"Biden set" a hit at Beijing restaurant

BEIJING (Reuters) - Black bean sauce noodles and other delicacies served at one Beijing eatery are being snapped up by customers eager to order the dishes eaten by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on a recent visit, a meal dubbed "noodle diplomacy." Biden and his entourage ordered five bowls of black bean sauce noodles, 10 steamed buns, smashed cucumber salad, mountain yam salad, shredded potatoes and Coca Cola at Yao's Chao Gan restaurant for lunch last Thursday, racking up a tab of 79 yuan ($12.40).

Men, boomers fuel growth in spa industry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The spa industry is booming, particularly in China and India, as more men and aging boomers seek pain relief as well as relaxing and luxury treatments, including $1,250 facials. Massage is still the most popular request, but people with deep pockets can opt for pricier treatments such as the ultra-expensive facial from New York skincare expert Dangene, who is booked months in advance.

HRW alleges abuses in South African wine industry

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Workers at vineyards producing South Africa's internationally renowned wines are denied many of their basic rights, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report said on Tuesday. Wine and fruit farms are a big contributor to South Africa's economy and major export earners, especially in the Western Cape province that is home to six of the country's nine wine growing regions and most of its vineyards.

Iconic Japan cartoon cat gets his own museum

TOKYO (Reuters) - He's a small, blue robot cat from the future who's been the inspiration for an animated TV series, served as Japan's cartoon cultural ambassador and is beloved around the world. Now, the iconic Doraemon has his own museum on the outskirts of Tokyo -- though he shares the space with his creator, Fujiko F. Fujio.

Museum tells story of Japanese-American detainees

RALSTON, Wyo (Reuters) - It was a bittersweet return for more than 250 Japanese-American former detainees at Heart Mountain Relocation Center in the state of Wyoming who gathered for the opening of a museum about their wartime internment. A replica guard tower stands over the museum on a remote wind-swept plain where nearly 14,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in one of 10 such camps set up across the West after the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Daunted Afghans find refuge in former foe Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Signs in Dari decorate the creaky lifts of a Moscow hotel heaving with Afghan merchants and schoolchildren who have found refuge in a former foe. Although still haunted by the decade-long war in which 15,000 Soviet troops were killed, Russia has renewed interest in Afghanistan, quietly allowing the local Afghan community to thrive as a gesture of goodwill.

Management Tip of the Day: Tips for surviving work travel

BOSTON (Reuters) - There are some simple ways for the road warrior to stay sane and healthy, says Harvard Business Review. The Harvard Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (http://www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.