Beyond the bling: the most pointless luxuries ever

A bubble-bath necklace? A DNA vending machine? An unwearable gold hat that took 12 years to weave? Through a collection of priceless, pointless and surprising objects, the V&A’s new exhibition asks: what is luxury?

The good, the glad and the celebrities: Burberry hails return of the poncho

British fashion house thanks spaghetti western-style reversible garment for 9% growth in like-for-like sales in past year

Ask the real experts about ocean acidification, not climate science deniers

Scientists review column on ocean acidification in The Australian newspaper and find it was ‘misleading’, ‘very wrong’ and ‘ill informed’.

Top 10 museum cafes and restaurants in Paris

Many of Paris’s museum cafes and restaurants now offer a lot more than coffee and cake. You can now expect great food and magnificent art – and some take their cuisine so seriously they merit a visit in their own right

Top 10 national parks in Europe: readers’ travel tips

Our article on Europe’s less-well-known national parks caught your attention and prompted hundreds of you to submit tips for more areas to explore in the article’s comments section. Here is a selection of what you liked best