A giant Irish-knit jumper and the world’s biggest raggy doll were among the spectacular sights and sounds at the annual St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin.

Some of Earth’s most famous sights – including the Pyramids of Egypt and Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue – will be lit up green today.

No doubt you’ve heard by now that Wicked, the musical which tells the story of Oz from the witches’ perspective and one that has taken Broadway and the West End like a Kansas storm for the last 10 years, is coming to Dublin.

Cruising sceptic Diane McDermott spent a week around Dubai and its environs, taking in dubious marketplaces, majestic building, and the Brilliance of the Seas.

Today we describe the case of self-confessed fraudster Breifne O’Brien who, over 15 years, cheated relatives, friends and friends of friends. He used his privileged position — an affluent family, raised in a castle, private schools followed by Trinity — to swindle millions from others in his haute bourgeois milieu.

Tourism organisations around the globe will be green with envy this week as many of the world’s best-known landmarks turn emerald to mark St Patrick’s Day and promote Ireland as a tourist destination.

HAD YOU approached Gerald Lawless, when he was a teenager in Galway, and said the word ‘Dubai’ he probably would have thought you were enquiring about some sort of purchase he had made.

Iconic buildings around the world are going green for St. Patrick's Day.

America announced a huge €13bn arms deal with Saudi Arabia as President George Bush arrived for his first visit to the kingdom today.

WORLD No 1 Roger Federer and former No 1 Andre Agassi took tennis to new heights yesterday, ascending nearly 700ft to play a friendly match on the helipad at Dubai’s luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel.