Foundation picks architects for Obama's presidential library

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The foundation planning President Barack Obama's library announced on Thursday that it has picked two architectural firms to design the center on Chicago's South Side, to be...

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Giant diamond fails to sell at auction, trade interested

(Reuters) - The biggest uncut diamond to be discovered in over a century failed to sell at a Sotheby's auction on Wednesday, but the chief executive of Lucara Diamond Corp, the company that found the...

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Herding votes in Australia's outback villages

ENNGONIA, Australia (Reuters) - Social worker Kelly Ann Mackay and goat farmer Heather McInerney have made sure even those in the most remote parts of the New South Wales outback get a vote in...

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Wal-Mart heirs again top Forbes list of 25 richest U.S. families

(Reuters) - The Walton family, which owns roughly a 50 percent stake in retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc , was named the richest family in the United States for a third consecutive year on Wednesday,...

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Cuban hip hop group Orishas reunite with ode to island

HAVANA (Reuters) - Reuniting after a seven-year hiatus, Cuban emigre hip hop group Orishas are also returning to their roots with a new single celebrating their "Cuba Isla Bella" and say they hope to...

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'I'm still alive' jokes Britain's 90-year-old Queen Elizabeth

LONDON (Reuters) - With her realm in a state of turmoil following last week's vote to leave the European Union, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who turned 90 in April, has not lost her sense of humor,...

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Michelle Obama, daughters and mom promote girls' education in Morocco

MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, her mother and daughters Sasha and Malia were joined by Meryl Streep in Morocco's Marrakesh on Tuesday on a six-day tour to try to...

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Keepers of the flame: Taiwan keeps the art of fire fishing alive

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Under the darkness of the night sky, a small group of Taiwan fishermen set sail off the northeast coast, light a fire on the end of a bamboo stick using chemicals and wait for the...

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New York allows rare glimpse of its potter's field cemetery

NEW YORK (Reuters) - On an island off the coast of The Bronx in Long Island Sound, unmarked stones rest atop mass graves showing where one plot ends and another begins. Each plot contains 150 bodies.

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New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham dies at 87

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bill Cunningham, the celebrated New York Times fashion photographer known for his shots of emerging trends on the streets of New York City, died on Saturday at age of 87 after...

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Boston mobster 'Whitey' Bulger's possessions fetch $100,000 at auction

(Reuters) - Former mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's personal possessions - including a pen holder designed to look like a rat and a three-carat, heart-shaped diamond ring - fetched more than $100,000...

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Tens of thousands take to London's streets for annual gay pride parade

LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for an annual parade celebrating gay and transgender rights, with many expressing concerns as Britain gears up...

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Colombian designer makes fashion business bulletproof

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Miguel Caballero's designs are not just chic, they could save your life.

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Maine's first lady takes summertime waitress job to pick up cash

(Reuters) - The wife of Maine's governor has taken a summertime job as a waitress at a dockside restaurant catering to tourists to supplement the couple's income.

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Frankfurt sets out to woo bankers after Brexit

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - "You cry twice when you get sent to Frankfurt - once when you arrive and once when you leave."

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Glastonbury revelers in shock over Britain's vote to leave EU

GLASTONBURY, England (Reuters) - Revelers at Glastonbury Festival emerged from their tents in shock on Friday morning at the news Britain had voted to leave the European Union and the prime minister...

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Boston mob boss 'Whitey' Bulger's possessions to go under gavel

BOSTON (Reuters) - A sterling silver skull ring, a library of crime books and dozens of rolls of paper towels seized from the apartment where the FBI caught former Boston mob boss James "Whitey"...

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Virtual vintners have legs in China, toppling traditional importers

SHANGHAI/HUNTER VALLEY, Australia (Reuters) - Wu Zhendong sees himself as something of a wine buff. The 25-year-old lawyer from China's western city of Chengdu is a member of his local wine club,...

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Whitney Houston, Prince memorabilia to hit auction block

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - From costumes to instruments, a selection of music memorabilia will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills this week, including items belonging to late singers Whitney...

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Nose job: smells are smart sensors' last frontier

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Phones or watches may be smart enough to detect sound, light, motion, touch, direction, acceleration and even the weather, but they can't smell.

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From engineer to sommelier: Calgary's laid-off oil workers try plan B

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Alejandro Rodriguez wants to be a sommelier. His previous experience: 20 years as an oil reservoir engineer.

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Saudi heritage revival too late to save many cultural treasures

ASIR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - If Rijal Almaa, a stone village tucked into a fold of Saudi Arabia's southern mountains, showcases the polished end-point of new efforts in the kingdom to preserve...

