105-year-old Frenchman cycles into history with hour-long ride

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (Reuters) - A French centenarian, Robert Marchand, made cycling history on Wednesday by covering 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour on a track near Paris at the age...

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Cuba's Santeria priests forecast prosperity in New Year's prophesy

HAVANA (Reuters) - Priests from Cuba's Afro-Cuban religion forecast a prosperous 2017 in their New Year's prophecy and told Cubans to be hopeful despite the economic and diplomatic headwinds the...

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Japanese throng shrines to pray for profitable 2017

TOKYO (Reuters) - Thousands packed a 1,300-year-old Shinto shrine in downtown Tokyo on Wednesday, the first official working day of 2017 in Japan, to pray for good luck and economic success in the...

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McDonald's opens near Vatican, upsetting some purists

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - McDonald's has opened a franchise just steps away from the gleaming white marble dome of St. Peter's Basilica, giving indigestion to some cardinals and local business owners.

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Four British authors, one Irish to compete for 2016 Costa prize

LONDON (Reuters) - Novels by four British authors and one Irish writer will compete for the 2016 Costa Book Awards after winnings their individual categories, the prize committee said on Tuesday.

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Penguin chicks and tiger cubs: London Zoo begins annual residents count

LONDON (Reuters) - Keepers at ZSL London zoo began the mammoth task of counting the park's more than 700 species on Tuesday, using treats to entice some animals out for the annual stocktake.

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Wedding vows a blessing for clean-up of filthy Indonesian river

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Only a year ago, this stretch of the Ciliwung river in Indonesia's capital was foul-smelling and clogged by a thick layer of floating plastic and other trash.

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