Canada to close loophole on foreigner gay marriages
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will plug a loophole in its marriage laws that left foreign gay couples in a legal limbo, able to marry in Canada, but in a union that might not be legal, and perhaps without the ability to divorce. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said the problem stemmed from a "legislative gap" that meant some - if not all - gay marriages performed in Canada could not be dissolved in Canada if gay marriage was not legal in their home country.
Travel Picks: World's top 10 film festivals
NEW YORK (Reuters) - With the Sundance Film Festival starting next Thursday and the Oscars not too far off, the movie buffs at online travel adviser Cheapflights (http:///www.cheapflights.com) have compiled a top 10 list of their favorite film festivals across the globe. Reuters has not endorsed this list: 1. Sundance Film Festival - Park City, Utah, United States
Travel Postcard: 48 hours in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Hospitality is king in New Orleans whether the city is hosting major sports events, the annual Mardi Gras or thousands of visitors who have dropped in for a fun weekend. Known as the Big Easy or the Crescent City, New Orleans, which straddles the Mississippi River, is famous for its French Creole cuisine, distinctive architecture, jazz music and unique blend of influences from the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.
No Ferguson extradition over Turkey film: UK source
LONDON (Reuters) - There is no prospect of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, being extradited to Turkey to face criminal charges over her undercover reporting for a TV documentary on Turkish orphanages, a British interior ministry source said on Friday. Turkey sought Ferguson's extradition after a Turkish court accused her of "breaking the law in acquiring footage and violating the privacy of five children" while making the documentary in 2008, Turkey's Anatolian news agency said.
Afghan academy seeks to ease pain of war with music
KABUL (Reuters) - A cacophony ranging from Asian string instruments to the delicate cadences of classical piano pours out of a two-storey building in central Kabul. Here, at Afghanistan's sole music academy, students are taught music with the hope it will bring comfort in the face of war and poverty, bringing back cellos and violins to revive a rich musical legacy disrupted by decades of violence and suppression.
China helps Italian menswear makers snub doomsayers
MILAN (Reuters) - A rise in menswear sales to Chinese consumers will give Italian designers Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana a lift when they kick off the 2012 fashion season on Saturday. The luxury industry, resilient but not immune to crises, has tempered its optimistic growth forecasts for this year after consumer spending slowed in crisis-hit Europe before Christmas.
Rich seek super-sized luxury London pads
LONDON (Reuters) - London developers are shifting their focus toward super-sized luxury flats to keep pace with the growing wealth of overseas buyers seeking a safe haven for their cash, charging them up to 70 percent more for the privilege. "As the level of wealth among the very rich increases, they are rewriting the 'pied-a-terre' rules. Although their London buy might be a second or third home, they now expect it to have the same size, specification and services as their domicile property," said Rupert Dawes, a partner at international property consultant Knight Frank.
Russian villager mistakenly buys Kalashnikov arsenal
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian villager discovered a stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles hidden in the wooden crates he bought for $15 from a stranger to use as fuel for his winter stove. A total of 79 guns and 253 cartridges were stuffed in more than 60 wooden boxes bought by a resident of the village of Sovkhozny in Udmurtia, a region some 1,300 km South-East of Moscow, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.
Book Talk: Maid's tale of Catherine the Great
TOKYO (Reuters) - Before Catherine the Great became a powerful Russian ruler, she was a naive German princess invited to court in St. Petersburg by her aunt, the Empress Elizabeth. Catherine's early intrigues, her affairs, and her rise to power are narrated by servant and spy Varvara in "The Winter Palace" by Eva Stachniak, in the first of two books on the subject.
"Mormon moment" examined in U.S. survey
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Most Mormons believe their religion is not well understood by Americans and many sense hostility but a survey done as Mormonism gains political and cultural prominence shows they are also optimistic that tolerance of their faith is rising. The New York Times and other media have dubbed this the "Mormon moment" with two Mormons - Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman - vying for the Republican nomination to run for U.S. president, a hit play ("The Book of Mormon"), a popular cable television series (HBO's "Big Love") and the best-selling "Twilight" vampire books written by a Mormon.
Source: Reuters Life! Online Report