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Wet weather, traffic clog up Glastonbury Festival arrivals

GLASTONBURY, England (Reuters) - Gray skies and rain greeted revelers arriving for Britain's Glastonbury Festival on Wednesday, with organizers asking drivers to delay their journey due to heavy...

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Thousands gather at Stonehenge to watch summer solstice sunrise

SALISBURY PLAIN, England (Reuters) - Thousands of people watched the sun rise at Stonehenge on Tuesday after gathering at the ancient monument site in southern England to mark summer solstice.

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Fewer Japanese seek marriage amid worries over income: poll

TOKYO (Reuters) - The proportion of Japanese men in their 20s who want to marry has slumped, with many citing their income not meeting women's expectations as a reason not to tie the knot, think tank...

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Paris exhibition displays Chirac-like 18th century Japanese masks

PARIS (Reuters) - Three antique Japanese theater masks that bear a striking resemblance to former French president Jacques Chirac will go on display from Tuesday in a Paris museum he set up 10 years...

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Less is more as Japanese minimalist movement grows

TOKYO (Reuters) - Fumio Sasaki's one-room Tokyo apartment is so stark friends liken it to an interrogation room. He owns three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and a meager...

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Palestinian's classic car replica turns heads in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - Repairing cars in the Gulf, a Palestinian mechanic from the Gaza Strip once spotted a vehicle that took his breath away.

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Out of fashion: how men could fall off the catwalk

MILAN (Reuters) - Men are in danger of falling off the catwalk in Europe.

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Singing dune draws visitors to Kazakh steppe

ALMATY (Reuters) - Rising incongruously above the steppes of southeastern Kazakhstan is a structure as famed for the myths that surround as for the sound it produces -- a single, singing dune.

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Jewelry, sneakers and lots of paper towels at 'Whitey' Bulger auction

BOSTON (Reuters) - Some of former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's preferences were made well known during the years he ruled the city's underworld: He didn't like snitches and expected...

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Hats and horses at Royal Ascot Ladies Day

ASCOT, England (Reuters) - Blooming flowers, animals and patriotic references were among the fashion inspirations for race-goers at Britain's Royal Ascot's Ladies Day on Thursday, with a range of...

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Sun-powered phone charger gives migrants in Greece free electricity

LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) - For refugees and migrants stuck in Greece, a smartphone is a lifeline -- as long as its battery lasts.

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Walk on water at Italian lake 'Floating Piers' installation

SULZANO, Italy (Reuters) - Ever fancied walking on water? Well now you can, thanks to Bulgarian-born artist Christo's latest art installation providing a floating walkway at Italy's Lake Iseo.

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African growers threaten Dutch flower power

AALSMEER, Netherlands (Reuters) - The Netherlands is fighting to retain its crown as the world's top auction house for flowers as growers in Africa and elsewhere increasingly sell directly to buyers.

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As gates open in Shanghai, Disney already adding to $5.5 billion park

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Boasting the Magic Kingdom's tallest fairytale castle and longest musical parade, Walt Disney Co's Shanghai park is already its biggest overseas outpost. But even as gates open...

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Bolivia cries fowl, rejects hens donation from Bill Gates

LA PAZ (Reuters) - The Bolivian government rejected on Wednesday a donation of hens offered by U.S. billionaire Bill Gates, as officials said the tech magnate needs to study up on the Andean nation's...

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Room prices rocket in Rio as landlords dig for Olympic gold

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - With hotels mostly booked, landlords are charging a pretty penny for tourists still seeking accommodation in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics in August -- asking as much as...

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Ai Weiwei takes his art to Cambridge in new exhibition

CAMBRIDGE (Reuters) - Chinese artist Ai Weiweilaunched his first exhibition in Cambridge on Wednesday, displaying works in the grounds of Downing College.

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Britain's Prince William appears on gay magazine cover

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince William will appear on the July cover of Attitude speaking out against homophobia, the first time a British royal has been photographed for the front of a gay publication,...

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Tate Modern mixes old with new with pyramid-like extension

LONDON (Reuters) - Tate Modern made a show on Tuesday of its new pyramid-like extension, which significantly adds to the London gallery's space and allows it to exhibit more contemporary art from...

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Buffett says anonymous woman wins $3.46 million charity auction for lunch

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett on Tuesday said the anonymous bidder who agreed last week at an annual charity auction to pay $3,456,789 to have lunch with him, matching the previous record high, is a...

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Bright hats lighten up grey weather at Royal Ascot start

ASCOT (Reuters) - Royal Ascot kicked off in damp weather on Tuesday, but there were plenty of colorful dresses and hats to lighten up the grey skies at Britain's famed horse racing event.

