Hidden Budapest bath a locals’ favorite for vibe, healing power

Ali’s gloves, Frazier’s jockstrap from famed 1971 fight go on sale
(Reuters) – A jockstrap worn by boxer Joe Frazier when he defeated Muhammad Ali for the combined heavyweight title hit the auction block on Monday, along with the gloves Ali wore in that 1971 bout…

Burberry unveils fragrance campaign photographed by teenage Beckham
LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) – Fashion house Burberry has unveiled its latest campaign for its “Brit” fragrances, which were photographed by the teenage son of soccer star David Beckham and his fashion…

Minor injuries, no gorings at San Fermin’s fifth bull-run this year
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – The fifth run of Pamplona’s week-long bull-running festival on Monday saw only a handful of injuries and no gorings during a quick, 3-minute and four-second dash through…

World’s oldest priest says strict routine basis of long life
NALINNES, Belgium (Reuters) – A strict daily routine is the recipe for a long life, according to the world’s oldest priest, Belgian Jacques Clemens, who will celebrate his 107th birthday on Monday.

Two gored on fourth day of Spain’s San Fermin bull-run festival
MADRID (Reuters) – Two people were gored on Sunday on the fourth day of the San Fermin festival in northern Spain, where bulls chase red-scarved runners through the streets of Pamplona.

Harry Potter hits Belgium
Harry Potter fans can plunge into the magical world of wizards thanks to a touring exhibition dedicated to the film franchise opening in the Belgian capital. Visitors can experience first-hand what…

Two men gored on third day of Pamplona bull-run festival
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – A Japanese man and a Spaniard were gored on Saturday on the third day of the week-long San Fermin festival in northern Spain where bulls chase red-scarved runners through…

Wagging tails for Taiwan’s first veterinary blood bank
PINGTUNG, Taiwan (Reuters) – Han-han, a former stray, has helped the lives of many other dogs by regularly donating at Taiwan’s first veterinary blood bank.

Brussels revelers dress up to remember Renaissance emperor
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Thousands of revelers wearing medieval helmets, feathers and striped pantaloons paraded through Brussels on Thursday, in a tradition stretching back over half a millennium.

Spanish Civil War press card of Little Prince author found in box
MADRID (Reuters) – A Spanish researcher has stumbled across the long-lost press card of French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of the iconic story The Little Prince, used when he was covering…

Thousands protest sexual assault at Spain’s bull-run festival
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – Thousands of San Fermin festival-goers at Pamplona’s famed bull run have protested against a rising number of sexual attacks that have marred the image of the week-long…

Formula One coining it in gold and silver
SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) – Commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has made a mint from Formula One’s success over the years and now the sport is literally coining it.

Belgian twins celebrate 103 years living side by side
GHENT, Belgium (Reuters) – The world’s oldest male twins, Pieter and Paulus Langerock of Belgium, turned 103 on Friday, raising a glass of wine to more than a century of living side by side.

Six gored on second day of Spain’s San Fermin bull-running week
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – Six people were gored on Friday, two seriously, on the second day of the week-long San Fermin festival in northern Spain where bulls chase red-scarved runners through the…

Bosnian museum of wartime childhood helps heal trauma
ZENICA, Bosnia (Reuters) – Bosnians whose childhood was traumatized by the 1990s war have donated thousands of cherished personal items from that era for a touring exhibition aimed in part at warning…

California shop makes lowrider bikes with expertise and heart
COMPTON, California – Mexican-born Manny Silva is known as the “godfather of lowriders” thanks to the custom-made bicycles he makes in the shop he set up in Compton in 1973.

Moore Capital fires hedge fund manager after wild Hamptons party
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. hedge fund Moore Capital Management has fired a portfolio manager a day after a media report of a raucous party he threw at a rented mansion in the Hamptons, New York’s…

Newborn mountain lion cubs discovered near Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES – Five newborn mountain lion cubs from two litters have been discovered in the mountains on the outskirts of the city, the U.S. National Park Service said.

Baby elephant in India grieves over body of dead mother
COIMBATORE, India – A three-year-old elephant, grieving over the death of its mother following a fight with another animal on Wednesday,  refused to leave her body, forest officials said.

Nigeria’s music scene becomes a cultural export
LAGOS (Reuters) – Each night as darkness descends on Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, sweat-drenched young men and women descend on the megacity’s numerous nightclubs to dance to the latest hit…

Spain’s San Fermin bull-running week kicks off without gorings
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – Pamplona’s week-long bull-running festival began on Thursday without any gorings in the two-and-a-half minute dash through the northern Spanish city, though five men were…

Mongolian child contortionists stretch for international success
ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) – Nine-year-old Mongolian schoolgirl Suvd-Erdene spends four hours a day perfecting the art of doing a head-stand on a pole clenched with her teeth and push-ups without her feet…

Pooch protection and profit: South Korea to overhaul pet sector
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea aims to regulate the increasingly common ownership of pets in a bid to promote an unsupervised sector that the government sees as economic growth opportunity, and to…

O Valentino, Valentino
It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare died, but the British literary great continues to inspire as Italian fashion house Valentino paid tribute to the playwright for its Autumn Winter 2016…

Activists stage ‘bloody’ protest against Pamplona festival bull runs
PAMPLONA, Spain (Reuters) – Animal rights activists covered themselves in fake blood in Pamplona on Tuesday in protest against bull runs and bullfights ahead of the northern Spanish city’s San Fermin…

Bull-running enthusiasts mark start of Pamplona fiestas
PAMPLONA, Spain, July 6 (Reuters) – Jubilant crowds filled Pamplona’s main square on Wednesday as the traditional “Chupinazo”, a firecracker in the shape of a rocket, burst into the sky, marking the…

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid, ending Ramadan holy month
(Reuters) – Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid-al-Fitr religious holiday on Wednesday, marking the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan.

