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Offbeat

Offbeat
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Offbeat. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Ho Feng-shan served in China’s diplomatic corps for nearly four decades. Photo: Handout
US-China relations

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

Manli Ho condemns real estate site for invoking her father’s rescue of Jews to promote US$40,000 houses in his Chinese hometown.

Kosovo PM egged in parliament, as political crisis spirals

United States

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

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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An internet user views the Synear Food webpage on his computer in the background with the company logo displayed on his phone. The company has been blacklisted by Washington for allegedly using forced labour. Photo: Getty Images
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.

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.

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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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A revolver given to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, with the president’s name engraved on it, is displayed during a press presentation in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo: Office of the Lithuanian President via AFP
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.

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.

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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The climbers with a banner atop the Empire State Building on Wednesday. Photo: ABC Affiliate WABC via Reuters
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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A rendering of a new limited-edition US passport featuring Donald Trump’s likeness. Photo: TruthSocial/realDonaldTrump
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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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.

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.

Squirrels pack their burrows with nuts, seeds, leaves, bones, fur and anything else they can find. Photo illustration: dpa
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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A man in China bought a new-build 34th-floor flat in a building that turned out to have just 32 floors. Photo: Shutterstock
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’.

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.

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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.

The Harry’s View cartoon from May 28, 2026. Illustration: Harry Harrison
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.

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.

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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A carer attends to an albino buffalo nicknamed “Donald Trump” at a farm in Narayanganj on May 17. Photo: AFP
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.

Robert Kennedy Jnr handling two snakes as one of them tries to bite him. Photo: @RobertKennedyJr via X
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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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.

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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The Creative French Toast in Tokachi cafe turns into a night-time haven for mothers of crying babies. Photo: Facebook/Creative French Toast in Tokachi
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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A Japanese government survey estimated that 1.46 million people were living as shut-ins as of 2023. Photo: Shutterstock
Academy Awards

Oscar statue goes missing after director forced to check it on flight

Pavel Talankin’s prize was misplaced for two days until it was relocated by Lufthansa after an international outcry.

Mainland China

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

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

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