The very best way to discover a country is through its wine. A bottle encompasses the history, tradition, food and culture of a place, sometimes more effectively than any guidebook. Grapes tell you about the landscape and climate, while the way a wine is made reveals something about local tastes and customs. Spain is particularly good at this.

Donkeys communicate with humans and with each other in a variety of ways, including body language, touch and, of course, vocalisations. It is always worth taking the time to notice what a donkey is trying to communicate, and such an assessment process can be done by looking for signs of anger, pain, annoyance, or happiness.

Cowbells tingling amid sensational Alpine scenery make Switzerland’s unique backdrops a source of inspiration for those seeking new experiences. However, as Europe’s most expensive country, it’s not just the luscious landscapes which are jaw-dropping. A cappuccino in Zurich, for example, can set you back twelve euros compared to four euros in Madrid or Barcelona.

Confidence is often regarded as an essential attribute in business. Entrepreneurs are expected to embrace risk, question established norms, and advance initiatives where others may hesitate. A robust belief in one's vision is frequently the catalyst for ventures to commence. However, distinguishing between confidence and hubris, a far more hazardous trait, remains critical.

In 2026, good news feels increasingly precious, so Team Dresch’s return is worth celebrating. Thirty years after their last full-length, the legendary queercore punks are back with Furthermore, out via Jealous Butcher Records on 18 September.

There are recordings that arrive with the changing season and feel exactly right for it, and Chandos's new account of Enescu's Octet for Strings, released this week and played by the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, is one of them. I went in expecting a curiosity. I came out delighted.

There is real rhythmic pulse and energy here, and a textural detail in Ax's piano playing that is a constant pleasure — every inner line audible, every line singing, with a beauty in the phrasing that never tips into preciousness. The Leonore Overture in particular sounds astonishingly orchestral in this reduced scoring; the changes of tempo are superbly judged, the observation feels authentic rather than merely careful, and the playing throughout is slick and fabulous in its precision.

There is a particular pleasure in hearing pieces you already know intimately played as though for the first time, and that is exactly what violinist Sonia Lee and Grammy-nominated pianist Benjamin Loeb achieve on Heartstrings, a programme of favourites and encores that most collectors will already own in one guise or another, scattered across a dozen different discs, but rarely gathered together as satisfyingly as this.

Quartetto Gelato Flight Rodeo and Juliet Suite - A. Copland, P. Tchaikovsky, S. Prokofiev, N. Rota, arr Charles Cozens; Summer (Four Seasons) - A. Vivaldi. arr. M. Pulkki; Brahms' Polka - J. Brahms, arr. C. Maier; Intermezzo in A - J. Brahms, arr. Eun-Chul Oh Passacaglia - Handel 'Halvorsen; Song Of the Birds - P. Casals, arr. M.

Scroll through any Instagram feed or walk down a row of new-build terraces, and you’ll notice a familiar sight: tiny patios packed with rows of miniature pots and dwarf shrubs. For years, the unwritten rule of compact gardening has been to shrink everything down to fit the size of your outdoor space.

Very few people could have anticipated quite how much acclaim Jane McDonald would experience in the wake of 1998’s BBC series The Cruise. Yet, more than a quarter of a century later, the show’s standout star remains as popular as ever.

Three rock hyrax pups have been born at Chester Zoo - tiny, potato-shaped animals with a surprising connection to some of the biggest animals on the planet. Born to parents Maris and Albert in late summer, the three pups have just passed their first vet check with a clean bill of health. The litter includes two boys and one girl, and the pups have been named Russ, Spud and Jackie.

The North has a lot to offer when it comes to food and drink. Yorkshire is one of the UK's premier food and drink powerhouses - its supply chain generates more than £3.8 billion in GVA and provides jobs for approximately 67,000 people. Meanwhile, the North West food and drink sector is experiencing rapid expansion, capturing roughly 15% of total UK food production.

As the Mediterranean sun shines down from a cloudless azure blue sky when walking out of Ibiza airport there is something else that catches the eye: the huge advertising hoardings. These, however, are not directing you to the nearest burger restaurant or shopping mall but to a more thriving prospect that has become part of the summer landscape on this Balearic island – the Superstar DJ.

There are worse places to sit with a new recording than a terrace above Cascais, the Atlantic gleaming below, a lighthouse standing sentinel over the fishing boats and the marina traffic beneath it. I had gone there for the view. It was the music, in the end, that did the travelling — from Kingston to Port of Spain, Tokyo to Skopje, Paris to small-town America, all before the lighthouse had finished its next sweep.

Holidaymakers taking the risk of travelling without the insurance they need are among the most likely to opt for adrenaline-fuelled experiences during their holidays abroad.

Forget the family package holiday. As the summer season winds down, over-50s are already planning ahead to 2027 — and increasingly, they want to travel in pairs of pairs. New research from insurer goodtogo has identified a growing trend it has dubbed the "Couple-Cation": holidays taken not with extended family, but with other couples.