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#TwoMenKissing spreads love in defiance of Orlando killer

(Reuters) - Social media lit up Monday with statements of love and images of #TwoMenKissing in defiance of what the Orlando gunman's father described as his son's strong anti-gay feelings.

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Stolen marble head of Rome's first emperor returns to Italy

ROME (Reuters) - A marble sculpture of the head of Rome's first emperor was welcomed back to the Italian capital on Tuesday, some 40 years after it was stolen and trafficked out of the country.

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Italy's Osteria Francescana named world's best restaurant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Osteria Francescana ascended to the top of the annual ranking of world's best restaurants for its inventive twist on traditional Italian dishes, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants...

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Iceland's tourism boom fuels recovery, lays bare locals' plight

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (Reuters) - On a recent weeknight Iceland's top tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, is packed with visitors wearing mud masks and quaffing local beer, contributing...

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Mickey takes on the locals with Disney's $5.5 billion Shanghai bet

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - As the opening of the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disneyland draws near, Walt Disney Co has a challenge. The hold of rival Asian characters such as China’s homegrown Boonie Bears or...

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Same-sex kiss removed from Les Miserables musical in Singapore

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore organizers of the musical "Les Miserables" have cut a scene in which two male actors kiss after complaints from the public in the conservative city state where sex...

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Gladiators fight again in ancient Roman settlement in Austria

VIENNA (Reuters) - Gladiators reenacted fights in the amphitheatre of the ancient Roman city of Carnuntum whose archaeological remains stretch over 10 square kilometers (3.86 square miles) in eastern...

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Organizers of Burning Man festival pony up for ranch in Nevada

(Reuters) - Organizers of Burning Man, an annual counter-culture festival that climaxes with the burning of a wooden effigy in the Nevada desert, has bought a ranch in the southwestern state to run...

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College dorms a new front in U.S. battle over transgender rights

BOSTON (Reuters) - As lawmakers across the United States battle over whether to allow transgender Americans to use public restrooms that match their gender identities, universities are scrambling to...

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World leaders, celebrities to pay final tribute to Muhammad Ali

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - World leaders, celebrities, boxing fans and people who admired Muhammad Ali as a man will gather on Friday in his Kentucky hometown for one last goodbye to a towering...

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Obama to take his family to Carlsbad Caverns, Yosemite next week

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will have the chance to see the stalactites and bats of Carlsbad Caverns and the giant sequoias in Yosemite next weekend when he takes his family to two...

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Pope to visit Auschwitz during trip to Poland in July

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will visit the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau during a visit to Poland on July 29, the Vatican said on Thursday.

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Cathedral service starts celebrations for British Queen's 90th birthday

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain holds a National Service of Thanksgiving in honor of Queen Elizabeth on Friday, kicking off a weekend of events to mark the official 90th birthday of the country's...

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Flesh on the hook: the act of body suspension

ZAGREB (Reuters) - On the rooftop of an empty building in Zagreb, Dino Helvida carefully pierces his client Kaitlin's torso, legs and face before putting hooks through her skin.

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Islamic State video shows Assyrian temple blown up in Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents have posted a video showing a 3,000-year-old temple being blown up at the Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, in their latest assault on some of the...

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Turkey's hard-hit tourism industry hopes soap opera can woo wealthy Arabs

ANTALYA, Turkey (Reuters) - He's not a trained actor, but Turkish businessman Serdar Ali Abet hopes his television debut - and a mix of cliff-hangers, melodrama and lavish sets - can win fans across...

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Afghanistan to restore bombed-out 'safe haven' palace

KABUL (Reuters) - With collapsed roofs and bullet-strewn crumbling walls, the derelict Darul Aman palace has become a symbol of failed attempts to bring peace to war-torn Afghanistan.

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Ali's legend floats like a butterfly through a hometown festival

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) - A celebration of Muhammad Ali's life continued on Wednesday in the late boxing champion's hometown of Louisville, where a daylong "I Am Ali" Festival passed his legend on...

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Costumes and a proposal as 'Warcraft' comes to China

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Hundreds of "Warcraft" fans celebrated the release of a new film based on the popular video game in Shanghai on Tuesday night, with costumes as well as a marriage proposal.

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New fossils may settle debate over 'Hobbit' people's ancestry

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossils unearthed on the Indonesian island of Flores may resolve one of the most intriguing mysteries in anthropology: the ancestry of the extraordinary diminutive human...

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At Ramadan, migrants in Europe dream of family and comfort food

BERLIN/BASTAD, Sweden/ATHENS, (Reuters) - As Ramadan began in Germany on Monday, Syrian asylum seeker Khairallah Swaid said he would pray for a reunion with his wife, who is stranded at a camp in...

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Chicago zoo's baby camel 'Alexander Camelton' a social media star

(Reuters) - A month-old Bactrian camel named Alexander Camelton at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo has become a social media star.

