At the close of London's Olympic year, the current president of the International Olympic Committee looks at Pierre de Coubertin's continuing legacy

New administration faces souring relations with China

Americans looked past the debate on fiscal policy in November as consumer spending and demand for durable goods climbed, indicating the economy strengthened heading into the current impasse on tax rates and spending cuts.

We need a rival to the World Bank to address rising temperatures

Plus: Sat nav Santa, the geek apocalypse and an alternative Christmas card list

You can't expect mature politics to be practised in countries like Egypt where political parties have been banned for 50 years

Two London entrepreneurs have restored a riad as a base to explore this imperial Morrocan city. Sarah Gilbert soaks it up

Laura Ashley has cemented its status as one of the high street's best performers with a leap in sales ahead of the crucial Christmas period.

Two small machines sit on a shelf in a closet at Kabul International Airport, surrounded by cardboard boxes and idle desk fans.

21-year-old out for six months after undergoing surgery

The stars of the chorus of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, the turtle dove and the grey partridge, are disappearing from many parts of the UK

Alien Investigation, Sun, Channel 4 // Solar Mamas, Sun, BBC4

The chief executive of B&Q-owner Kingfisher has criticised a government plan to get young people back into work as being “too clunky” and called on Chancellor, George Osborne, to help get first-time buyers onto the property ladder in next week’s Autumn Statement.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York faces the possibility of tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue if a lawsuit over its allegedly misleading admissions policy succeeds.