VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said on Saturday it pained him to see priests driving flashy cars, and told them to pick something more “humble”. As part of his drive to make the Catholic Church more austere and focus on the poor, Francis told young and ... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong judge on Friday jailed a former lover of late billionaire tycoon Nina Wang for 12 years for forging a will naming him the sole heir to one of Asia’s largest fortunes, estimated at $4 billion. Justice Andrew Macrae delivered th... More »
(Reuters) – A sinkhole swallowed a car as it was traveling down a street in Toledo, Ohio, and the 60-year-old driver climbed out of the hole using a ladder supplied by rescue workers, a fire department spokesman said Thursday. A water main break or heavy rains... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A tabloid says Vladimir Putin is Russia’s most eligible bachelor, but the president may have competition from an American half his age: Edward Snowden, the former U.S. spy agency contractor believed to be holed up at a Moscow airport. Snowde... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong jury found the lover of the late billionaire tycoon Nina Wang guilty on Thursday of forging a will naming him the sole beneficiary of her estimated $4 billion estate. After more than 20 hours of deliberations, the jury voted 6... More »
(Reuters) – It hardly sounds like a dream honeymoon: a week charging around a battleground reverberating with the clamor of 135 cannons, the reek of gunpowder smoke and the cacophony of 12,000 soldiers and 400 horses. Yet for Polish newlyweds Madeline and Luka... More »
PILTON, England (Reuters) – Tomato fights, anarchic gymnasts and astrophysics drew festival-goers of all ages away from the mainstream music acts at Britain’s Glastonbury festival this weekend. The 1,500 hippies who paid one pound ($1.52) to attend the first G... More »
PRETORIA (Reuters) – South African police on Friday detained the owner of a radio-controlled helicopter drone carrying a camera that was filming scenes around the Pretoria hospital where ailing anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is being treated. F.C. Hamman, ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The family of a French billionaire and art collector eased a sore point in history on Friday by returning two bronze animal heads, among Chinese treasures pillaged from a Beijing palace by French and British troops more than a century and a... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore residents braved hazardous air, bid hundreds of dollars and queued for hours to lay their hands on a special Hello Kitty stuffed toy, swept up in a craze for the mouthless Japanese cat that peaked this week in the city-state. Th... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – It’s a bird, it’s a plane … It’s a cartoon version of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hopping and somersaulting his way through the sky in a smartphone game app his party hopes will lure young voters ahead of a July 21 election. A growing... More »
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Just because they’re both emblems of American pride doesn’t mean fireworks and bald eagles should share the same skyline. The floating launch pad for next week’s July Fourth fireworks display in suburban Seattle is being moved from its usua... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Roger Federer received orders from Wimbledon organizers on Wednesday to change his orange-soled shoes that breach an all-white rule although women players will not be pulled up for wearing colored knickers. Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tenn... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The secretive sale of a private jet to Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi by a billionaire Saudi prince came under scrutiny on Wednesday in a London courtroom, where a businesswoman who says she brokered the deal is suing the prince for $10 million. Pr... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Marlowe learnt his trade sniffing out tennis balls so he feels right at home prowling around the Wimbledon courts. Zac is equally passionate about his job but the problem is people who keep trying to pet him when he is working. For both are ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A collection of items used in the investigation of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky’s sexual encounters with then U.S. President Bill Clinton is being auctioned online, Nate D. Sanders Auctions said on Monday. The 32-item colle... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Record crowds lined up for day one of the 2013 Wimbledon tennis championships on Monday as action got underway early on Center Court with pigeon-scarer, Rufus the hawk, clearing away pesky bird life and forecasts for a dry day. With his own ... More »
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER, Arizona (Reuters) – Daredevil Nik Wallenda completed a historic high-wire walk on a 2-inch (5-cm) steel cable over the Grand Canyon on Sunday and was greeted by wild cheers after his hair-raising stunt. Wallenda, the self-described “King... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Plants do complex arithmetic calculations to make sure they have enough food to get them through the night, new research published in journal eLife shows. Scientists at Britain’s John Innes Centre said plants adjust their rate of starch cons... More »
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling a truce in the War of the Ring – sort of. Accused of pocketing a diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ring that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft showed him back in 2005, Putin came up... More »
ASCOT, England (Reuters) – Big hats and fancy frocks are an integral part of Royal Ascot and organizers of Britain’s glamorous racehorse meeting want to keep it that way by charging for fashion failures this year. Royal Ascot, a 300-year-old highlight of Brita... More »
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s finance ministry denied on Thursday allegations by opposition politicians that a deputy finance minister had been drunk when he spoke to parliament on the budget this week. Anatoly Myarkovsky, first deputy finance minister, had been ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – One of the world’s most visited cities but also famous for its rudeness, Paris has embarked on a campaign to improve its reputation and better cater to the needs of tourists. Waiters, taxi drivers and sales staff in the French capital all too... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Virginia Governor and possible Republican presidential candidate Bob McDonnell used taxpayer money to pay for sunscreen and dog vitamins, the Washington Post reported on Monday, adding to other improper spending the paper says the FBI is... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Forget abandoning carbohydrates or detoxing. The new dieting craze sweeping Britain and taking off in the United States lets people eat whatever they like – but only five days a week. “The Fast Diet”, also known as the 5:2 diet, is the brain... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – America’s ageing population is posing special challenges, fitness experts say, because it is difficult to design effective workout routines for people with such a wide range of abilities. For one 70-year-old, the goal may be to run a marat... More »
