Lift switch + heatwave = Eiffel Tower queue frustration

A change in who gets to use the Eiffel Tower's elevators has stranded frustrated tourists in long queues at the Paris landmark during a heatwave in the French capital.

Mostar's youngest diver honors centuries of tradition

Extreme sports might seem like a modern innovation for adrenaline junkies, but in the ancient Bosnian town of Mostar, jumping or diving from the 24-metre-high bridge is a test of courage that dates...

'Girl Power' on show in London Spice Girls exhibition

From colorful platform boots to bed linen emblazoned with the faces of Posh, Scary, Sporty, Baby and Ginger, an array of Spice Girls memorabilia goes on show in a London exhibition this week...

Smart bots: China's sex doll makers jump on AI drive

Amid Beijing's push to turn the country into an artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse and embed the technology in all facets of life, some Chinese entrepreneurs are taking the expertise to a new...

And the world record for swimming along in a sack with hands & feet tied up goes to..

Swimming instructor, lifeguard and adventurer Yane Petkov - Bulgaria's answer to Houdini and Michael Phelps combined - reclaimed on Tuesday the Guinness world record for swimming along with his hands...

Aspiring ninjas besiege Japanese city with job inquiries

A city in Japan has been bombarded with inquiries from aspiring ninjas, the country's famed feudal mercenaries and spies, after a news report on city tourist promotions was mistaken for a "ninjas...

Egyptian art school helps poor children swing into a better future

Underprivileged children in an ancient neighborhood in Cairo are getting the chance to trapeze into a brighter future.

Wild flowers turn Italian plain into impressionist masterpiece

The view across the Castelluccio plain in central Italy could be mistaken for a painting by Claude Monet: a blur of color created by countless wild flowers growing among the crops.

Sisters are cooking it for themselves at Iraq's women-only restaurant

At Luxury Time, a restaurant in the Kurdish city of Erbil, there are no man-size portions.

Royal wedding gospel choir gets record deal

The London gospel choir that was watched by millions when it performed at the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is to release a debut album this year after signing a record deal...

Berlin project 'upcycles' refugee boats into bags

When Abid Ali risked his life in a rubber dinghy in 2015 as he fled Pakistan for Europe, he didn't think that three years later he would be making bags, backpacks and sneakers out of similar boats in...

Sun, sea and ... Santas? Father Christmases hold annual congress

Braving Europe's heatwave, more than 150 Santas from around the world donned their heavy suits and full beards at their annual conference in Denmark.

Yoga on the Danube as Budapest bridge transformed into urban park

As the sun rises above Budapest, hundreds of people spread out their yoga mats on a bridge over the Danube, at the start of a day when the river crossing turns into a unique venue for concerts, dance...