The gunman accused of killing 12 US cinema-goers at a 2012 screening of a Batman movie has appeared in court, as his long-awaited trial finally gets under way.

Europe isn't the only place to boast impressive churches and cathedrals, the United States also has a wonderful mix of traditional and modern places of worship.

Dramatic geothermal landscape of Waimangu volcanic rift valley a miniature Mars for space buggy inspired by next robotic rover Nasa plans to land on red planet.

Jack Barlow is riveted by the wildlife, human and animal, of Cajun Louisiana.

A convoy of Harley riders share Brett Atkinson's enthusiasm for Oregon.

A member of the grand jury that declined to charge Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown has demanded to be allowed to speak publicly about the case.

There's plenty to see in this vibrant North American city, writes Megan Singleton.

George Gonzalez visits two sites linked to the mysterious mastermind of American horror.

The autopsy report for an unarmed black man who was killed by Los Angeles police officers shows he was shot in the back at close range.

A visit to the USA's famous Monument Valley is an awe-inspiring experience, writes Ellen Creager.

The oil price decline of 2014 upended the geopolitical chessboard. Worth watching in 2015 will be who can recover and dominate play - Opec, Vladimir Putin or US shale drillers.

Police officers showed their contempt for New York's Mayor yesterday, turning their backs as he addressed a funeral for a fallen colleague.

It is a quarter of a century since Straight Outta Compton, the seminal gangsta rap album, made a 25 sq km area of Los Angeles synonymous with gang violence and murder.

Eighty five years ago the carrier that was to become Hawaiian Airlines started commercial flights using a plane dubbed the "ugly duckling".

This seaside city's history as a magnet for the prominent can be traced back further than its glittering 19th-century heyday, writes Robert DiGiacomo.

Police departments across America have stepped up security, ended solo patrols and ordered officers to make arrests only "when absolutely necessary".

For marathoners there's no better way to see a different country than on foot, packing more than 42km of scenery into the experience and having a finishing medal as proof.

Pamela Wade finds there's more to this Massachusetts city than its spooky history.

CIA director John Brennan is acknowledging that agency officers did "abhorrent" things to captive terror suspects, and he says he can't prove the harsh treatment made the prisoners cooperate.

Kevin Pilley cradles Tequila Sunrises while watching cliff divers in Acapulco.

This state is known for its mountains, rivers, open plains and Old West history.

Winston Aldworth stays at New York's Quin, where style meets Central Park.

Winston Aldworth enjoys a drink in a hall of ambitious diplomacy.

Prepare to let your jaw drop as you take in this northern state's grand vistas.

Spend a moment with the ghosts of Little Bighorn, writes Ben Stanley.

A small Massachusetts town has become the angry flashpoint for the latest showdown in America's war on smoking as health officials try to introduce a blanket ban on the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products.

Shop up a storm at these Big Apple landmarks.