Martin Amis once wrote a story showing what might happen if the world's poets changed places with the screenwriters.

If anyone ever tells you that modern music is dumb, you can shoot them down with three syllables: Pet Shop Boys.

In the annals of British pop, Woody Woodmansey is far from the most famous name. But when he performs in Hull, he achieves a rare distinction: arriving fans pass a blue plaque in his honour.

Countless unknown singers have made their name by appearing on a TV talent show.

Pop may not be as meritocratic as it once was, but it still beats most walks of life. Pedigree counts for very little - just ask Sean Lennon or James McCartney.

A true pop star is a bundle of contradictions. Marc Almond OBE is 62, and he still looks like a naughty boy. He's been a chart-topper, a cabaret artiste and an art-rocker.

The Brits must strike a balance between male and female, black and white, sales and excellence. In the 40th edition, they fell at the first hurdle.

From George Harrison in 2002 to Ginger Baker the other day, we're used to finding a rock star's death followed by a tribute gig. On Tuesday, the idea came with a twist: the honoree was still with us.

Like Bob Dylan, whose songs he sings so well, Bryan Ferry has gone from being a bit of a recluse to an unstoppable old trouper. At 74, he is on the road for the eighth year in a row.

Mention 1996 to a music-lover and they will probably think of Oasis or the Spice Girls. But those bands, huge though they were, only had Britain's second- and third- biggest-selling albums of the year.

For a music lover, there's nothing better than putting on a debut album by an unknown and realising that you've found a new favourite.

Quite a few albums that should have come out now have been postponed till the autumn. You can understand why, but it's no use to the fans who have time to kill and a thirst for new music.

In a fascinating, fitful career, Fiona Apple has often felt like a one-woman band - singing, playing the piano, perhaps throwing in some rudimentary percussion.

Out of this strange suspended spring, patterns are emerging. If an album isn't postponed, it's quite likely to be special. Music, like the sky on a sunny day, seems brighter, sharper, deeper.

Harvard scientists have developed a cheap test that changes color to indicate when the Zika virus is present, and hope it could help contain the virus, currently spreading through South America.

Sara Mujica, 17, went to visit her fiancé Victor Cruz, 19, in Honduras earlier this year and returned home to Danbury, Connecticut on March 30, with a fever and rashes all over her body.

A team at the University of California, San Diego found that an immune response to the virus could potentially be targeted to reduce the effects of the virus and birth defects (illustrated).

University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) of putting unborn children at risk by letting August's Olympics go ahead as planned.

Those considering holidays to southern states in the US should look at alternatives, said Professor Jimmy Whitworth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Former Mets player Francisco Rodriguez (pictured) said he'd been bedridden with the disease for two weeks on a trip back home to his native Venezuela - where the virus is rampant.

The first baby with Zika-linked microcephaly was born in New Jersey to a 31-year-old woman who was visiting from Honduras. The mother contracted the virus while in Honduras.

As temperatures rise it becomes more likely, Zika-carrying Aedes mosquitoes will reach US shores. Dr Anjali Mahto reveals how wearing light clothes, losing weight and insect repellent can lessen the risk of being bitten.

The Honduran mother who delivered what is believed to be the first baby to be born with a Zika virus-related condition in the New York tri-state area has broken her silence.

Deiseane Santiago, 22, intended to return to Brasil with her fiancé but when she fell pregnant she was afraid of the baby contracting Zika virus but Home Office have refused to let her extend her visa.

The Zika virus has arrived to Indonesia now Australian's are being urged to reconsider holiday plans to Bali. The virus is linked to immune system disorders and deformaties in babies.

In many of these countries abortion is either illegal or highly restricted, leaving pregnant women with few options and potentially driving them to use unsafe methods, warn experts at the University of Cambridge.

Ali Fedotowsky and fiance Kevin Manno were all set to say 'I do' in Mexico but sadly had to scrap those plans.

With the Zika virus casting a cloud hanging over the Olympics Games, several athletes have opted out with many more taking precautions. MARTHA KELNER answers the key questions...

Hideki Matsuyama has become the latest golfer to withdraw from the Olympics because of concerns over the Zika virus. He joins the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jason Day in deciding not to compete.

The flying animals, natural mosquito predators, can eat up to 1,000 of the disease-spreading insects in an hour. And officials in New Hempstead, New York, are installing 'bat boxes' to attract them.

Montgomerie, who was part of the delegation which presented golf's Olympic bid in 2009, also questioned the disparity between the number of men and women to have so far withdrawn.

Carly Patterson, one of the most decorated gymnasts in United States Olympic history has revealed she will be skipping the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Games due to the threat of the Zika virus.

Gold-winning Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn has admitted that she won't be going to the Summer games in Rio, Brazil this year because she's scared of contracting the Zika virus.

The woman, who has not been identified, was infected overseas before traveling to Harris County, Texas, in order to give birth - though it is not known whether she came into the country illegally.

Imperial College London experts predict that the virus, which is rife in Brazil and other parts of South and Central America, will burn itself out in two to three years. However, it will strike again.

Unlike most viruses - which cannot cross the protective placenta - a new study by the University of California suggests that Zika can. It is the first study to map out the two routes that the infection can take.

These interactive maps show where people are being treated for the disease, how many patients are infected and which cities are most at risk.

Hope Solo took to Twitter to Friday to document her extensive Zika arsenal laid out on her bed – adding: 'If anyone in the village forgot to pack repellent, come and see me… #DeptofDefense #zikaproof.'

The mother had been diagnosed with the virus in May and had decided to keep the baby, a spokeswoman for the regional health authorities of Catalonia, where the baby was born, said today.

There could be 90 million infections - at least - before the current epidemic fades, according to a US-UK research team. In Latin America alone, that could mean at least 1.6 million infected pregnant women.

Fears of a Zika virus outbreak in Florida have been raised after the first reports of the disease in the US. The virus was found in the southern counties of Miami-Dade and Broward.

Pregnant Deiseane Santiago, 22, originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil, came to Britain last November on a five-month visitor visa to spend time with 26-year-old fiance Simon Ellis (pictured).

The woman, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, caught Zika on a trip to Suriname, which borders Brazil. The virus was found in foetal cells after she lost the baby.

Fifty-three cases of the Zika virus have now been reported in Britain, health officials have revealed. It is thought that all of those affected by the virus had recently travelled back from abroad.

Public Health England has advised pregnant women to scrap non-essential trips to Florida, United States, after the country's first cases of the Zika virus not linked to travel have been discovered.

From furious protests over government corruption to the Zika epidemic, the road to Rio has been beset with problems, but locals have said visitors can expect a warm welcome.

While Zika is in the spotlight, there are other bugs and health problems that Olympic athletes and spectators should keep in mind. Here's look at what athletes and travelers can do about them.

American goalkeeper Hope Solo was heavily booed during Team USA's opening soccer match in the Rio Olympics.

Ryan Seacrest arrived in Rio de Janeiro just days ago as he is set to host Friday's Olympic opening ceremony.

The athletes who have decided to attend may be competing under the arms of Christ the Redeemer, but it’s hard to find one redeeming feature to the Olympic Games in Rio, writes KATIE HOPKINS.