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.

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.

Helsinki is known as an international capital of design, and Finland is one of the eurozone's wealthiest nations. But despite that upscale reputation, the city offers a wealth of experiences that are light on the wallet.

Finland's capital is aglow with colourful lights and lasers piercing the black winter skies and lighting up downtown buildings providing a much-needed burst of illumination during the darkest days of the year.

According to NASA, the Northern Lights are currently at their most powerful in 50 years, with activity peaking until March 2013.

Santa Claus? No grown-up believes in him any more! And yet, even the adults can be seen standing reverently when visiting Santa's office in Finland.

The Finnish capital has been named 2012's World Design Capital.

Scandinavia's frozen north is a magical winter wonderland, complete with reindeer, huskies and Santa-spotting locales.

In the frozen north of Scandinavia, Lapland is starting to look its seasonal best, says Chris Leadbeater.

Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland, is the perfect place for a full Christmas experience with snow, elves and the jolly man himself.

Mary Lambie spent last Christmas lugging her three young children to Lapland to meet the "real" Mr Claus.

This bizarre Finnish comedy horror doesn't live up to the appealing central concept, but has more than enough points of difference to warrant interest.

Roger Hall cruises the Baltic and relishes his time in fascinating ports of call without having to think about about much else.

A study into the health effects of using mobile phones will take 20 or 30 years to complete.

A drug thought to be used by Kiwis as a substitute for ecstasy could be banned in Britain after being linked to two deaths.

Canada's crushing ice hockey victory over the Russians has given the host country something to smile about, after a frustrating first week.