A “gap year” scheme to give school and college leavers a taste of the Army, Royal Navy or RAF without a long term commitment, is to be launched by the government. The course is aimed at under-25s and is part of efforts to solve long-term recruitment and retention problems in the armed forces. Applications to…

Helen Delgard and husband Stephane with baby Noah – family photo, via SWNS A couple who started IVF last Christmas Day has given birth to a baby boy after 11 years of trying to conceive. Helen Delgard was warned she may never be able to conceive naturally with her husband Stephane, but following a January…

Social media The family of Matthew Upham have named him as one of the swimmers who went missing on Christmas Day The family of one of two men who went missing during a Christmas Day swim say they are “heartbroken” at his disappearance. Emergency services had been searching for the area after two men in…

Dylan Nolte via Unsplash A Spanish town devastated by wildfires in spring has seen its luck turn with a hundred-million-dollar windfall from a national lottery program. Left with 120,000 acres of scorched woodland and 8,000 displaced residents, La Bañeza, in the region of Castilla y León, was engulfed in trauma and grief as much as…

England’s Ashes tour teetered on another crisis as they were bowled out for 110 on an almost farcical first day of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 20 wickets to fall is the most on the opening day of an Ashes Test since 1909 and surpassed the 19 of the first day…

– credit, Cameron Hunt/Supplied From New Zealand comes the story of a public art project in disguise—as official-looking signs with bizarre declarations. One warns that an abandoned building is “slightly haunted,” while another one cheekily announces a walking speed limit of 2.83 kmh. Another simply reads “Don’t.” Despite borrowing the font and color palate of…

Video shows sea conditions on Devon coast Two men are believed to be missing off the Devon coast after reports of swimmers in difficulty, police have said. Devon and Cornwall Police were called at 10:25 GMT to the beach at Budleigh Salterton after concern was raised for people in the water, prompting a significant emergency…

By Emily Wade (free license) Reprinted with permission and alterations from World at Large, an independent news outlet covering world news, conflicts, travel stories, conservation, and science news. The smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove have different uses around the world, but when the scent of these South Asian spices wafts through an American kitchen, it…

Emma Rossiterand Hafsa Khalil Watch: Catherine and Charlotte perform piano duet for Christmas Eve The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte have performed a piano duet together for a Christmas carol service. The mother and daughter did not appear live at the Together at Christmas event at Westminster Abbey earlier this month. Their performance of…

An illustraion of the lemon world – credit, NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) An exoplanet located 2,000 light years from Earth is so unusual it’s given astronomers the idea that it could be a totally new type of object. That’s because it’s shaped like a lemon, with a small tip just like the fruit…