The grace of Beccaria's nymphs at Milan's second day of fashion

MILAN (Reuters) - Airy, ethereal and delicate designs filled the catwalk in Luisa Beccaria's show on Thursday as models took the role of water nymphs on the second day of Milan's fashion week.

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Rome reopens Spanish Steps after costly restoration

ROME (Reuters) - Rome is reopening its famed Spanish Steps after a privately funded restoration but has urged visitors to treat the 18th century staircase with greater respect to prevent it falling...

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King penguin chick shows up at Vienna zoo

VIENNA (Reuters) - A King penguin chick, hatched in Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo four weeks ago, has emerged from the folds of a protective parent's body.

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Oxford ranked as world's top university: Times Higher Education

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - The University of Oxford has become the first British university to top the Times Higher Education's global league table, knocking the California Institute of Technology into...

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Bangkok edges out London as world's top travel destination: Mastercard

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai capital of Bangkok has beaten London to be crowned the world's most popular travel destination this year, according to an annual ranking by global payments and technology...

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Boats evoking refugees hang from Italy palace in Ai Weiwei installation

FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has hung bright orange rubber dinghies from the walls of an elegant Renaissance palace in Florence to draw attention to the plight of refugees,...

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Frankfurt Zoo introduces new addition: a baby gorilla

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Frankfurt Zoo is celebrating a new addition at its enclosures - a baby gorilla.

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Ethnic street signs raise old tensions over identity in Lithuania

VILNIUS (Reuters) - The Lithuanian language sign in Vilnius's former Jewish quarter reads "Jewish Street" and below hangs a Hebrew version, with Star of David. Not far away, in Cyrillic letters, is...

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Burberry inspires nostalgia, Christopher Kane elevates Crocs

LONDON (Reuters) - Floral prints and Victorian ruffles defined Burberry's first "see-now-buy-now" collection at London Fashion Week on Monday, while Christopher Kane opted to spin a high-fashion...

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Bones from shipwreck may shed light on ancient Greeks' travel habits

ATHENS (Reuters) - Skeletal remains from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera are expected to reveal more about the sinking and could shed light on ancient travel habits, a...

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UK's famed red phone boxes get revamp - as mini-offices

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's famous red telephone boxes may no longer be used for their original purpose in an age of smartphones but one company is giving them a makeover -- as small offices.

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In Berlin, the party goes on despite threat of club closures

BERLIN (Reuters) - From swing, salsa and sex to tango, transvestites and techno, Berlin's nightlife offers something for everyone.

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Exhibition brings horrors of Syria to Buenos Aires

(Reuters) - Residents in Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Monday (September 19) were able to see the horrors of the Syrian civil war firsthand through an Amnesty International installation set up in...

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Reagans' personal items to be auctioned in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Furniture, jewelry and cowboy boots are among the more than 700 personal items that once belonged to U.S. President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan set for sale by...

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Geometry, uniforms and 1980s inspire London catwalks

LONDON (Reuters) - Designers took inspiration from geometry, the 1980s and British uniforms for their London Fashion Week creations over the weekend, with more labels selling items hot off the...

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Queen's cousin Lord Ivar Mountbatten says he is gay

LONDON (Reuters) - Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, has become the first member of the British royal family to come out as gay.

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Dressed in white, thousands attend Parisian-inspired picnic in New York

(Reuters) - An estimated 5,000 people, dressed in all white, showed up at a Parisian-inspired picnic in lower Manhattan's Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park on Thursday evening wearing masks and Marie...

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Kung fu master keen to bend the trend on suogugong

BEIJING (Reuters) - For 50 years, kung fu master Li Liangui has been contorting his body into eye-watering positions while practicing one of the more unusual and less popular Chinese martial art...

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Soccer helps young refugees take a shot at new life in the U.S.

BALTIMORE, Md. (Reuters) - On a muggy day in late July, dozens of student refugees ran relentlessly after a soccer ball, stopping only to help up a fellow player who had slipped.

