It’s fair to suggest 2017 will be remembered as a year of very strong share price performances in technology companies and significant technology-led disruption to other industries, writes David Holohan

Some of the biggest companies in the world had their best day in years on Friday as Microsoft, Google and Amazon soared following strong third-quarter results.

Amazon has opened a hunt for a second home, pledging to spend more than $5bn to build another headquarters in North America.

Russian billionaire, Mikhail Fridman’s L1 Retail investment vehicle has agreed to buy British retailer, Holland & Barrett, for £1.77bn (€2.01bn), in its first acquisition, betting on continued growth and expansion abroad for the health foods chain.

French stocks outperformed upbeat European indices following a convincing parliamentary majority for President Emmanuel Macron, while the banks bounced following upgrades and the country’s retail sector recovered from last week’s losses.

I’m writing this just a few dozen hours before Barack Obama steps down and I’m reminded of how often he and his wife seemed to talk about food.

When vegan blogger Jordan Younger revealed her clean-eating regime masked a severe eating disorder, she received death threats. Has the wellness trend tipped over into an unhealthy obsession, asks Harriet Walker.

A woman giving evidence from a wheelchair in the Boston Marathon bombing trial has recalled shielding her husband from the sight of his mangled leg.

Soothing words from US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen have helped pull the stock market out of a morning slump, but internet companies and Whole Foods Market plunged, taking the Nasdaq down.

The studio that produced Twilight and The Hunger Games is at it again: Divergent is the latest teen adventure saga with a fearless female heroine battling the odds in a post-apocalyptic future.

It remains to be seen if Amazon will succeed where others failed in trying to make selling groceries online profitable, writes Alistair Barr.

Food trade events are the surest route to developing new export markets, says Helen Cahill, director of Cahill’s Farm Cheese — newly returned from successful food fairs in the US and UK.

Katie Holmes said that she is “all right” as details of her separation from husband Tom Cruise unfold.

Reese Witherspoon paid for a woman’s shopping after she forgot her wallet.

Thrifty Sarah Michelle Gellar has quietly become the queen of the green celebrities by recycling shopping bags and cycling to work.

New mum Naomi Watts received police protection as she went shopping on Monday as pursuing paparazzi sparked a safety scare.

Supermarket giant Tesco plans to capitalise on the critical need for grocery stores in South Los Angeles by opening a Fresh & Easy Neighbourhood Market in the economically depressed area.

Jessica Simpson was asked to leave her local market by the store's manager after she caused a media frenzy that was proved to be bad for business.

Wall Street ended a dismal week with its third decline in a row today after oil prices jumped on word of a possible string of attacks in Nigeria near production facilities.

The natural foods grocery chain Whole Foods Market Inc, which has several stores in the UK, is to stop the “inhumane” sale of live lobsters and crabs.

I NEVER imagined for one moment that I would love Dallas; in fact, everything I ever heard about Dallas reinforced my gut feeling that I didn’t ever need to go there.