Italian mobsters will try anything to convince judges they are suffering from depression or anorexia.

An obsession among "new world" wine producers is to compare their wines to their European equivalents. Around the winemaking fraternity, you hear producers comparing their sauvignon blancs to the Loire. Cobblers, I say.

Industry and ingenuity are the backbone of Scotland, discovers Pamela Wade.

As nuclear fears rise around the world, Robin McKiere visits the scene of Ukraine's 1986 explosion.

Testosterone-fuelled drivers will benefit from bid to erase gender inequality.

Equities in Europe and on Wall Street advanced overnight amid optimism about a recovery in the US labour market.

Networks are finalising plans for their coverage of the television event of the year, The Royal Wedding.

Auckland interior designer Sonya Cotter shares the key trends from this year's IMM Furniture Fair in Germany.

A Briton accused of attempting to kill his New Zealand wife had a receipt for a petrol canister, a murder trial in Glasgow has heard.

Australian illustrator Shaun Tan's life in recent weeks has been as fantastical as his children's books.

Political satire on floats is probably not what you'd expect in this town on the Tuscan coast, writes John Watson.

A man accused of trying to kill his now-estranged New Zealand wife told her she "would have died happy" when she confronted him, a court has been told.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives were ousted from power in Germany's richest state for the first time in 58 years.

Prince Charles has comforted grieving family members of Christchurch earthquake victims in London.

New Zealand's world rally team crew extended their lead in the production car category of Rally Portugal overnight.

Alison Shanks has fallen just three tenths of a second short of reclaiming the women's individual pursuit title.

New Zealand is a 25 to one shot of being the venue for Prince William's honeymoon.