Anyone who finds themselves experiencing a spot of romantic yearning, however slight, will inevitably begin a series of attempts at mind-reading.

Sailing beyond the Arctic Circle is one of the few fast-growing sectors of the cruise industry. More ships are based at UK ports for the summer than ever, with many venturing to Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and beyond. A voyage to the far north is immensely appealing. In one sense an Arctic adventure is the ultimate day trip, because the summer sun will not fall beneath the horizon all summer. And a thousand miles beyond the tree line, tourists can confront some of the world's rawest edges from the comfort of a cruise-ship cocoon. Mountains that no human has ever climbed soar from the ocean. Thick veins of snow trickle from the peaks and fuel the glaciers that gouge through the rock in geology's perpetual power struggle.

The tour leaders of an expedition in which a British student was mauled to death by a polar bear have been cleared of blame by a criminal inquiry.

Environmental campaigners climbed to the roof of the National Gallery today to stage a protest against energy giant Shell.

The full-lipped contempt of Léa Seydoux was given more than one airing in Berlin, but the film tipped for prizes is a stern study of the Stasi era

Shambolic scenes in Paris where match with evening start was always likely to be in danger

Forecasters issue snow warnings as sub-zero temperatures and ice spread westwards

A loss of sea ice could be a cause of the bitter winds that have swept across the UK in the past week, weather experts say

The UK was staring down the barrel of another recession today after the economy shrank more than expected at the end of last year.

Cairn Energy, the explorer whose bid to find commercial quantities of oil in Greenland has been a consistent disappointment, has brought in Norway's Statoil as a partner to help with the next phase of Arctic exploration.

An art collective protesting against the Tate Modern's partnership with oil giant BP used a block of Arctic ice to express their grievances this weekend.

Christmas has emerged as a divisive season for the retail sector, with some players turning in a better-than-expected performance - while others moved closer to the edge.

Given the hysterical simple-mindedness that has recently surrounded some aspects of BBC Natural History filming, you half wonder whether the opening promise of Earthflight – that we would be given a "bird's-eye view" of the natural world – needed to be accompanied by an on-screen disclaimer. "Note: Not actually recorded using a real bird's eye. Microlights used in the filming of this series. Engine noise has been removed from some footage and replaced with the sound of rushing wind and flapping wings. Feather noises may derive from a species not shown on screen." That said, the question of exactly how they did capture these images will be a live one even for viewers not intent on BBC-baiting, because they are remarkable. The camera appears to fly alongside a snow goose, peering up into its wingpit as it languidly beats its way northwards. Or it perches on a bald eagle's ruffed shoulder as the bird itself swoops over the rim of the Grand Canyon, whistling within inches of a pine tree's tip. Or watches brown pelicans as they turn themselves from broken umbrellas into neatly furled ones, spearing into the water to catch fish. Apparently, episode six will reveal all, but in the meantime we'll just have to marvel at what they've managed to achieve.

The environment section covers issues which raise debate such as those concerning climate change, green living and nature. Here we take a look at the most popular articles of the year followed by an insight from our environment editor as he chooses his favourite story.