Justin McCurry recommends 10 great places to stay that won't leave you out of pocket in Japan's most expensive city

  On Saturday, four surfers enjoyed the rides of their lives on waves the size of houses. Except they weren't in Hawaii, but Ireland, reports Lauren Davies

  Â· Plane maker says it will have to cut more jobs· European industry is under threat, says EADS

  If motorists' experiences of the vagaries of satellite navigation systems are any guide, history seekers could find themselves up to their necks in the Black Death when they really wanted Merlin and the flying sarsen stones of Stonehenge

  Europe to put forward eight-point plan at meeting on replacing Kyoto protocol

  If you can't afford to spend Christmas away, a good holiday read is the next best thing. Rory MacLean picks the best of this year's travel writing

  Photographer David Levene visits the futuristic new funicular railway station in Innsbruck designed by Zaha Hadid

  It's hot, it's hedonistic — and it's not quite what you think. David Vincent on the unveiling of Miami's annual art festival

  James Proctor, author of the new Bradt guide to Lapland, picks the coolest places to stay

  Stay in an igloo, drive huskies across frozen tundra and marvel at the northern lights. The days may be short in the Arctic winter, but the setting is magical and the activities unique. Jane Dunford picks some of the best

  Skiing's most exclusive thrill isn't just for millionaires. At a tiny Swedish resort, you can try heliskiing for a fraction of the normal price. Tom Robbins reports

  Phil Lee: Go to catch sight of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, those vast sheets of colour that twist and spin across the sky or hang like gigantic luminous curtains