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Belgian brewery's pipe dream brings relief to medieval Bruges

BRUGES, Belgium (Reuters) - A Belgian brewery is turning on the taps of a pipeline buried beneath the medieval city of Bruges to transport its beer to a bottling plant some 3 km (2 miles) away.

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'Kung Fu' nuns bike Himalayas to oppose human trafficking

NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Clad in black sweatpants, red jackets and white helmets, the hundreds of cyclists pedaling the treacherously steep, narrow mountain passes to India from Nepal...

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Hollow horses in hellish boats mirror migrant crisis

Sculptures of 40 horses were installed around Rome's Colosseum and along the ancient forum as part of an exhibition exploring migration throughout history.Technicians started assembling the...

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Virtual reality in spotlight at Tokyo Game Show

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Tokyo Game Show kicked off on Thursday, with immersive virtual reality technology taking the spotlight in the industry exhibition event.

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No pork, no lard for these Hong Kong mooncakes

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Mooncake sellers in Hong Kong are offering healthier choices this festive season to attract a customer base that is growing ever more wary about its calorie intake.

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Italy to launch 500-euro arts bonus for 18-year-olds next month

ROME (Reuters) - Emerging from an underfunded school system into a bleak jobs market, Italians turning 18 this year at least have one birthday treat to look forward to -- 500 euros ($562.10) from the...

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Contestants chow down meatballs to raise funds for Italian quake victims

(Reuters) - A meatball eating contest at a restaurant on New York's Upper East Side saw patrons engorging themselves on the traditional food to raise money for victims of the earthquake that...

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New U.S. black history museum may help dialogue on race: official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new National Museum of African American History and Culture may help heal the persistent problem of U.S. racism when it opens in 10 days, the head of the Smithsonian...

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Builders go back in time to construct castle the medieval way

TREIGNY, France (Reuters) - Blacksmiths, stonemasons and quarrymen are hard at work in a Burgundy forest building a 13th century-style castle using the most basic tools and materials, replicating the...

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Endangered Hawaiian crow shows a knack for tool use

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An endangered crow species from Hawaii that already is extinct in the wild displays remarkable proficiency in using small sticks and other objects to wrangle a meal, joining a...

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California to end breeding of captive killer whales

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will no longer allow the breeding of captive killer whales such as those used in SeaWorld's famous "Shamu" shows under a measure signed on Tuesday by...

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Living the dream as a Stormtrooper in Mexico

Bo Johnson never thought the latest installment in the Star Wars saga, "The Force Awakens," would change his life but thanks to his resemblance to British actor John Boyega who plays Finn in the...

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Activists, participants clash at Spanish bull-lancing festival

TORDESILLAS, Spain (Reuters) - Animal rights activists clashed with locals holding an annual bull-lancing festival in central Spain on Tuesday at which participants were for the first time in...

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First transgender Serbian army veteran celebrates new identity as woman

BELGRADE (Reuters) - More than a year after she was sacked from Serbia's army for coming out as transgender, Helena Vukovic has finally received a passport, driving license, health and ID cards...

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Miss Arkansas crowned Miss America 2017 in pageant's 96th year

(Reuters) - Savvy Shields, a college student from Arkansas, won the annual Miss America pageant on Sunday after impressing judges with a jazz dance routine and her answer to a question about her take...

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China says more people can speak national language

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has managed to raise the proportion of the population which can speak the national language, Mandarin, but still faces difficulty in remote areas and places where ethnic...

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Food fight: British sausage thrower wins Black Pudding championship

(Reuters) - This year's World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, a more than 100-year-old tournament centered around hurling blood sausage, was won by the first thrower.

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Oxford English Dictionary gains splendiferous moobs

(Reuters) - You know, some yogalates could tackle those splendiferous moobs.

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Thousands protest bullfighting in Spain as calls for ban strengthen

MADRID (Reuters) - Several thousand people rallied in Madrid on Saturday to demand a ban on bullfighting, adding their voices to a growing animal rights movement that has prompted some local...

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India acid attack survivor redefines beauty at NY Fashion Week

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Indian model scarred in an acid attack challenged perceptions of beauty as she strutted down the runway at New York Fashion Week to promote a ban on the sale of corrosive...

