INVESTIGATING AGATHA CHRISTIE Montreal museum pays homage to crime writer and archeologist

Agatha Christie didn't much care for Montreal's weather when she visited in 1922, saving kinder words for British Columbia's beautiful Sequoia trees. But despite her less-than-glowing endorsement, Montreal's Pointe-a-Calliere museum is paying homage to the so-called “Queen of Crime” with an exhibit that is as much about the English novelist's life as her best-selling whodunits.

President Raul Castro has warned Cubans to prepare for tough economic conditions in 2016 despite warmer relations with the United States. Castro said that while tourism is booming, low oil prices have damaged the outlook of an economy that depends on billions of dollars of subsidized oil and cash from Venezuela.

In the age of technology, booking trips online is an easy choice for travellers. And yet the business of travel agents in the United States soared last year—ASTA reported that more of half of all agents saw an increase in clients, transactions, and revenue in 2014 over 2013, and their profits are expected to grow 12 percent in 2015 Here are 10 reasons that help explain why that is, from a customer’s perspective.

The weaker loonie and lower gas prices convinced Canadians to vacation closer to home this year and this trend is expected to continue in 2016, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada.

Winter weather that spun off a series of deadly storms in the Midwest brought the season's first big punch to the Northeast on Tuesday, with snow, sleet and freezing rain greasing roads, sending drivers spinning and keeping people indoors amid sub-freezing temperatures.

After a December that has felt more like spring than winter, the first major snowstorm of the season has hit the Northeast. The storm system that spawned deadly tornadoes in Texas over the weekend and brought wind and snow to the central US, tracked across the Great Lakes area last night bringing ice, snow and freezing rain to southern Ontario, and up to 35 centimetres of snow to the northeast.

The year 2015 featured battles in the boardroom, the courts and increasingly in the air between passengers and cabin crew. Fortunately there were expressions of compassion and generosity as many but not all nations welcomed Syrian refugees fleeing from their war-torn homeland. The year was filled with mergers, diplomacy and sadly more deadly terrorism incidents. It was a year that many won’t soon forget.

Hyatt Hotels Corp asked customers last week to review payment card statements for possible fraud after it found malicious software in its payment processing systems for hotels it manages.

The first direct flight between China and Cuba took off last weekend from Beijing International Airport. It is the first direct route linking China and the Caribbean operated by an Asian airline. The trip takes 19.5 hours, with a stopover for refuelling in Montreal.

Atlanta, which bills itself as the world's busiest airport, announced on its social media sites said it served its 100 millionth passenger this year. That makes it the first single airport to serve that number of passengers in one calendar year.

A low Canadian dollar has opened a window of travel opportunity that Alberta plans to take full advantage of, says Tourism Minister David Eggen. The province will do that by expanding travel opportunities beyond the traditional powerhouse attractions of Banff and Jasper.

A European Union official says she's trying to get airports to offer cheap water for travellers after they've been through security checks. Air travellers in the EU aren't allowed to take liquids in containers larger than 100 millilitres (3.5 ounces) through security checks.