But not all are rushing to get their fill of Big Macs and McChicken sandwiches.

Property prices have climbed to dangerous levels in several advanced economies, posing grave risks, the OECD warns.

COMMENT: While the proposal is good in theory, it's no panacea for the challenges of our modern economy.

Kiwis in London are mourning the loss of a popular local watering hole which burned down in a New Year's Eve blaze.

According to data published by HSBC Holdings, it pays to be an expatriate in Switzerland - literally.

Turkish authorities are hunting a lone gunman who opened fire at one of Istanbul's most popular nightclubs, killing 39 and wounding 70.

French workers have won the right to ignore all work emails outside of the office.

It's not just the pagoda roof turret that gives the Annandale Distillery in Scotland an Asian feel.

European capitals tightened security ahead of New Year's celebrations, erecting concrete barriers in city centres and stepping up police numbers.

Dozens of women could have become pregnant with a stranger's child after a Dutch IVF clinic mixed up batches of sperm during fertility

Getting your kids to turn off their phones can turn into one endless nag, writes Emily Shelley.

Here are five unlikely black swan events that might catch everyone unawares in the coming year.

Stranded on a train track for 2 days, this terrified dog faced certain death. But thanks to her loving companion, Lucy survived the horrifying ordeal.

All the toilets on a trans-Atlantic flight were unusable.

As part of our Summer Herald, Kiwis are recalling their brushes with celebrity. Today, John Lamplough tells of the time he pulled a pint for Status Quo.

Russians agonise over how to remember the 1917 revolutions.

Brighton's 162m British Airways i360 is the tallest moving observation tower in the world.

The Star Wars series featured a man-made planet called the Death Star which destroys other worlds with a giant laser.

Apple has furiously rejected charges from Brussels that it should pay €13 billion in unpaid Irish taxes.

A boy dubbed "The Kindergarten Bomber" is accused of planting a nail bomb near a Christmas market in Germany.

Migrants are seeking to marry "sham brides" who are pregnant with another man's child in a bid to exploit human rights laws and remain in Britain.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was met with awkward silence following a brief presentation to EU leaders.

Apple's tax bill chronicles a growing clash between Europe, the US and a shift in the EU's approach to tax affairs.

An "awkward" video of Theresa May at the EU summit has emerged in which the Prime Minister appears to be ignored.

The New Zealand dollar climbed more than expected and reached a 19-month high versus the euro following the European Central Bank's stimulus extension.

"Rasputin? Sure, just a few doors down, he's in the house with the smoking chimney."

Two women refused entry into New Zealand were escorted back to Europe by police officers.

Italy is set to finalise a state-backed rescue for lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena as soon as this weekend.

The New Zealand dollar rose to an 18-month high against a broadly weaker euro.

Winning a Nobel Prize could arguably be the best Christmas present of all. But not for musician and lyricist Bob Dylan, one of this year's best-known laureates.