Ask any parent what they sort first when a holiday goes in the diary and you'll hear the same two things – flights and hotel. Both locked in early, both paid for, both ticked off months before you pack a bag. Then there's everything else. The days out, the boat trips, the shows, the bits the kids actually remember.

Opera North has announced two significant appointments as it continues to ensure opera remains a vital part of the cultural offering in Leeds and further afield. Garry Walker will step down as Music Director at the end of his current term in August 2028 to be succeeded by Patrick Lange.

Youth Mental Health Day takes place on Friday 18th September.

Sports-mad individuals are invited to join the inaugural ‘Northern England Better Club Games' that will take place at Penrith Leisure Centre on Wednesday 21st October. Informally known as 'The Older Persons' Olympics', the event will celebrate sport, fitness and active ageing, bringing communities together for a day of friendly competition, teamwork and the chance to meet new people.

Passengers across the North will benefit from faster, more reliable journeys thanks to an around £1 billion investment in new trains, as the government puts passengers back at the heart of the railway.

To support customers affected by airline disruption due to the recent air traffic outage, National Rail has agreed some flexibility for ticket holders. Customers can use their rail tickets to travel at alternative times, or get a fee-free refund.

New index shows established brands recovering fastest from customer discontent, while debt charity StepChange records a near-perfect score at one of the hardest moments in people's financial lives, writes Andrew Palmer The challengers were supposed to be winning this fight. This month, the old guard hit back.

Ruby’s Law, which is striving to protect pets in domestic abuse settings, has its second reading in Parliament in October. Ahead of that, campaigners are inviting MPs to a drop-in on 8th September so they can learn more about the proposed legislation and the positive impact it will have on victims of domestic abuse and their companion animals.

New research from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) by economist Julian Jessop examines two of the most widely blamed causes of the UK's poor economic performance over the past decade and a half: fiscal "austerity" after 2010 and the 2016 vote to leave the European Union. It concludes that the evidence for either being a major drag on growth is much weaker than commonly assumed.

As festival-goers head to some of the season's biggest events this bank holiday weekend, from Reading and Leeds to Creamfields and Notting Hill Carnival, new research reveals the sheer volume of single-use plastic left behind across a UK festival season.

Drivers warned to expect sudden surface water and localised flooding as heavy, thundery showers follow the recent hot, dry weather. Hard, compacted ground following prolonged dry conditions can increase surface run-off during intense rainfall. “Conditions can change incredibly quickly when a thundery downpour hits.” - AA expert patrol

Dear Editor, Some of life's best moments come with a soundtrack – whether it's at a music event, a festival or a night out with friends. It's how many people connect, celebrate, and make memories. To keep it that way it's really important to protect your hearing health.

The UK’s third tallest structure, Caldbeck transmitter station, is celebrating 65 years of keeping communities across Cumbria and South West Scotland connected through television and radio services. The transmitting station, which first went on air on 1 September 1961, serves around 280,000 homes and has become one of the UK's most important broadcasting locations.

Almost half the people eligible for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax have missed the first filing deadline, according an analysis from international accountancy and business advisory group Azets. Figures from HMRC showed 436,000 taxpayers filed their first MTD for Income Tax quarterly update on time on August 7 – 50.5% of those who should have.

Two-thirds of young savers have postponed a significant life event they could genuinely afford, held back not by a specific bill or shortfall but by a broader unease about their financial position, new research from LHV Bank has found.

The latest Emergency Department (ED) performance figures from NHS England, covering July 2026, show that last month was the worst July on record for 12-hour waits, with over 150,000 patients waiting more than half a day in major (Type 1) EDs. It also shows that more than 47,000 patients who attended major EDs spent over 12 hours waiting on a trolley.

From blaming a twin brother to eating the evidence, TransPennine Express (TPE) has revealed some of the more unusual excuses its revenue protection team has heard from customers travelling without a valid ticket. Among them was a customer caught using a child ticket for the second time.

ARMEXIS, the Harrogate-based armoured vehicle designer and manufacturer, has called for the UK to move swiftly beyond spending announcements and to rebuild its defence manufacturing capacity to keep the country safe.

Grade I-listed Ribble Valley hall set for hotel, members' club and wellness centre, with planning applications expected in November Alison Brooks Architects has been appointed to lead a £30 million redevelopment of Gisburne Park, a 1,000-acre estate near the Ribble Valley, converting the historic house into a members' club, boutique hotel and wellness centre.

Foodbanks are calling for donations of everyday essentials this summer as families face extra pressure during the school holidays. To help shoppers support their local communities, supermarket Aldi has revealed the products charities say are needed most, making it easier for customers to donate while doing their weekly shop.

Overall consumer confidence saw incremental movement in July 2026, according to the latest data from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The index rose from 105.3 to 105.5 (+0.2). Any score greater than 100 indicates positive sentiment, while a score of less than 100 indicates negative sentiment.

A new briefing from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Buildings: In defence of ‘stupid growth, is written by Kristian Niemietz, the IEA's Editorial Director, and forms part of a forthcoming IEA book, The Great Stagnation: Why Britain Stopped Growing, which brings together contributions from multiple authors, each examining a different explanation for Britain's growth malais…