Professor finds Lithuania's 'birth certificate' in German archive

VILNIUS (Reuters) - A professor said on Thursday he had found a copy of Lithuania's lost declaration of independence languishing in a German archive, an achievement hailed by authorities as the...

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London exhibition elevates selfies as an art form

LONDON (Reuters) - From Old Masters' self-portraits to contemporary selfies taken on phones, a London exhibition explores the creative potential of a mode of expression whose modern form is often...

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Self-taught sculptor defends grinning Ronaldo bust

(Reuters) - Self-taught sculptor Emanuel Santos defended his grinning bust of Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday, telling his thousands of online detractors he had followed the soccer star's instructions...

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Egypt unearths part of ancient King Khufu's boat

CAIRO (Reuters) - A plank of wood believed to be from the boat of an ancient Egyptian king has been unearthed near the Great Pyramid at Giza, archaeologists said on Wednesday.

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Ronaldo Airport overshadowed by dodgy statue

FUNCHAL (Reuters) - Madeira renamed its airport in honor of Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday - although it is a new statue of the four-times world player of the year that is likely to grab the...

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Casino hub Macau shows all its cards, from egg tarts to fireworks, to draw tourists

MACAU (Reuters) - Overseas visitors are an increasingly common sight in China’s gambling territory of Macau which is trying to diversify an economic model that has depended on mainland high rollers...

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Gold coin worth $4 million stolen from Berlin museum

BERLIN (Reuters) - A Canadian gold coin named "Big Maple Leaf" which bears the image of Queen Elizabeth II was stolen in the early hours of Monday morning from Berlin's Bode Museum.

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Bosnian boy performs flipping, brick-smashing feat

(Reuters) - A Bosnian teenager has performed an impressive, if painful to watch, stunt, breaking 111 concrete blocks with his head in a mere 35 seconds.

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Paris exhibition highlights Picasso's passion for distant cultures

PARIS (Reuters) - Pablo Picasso's lifelong admiration for art from far-flung civilizations comes to light in a new Paris exhibition featuring such pieces from the artist's collection as well as his...

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Captain James Cook waistcoat fails to sell at Sydney auction

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A waistcoat owned by British explorer Captain James Cook, who claimed Australia for Britain in 1770, has failed to sell at auction, with bids far below its anticipated million...

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Sex in Thai city frustrates junta

PATTAYA, Thailand (Reuters) - With mascots dressed as smiling fish and a police rock band, Thai authorities launched a "Happy Zone" at the weekend to improve the image of a city notorious for sex...

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Treehouses and mansions: Life in the shadow of the U.S.-Mexico fence

TIJUANA (Reuters) - The rust-red U.S. fence along the Mexican border has inspired various quirky architectural structures, from a frontier-themed mansion to a humble treehouse with uninterrupted...

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'I need to be safe' - Crossing into Canada from the U.S.

HEMMINGFORD, Quebec (Reuters) - A Sudanese man hopped out of a taxi just before daybreak, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he headed for the U.S. - Canadian border.

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Britain's Prince George, 3, to start school in September

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince George, Britain's third in line to the throne, is to start school in southwest London in September, Kensington Palace announced on Friday.

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Town of Reduction, population 60, up for sale in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Got $1.5 million to spare? If so, tiny Reduction, a one-time company town built to house workers at a long-vanished garbage-processing plant in western Pennsylvania, could...

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Australian water advocate kicks off 1,000-mile run in Las Vegas

(Reuters) - Last time she ran 40 marathons in a row, Mina Guli wore out eight pairs of shoes. Now she is trying it a second time.

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First U.S. bumble bee added to endangered species list

(Reuters) - The rusty patched bumble bee became the first wild bee in the continental United States to gain federal protection on Tuesday when it was added to the government's list of endangered and...

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Egypt camel racers hope desert sport will spread to fresh pastures

ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - On a desert track in eastern Egypt camels race across the sand, urged on by their young jockeys and a convoy of cars speeding alongside them.

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Swiss cannabis entrepreneurs develop craving for low-potency pot

KOELLIKON, Switzerland (Reuters) - Entrepreneurs have high hopes for cannabis in Switzerland, where business has suddenly taken off in recent months, six years after the country legalized...

