Equities on both sides of the Atlantic dropped overnight on disappointment the European Central Bank won't be boosting its bond purchases to help ease the euro zone's fiscal crisis.

Even if you've already blown this year's budget, you might wish to consider visiting one of these twinkling cities next Christmas.

Blushing bride: Singer Sinead O'Connor is celebrating her 45th birthday with a fourth marriage.

Titanic and Liverpool: The Untold Story opens at Merseyside Maritime Museum in time for the 100th anniversary of the sinking.

The grande dame of Barcelona's Gran Via has reopened following a $54m facelift.

Paul Rush is beguiled by the magical maze of Venice and the fancy frills of Burano.

Susan Buckland delights in floating down an Irish canal in a home away from home.

Doctors treating George Michael say the singer is making progress as he recovers from pneumonia.

The Danish capital is both user-friendly and utterly charming.

World share markets are down, with worries about Europe overwhelming good economic data from the US.

The capital of the country that brought us Danish pastries and Hans Christian Andersen is user-friendly and utterly charming.

World share markets are up after central banks from Europe, Japan and North America agreed to cut the cost of US dollar funding.