It is two days before Christmas and we couldn’t be farther from a mall or a computer feverishly buying last-minute gifts. I’m not wrapping, cooking or hosting a crowd of out-of-town guests either. Instead, my husband and I, our 21-year-old daughter, Melanie, and our friend, Enesi Domi, 14, who lives in the Bronx, are taking a leisurely walk in the snow in New Hampshire’s White Mountains with other families — […]

  The United Nations says it fears casualties after attackers forced their way into a peacekeeping base in South Sudan’s Jonglei state. Rebels from the country’s second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer, attacked the base, targeting civilians of the majority Dinka ethnic community. South Sudan has been in turmoil since President Salva Kiir accused his ex-deputy Riek Machar of mounting a coup. The unrest, which broke out on Sunday, has killed […]

7,000 electricity customers without power in Northern Ireland, and another 3,500 in north-west England Nearly 900 homes also lose electricity in South Wales after a high-voltage electrical cable is blown down Air France and Ryanair aeroplanes seen landing sideways at Bristol Airport in dramatic videos and images Environment Agency has put in place 25 flood warnings and 117 flood alerts across England and Wales Republic of Ireland also affected as […]

A man is sitting in a room surrounded by a life-sized plastic llama, an indoor slide and a disco tunnel. It might sound like the beginning of a strange dream, but these are all objects found in some of the UK’s “coolest” offices, writes Kate Magee. Companies, particularly in the creative or tech industries, are ploughing money and energy into designing offices that look more like adult playgrounds than a […]

Jessenia Henry played Jesus in the nursery-school play It is a tradition at Dolphin Nursery in Hove to use real baby and not a doll It was her first starring role, but little Jessenia Henry played it to perfection. At just two weeks old, she appeared as the infant Jesus in a pre-school nativity play, snuggled in a fleecy manger. The rest of the 36-strong cast – aged between three […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Bali’s Green Village sets a precedent for high-end design and sustainable architecture Locally sourced bamboo used to create million dollar luxury villas Project aims to change mindsets and push boundaries of design and architecture Nestled among the lush forests of Bali, near the hill town of Ubud, is one of the island’s most remarkable villages. It’s not just that each of the 18 homes of Green Village is […]

Photographs of super cars were taken by student Meeka Nasser Vehicles include a Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Aston Martin Judging by the car park at the American University of Dubai students here are not going to struggle with making ends meet. A Rolls-Royce, a Ferrari and a black Aston Martin, which wouldn’t look out of place in a Bond film, line the student car park row after row. The gallery of […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS Mira Sorvino takes a behind the scenes look at Cambodia’s child sex trade Karaoke bars are often fronts for prostitution in Phnom Penh, the country’s capital When a club hostess is asked to bring in younger girls, she obliges Girls are shown messages from others who escaped life from these covert brothels Late one night, after dark, we met up with Don Brewster — head of Agape International […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS New Zealand government threw $50 million into the construction of the Nga Haerenga cycle trails Nosara in Costa Rica recently awarded a Blue Flag — a certification awarded to world’s best beaches First few months of 2014 best period for Northern Lights for years, as NASA scientists predict a peak in solar activity Wondering where to go for your next holiday? Experts explain which destinations we should be […]

Mira’s Cambodia Journal – Day One: Arrival in Cambodia Editor’s note: Mira Sorvino, a human rights activist and Academy Award winning actress, went to Cambodia with the CNN Freedom Project to expose child sexual exploitation. This is an edited journal from her week in the country. We have just landed in Phnom Penh, to begin one of the most important journeys I have ever embarked upon. I have been an […]