Lifestyle and Culture: Trending Stories from Reuters News

Here is the latest Lifestyle News from Reuters News.

Move over Mao: Beijing tomb sweepers preen pampered pets’ graves
BEIJING (Reuters) – China celebrates the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival on Monday, with much of the ceremonial ritual of honoring the dead these days not geared toward beloved relatives, but beloved…

Harrison Ford uses the force for good
NEW YORK – The battered leather jacket worn by Harrison Ford in the latest “Star Wars” movie has been put up for auction in New York to help a cause dear to the actor’s heart. Ford, 73, signed and…

Harvard to honor slaves who worked on campus in 1700s
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Reuters) – Harvard University plans to install a plaque next week honoring four slaves who worked on the campus in the 1700s, to acknowledge its role in slavery, the Ivy League…

‘Tell the truth’, Auschwitz survivor urges accused in Nazi trials
BERLIN (Reuters) – A Holocaust survivor said on Tuesday that four suspects accused by German prosecutors of being accessory to murder at Auschwitz must have known of the mass killings taking place at…

U.S. fills in the blanks as coloring books sweep market
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Coloring books, once seen only as a pastime for children, have become a growing craze for American adults looking to unwind or test their creativity with coloring pencils.

Sex trafficking ‘staggering’ in illegal Latin American gold mines: researchers
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The scale of sex trafficking around illegal gold mines in parts of Latin America is “staggering,” and thousands of people working there are prey to labor…

Child labor rises in Gaza amid soaring unemployment
GAZA (Reuters) – Child labor has risen sharply in Gaza, where youngsters toiling in garages and on construction sites have become breadwinners for families feeling the brunt of the Palestinian…

‘South Africa’s Schwarzenegger’ aims to lift poor with township gyms
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Striding around the gym he built in his grandmother’s backyard, South African bodybuilding champion Tumi Masite recalls the day Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former trainer paid…

World Coal Carrying Championships test strength, stamina
GAWTHORPE, England – Briton Craig Heppinstall won the World Coal Carrying Championship in northern England on Monday with a time of 4 minutes and 42 seconds on the 1,100-metre (yard) up-hill…

Bound with love: art of bookbinding flourishes in London
LONDON – In an age of Kindles and e-books, a small workshop in south London is sticking to tradition by binding books the old fashioned way.

Sleep tight and don’t let the sharks bite at Paris aquarium
PARIS (Reuters) – The house rules are clear: No swimming at night, keep your head and feet in the bedroom at all times, and avoid watching “Jaws” beforehand. It might put you off the sharks circling…

Banksy’s ‘Happy Choppers’ leads works up for auction in California
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A collection of works by elusive British graffiti artist Banksy left on walls, screen prints and other unorthodox means is expected to sell for more than $500,000 when it goes…

UK’s William and Kate set to visit Taj Mahal, evoking Diana’s famous photo
LONDON (Reuters) – More than two decades after Britain’s Princess Diana was pictured forlornly alone at the Taj Mahal, her son Prince William and his wife Kate will visit the Indian landmark next…

Mongolia’s steppes host camel derby and beauty parade
DALANZADGAD, Mongolia (Reuters) – Out in the Gobi Desert, the crowd, many in colorful Mongolian traditional dress, admire the shaggy-haired, cud-chewing camels as they plod by in a beauty parade.

Young Chinese question marriage pressure as divorce rate climbs
BEIJING (Reuters) – At a registry office in Beijing, Sun Xiangshu and Shi Ci pose for photographs, their wedding certificates in hand, having just officially become man and wife.

Japan’s ‘Masked Girls’ seek fame under cover
TOKYO (Reuters) – Standing out from Japan’s myriad of girl bands can be a daunting task, but one group, the “Kamen Joshi”, or “Masked Girls” in Japanese, has found the answer by hiding behind masks.

Beyonce, Easter Bunny highlight Obama’s final egg roll
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Rain clouds auspiciously parted, A-list guests including the Easter Bunny and Beyonce were on hand and first dogs Sunny and Bo obliged for selfies as U.S. President Barack…

Arkansas sheriff digs into clothing budget for fashion statement
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) – An Arkansas sheriff with a similar name to a Wild West legend has spent about half of his office’s clothing budget to supply deputies in his mostly urban county with…

British team defeats Germans to win World Marble Championship
CRAWLEY, England – British team the Yorkshire Meds,’ captured the World Marbles Championship on Friday after last year’s winner, Germany’s the 1st MC Erzgebirge, was knocked out in the semi-finals.