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Of bread and wine: the world's most expensive cities

LONDON (Reuters) - Singapore remains the world's most expensive city to live in, a study showed on Tuesday, with two Japanese cities -- Tokyo and Osaka -- returning to the top 10 thanks to the...

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Labrador retriever still leads the pack of most popular U.S. dogs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The friendly, and often clumsy, Labrador retriever has retained its long held title as the most popular dog breed in the United States, while the fearless Rottweiler has climbed...

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Rosie the Riveter finally gets national day of recognition

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - They welded pipes. They drew blueprints. And, of course, they fastened munitions and machine parts together with rivets.

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Destroyed by Islamic State, ancient winged bull to rise again in London

LONDON (Reuters) - An ancient Assyrian winged bull sculpture destroyed by Islamic State fighters in 2015 is to be remade from empty Iraqi date syrup cans and displayed in Trafalgar Square in London.

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Stolen Van Gogh paintings back in Amsterdam after 14 years

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Two paintings by Vincent Van Gogh were unveiled, barely damaged, at an Amsterdam museum on Tuesday, 14 years after they were stolen in a mafia heist.

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'Sesame Street' to welcome first autistic Muppet

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Long-running children's television show "Sesame Street" is welcoming a new kid to the block - a Muppet with autism called Julia.

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Norwegians count their blessings in world's happiest nation

OSLO/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Norwegian law student Karen Nerbo summed up the feelings of many on Monday as her country was named the world's happiest country.

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$60 million 'Pink Star' diamond goes back on sale next month

LONDON (Reuters) - A 59.60-carat diamond known as "The Pink Star" is returning to auction next month and could fetch a record $60 million, three years since it was sold for even more - only for the...

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Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller dies at age 101 in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, former head of Chase Manhattan Corp and patriarch of one of the most famous and influential American families, died on Monday, a...

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Banksy hotel without a view opens to guests in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Guests began arriving at the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem on Monday, the quirky guesthouse created by British street artist Banksy that stands a few feet away from...

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Restoration work completed on site of Jesus's tomb in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A team of scientists and restorers has completed work on the site of the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem's Old City, and it will be re-opened to the public on Wednesday.

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Norway unseats Denmark as world's happiest country: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Norway displaced Denmark as the world's happiest country in a new report released on Monday that called on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the wellbeing of...

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Chechnya's first daughter shows off fashion collection

MOSCOW (Reuters) - In a former czar's palace in Moscow, models display a fashion collection designed by the 18-year-old daughter of Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's mainly Muslim region of Chechnya.

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Vast Beatles collection goes on auction in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - A vast collection of rare Beatles vinyl records, photos and other paraphernalia will go on auction in Paris on Saturday.

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Couple quits finance, wins Brazil's top coffee prize

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - It could be a Hollywood screenplay. Juliana Armelin and her husband Paulo Siqueira decided to radically change their lives in 2010, quitting jobs in Sao Paulo's financial sector...

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Rodin marble masterpiece 'Andromeda' up for auction in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - French sculptor Auguste Rodin's newly re-discovered marble masterpiece titled "Andromeda" will be up for sale in Paris in May, auction house, Artcurial, said on Friday.

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Thimble, wheelbarrow, boot kicked out of Monopoly board game

SEATTLE (Reuters) - If you have ever wanted to rampage through a game of Monopoly like a dinosaur, you're in luck.

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Spring in the air, China's pigeon racers give birds their meds

BEIJING (Reuters) - Guarding against avian flu, which has forced a mass cull of birds in China, pigeon fancier Wang Jincang paid out nearly $400 to get his 200 racing pigeons vaccinated and fortified...

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Egypt says ancient colossus pulled from slum likely not Ramses

CAIRO (Reuters) - A massive eight-meter statue discovered in the ground water of a Cairo slum this month is likely not a depiction of the revered Pharaoh Ramses II as first believed, Antiquities...

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Giant satirical puppets go on display in Spanish 'Fallas' fiesta

VALENCIA (Reuters) - Satirical effigies of United States President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo went on display on Thursday for Spain's Fallas...

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Egypt's pigeons soar above wooden towers, away from the dinner plate

CAIRO (Reuters) - Pigeons are a delicacy in Egypt, traditionally served roasted and stuffed with fragrant rice. But for Cairo's pigeon fanciers, their prized birds are nobody's next meal.

