LIFE & STYLE

Eyes closed, hips swaying, retiree Polly Chan danced like no one was watching at a community centre in Hong Kong, where experts warn of a loneliness epidemic among the ballooning elderly population.

Eleven letters sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, including dispatches from the Kremlin, have gone on sale following the blockbuster auction of the diminutive French emperor's hat for $2.1 million.

A bottle of The Macallan 1926, described by Sotheby's auction house as the "most valuable whisky in the world", on Saturday went under the hammer for a record GBP2.1 million.

For the first time in nearly a century, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City will stage a performance in Spanish on Thursday, as the company works to expand its appeal to wider audiences.

How was the air breathed by Caesar, the Prophet Mohammed or Christopher Columbus?

In the hurly-burly outside one of Tokyo's main train stations stands a statue of a dog whose true story of loyalty has made him a beloved mascot for generations.

Global wine production has fallen this year to its lowest level since 1961 as vineyards were pummelled by extreme weather events, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said Tuesday.

A top Swiss museum has run into trouble showing an art collection acquired in questionable circumstances during World War II, with some saying its attempt to put it "in context" does not focus enough on the fate of the art's former Jewish owners.

Undelivered letters written to French sailors during an 18th century war between Britain and France have finally been opened and studied -- after more than 250 years gathering dust.

A former shoeshine boy now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Luiz Barsi has been called the "Brazilian Warren Buffet" for his ultrasharp investing acumen.

Shorter working hours are part of a trend that is gaining traction in Germany, where companies are looking to balance between worker shortages and the need to stay competitive.

In his previous life, Luvo Maranti didn't read music and the only thing he knew about opera was who Luciano Pavarotti was.

Fading photos of smiling children still adorn the staircase walls at the Ashigakubo primary school, one of thousands that have shut in ageing Japan over the past 20 years.

The librarian scans the shelves and quickly picks out a few works -- Orwell, Sorokin, Dostoevsky -- the authors she thinks can best help cast some light in a dark time for Russia.

A crucified Ronald McDonald clown, prayer mats adorned with stilettos and sketches by former Guantanamo prisoners take pride of place at a new museum in Spain devoted to previously censored art.

In a workshop packed with historic memorabilia, from rusty petrol pumps to vintage enamel signs, Carl Burge skillfully applied the finishing touches to the red British telephone box he was restoring.

When Scout Frank lost her mother, she knew she needed to keep her close -- and hit upon the perfect solution when she found she could have her ashes tattooed into her skin.

Cloaked in a black cape like the infamous count himself, 10-year-old Niklas Schuetz runs through the dark corridors of a hill-top castle in search of the truth about Dracula.

The shops have not yet opened, but the air-conditioned concourse of a Riyadh shopping mall is crowded anyway -- a haven for walkers and joggers grateful for somewhere cool to exercise.

At first glance it looks like an ordinary street parade, with marching minstrels, baton-twirling majorettes, painted faces and glittering costumes careering down a battered, rundown Johannesburg street.

Music streaming giant Spotify on Tuesday said it registered 26 percent growth in active users for the third quarter as it reported a rare quarterly profit.

French luxury group Hermes, known for its leather bags and silk scarves, on Tuesday said it continued to see sales growth in the third quarter despite a dip in Asia.

A land renowned for cheese, chocolate and banks, Switzerland, nestled in the heart of Europe, held its general election on Sunday.

A pair of jaguars discovered in a cage on a ranch exposed a cruel new fashion among Ecuador's drug lords.

Amsterdam's sex workers Thursday protested against the transfer of their famed red light district to an out-of-town "erotic centre", in what is seen as part of a battle for the city's soul.

Linguistics experts are turning to cutting-edge technologies to revitalize threatened Native American languages -- and rejuvenate generations of Indigenous tradition -- through new approaches such as children's books and smartphone apps.

Farmer Askarbek Duisheyev pours a small plastic bottle into the palm of his hand and tips some green balls under his tongue.

In a Swedish nursing home, residents wait for a bus that never comes. Caroline Wahlberg, who runs the Tallhojden nursing home, sat down with Edward, a resident in his 80s whose piercing blue eyes looked vaguely off into the distance.

Indonesian dancer Rianto moves gracefully in front of a crowd of thousands in the capital Jakarta, whipping his orange sash and in full make-up as he performs a centuries-old folk dance frowned upon by conservatives.