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Offbeat
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Offbeat. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Grand Theft Auto VI protagonists Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval are seen in a promotional image for the game. Image: Rockstar Games
United States

US Army unit offers soldiers 4 days off to play GTA 6 if they re-enlist

The release of the hit video-game series’ latest instalment is expected to be one of the year’s biggest entertainment events.

Music

Christian metal band Demon Hunter sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters

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US-China relations

Daughter of ‘Chinese Schindler’ protests use of his legacy to sell homes

Kosovo PM egged in parliament, as political crisis spirals

The live feed was cut and the session suspended, as security rushed to protect the prime minister.

Opposition lawmaker Time Kadrijaj throws an egg at Prime Minister Albin Kurti (not pictured) during a plenary session to elect the new speaker of the parliament, in Pristina, Kosovo, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
United States

How the humble burrito triggered a Maga ‘civil war’ in Trump’s party

The price of the Mexican dish is at the centre of an inflation row, with one lawmaker telling US youths to stop whining and ‘eat ramen’.

US-China relations

Seasoned seeds as bio-weapons? Chinese netizens mock US targeting of food brands

The latest batch of Washington’s import restrictions – targeting snack firms – is creating quite a stir among China’s social media users.

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Italy

Lost US$1.15 million lottery ticket dug out of trash by Italian binmen

The winner had discarded the stub, not realising that she had won the big jackpot.

A rubbish collection worker gets in his truck in Rome in January 2018. Photo illustration: AFP
Hong Kong

Cartoonist Harry Harrison’s humorous takes on Hong Kong and beyond in July

Discover Harry’s View as our veteran cartoonist casts his satirical eye over the political, social and economic landscape.

Nato

1 revolver, 6 bullets: Turkish president’s ‘unusual’ gift to Nato leaders

Bring it home? Leave it in Turkey? Their delegations puzzled over what to do with the gun and live ammunition from Erdogan.

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Britain

Farage vs Binface: how UK hard-right leader’s poll gambit could backfire

Nigel Farage triggers a by-election for his own parliamentary seat – but his only rival may be ⁠man who wears trash can on his head.

Count Binface: a self-described 'intergalactic space warrior'. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong

Cartoonist Harry Harrison’s humorous takes on Hong Kong and beyond in June

Discover Harry’s View as our veteran cartoonist casts his satirical eye over the political, social and economic landscape.

The Harry’s View cartoon from June 8, 2026. Illustration: Harry Harrison
United States

Russian daredevils scale Empire State Building for proposal stunt, then get arrested

Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus unfurled a banner about the ‘power of love’ from the antenna spire of the landmark New York skyscraper.

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Donald Trump

Trump unveils new US passport with his own face inside

With the commemorative ‘Patriot Passport’, he becomes the first sitting US president to feature on travel documents.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Porn star Erena So arrested in Hong Kong for promoting overseas gambling website

Police discover illegal betting website hiring local personalities as brand ambassadors to attract gamblers.

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A screenshot of Erena So from a video promoting an overseas gambling website. Photo: Handout
Donald Trump

American flag blue? Algae turns Trump’s reflecting pool swamp green instead

Mother Nature is interfering with one of the US president’s pet projects just days after it was repainted.

Ariana Pettit of Las Vegas poses for a portrait as the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is cleaned of algae on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Science

Scientists find woolly mammoth DNA while digging through squirrel poo

A treasure trove of ancient genetic material was stashed away by the rodents before being ‘frozen in time’ by permafrost.

Trending in China

Chinese homeowner buys 34th-floor flat in 32-storey building, gets no compensation

Buyer purchases new-build unit with limited property rights despite risks, ends up propertyless, mired in messy legal tussle.

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Singapore

What does Singapore lose when the wrecking ball swings?

Relentless reinvention, long inevitable in the land-scare city state, puts pressure on beloved ‘third spaces’.

Murals adorn a wall at 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace in Singapore. Photo: Kolette Lim
Donald Trump

Trump says may leave UFC arena on White House lawn permanently

The US president compared the structure to France’s Eiffel Tower, which was supposed to have been dismantled 20 years after it was built.

Mainland China

Cartoonist Harry Harrison’s humorous takes on Hong Kong and beyond in May

Discover Harry’s View as our veteran cartoonist casts his satirical eye over the political, social and economic landscape.

Art

French museum reports theft of banana from multimillion-dollar artwork

Pompidou-Metz museum contacts police after a guard notices Maurizio Cattelan’s iconic duct-taped centrepiece has vanished.

A visitor looks at the “Comedian” artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in Metz in May last year. On Sunday, 2025. (Photo by Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION
Italy

Milan restores bull mosaic’s bits worn down by an unusual tradition

Craftsman rebuilds animal’s cratered anatomy after visitors wear down the 19th century floor with their heels.

Restorer Gianluca Galli works on the mosaic of the bull. Photo: AFP
Bangladesh

Celebrity ‘Trump’ buffalo spared sacrifice, sent to Bangladesh zoo

The animal with a blond hairdo said to resemble the US president’s signature look was saved just hours before it was set to be slaughtered.

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United States

RFK Jnr posts video of him grabbing 2 snakes, as his wife asks ‘why?’

US health secretary has a bare-handed encounter with snakes, as his TV star wife tries to get him to stop.

Trending in China

Every dog has its day: stray puppy steals show at Chinese university sports event

Student runner broke the 3,000-metre race record with the fluffy campus resident guiding her to victory like a professional pacer.

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A stray puppy became an overnight internet sensation after a video of it entering the track to accompany a female student at the end of her 3,000-metre race gained millions of views. Photo: bjnews.com.cn
King Charles III

UK radio station mistakenly reports death of King Charles

Radio Caroline has apologised after a computer error triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure.

Britain’s King Charles attends an event in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan’s late-night cafes open doors to soothe mothers of crying babies

The idea of a ‘nighttime crying cafe’, which appeared in an online comic nearly a decade ago, is now gaining real-world traction.

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Japan

Japan’s hikikomori recluses are growing old. So are their carers

What happens to more than 1 million social recluses in the world’s fastest-ageing society when the last person who cared for them is gone?

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