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More to Jamaica than 'anti-gay Gestapos': Man Booker winner Marlon James

TREASURE BEACH, Jamaica (Reuters) - Living as a closeted gay man in Jamaica drove novelist Marlon James to such despair that he once wrote he knew he had to leave "in a plane or a coffin."

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London art gallery showcases Calais migrant stories

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When British art curator Sue McAlpine first visited makeshift migrant camps in Calais on Frances's northern coast, the sight of families living in muddy tents...

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Mud-splattered tractor race draws crowds in southern Russia

Crowds cheered as drivers raced at speeds of up to 70 km (43 mph), making sharp turns on the dusty track and splattering mud as they plowed through a pond in the annual tractor race in the Rostov...

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Auction for Warren Buffett charity lunch starts slow

(Reuters) - The annual charity auction for a private lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett is underway.

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Sydney storms have silver lining for big wave daredevils

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The heavy storm that battered eastern Australia over the weekend had a major silver lining for a bunch of big wave surfers in the south of Sydney on Monday.

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District of Columbia contestant named Miss USA

(Reuters) - A 26-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia was crowned winner of the Miss USA pageant on Sunday.

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Whitney Houston's awards, costumes, memorabilia to be sold at auction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Awards, costumes and memorabilia from the estate of the late Grammy-winning singer and actress Whitney Houston will be sold during a two-day auction in California later this...

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Son of the circus thrives as crude-oil traffic cop

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The rows of traders who line the massive trading floor at Mercuria Energy Group's Houston headquarters rely on a string of modern conveniences to execute deals across the globe....

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French scientists join project to uncover secrets of the pyramids

French scientists equipped with a special telescope have joined the Scan the Pyramids project that was launched last year to discover the secrets of Egypt's ancient structures.

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Mexican 'Spider-Man' weaves web of knowledge for science students

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican science teacher has come up with a novel way to get his students' attention - giving lessons dressed as Spider-Man.

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Archaeologists vs. robbers in Israel's race to find ancient scrolls

TZEELIM VALLEY, Israel (Reuters) - The disposable paper face masks offer little protection from the clouds of dust that fill the cliffside cave where Israeli archaeologists are wrapping up the...

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Dig for victory! Hungarian grave diggers compete to be the best

DEBRECEN, Hungary (Reuters) - In a graveyard in Hungary, solemn contemplation gave way to frantic sportsmanship on Friday as dozens of grave diggers battled to prove they were the fastest and best in...

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How dogs became man's best friend - twice over

LONDON (Reuters) - Ancient humans made dogs their best friend not once but twice, by domesticating two separate populations of wolves thousands of miles apart in Europe and Asia.

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Art, furniture and more from the Reagans' home to be auctioned

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Furniture, artwork, jewelry and collectible objects that once graced the Los Angeles home of President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, are headed for the auction block,...

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Dinner in the sky in Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Gourmet food lovers get the chance this week to have "Dinner in the Sky" served by star chefs on platforms hoisted 50 meters (165 feet) into the air by construction cranes in the...

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Green diamond sells for $16.8 million, sets auction record

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A green diamond sold for $16.8 million at a Hong Kong auction on Tuesday, setting two world records, Christie's said.

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The fastest toddler in Lithuania lured across finish line by jangling keys

VILNIUS (Reuters) - It took 11 seconds for 10-month-old Kamilis Dambrauskas to crawl five meters of plush carpet towards victory on Wednesday in an annual competition to crown Lithuania's fastest...

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Pele to donate auction money to Santos, charity

LONDON (Reuters) - Brazilian great Pele said he was putting more than 2,000 items up for auction, including his three World Cup medals and a one-of-a-kind Jules Rimet trophy, in order to raise funds...

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A day in the life of Picasso: artist's same-day works up for sale

LONDON (Reuters) - Two still life works by Pablo Picasso painted on the same day are among offerings at an upcoming London auction that also features works by Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Wassily...

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Straight from the studio: 'Star Wars' prop replicas go on sale

LONDON (Reuters) - From Darth Vader's melted helmet to Rey's lightsaber hilt, "Star Wars" fans can now get their hands on replicas of the props used in the sci-fi franchise's last movie.

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Swiss declare Alps tamed as Gotthard rail tunnel opens

AMSTEG, Switzerland (Reuters) - Switzerland opens the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel through the heart of the Alps on Wednesday in an engineering marvel that stands as a symbol of European...

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Dior, in UK for cruise line, says new designer 'work in progress'

LONDON (Reuters) - Appointing a new Dior creative director is a "work in progress", the French fashion house's chief executive said on Tuesday, with the luxury label still to name a head designer...

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