Dracula comes ‘a-live’ with music
Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula” was revived with live music from Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet for the first time in Romania as a homecoming for the 1931 film based on the fictional Romanian vampire.

UK’s The Vintage News adds a nostalgic twist to covering events
WEST SUSSEX, England – With its period and reproduction costumes and 1920s and 30s equipment and car, The Vintage News is looking to the past to make its news stand out.

Lagerfeld pays tribute to atelier seamstresses at Chanel show
PARIS (Reuters) – Chanel took fashionistas behind the scenes into its ateliers for its autumn/winter haute couture show on Tuesday, focusing on the intricate craftsmanship displayed on its luxurious…

Bordeaux fine wine fans face higher prices for 2015 vintage
PARIS (Reuters) – Fine wine buyers face paying more for top Bordeaux wines as prices for the early 2015 harvest ‘primeurs’ have jumped more than 20 percent after critics pointed to a particularly…

Venezuelans seek spirituality from mountain goddess, African traditions
CARACAS (Reuters) – One long night every year in a mountainous rain forest in Venezuela, hundreds gather to dance on red-hot embers, enter trance-like states, and worship an ancient goddess known as…

Giacometti art trove at center of Franco-Swiss legal tussle
ZURICH (Reuters) – A rich trove of drawings by Alberto Giacometti and photographs of the renowned sculptor and artist has been lying in sealed storage cartons in a Swiss museum for more than two…

Ramadan’s evening iftar meal
(Reuters) – During Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, believers abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours, break their fast with the iftar evening meal.

Luxury brands show autumn creations at Paris haute couture week
PARIS (Reuters) – Luxury materials, exquisite craftsmanship and sweeping dresses take center stage at the Paris haute couture fashion shows this week, where designer brands show their autumn…

Queen’s wardrobe goes on display at Buckingham Palace exhibit
LONDON (Reuters) – A selection of outfits worn by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth go on display at her London Buckingham Palace residence as part of an exhibition marking the monarch’s 90th birthday this…

Serving up a solution to Singapore’s retiring hawker sellers
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore is cooking up new methods to find the next wave of hawker sellers amid fears the city state’s signature street-food delights could fall off the menu with chef…

Russian wife-carrier wins international event
July 2 marked the 21st year of the annual wife carrying world championship which took place in Sonkajärvi, central Finland.

Californians seek pot of gold in marijuana legalization
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – There is no guarantee California will vote to legalize recreational marijuana in November, but political operative and father of four Daniel Conway has already staked his future…

It wouldn’t be the 4th of July without Willie Nelson’s moveable ‘picnic’
AUSTIN, Texas – It is an on again, occasionally off again American tradition from the 1970s that has filled football stadiums and sun-baked Texas ranches, with one constant – country music legend…

51st Karlovy Vary International Film festival opens
The 51st international Film Festival opened in Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary on Friday (July 1).

Singer Kelis dons chef’s whites with London pop-up restaurant
LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) – “Milkshake” singer Kelis has temporarily swapped her microphone for a chef’s uniform to launch a pop-up restaurant in London. The 36-year-old American, who has a sauce…

Czech Republic says you can call us Czechia
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czechia has become the official English alternative name for the Czech Republic, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, allowing users to save space on name tags and product labels.

Rome shows off cleaned up Colosseum
ROME (Reuters) – Rome’s Colosseum was visibly cleaner on Friday as Italy showed off the latest phase of restoration of one of its most famous landmarks.

Paris drives old cars off its streets
PARIS (Reuters) – Paris banned old, exhaust-belching cars from its streets on Friday in a war on air pollution that environmentalists hope will also drive dirty vehicles from the centers of other…

British family treated to a night in Eiffel Tower apartment
The Eiffel Tower is a must-see for many tourists visiting Paris but for one British family this week it also became their home for the night.

Ceremonies in UK, France mark Battle of the Somme centenary
LONDON (Reuters) – Soldiers, politicians, royalty and ordinary citizens stood in silence, heads bowed, on Friday in ceremonies across Britain and France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the…

An igloo with a view … Australians go to the polls in Antarctica
SYDNEY (Reuters) – In an igloo overlooking Vincennes Bay, Antarctica, 27 Australians did their democratic duty and cast ballots on Friday, the day before the rest of the nation votes in a general…

Architects picked to design Obama presidential library: foundation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The foundation planning President Barack Obama’s library announced on Thursday that it has picked two architects to design the center on Chicago’s South Side, to be built after…