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Nicholas K kicks off New York Fashion Week with 'Urban nomad' style

(Reuters) - Luxury brand Nicholas K kicked off New York Fashion Week Thursday, bringing its desert inspired style to the city with a display of long caftan style dresses and asymmetrical jackets.

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First openly gay Miss America contestant shines light on LGBT issues

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Reuters) - The first openly lesbian Miss America contestant will not only vie for the crown at the 95th annual pageant in New Jersey this weekend, she will also aim to spotlight...

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Cerrillos' 90-year-old cyclist shows no signs of slowing down

(Reuters) - Elena Galvez is 90 years old and lives alone with her hens in the dusty rural suburb of Cerrillos in Chile.

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Japan's half-Indian Miss World contestant a challenge to its self-image

TOKYO (Reuters) - Priyanka Yoshikawa says she hopes that being crowned Miss World Japan will spur greater acceptance in her homeland of people with parents from different ethnic backgrounds, such as...

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'Go directly to a homeless shelter': game gives taste of life on the street

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If being sent to jail without passing 'Go' or winning second prize in a beauty contest make "Monopoly" feel oddly detached from real life, a new board game - about homelessness -...

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Wooden sculpture of London goes up in flames to mark Great Fire anniversary

LONDON (Reuters) - Flames once again licked the historic buildings of Britain's capital as a wooden replica of 17th century London went up in smoke to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of...

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Bolivia's transgender citizens celebrate new ID cards

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Feted by activists carrying a rainbow flag, transgender citizens in La Paz are celebrating their newfound right to register for identity cards with updated details under Bolivia's...

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Goat Yoga becomes a hit

'No Regrets Farm' owner Lainey Morse shot a video in August showcasing her unique hit idea, Goat Yoga classes carried out outdoors in calming Oregon-based surroundings.

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Is it a bird? A plane? Smartphone sent into sky for record attempt

(Reuters) - A smartphone attached to a balloon took to the skies on Monday in an attempt to set a record for the highest livestream from such a device.

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500 year-old skull goes online in 3D as part of Mary Rose project

LONDON (Reuters) - A carpenter's skull recovered from Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose, which sank in battle in 1545, can now be viewed in 3D online -- allowing the public to see his bad teeth and...

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In Skopje, residents proud of native Mother Teresa canonization

SKOPJE (Reuters) - When Mother Teresa is made an official saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, one city will be particularly proud of its famous native, Skopje.

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Belgians bless beer in Brussels cathedral on brewers day

(Reuters) - Belgium celebrated Saint Arnould, the Patron Saint of brewers, on Friday by blessing a barrel of beer in a Brussels cathedral.

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Mother Teresa borne to sainthood by complex, mysterious process

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta on Sunday will be the culmination of a process - sometimes called "the saint-making machine" - that is long, complex, expensive,...

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Tomatoes come to town: Bunol prepares for LaTomatina

LLOSA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The ripe, round, red fruit tumbles out of crates and is piled high on trucks, while people cover balconies in plastic sheets and board up houses and shopfronts. Preparations...

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Louis Vuitton targets middle-income shoppers with perfume launch

PARIS (Reuters) - Louis Vuitton has launched its first perfume range since the founding merger of its parent LVMH in 1987, targeting middle-income shoppers amid a downturn in luxury spending.

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It's a fireball fight! Salvadoran villagers fling burning rags at each other

El Salvador's annual church festival in which young men throw fiery, gasoline-soaked rags at one another in the streets, took place on Thursday (August 31).

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Japan exhibition puts child prostitution in the limelight

TOKYO (Reuters) - "At that moment, I understood what it means to feel like I'd rather die," wrote a young Japanese woman, recalling the trauma she suffered as a pre-teen, over having sex with a man...

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Pampering pooches with pet massages in Taiwan

TAIPEI, (Reuters) - A hotel in Taiwan is having a dog masseuse pamper the pooches staying with them with pet massages using ancient Chinese techniques.

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