Drawn by Korean TV drama, 4,500 Chinese tourists gather for chicken, beer
INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) – About 4,500 employees of a Chinese cosmetics firm visiting South Korea as the largest tour group to arrive in the country by plane sat down on Monday for a dinner of…

Universal LA theme park hopes fans buy into new ‘Harry Potter’ world
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – From the cobblestone alleyways to the snow-capped roofs, fans of “Harry Potter” will be able to immerse themselves into a new “Wizarding World” attraction at Universal Studios…

Mother Angelica, nun who founded cable tv religious network, dead at 92
(Reuters) – Mother Angelica, a soft-spoken nun who dispensed homespun religious and life advice for years on television after founding a cable network, died on Sunday aged 92, officials and religious…

Fans line up hours ahead of Rolling Stones debut show in Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) – Long-denied Cuban fans of the Rolling Stones and foreigners who made a special trip lined up outside a Havana sports complex hours before the gates were to open on Friday for a…

‘Pharaoh’, the king of Cairo strongmen
CAIRO (Reuters) – In Cairo’s Imbaba, strongman Karim Hussein pulls trucks with his teeth, swallows nails and casually steps on mounds of broken glass, offering one of the few forms of live…

Beatle Ringo Starr’s childhood Liverpool home bought by fan
LONDON (Reuters) – A Beatles fan, who already owns two other properties linked to the band, has bought the small terraced Liverpool house where the pop group’s drummer Ringo Starr grew up.

Beijing extends leave for new parents as China hopes for more children
BEIJING (Reuters) – Authorities in China’s capital will extend leave from work for new mothers and fathers, state media reported on Friday, in what appeared to be the latest incentive to encourage…

Sikhs display horsemanship, bravery at Hola Mohalla festival
Thousands of Sikhs celebrated the annual spring festival of Hola Mohalla on Thursday with displays of horsemanship, bravery and sword fights.

Catholics in Philippines mark Holy Week with self-flagellation ritual
MABALACAT CITY, Philippines – Catholics in the northern Philippine province of Pampanga, many bare-chested and hooded, practice self-flagellation in the sweltering heat in the week before Easter to…

Love is in the armpit at New York’s Smell Dating
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Love at first whiff is the idea behind Smell Dating, a New York matchmaking service that promises to help single people sniff out their perfect match by breathing in the odors…

Jews of world’s first ghetto reflect on Europe’s migrant crisis
VENICE (Reuters) – The Jews of the world’s first ghetto, which marks its 500th anniversary this month, have two words of advice for Europe as it struggles to deal with mass migration: patience and…

U2’s The Edge shows off signature guitar
U2 guitarist The Edge has teamed up with guitar maker Fender to create a signature model — The Edge Stratocaster.

Radar scan of Shakespeare’s grave confirms skull apparently missing
LONDON (Reuters) – Shakespeare’s skull is likely missing from his grave, an archaeologist has concluded, confirming rumors which have swirled for years about grave-robbers and adding to the mystery…

Several months and millions of dollars later, New Zealand votes to keep its flag
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand voted on Thursday to retain its national flag, which includes the Union Jack of its former colonial ruler, after a 16-month exercise that cost taxpayers NZ$26…

Soft shoe diplomacy: Obama dances the tango at Argentine state dinner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has made headlines for unexpectedly crooning a song or two in public since coming to the White House. Now he can add dancing the tango to his list of…

Rolling Stones on YouTube invite Cubans to free concert
HAVANA (Reuters) – The Rolling Stones are welcoming Cubans to their free concert on Friday with Mick Jagger speaking Spanish in a video on YouTube, though few are likely to see it, given Cuba’s scant…

‘Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages’ reopens to public in Rome
ROME (Reuters) – A sixth-century church boasting a rare collection of early Christian art is reopening to the public in Rome after a restoration that took more than 30 years.

On Alexandria’s Fouad Street, some have a longing for the elegant past
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) – Along Fouad Street, a Costa coffee shop near old buildings with Italian and French architecture reminds Egyptians that commercial ventures threaten to erase traces of…

Britain’s Prince Harry plays volleyball in Nepal
KATHMANDU – Continuing his trip to Nepal, Britain’s Prince Harry played volleyball on Tuesday as part of a visit to a village in the Lamjung area.