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Stranded Haitian migrants seek new home on Mexico-U.S. border

TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Kneeling on a patch of flat earth with a shovel in hand, Thea Nonce Jean tips cement where a floor is about to be laid.

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Sierra Leone pastor discovers 706-carat diamond

FREETOWN (Reuters) - A Christian pastor has found one of the world's largest uncut diamonds - weighing 706 carats -- in Sierra Leone's eastern Kono region.

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Puppy love: therapy pooches bring peace of mind at Spanish psychiatric center

ELIZONDO, Spain (Reuters) - Tucked away in Spain's Pyrenees mountains, patients at psychiatric facility Benito Menni stretch out across floor mats and stroke greyhound puppies Atila and Argi.

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Regulator grants license for Britain's first three-parent IVF babies

LONDON, (Reuters) - - Britain's fertility regulator on Thursday granted doctors the first UK license to create babies using a three-parent IVF technique designed to prevent inherited genetic diseases.

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Jack Russell Olly gains viral status after going off course at Crufts

LONDON (Reuters) - Forget the top "Best in Show" prize, Olly the Jack Russell has gained his own celebrity status at Britain's Crufts dogs show after enthusiastically going off course and even...

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Off the catwalk, bloggers and editors vie for fashion fans' attention

NEW YORK/LONDON/MILAN (Reuters) - Dressed in a red top, fuchsia pleated skirt and fluffy boa worn on the shoulder, fashion blogger Beatrice Balaj poses for pictures in her front row seat at a New...

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In conservative America, small cities stand up for LGBT rights

WHEELING, W.Va. (Reuters) - When Mike Lujano and George Lenz hoisted a rainbow flag outside their business in a Victorian brownstone on Market Street two decades ago, they found that few neighbors in...

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Australian beer company brews pint-sized storm over same-sex marriage

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's biggest domestic beer maker has pulled off the unthinkable, driving thirsty customers away from drink after it supported a church-run debate about same-sex marriage...

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Vienna again ranked world's nicest city, and Baghdad worst

VIENNA (Reuters) - Vienna, Austria's grand capital on the Danube river, has topped consulting firm Mercer's list of cities offering the highest quality of life for the eighth year in a row, while...

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'Family blooper' goes viral after Korea expert's kids crash BBC interview

BUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - The man at the center of a viral BBC interview who was unceremoniously interrupted by his children live on air said on Wednesday he was flattered by the many "gentle...

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Get your own facts, ignore media, Palestinian artist Halaby tells successors

Palestinian painter Samia Halaby has blunt advice for aspiring Arab artists – get your inspiration first-hand, whether from ordinary people or historical documents, avoiding the "lies" of the media.

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Want good sea views? Stay in a luxury lifeguard tower

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The mayor of Tel Aviv rushed to help the German travel blogger lift her luggage away from the incoming tide as she made her way into the city's newest beachfront digs — a wooden...

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Peace, love and 'Barbecue,' a global film ode to grilled meat

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The primal confluence of food, flames and family simmers in high definition in "Barbecue," a globe-trotting new documentary and cinematic love letter to cooking meat over an...

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Got a spare $3.85 million? Oregon town could be yours

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Aspiring property moguls take note – the town of Tiller, Oregon, is for sale, asking price just $3.5 million. For an extra $350,000, you can have the old school too.

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Thailand lays out buffet for elephants in national celebration

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Five dozen elephants used their trunks on Monday to scoop up bananas, melons and pineapples from baskets at a special buffet laid on in Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya to...

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Robot takes to stage in British 'Spillikin' play

LONDON (Reuters) - When Judy Norman walks on stage for the play "Spillikin", she performs beside a somewhat different cast member - a humanoid robot.

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Hate daylight saving time? You may have a point, researchers say

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For most Americans, daylight saving time means only one thing: losing an hour's sleep. So what is the point?

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Gaza tailor makes prayer caps for Jewish worshippers

GAZA (Reuters) - It's not easy doing business from Gaza but tailor Mohammad Abu Shanab has found a demand he can supply -- his sewing factory is churning out religious skull caps, for devout Jewish...

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Miami the Spaniel charms judges to win British dog show Crufts

LONDON (Reuters) - An American Cocker Spaniel named Miami won the top prize at Britain's Crufts dog show in Birmingham on Sunday.

