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Updated: 44 sec ago

Tourist treat - famous toilets

59 min 46 sec ago
BERLIN (Reuters) - For tourists tired of traditional sightseeing tours, one Berlin tour guide is offering something altogether different: a tour of Berlin's public conveniences.

Koranic teachers arrested over child begging

1 hour 24 min ago
DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegalese security forces have arrested seven Koranic teachers for forcing children to panhandle, a police official said on Friday, days after the West African state announced a crack down on public begging.

Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft

1 hour 25 min ago
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German company that fired a man for the theft of 1.8 euro cents (two U.S. cents) worth of electricity had no grounds for sacking him, a court ruled, dismissing the firm's appeal against his reinstatement.

Man bites police over a pet peeve

September 2, 2010 - 12:05pm
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Police arrested an 82-year-old man after he bit and kicked officers who had arrived to mediate in a dispute with a neighbor over a domestic pet.

Finance Ministry says defrauded by staffer

September 2, 2010 - 11:24am
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Finance Ministry Thursday acknowledged it was defrauded out of more than 160,000 euros ($204,800) earlier this year by an employee of the ministry unit that handles the state's financing needs.

Canadian parents more lenient than Italians and French

September 2, 2010 - 11:23am
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Canadian parents are more lenient with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy, according to a new study.

Vuvuzelas banned from European soccer competition

September 1, 2010 - 11:06am
BERNE (Reuters) - Vuvuzelas have been kicked out of European competitions after UEFA said that the controversial plastic trumpets drowned out supporters and detracted from the emotion of the game.

Cup of tea forces jet to make emergency landing

September 1, 2010 - 10:29am
BERLIN (Reuters) - A British airplane en route to Poland was forced to make an emergency landing in Germany after a 56-year-old woman spilled a hot cup of tea on herself, German police said on Wednesday.

Dutch colleges angry over sex job ads for freshmen

September 1, 2010 - 10:28am
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A number of Dutch colleges are considering legal action against the publisher of a move-in guide for new freshmen, after the company included an ad recruiting students for jobs as online sex workers.

Long-lived Dutch might be bad news for insurers

August 31, 2010 - 10:49am
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch are set to live longer -- good news for them but bad news for insurers that are expected to suffer from higher capital requirements and tighter profit margins as a result.

Older people enjoy reading negative stories about young

August 31, 2010 - 10:48am
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Older people like reading negative news stories about their younger counterparts because it boosts their own self-esteem, according to a new study.

Man arrested for trying to dazzle pilots with laser

August 31, 2010 - 10:48am
PARIS (Reuters) - A man appeared in court on Tuesday accused of trying to dazzle pilots with a laser beam as they were landing at France's second-busiest airport Paris Orly, aviation authorities said.

John Lennon's toilet sells for $14,740 at auction

August 30, 2010 - 9:55am
LONDON (Reuters) - A toilet that belonged to late Beatle John Lennon fetched 9,500 pounds ($14,740) at auction on Saturday, around 10 times its estimate, the sale organizers said.

Mushroom hunter "massacre" claims 18 lives in Italy

August 30, 2010 - 9:52am
MILAN (Reuters) - At least 18 mushroom-lovers have been killed in accidents while hunting for their favorite fungi in the mountains and forests of northern Italy.

Malaysia uncovers nearly 100 live reptiles in bag

August 30, 2010 - 9:52am
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian airport security arrested a convicted wildlife smuggler after finding almost 100 live reptiles in his luggage, the country's Wildlife and National Parks Department said.

Politician raffles breast implants

August 27, 2010 - 12:36pm
CARACAS (Reuters) - A Venezuelan politician is offering breast implants as a prize in a raffle to raise funds for his parliamentary election campaign.

Permission to laugh at election -- for now

August 27, 2010 - 12:16pm
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's election is a laughing matter again, at least for now.

Study finds quarter of UK lap dancers have degrees

August 27, 2010 - 8:37am
LONDON (Reuters) - One in four women who works as a lap dancer in Britain has a university degree and the majority of those involved in the industry enjoy their work, earning up to 48,000 pounds ($74,500) a year, academic research has found.

"We're about to crash," passengers told in error

August 27, 2010 - 8:32am
LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways apologized to passengers after an emergency message warning they were about to crash into the sea was played by mistake.

"Ordain women," London bus ads will urge Pope

August 26, 2010 - 2:02pm
LONDON (Reuters) - Pope Benedict will be confronted by posters on London's famous red buses during his trip to the British capital next month which will call for the ordination of women priests.