A waiter, whose adoptive parents are peasants, claims to be the son of former Spanish king Juan Carlos and has launched a paternity suit.

The online abuse aimed at the Harry Potter author JK Rowling after she donated £1 million to the Better Together campaign may have actually been the work of British spies, a senior Scottish politician has claimed.

From igloos to heli lodges in the Canadian wilderness, Jennifer Ennion looks at three of the Northern Hemisphere's top snow hotels.

One of Greenpeace's most senior executives commutes 400km each way to work by plane, the environmental group has admitted.

Heads of the European Union gather in Brussels this week for a meeting that may point to Britain's prospects of staying in the EU or heading for the exit.

The EU has to rely on antitrust and privacy rules to curb Google's search-engine dominance and can't just break up the company, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said.

Rolf Harris' lawyer has told a court in the closing arguments of his sex trial that his client has been punished for his infidelity by public humiliation.

World Cup fever has officially kicked off as the first game of the competition got under way this morning.

Tax breaks for Apple, Starbucks and Fiat are under investigation in a clampdown on special treatment for companies.

A friend of a New Zealander killed by a falling tree branch at the world-famous Kew Gardens in England has recounted the horrifying ordeal at an inquest.

The Irish government is launching a full-scale investigation into controversial Catholic homes for unmarried mothers, following revelations that up to 800 infants died in one such institution over a 35-year period.

"Sea," said King Canute, the 11th-century Danish King of England, "I command you to come no further!"

A spectacular fail by the Environmental Protection Authority raises serious questions about its reliability as a guardian of the environment, writes Simon Terry.

The European Central Bank is all but certain to cut interest rates today to try to boost ultra-low inflation and strengthen the wobbly recovery in the 18 countries that use the euro

Nearly 800 young children are believed to be buried in a mass grave beside a former home for unwed mothers in Ireland.

Bruce Holmes traces the gruesome footsteps of London's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

Phoebe Falconer is intrigued to find one of the world's most recognisable statues sitting in the middle of a roundabout in northeastern France.

The original French Alpine retreat has much appeal for the modern snowboard and ski traveller, writes Adam Ruck.

Sometimes there's nothing like a chilly holiday to leave you feeling invigorated.

Prince Charles has compared Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

The Welsh poet and playwright Dylan Thomas is being celebrated in a year-long series of events leading to the 100th anniversary of his birth on October 27, 1914, writes William Hageman.

Young New Zealanders have been urged by Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae to visit the battlefields and cemeteries of Europe, not just Gallipoli.

Megan Singleton finds the best of Ireland on a road trip around the Emerald Isle.

In parts of eastern Europe, the memory of communist rule is still fresh, writes Sisi Tang.

Paul Abercrombie gets to grips with Venice's watery warrens during a once-in-a-lifetime rowing lesson.