The world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, Norway's public pension fund, posted a 2.7-percent return in 2015 owing to real estate and the global stock market recovery.
When Jonas Kaufmann suddenly bowed out of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Manon Lescaut, Roberto Alagna pulled off the herculean feat of learning the complex score within days.
Residents of Scotland's remote Shetland Islands brandishing swords and shields celebrated their Nordic roots in a fest that culminated in burning of a Viking ship replica.