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Tattooed devotees transform in Thai temple trance

WAT BANG PHRA, Thailand (Reuters) - Deep in trances, devotees of a Thai temple charged through gathered crowds on Saturday mimicking the beasts on their tattoos.

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Tech workers find communal living a solution for high rents

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zander Dejah, 25, pays $1,900 a month rent to live in a downtown San Francisco house with at least 40 other people, many of whom sleep in bunk beds.

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Thai contestant crowned Miss International Queen in transgender pageant

PATTAYA (Reuters) - Thai contestant Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin was crowned Miss International Queen 2016 on Friday at a contest billed as the world's largest and most popular transgender pageant.

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Americans oppose bathroom laws limiting transgender rights: poll

(Reuters) - The majority of respondents to a new U.S. poll opposed laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identities and indicated growing acceptance for...

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Thailand kicks off process to disrobe wanted monk

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's top religious body on Friday gave a green light for the first step in a process that could lead to the disrobing of a Buddhist monk wanted for money laundering, a...

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Relatives seek truth about Irish babies 'discarded like litter'

TUAM, Ireland (Reuters) - Peter Mulryan's little sister may lie buried among the bones of babies and toddlers found in the sewers of what was once a home for unmarried mothers in the Irish town of...

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Turkey hopes discounts, fuel subsidies can reverse 30 percent tourism plunge

BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkey expressed hopes on Friday for a revival of its tourism industry after security concerns caused a 30 percent drop in foreign visitors and revenues last year.

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Colossus probably depicting Ramses II found in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany have found a massive eight-meter statue submerged in ground water in a Cairo slum that they say probably depicts revered Pharaoh Ramses II, who...

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UK's queen unveils memorial dedicated to Britons involved in Afghan, Iraq wars

LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth unveiled a memorial on Thursday to British armed forces and civilians who served during recent wars in the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq and their work "to bring peace...

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Elephants lumber across Thai polo field

BANGKOK (Reuters) - About 30 elephants took part in the opening of Thailand's annual elephant polo tournament in Bangkok on Thursday.

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Luxury tycoon Arnault to revamp Paris museum

PARIS (Reuters) - French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault is expanding his art museum empire with plans to renovate a disused public building near his Louis Vuitton Foundation on the outskirts of...

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Nike to launch high-tech hijab for female Muslim athletes

(Reuters) - Nike Inc will launch a hijab for female Muslim athletes early next year, becoming the first major sports apparel maker to offer a traditional Islamic head scarf designed specifically for...

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Boston gay vets group says booted from St. Patrick's Day parade

(Reuters) - A gay veterans' group that marched in the past two editions of Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade said the event's organizers have voted to exclude them from the march, reigniting a fight...

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Siberian pageant shows beauty comes in all sizes

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (Reuters) - In Russia's snowy Krasnoyarsk, women preparing for a plus-sized beauty contest parade around a hall dressed in ball gowns and swimsuits - but also take classes in...

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Six years after Fukushima nuclear disaster, residents trickle back to deserted towns

NAMIE, Fukushima (Reuters) - A truck occasionally whizzes past the darkened shops with cracked walls and fallen signs that line the main street of Japan's mostly deserted seaside town of Namie.

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Bangladesh acid attack survivors show new confidence on fashion runway

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh hosted a fashion show with a difference to mark International Women's Day, featuring 15 confident catwalk models fighting to overcome the trauma of acid attacks.

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Women in U.S. plan to stay off the job, rally in anti-Trump protests

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Women in the United States plan to use International Women's Day on Wednesday to stay off the job and stage demonstrations across the country in an effort to seize on the...

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Swiss firms set goals to get more women into top roles

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss firms from food and beverage giant Nestle to banking groups UBS and Credit Suisse pledged new goals on Tuesday to support and promote women.

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Afghan women fencers aim to parry prejudice

KABUL (Reuters) - In Kabul's national sports stadium, two young women fencers take guard, their faces covered with protective wire masks as they stand off warily, foils circling before they thrust at...

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Study finds security tops tourist concerns in holiday choice

LONDON (Reuters) - Security is holidaymakers' main consideration when choosing a destination, a research report released on Wednesday by Bournemouth University and travel search site Travelzoo said.

