Hobbling at the back of the pack (with one broken shoe) Jini Reddy hikes the heights of Connemara - home to staggering landscapes and well-earned seafood suppers.

It would be understandable if Kiwi sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had some difficulty in selecting the highlight of their podium-topping year in the 49er class.

The richest people on Earth got richer in 2014, adding US$92 billion ($118 billion) to their collective fortune in the face of falling energy prices and geopolitical turmoil incited by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Greece will face a snap general election next month after MPs failed to elect a president in the final round of voting yesterday, prompting alarm in Athens’ financial market and the eurozone over the country’s commitment to its bailout terms.

Airbus has rushed two specialists to Jakarta to assist in the investigation of the disappeared A320 airliner operated by AirAsia, the budget carrier that rose from almost nothing in 2001 to be its biggest customer.

Swedish Lapland is a wonderland in winter, when traditional activities belie its modern role as an up-and-coming hub of international communication.

In 2013 Pope Francis had a lot to celebrate. Not only was he named Time magazine person of the year, but was also awarded the title of Esquire's best-dressed man.

Eighty five years ago the carrier that was to become Hawaiian Airlines started commercial flights using a plane dubbed the "ugly duckling".

A baby was feared to be among the victims as six people died and eight were injured when a rubbish truck careered out of control and into crowds of Christmas shoppers.

Fifa President Sepp Blatter declared "the crisis at Fifa is over" after the executive committee of football's governing body agreed to publish their confidential report into corruption in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids....

Being fat is a disability, EU judges have ruled, meaning that European companies must offer obese staff bigger chairs, special parking spaces and a lighter workload.

All politicians like to have props, and in Vladimir Putin's case, some are taken from the box marked Macho and others from the box marked Mother Russia.

Scotland Yard is investigating claims that a Tory MP throttled a young boy to death during a depraved sex party in the 1970s and that two other boys were killed by a VIP paedophile ring.

Fresh seafood, lively market stalls and stunning architecture make this Spanish city a must-visit destination, writes Manuel Meyer.

The raw figures look bad, and they are deteriorating.

It has housed the world's largest water chute, welcomed the Empire of India exhibition and hosted David Bowie and the most disastrous concert of his career.

Jennifer Ennion finds exhilaration in Kuhmo's bracing waters.

For tourists who've tried everything else, there's nothing more invigorating than a float down Finland's icy Pajakkajoki river wearing a dry suit.

For further information see wildtaiga.fi.

A tunnel will remove a road that had cut off part of the heritage site, and restore some tranquility to the mystic setting.

A fruit fly infestation has ravaged orchards across Italy, one of the world's top producers of olive oil, sending prices soaring.

New Zealand won't be able to claim unfamiliarity with their opponents when they play Australia tomorrow morning for a spot in the Champions Trophy final.

After nearly three years of tough talking, British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing a crunch moment in his troubled strategy towards the European Union.

It's not easy being a member of the Swiss Guard. There's the silly uniform to wear, and occasionally you might have to step in and risk your life to save the boss.

Visitors to Italy will find its famed foods come in many gluten-free forms they'll love.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy seems set to clear the first obstacle in a once-improbable bid to return to France's highest office this weekend when he secures the leadership of the conservative UMP party.

Former footballer Sol Campbell has become the latest monied public figure to battle Labour's proposed "mansion tax" in Britain, claiming it is a levy on aspiration which he cannot afford to pay.

"Mad" Frankie Fraser, a gangland enforcer who mixed with many of Britain's most notorious underworld figures, has died in hospital aged 90.

A European Parliament bid for legislation splitting up Google may send a message that's too loud to ignore.

Justine Tyerman meets Hungary's daring csikós and learns about the country's 'red gold'.