Click to View in Browser Thursday, August 31, 2017 At Maltese festival, climbing the greasy pole is part of the fun ST JULIAN'S, Malta (Reuters) - For more than a century, locals in the small Maltese town of St Julian's have celebrated their patron saint by running up a steeply angled log, smeared with lard, protruding over the sea. In Japan, robot-for-hire programed to perform Buddhist funeral rites TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese company has introduced a new role for SoftBank's humanoid robot "Pepper" - a Buddhist priest for hire at funerals. Drop-dead beautiful: Japan undertakers tested on how to dress a corpse TOKYO (Reuters) - A 23-year-old undertaker won a contest at Japan's biggest funeral expo on Thursday that tested ancient skills in the ritual dressing of the dead. Out of the fire, onto the BBQ: rescued piglets served to UK firefighters LONDON (Reuters) - Young pigs that were saved from a fire in southwest England earlier this year have been served to their rescuers as sausages by the farmer who wanted to thank the firefighters for their efforts. Police believe thieves steal Venezuela zoo animals to eat them MARACAIBO, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela authorities are investigating the theft of animals from a zoo in western state of Zulia that were likely snatched to be eaten, a further sign of hunger in a country struggling with chronic food shortages. Saudi police release teenager detained for dancing in street DUBAI (Reuters) - A 14-year-old boy who was detained by Saudi police for dancing to the song "Macarena" at a traffic intersection has been released with a warning about road safety, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. Massachusetts man arrested for trying to punch police horse in face BOSTON (Reuters) - A Massachusetts man was arrested for trying to punch a police horse in the face at a street festival, according to Worcester police. Belgian town cooks giant omelet amidst egg scare MALMEDY, Belgium (Reuters) - A Belgian town honored its 22-year-old tradition of making a giant omelet on Tuesday amidst an egg contamination scare, cooking 10,000 eggs in a pan four meters wide. Boris in Union Jack underpants? Musical comedy finds the fun in Brexit EDINBURGH (Reuters) - A retelling of Britain's vote to leave the European Union and its dramatic political consequences might perhaps be framed as high drama or extreme farce. Bladerunners: UK lawnmowers in 12-hour endurance race FIVE OAKS, England (Reuters) - Drivers donned their suits and climbed into their cockpits at the weekend for a 12-hour endurance race with a difference: they weren't driving rallying cars, but lawnmowers. Related Video Here's your chance to flush a solid gold toilet Brazilian couture on display in Sao Paulo Entertainment News Shrunken Matt Damon opens 74th Venice film festival Tour insurers say Kanye West not cooperating with $10 million claim Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs. Healthcare trends, pharmaceutical news and more are covered in this daily report. Register Today Your daily briefing on the latest tech developments from around the world from Reuters expert tech correspondents. Register Today » » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2017 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add newsletters@email.reuters.com to your address book. Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook