Big freeze stops famed Brussels statue from peeing
BRUSSELS | Wed Feb 1, 2012 12:47pm EST BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The Manneken-Pis, a bronze statue of a young boy urinating that is a symbol of Brussels and a major tourist attraction, has had to stop peeing because of sub-zero temperatures, Belgium’s tourist office said on Wednesday. Officials turned off the flow of water through [...]
Wanted: Retirees to live in Ecuador for a month free
By Patricia Reaney NEW YORK | Wed Feb 1, 2012 4:17pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) – Interested in adventure and exploring new places? An international magazine is looking for volunteers to spend a month in Cuenca, Ecuador to test its potential as a retirement destination. Applicants must be near retirement age, from the United States [...]
German city’s parking fines are just the ticket
By Alice Baghdjian BERLIN | Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:03am EST BERLIN (Reuters) – German authorities are giving parking violators in one city an unexpected break by issuing tickets without fines. The tickets, put on carelessly parked cars in Potsdam, include a fine of 0 euros and the cheerful message “Glueck gehabt!!!” (Lucky you!!!). The [...]
Italian shoemaker pays record rent at London store
By Brenda Goh LONDON | Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:21pm EST LONDON (Reuters) – Italian luxury shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo is close to agreeing a deal to pay a record UK rent at its Bond Street store that will break the 1,000 pounds ($1,576) per square foot mark for the first time, a source familiar with [...]
German beer drinking slide stopped by warm weather
By Alice Baghdjian BERLIN | Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:42am EST BERLIN (Reuters) – A steady slide in beer consumption in Germany was stopped cold last year thanks to warmer weather, the federal statistics office said on Monday. German brewers sold 98.2 million hectoliters of beer last year, down by just 0.1 percent in 2011 [...]