Armani says to stop using animal fur in all his products
MILAN (Reuters) – Giorgio Armani will stop using fur in all his products since technological progress means there is no longer any justification for cruelty to animals, the renowned Italian fashion…

Pakistan’s first women-only rickshaw service struggles after just a year
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan’s first women-only rickshaw service was meant to provide its staff with a new way of gaining financial independence and its passengers with the chance of a ride…

New York auctions paint somber picture of Chinese art buyers
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Along with oil, stocks and steel, China’s roiling economic slowdown has deflated the buoyancy of another sector: the Asian Art market.

Hello Kitty-themed train departs from Taiwan station
Lucky fans of Hello Kitty were among the first to ride a train themed after the iconic fictional character on its inaugural run in Taiwan on Monday.

Monaco royal family hosts glitzy charity event
The Monaco royal family hosted the Rose Ball on Saturday, a glitzy annual charity event.

Rookie Iditarod musher battles to last-place finish in Alaska race
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A 32-year-old former Bible camp cook who lost her home in a wildfire last summer toughed out a last-place finish in Alaska’s punishing Iditarod sled-dog race after surviving sled…

First-month Oregon pot sales tax receipts far exceed projections
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – The first month of taxable commercial sales of recreational marijuana in Oregon generated nearly $3.5 million in tax revenues, far exceeding projections, the state…

Ready, set and run up the Eiffel Tower
Paris – The winner of the Eiffel Tower race ran up 1,665 steps of the Paris landmark in 7 minutes and 48 seconds on Thursday, beating his timing from last year.

Brazil’s silver surfers leave aches beneath waves
(Reuters) – When work is up, surf is up in Brazil. A group of pensioners take to the waves in keep-fit, keep-young surfing lessons that aim to show age is just a number.

‘Kon-Tiki 2’ expedition cut short as rafters call navy for rescue
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – An attempt to make a return journey by balsa raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Easter Island has been cut short after bad weather forced the expedition to call…

Becoming a drag queen: 101
NEW YORK – – When Justin Honard turns into drag queen Alaska, the process is more than just applying makeup, working hairstyles and putting together outfits.

Toby, two-nosed dog, rescued in California
LOS ANGELES – – Toby, a two-nosed dog from California, has escaped being put down, finding a new home alongside other dogs with unusual physical attributes.

Fried cow’s brains? – Italy’s historic cities push local cuisine, produce
ROME (Reuters) – Fried cow’s brains might not be to everyone’s taste, but more people may sample the Florentine specialty now that Italy’s art capital has ordered food outlets in the city center to…

U.S. general Lori Robinson to become first woman to lead combatant command
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will name the first woman to head a U.S. combatant command, selecting Air Force General Lori Robinson as the next head of the military’s Northern…

‘Eddie the Eagle’ lands safely in London
LONDON – – The true story of unlikely sportsman Michael “Eddie” Edwards, who became the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping, comes to cinema screens in feel-good comedy…

Zumba makes waves in Afghanistan, where dance once forbidden
KABUL (Reuters) – In a secluded gym in the Afghan capital, young women sway and jump in time with music in a Zumba dance fitness class, a new arrival in a country where dancing was once forbidden…

California man gives $2 million aluminum penny back to U.S. Mint
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A San Diego man who inherited from his father a 1974 aluminum penny valued at $2 million has surrendered it to the U.S. Mint to settle a lawsuit over ownership of the rare coin,…

New lion enclosure at London Zoo gets royal opening
London – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth opened a new enclosure at London Zoo on Thursday that four Asiatic lions, one male and three females, will call home.

Tuskegee Airman reflects on all-black unit’s founding 75 years ago
BETHESDA, Md. (Reuters) – Seventy-five years after the founding of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, one of its most decorated pilots says the pioneering unit showed African-Americans’ fighting worth at…

Dog believed lost at sea turns up on island used by U.S. Navy
(Reuters) – A dog believed to have drowned after disappearing from a fishing boat off the California coast five weeks ago was found on an island owned by the U.S. Navy and will be reunited with her…

U.N. envoy Jolie visits camp in Lesbos
LESBOS, Greece – – UN special envoy Angelina Jolie visited a refugee and migrant camp on the Aegean island of Lesbos on Thursday on her second day of a trip to Greece.