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Chanel collection takes off at Paris Fashion week

PARIS (Reuters) - With a giant white rocket in the middle of Grand Palais Hall in Paris, Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld took his A-list audience on an intergalactic journey with a space-inspired collection...

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Three Brooklyn women at same nursing home celebrate 100 years of life

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three women at the same nursing home on Monday celebrated living more than 100 years with cake, songs and flowers while sharing their secrets of long life with friends, family...

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Coca-Cola serves up gay-friendly ad for all genders, generations

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Co has launched a gay-friendly ad featuring a brother and sister vying for the attention of a handsome pool boy in the campaign that has won praise...

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Far from war's front lines, life in Syria is still tough

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Large parts of Damascus have survived almost six years of conflict in Syria relatively unscarred, but shortages of fuel and electricity, spiraling prices and a lack of jobs mean...

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Saint Laurent told to modify ad campaign after uproar in France

PARIS (Reuters) - France's advertising watchdog on Monday said it had asked French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent to modify two ads from its latest campaign after receiving 50 complaints that they...

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Stella McCartney brings dance to Paris Opera for fashion week

PARIS (Reuters) - Stella McCartney livened up the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week on Monday with dancing models wearing her signature over-sized clothes in trademark neutral shades with splashes of...

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Hoard of coins extracted from sea turtle

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai veterinarians on Monday removed 915 coins from a 25-year-old sea turtle which had been swallowing items thrown into her pool for good luck, eventually limiting her ability to...

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Opening a new chapter at India's 'grandmothers' school'

FANGANE, India (Reuters) - Aajibaichi Shaala is not your ordinary school in India.

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Dior sees blue, Issey Miyake looks to northern lights at Paris shows

PARIS (Reuters) - French fashion house Christian Dior is seeing blue for women's wardrobes next winter, with artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri turning to one of the preferred colors of the luxury...

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Earliest Jewish manuscript in New World to return to Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The oldest Jewish document of the New World will be returned to Mexico in March, the Mexican consulate in New York said on Friday, more than seven decades after it disappeared.

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Queen Elizabeth marks St David's day with leek gifts

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth handed out leeks on Friday to Welsh soldiers at Lucknow Barracks in the southwest English county of Wiltshire to mark St David's Day, which fell on...

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U.S. cigar lovers stock up on Cuba visits, fearing clampdown

HAVANA (Reuters) - Puffing on a cigar at Cuba's annual Habanos cigar festival, American aficionado Paul Segal said he would buy as many boxes of cigars as he could carry home in case U.S. President...

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Garden of illuminated daffodils light up London

LONDON (Reuters) - A garden made up of 2,100 beautiful handmade daffodils will be springing up overnight in the shadows of St Paul's Cathedral in London to mark the launch of a charity appeal for...

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Kennedy Library picks Obama for 'Profiles in Courage' award

BOSTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday was named this year's winner of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library's "Profile in Courage" award, an annual honor for leaders...

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From the boardroom to the butchers shop, women discuss gender inequality

LONDON (Reuters) - Wednesday March 8 marks International Women's Day, with festivals, concerts and exhibitions among the numerous events planned around the world to celebrate the achievements of...

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Rio's Portela wins Carnival samba school parade with water theme

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Rio's premier Portela samba school was crowned champion samba school on Wednesday, winning its first Carnival parade in 33 years with a spectacular performance that...

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Life's no hoot for owls in Tokyo cafes, activists say

TOKYO (Reuters) - Owls fluff up their feathers and preen beneath the stroking fingers of customers at Owl Village, one of many cafes dedicated to the birds, seen as a symbol of good luck in Japan,...

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'I'm a little dazed,' French artist says after living in a rock

PARIS (Reuters) - French artist Abraham Poincheval was freed from a block of stone in a Paris museum on Wednesday after spending seven days enclosed in it.

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Leather and velvet take center stage at Saint Laurent Paris show

(Reuters) - Scantily-clad models in tight leather mini-dresses opened Saint Laurent Paris' Autumn/Winter runway show on Tuesday, the second ready-to-wear collection from the label's new creative...

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With a roll of the dice and shouts of 'yalla', Jews and Arabs face off

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - In the early evening on a backstreet in downtown Jerusalem, Arabs and Jews are milling around, preparing for battle. But this isn't a new round of Middle East violence, it's a...

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