned about business costs and interest rates. UK businesses are more likely to expect a rise in revenue rather than a decline over the next 12 months

Millions of bus passengers across England are benefiting from cheaper fares, new routes, and better services, as local authorities are putting government funding to work in their communities. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to play a part in people’s everyday lives, local authorities are stepping up to make buses work better for everyone, reducing the burden on households.

New urgent treatment centres will do little to nothing in tackling and eradicating the national shame that is corridor care. That’s the warning from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine after the government announced a suite of measures to tackle corridor care in Emergency departments around England.

Landmark new public opinion research published by the Institute of Economic Affairs has found that the British public overwhelmingly supports economic growth. Eighty-seven per cent say the country should focus more on growth, with just 9% saying the country is already wealthy enough.

Elisha plays Cakey/Baby Box in the UK premiere of Gabby's Dollhouse Live! She is from Hull and trained at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama. Previous credits include Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out, Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever, Peppa Pig’s My First Concert and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom Live. She loves children's theatre, describing it as "challenging but very rewarding".

Steve Reich turns ninety in October, and the Colin Currie Group — quite simply the finest exponent of his music on the planet — has marked the occasion with a recording that ranks among the most compelling releases in the contemporary canon. Coinciding with the ensemble's own twentieth anniversary, The Sextets brings together four works united by the elegant symmetry of sextet forces, and the result is a disc of quite exceptional distinction.

Holly Humberstone has always excelled at turning private emotions into something quietly universal, but Cruel World feels like the moment her artistry fully crystallises. It’s a record that doesn’t just document growing up—it immerses you in the disorientation, thrill, and fragility of it, capturing the strange blur between who you were and who you’re becoming.

Pennines in April If this county were a sea (that is solid rock Deeper than any sea) these hills heaving Out of the east, mass behind mass, at this height Hoisting heather and stones to the sky Must burst upwards and topple into Lancashire. Perhaps, as the earth turns, such ground-stresses Do come rolling westward through the locked land.

There is something quietly reassuring about a BMW Touring. For decades, it has been the thinking driver’s estate—subtle, capable, and possessed of a certain Teutonic restraint. Now, with the arrival of the BMW i5 Touring, that familiar formula is reimagined for the electric age.

Three composers born in a single year — 1685 — represent one of history's most improbable confluences of genius. Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti shared their birth year yet took keyboard music in wildly different directions. Lavinia Meijer's Unfolding Lines celebrates this extraordinary trifecta, bringing these Baroque masters together in a programme of preludes, fugues, sonatas, and variations – performed, remarkably, on solo harp.

Did she fall or did she jump? Accident or suicide? This novel begins in the court room as the Coroner tries to determine the answer. Lisa Wright was a talented violist who fell – or jumped – from a cliff top while out on a training run.

Newton Turton, a young engineer and aspiring rugby player, has been awarded the Douglas Clasper Elite Sports Scholarship, which supports elite young sportspeople. The 19-year-old University of Sunderland student who is in the first year of his BEng Mechanical Engineering degree has been selected as only the third-ever recipient of this prestigious scholarship.

It is a rare occasion that I have a few days free to sit and contemplate my life and where I want to go with it. The word 'sit' doesn't sit happily with me. Excuse the pun. When you have been through a potentially life-changing illness, it changes your whole attitude to life.

Denmark’s relationship with the Eurovision Song Contest has long been a story of peaks and pitfalls. Since debuting in 1957, the country has enjoyed moments of genuine triumph — most notably victories for Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann in 1963, Brødrene Olsen in 2000, and Emmelie de Forest in 2013.