Ukraine tears down giant Lenin statue, live on YouTube
KIEV (Reuters) – Exhaustive efforts to tear down Ukraine’s largest remaining monument to Vladimir Lenin bore fruit on Thursday when workers prised the late Soviet leader’s statue from its plinth in…

Mural in the muck tells story of Rome on riverside wall
ROME (Reuters) – Silhouettes of emperors, popes and artists are slowly emerging on the grimy walls of the Tiber River in Rome, part of an epic mural that tells the history of the Eternal City.

Turkana’s semi-nomadic life amid livestock in Kenya
(Reuters) – On a hot day in January, tribesmen armed with Kalashnikov and G3 assault rifles bring their cattle to water in the dry Turkana region of northern Kenya. The men herd cattle, sheep and…

Germany’s top Nazi hunter to keep up chase for another decade
BERLIN (Reuters) – Undeterred by dwindling numbers of living suspects, Germany’s top Nazi hunter is determined to keep tracking down criminals involved in Hitler’s murder machine for another…

In sweet-toothed Britain, sugary soda levy may have limited impact
LONDON (Reuters) – With its surprise move to tax sugary drinks, Britain joins several Western countries battling a key suspect in rising rates of obesity and diabetes, but health and industry experts…

SeaWorld says to stop breeding killer whales
(Reuters) – Theme park operator SeaWorld Entertainment Inc said on Thursday it would stop breeding killer whales, and those currently at its parks would be the last.

Egypt finds new clues that Queen Nefertiti may lie buried behind Tut’s tomb
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt has unearthed further evidence that a secret chamber, believed by some to be the lost burial site of Queen Nefertiti, may lie behind King Tutankhamun’s tomb, Egypt’s…

New York mayor marching in St. Pat’s parade after gay rights uproar
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade turns fashionable Fifth Avenue green on Thursday, and Mayor Bill de Blasio will end his two-year boycott over gay rights and march…

For New York hospital’s patients, miniature horses are a strong Rx
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Some of the most powerful medicine delivered to young patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York on Wednesday came in a package less than 32 inches tall and with a…

Pop stars to the rescue of Turkey’s battered tourism industry?
BERLIN (Reuters) – Turkish tourism officials hit by plummeting Russian bookings and grim urban bombings are hoping that Madonna, Justin Bieber or Jennifer Lopez can help revive business along their…

Jolie visits Greece to highlight Mideast refugee plight
PIRAEUS, Greece (Reuters) – A day after visiting refugees in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie traveled to Greece on Wednesday to highlight the plight of war-fleeing families…

Denmark world’s happiest country, Burundi least: new report shows
ROME (Reuters) – Denmark overtook Switzerland as the world’s happiest place, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the…

Ashley Judd appointed U.N. Goodwill Ambassador
UNITED NATIONS – Hollywood actress Ashley Judd has been appointed a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA).

Newborn seal draws visitors at Japanese aquarium
KAMOGAWA, Japan – A newborn baby seal has won over a legion of fans, wriggling its way to the hearts of visitors at an aquarium in Japan.

“My life is safe now,” refugee students say at elite Paris university
PARIS (Reuters) – Twenty-seven year old Minawar Ahmadzai slept in a park during his first few weeks in Paris. Three months on, the Afghani asylum-seeker is studying at one of France’s most…

Syrian refugee chickpeas bloom in Lebanon
BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon (Reuters) – In a humid plastic tent in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a Syrian scientist handles the leaves of the chickpeas, lentils and wheat that may one day help fill neighboring…

In muddy Bekaa Valley camp, Jolie urges support for Syria refugees
SAADNAYEL, Lebanon (Reuters) – U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie urged world powers on Tuesday to do more to end Syria’s five-year war and help the millions who have fled the conflict, as she visited…

Squirrels show flexibility and persistence when foraging
University of Exeter researchers have found that grey squirrels foraging for food are happy to take their time if it means getting a more nourishing meal.

George and Amal Clooney meet Syrian refugees in Berlin
BERLIN – Hollywood actor George Clooney and his international human rights lawyer wife Amal met with Syrian refugee families in Germany, a video of which was released on Tuesday.

Largest blue diamond to appear at auction
LONDON – The largest oval fancy vivid diamond ever to appear at auction is headed for sale in Hong Kong next month, where it is expected to fetch $30 million – $35 million.

