TOPIC

Offbeat

Offbeat
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Offbeat. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Joan Medina with her 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix low-rider in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo: AP
Art

US cradle of low-rider cars looks to promote its custom wheels

New Mexico lawmakers declare February 11 Lowrider Day and introduce bill to make the custom vehicles a state symbol alongside roadrunner.

Animals

Humpback whale swallows then spits out kayaker in Chile – and it’s captured on video

videocam
Tourism

Celebrate the funny side of life at HaHaHouse museum of laughter

Food and Drinks

Italian science produces the ‘perfect’ boiled egg. It takes 32 minutes

Scientists claim to have come up with a 32-minute two-pan solution, and say it offers the best taste and nutrition.

7
Italian polymer scientists’ method of cooking the perfect egg involves two pans with water at different temperatures, and 32 minutes cooking time. Photo: AP
Asia travel

Paris, mountain truck stop in Central Asia with its own Eiffel Tower

A makeshift village in Kyrgyzstan offers food and warmth to truckers plying a dangerous north-south mountain road. But for how much longer?

Malaysia

In Malaysia, a mystery cash-filled suitcase finds its owner

The case, containing more than US$100,000 worth of ringgit banknotes, was discovered in a shopping centre car park.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Asia travel

Staged China rural scenes go viral, tourists pay US$40 to film them

Rural residents in China’s Fujian province have gone viral on Douyin and RedNote by indulging visitors’ nostalgia with staged country scenes.

videocam
Chen Weizuo (centre) poses for tourists with his buffalo in Xiapu, in eastern China’s Fujian province, on December 11, 2024. The 62-year-old, who charges up to 300 yuan for a photo, poses several times a day and rents costumes for extra income. Photo: AFP
Animals

Scotland has no plans to ban cats, first minister says

A report from the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission had called for restrictions on cats to protect wildlife in ‘vulnerable areas’.

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki’s treasured car put on display

The Citroen 2CV, a French classic car, can be seen at Ghibli Park, with an original manga depicting how Miyazaki fell in love with it.

Malaysia

Malaysia fines Singapore woman who claimed Chinese tea sellers drugged her

Amyra Laila Ho, 45, claimed a couple selling Chinese tea had insisted she smell their tea leaves, which supposedly made her dizzy and stiff.

A Chinese tea ceremony in Chengdu. Photo: Shutterstock
Africa

‘Running for fun,’ Japanese tour guide pulls 100kg rickshaw across Africa

‘I couldn’t make it without you guys,’ Yuji ‘Gump’ Suzuki tells supporters after his six-month rickshaw pull from Nairobi to Cape Town.

Yuji “Gump” Suzuki with support team members near the end of his 6,400km rickshaw pull from Nairobi to Cape Town. Photo: AFP
UFOs and Extraterrestrial Life

US congressman says aliens exist under sea, large craft moves at incredible speeds

Congressman Tim Burchett says admiral told him about massive alien craft moving at ‘hundreds of miles an hour underwater’.

New Zealand

Cat from New Zealand left on plane in Australia flies there and back again

Mittens, 8, was only supposed to take a one-way flight from Christchurch to Melbourne. She ended up being airborne for over 10 hours.

Tourism

Sex and the City brownstone that’s a magnet for selfie takers to get a gate

Deterrent to tourists who take photos outside Manhattan brownstone where Carrie Bradshaw lived in Sex and the City approved by commission.

The Manhattan brownstone where Carrie Bradshaw lived in Sex and the City in New York. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission approved an application for a metal gate for the front staircase of the house to keep away tourists who endlessly trespass and pose for pictures. Photo: AP
Science

Scientists create ‘queen of explosives’ with Chinese steamed buns

Researchers have developed an unusual method for increasing the performance of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear explosive.

videocam
15
Chinese steamed buns, known as mantou, have been used by scientists to boost the performance of the world’s strongest explosive. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

Albino Trump lookalike in Punjab, Pakistan market a star

Sporting a blond quiff because of his albinism, pudding seller Saleem Bagga also sings to draw customers, who love taking selfies with him.

History

UK security service MI5 to reveal some of its secrets in exhibition

A World War II-era guide to tailing a target, and files on notorious double agents such as Kim Philby, feature in MI5: Official Secrets show.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending in China

Video | Cleaners in China go through tonnes of trash to retrieve man’s lost cash

The cleaners received some money as a token of appreciation.

videocam
The cleaners received some money as a token of appreciation.
Art

New interest in viral Donald Trump as Buddha figures by Chinese sculptor

Sculptor Hong Jinshi’s Buddha-like Trump figures went viral in 2021, and since the US election are back in demand. His new focus? Elon Musk.

Malaysia

Malaysia investigates viral video of cats being stuffed into sacks

One of the group of men caught on camera in the video denied allegations of animal abuse.

videocam
Indonesia

Crocodile attack kills 5-year-old girl in Indonesia

The girl was last seen bathing in an abandoned tin-ore mining pond, rescuers say. Her body was found hours later.

videocam
A photo shared on social media shows a crocodile that reportedly killed a five-year-old girl in Indonesia’s Bangka-Belitung Islands. Photo: Facebook/Jok Bangka
Australia

Court nullifies marriage after Australian bride thought it was Instagram ‘prank’

The woman said ‘we had to act to make it look real’ to help the groom monetise his social media page.

A couple in Australia had their marriage annulled after the bride said she did not genuinely consent. Photo: Shutterstock
Australia

Feeling the heat: bungling Australia arsonist sets trousers on fire

CCTV video shows a person in Melbourne engulfed in flames, who removes their burning clothes before running off.

Video gaming

‘Blandify’, ‘stroopwafel’ among new Oxford English Dictionary words

Other additions in the dictionary’s quarterly update include ‘non-player character’, ‘cheat code’, ‘snark’ and ‘three-dimensional chess’.

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Star face of low-alcohol beer fired over ‘unacceptable’ drunken escapade

Ryo Yoshizawa, who broke into his neighbour’s home while drunk on December 30, has had his contract with Asahi Breweries terminated.

Japanese actor Ryo Yoshizawa, who broke into his neighbour’s home while drunk on December 30, has been let go from his contract with Asahi Breweries. Photo: Instagram/oryojapon
Christmas

Don’t eat your Christmas tree, Belgians warned, after city posts food tips

The Ghent website had suggestions on how to recycle the conifers at the dinner table, such as by making flavoured butter with the needles.

An elephant eats a non-sold, untreated, leftover Christmas tree at a zoo in Berlin, Germany. Photo: EPA-EFE
Beauty

What’s on show at CES 2025? AI-powered beauty mirrors, robot dogs and more

A beauty mirror to tell you your skin woes? A lifelike robot puppy for those allergic to the real thing? The pick of the tech in Las Vegas.

Art

Artist’s vibrant viral Instagram works lift up crumbling district

Adel Yazdi has turned his neighbourhood in Shiraz, Iran into a vivid visual tapestry that many tourists are discovering through social media.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
loading