What is that alien sensation you are experiencing? Could it be calm? Spring brings the one international break we almost look forward to.

A marine biologist with a passion for scuba diving is going deep with a new venture which aims to unlock the underwater tourism potential of Cork Harbour.

Esther N McCarthy picks her top ten themed treats for Halloween.

Authorities in Madagascar are struggling to contain an outbreak of plague that has killed two dozen people in recent weeks.

The moorhens and coots, of lakes and ponds, are easy to tell apart. Waterhens have bright red bills with yellow tips, and some white on their tail feathers, writes Richard Collins. 

Age should be no barrier to living an adventurous and full life, especially if you have the time after retirement, writes Caroline Allen

Two police officers have been shot and wounded on the French island of Reunion during the arrest of a man suspected of links to radical Islam.

Valentine’s Day will always be a special anniversary for Irish chocolate maker, writes Trish Dromey.

I’M just on my way home from the Slow Food Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre in Turin. It’s a biennial event that kicks off on Friday and finishes on Monday evening. 

A wing flap that washed ashore on an island off Tanzania has been identified as belonging to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Cork ICA Federation marks its 80th birthday next year and celebrations are set to start early in the New Year.

Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the environment.

The mouse lemurs of Madagascar are the world’s smallest primates. 

From demure to dramatic, eyeliner was one of the biggest trends on the AW15 catwalks. Katie Wright draws on the season’s looks. 

IT’S the product that delivers the highest concentration of actives to your skin, yet serum is still often overlooked in favour of the usual cleanse, tone, moisturise routine — and that’s a big mistake.

USA: A lawyer wants to enter his pet pig into the Flint mayoral race after a mix-up threatened to keep candidates’ names off the primary election ballot.

UCC French lecturer Prof Grace Neville recounts how the sinking of the Lusitania shocked France

USA: A judge has dismissed charges against a woman who threw uncooked bacon and sausage inside a police station while saying she was there to “feed the piggies”.

The economic geography of the world is changing. The eurozone faces the spectre of another round of stagnation; Japan has slipped into recession; and the US, despite relatively strong performance in the latter part of the year, has raised concerns worldwide with its exit from quantitative easing.

As a Spice Girl, Emma Bunton enjoyed global fame and success but now her happiness is closer to home. She tells Gabrielle Fagan about the loves of her life and why there’s no time to walk down the aisle

A plague outbreak has killed 40 people on the island nation of Madagascar, with 119 people diagnosed with the bacterial disease since August.

Size: 184sq m (2,000sq ft)

Bono and Rihanna had front-row seats as his wife’s ethical fashion range Edun unveiled its spring collection at New York Fashion Week.

Losses continued to mount last year at the ethical clothing company founded by Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson.

OUR youngest sister is celebrating her 40th birthday tonight in Sligo. Months ago, she warned us of her plans: “We’re taking over the hostel on Lough Arrow for the night,” she said. 

THE kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird, is the weirdest feathered creature on earth.

WHEN it comes to Valentine’s Day treats, we could be forgiven for thinking that chocolates are the safe route for gifts.

Pop star Katy Perry said becoming a goodwill ambassador for the UN children’s agency has made her realise that there is more to happiness than material possessions and social status.

HOW is it that Rwanda, among the world’s poorest countries — and still recovering from a brutal civil war — is able to protect its teenage girls against cancer more effectively than the G8 countries?

Losses continued to mount last year at the ethical clothing company founded by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson.

Amur leopards, a fig-loving bat, and critically endangered monkeys are among the top 10 mammals avoiding extinction with the help of zoos.

The US military has evacuated its non-essential government personnel from Yemen due to the high threat of attack by al Qaida which has caused temporary shutdowns of 19 American diplomatic posts across the Middle East and Africa

An intercepted secret message between al Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and his deputy in Yemen about plans for a major terror attack was the trigger for the current shutdown of many US embassies.

Amid online “chatter” about terror threats, US diplomatic posts in 19 cities in the Muslim world will be closed at least through the end of this week, the State Department said.

A teenage girl has been killed by a shark as she snorkelled a few metres from the shore on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

The Irish-founded international engineering services group Kentz has strengthened its presence in Africa, by winning a near €30 million contract to build support services for an industrial infrastructure network in Mozambique.

FOR most of the year The Burren is more moonscape than landscape.