Party’s over as Britain drops nightclub entrance fees from inflation basket
LONDON (Reuters) – A decline in Britain’s clubbing scene has prompted the statistics agency to drop nightclub entrance charges from the basket of goods and services it uses to calculate inflation –…

Lesbian hip-hop duo from Havana fights homophobia with music
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – According to Odaymara Cuesta from the lesbian Cuban hip-hop band Krudas Cubensi, there’s a gay person in every family in Cuba.

Queen Elizabeth presides over Commonwealth for ‘all walks of life’
LONDON – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has called on people in the Commonwealth to support “those in need and those who feel excluded in all walks of life” as its members marked this year’s Commonwealth…

Bangkok slaps curfew on world’s biggest water fight amid drought
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The Thai capital will impose a curfew during Thailand’s annual water festival next month to show solidarity with farmers hit by drought, city officials said on Tuesday.

Broken baby food jar leads to Sweden’s first unstaffed grocery store
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Parenthood may be hard but those challenges can also lead to new ideas. Ask Robert Ilijason, for whom a broken baby food jar eventually led to the opening of Sweden’s first…

Repeat champ leads pack as Alaska’s Iditarod dog sled race enters home stretch
JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) – One musher in Alaska’s grueling sled-dog race appears to stand between Dallas Seavey’s third consecutive Iditarod title and a painful second place finish – his father,…

West Highland Terrier wins Best in Show at UK’s Crufts
A West Highland Terrier named “Geordie Girl” won “Best in Show” at the 2016 Crufts dog show on Sunday.

Syrian children’s memories of home fade in Jordan camp
ZAATARI CAMP, Jordan (Reuters) – Over five years of Syria’s civil war, tents have given way to sturdy shacks in Jordan’s Zaatari Refugee Camp, dusty tracks have been paved, acquiring names, and a…

Vermont legislature on track to be first in U.S. to legalize marijuana
MONTPELIER, Vt. (Reuters) – Liberal-leaning Vermont could become the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana use through legislation, rather than by voter initiative, in a move that…

Australian police officer adopts baby kangaroo
Cuejo, a baby kangaroo rescued in remote Western Australia and adopted by a police officer, has won a legion of fans after a video emerged of the joey with his new parent.

Nordic pulp firms see future in turning birch trees into fashion
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Nordic pulp makers are developing clean ways to turn birch and pine trees into clothes or sofa covers to help revive their industry and meet demand from fashion and furniture…

Online harassment must be met head-on: tech summit panel
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Online harassment and sexism is demeaning women and can no longer be brushed aside as an ugly side of social media and the gaming industry if they are to thrive, panelists…

As anti-Islam tone rises in U.S., Muslim women learn self-defense
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some 20 women in Islamic hijab worried by rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States watched on a recent night as their self-defense instructor showed them how to punch a…

Brazil’s mothers left to raise microcephaly babies alone
CAMPINA GRANDE, Brazil (Reuters) – Ianka Barbosa was 7 months pregnant when she found out her child had microcephaly. Before the baby was even born, the father had gone.

Bulgaria markets Black Sea resorts as tourists seek safe haven
BERLIN (Reuters) – Bulgaria is showing off its Black Sea resorts and lush nature at this year’s ITB travel trade fair in hopes of attracting tourists scared away from formerly popular destinations…

Lanvin hires Bouchra Jarrar to replace Elbaz as designer
PARIS (Reuters) – Lanvin has hired Bouchra Jarrar as its new designer five months after the abrupt dismissal of Alber Elbaz caused uncertainty about the future of France’s oldest fashion…

Graffiti artwork of drowned Aylan highlights refugees’ plight
(Reuters) – A huge graffiti image of toddler Aylan Kurdi, pictures of whose dead body stirred global sympathy for migrants fleeing war and poverty, confronts motorists, pedestrians and river traveler…

Lego sticks to bricks, despite apps, games and flicks
BILLUND, Denmark (Reuters) – In a low-rise factory on the outskirts of Billund, a small town in western Denmark, robots stand holding trays at the ready as pistons spit out hundreds of pieces of Lego…

Idomeni camp ‘big violation of human rights’: Ai Weiwei
IDOMENI, Greece – – Chinese artist Ai Weiwei visited Greek border camp Idomeni on Wednesday, where some 14,000 people are stranded following new border restrictions along the Balkan migration…

Louvre and Rijksmuseum to share Rembrandts bought from Rothschild
PARIS (Reuters) – A pair of Rembrandt portraits owned privately for more than 130 years went on public display in Paris on Thursday, bought under shared ownership by the French capital’s Louvre…