Tag: Offbeat
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Offbeat | Twitter erupts after Saudi cleric says chess is forbidden
A video clip of Saudi Arabia’s top cleric saying that the game of chess is “forbidden” in Islam because it wastes time and leads to rivalry ... -
Offbeat | Spanish town celebrates bizarre, turnip-throwing festival
Hundreds of people have been running through the streets of a tiny town in southwestern Spain, chasing a fancy-dressed, beast-like figure and pelting it with turnips. ... -
Offbeat | Emirati prosecutors file warrant for men dancing in uniforms
Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates have filed an arrest warrant for two men who wore military uniforms and danced in an Internet video. The state-run ... -
Offbeat | Star of dolphin-killing film detained at Japan airport
The star of an Oscar-winning documentary about dolphin killings in Japan has been detained by immigration authorities at an airport near Tokyo. Ric O’Barry is the ... -
Offbeat | UK police seek burglar who stole USD21,500 in 1-pound coins
British police are seeking a burglar who may have a heavy conscience — or pockets — after stealing 15,000 pounds (USD21,500) in 1-pound ($1.43) coins. Greater ... -
Offbeat | Man walked USD1.6m in pills across border on sled
Authorities say a Canadian man was arrested while pulling a sled carrying more than 180 pounds of prescription pills across the border into the United States. ... -
Offbeat | Small plane makes emergency landing on California freeway
Motorists got a shock when a small plane made an emergency landing on a Southern California freeway just as the evening commute was getting underway. The ... -
Offbeat | The shining: UK commuters told trains delayed by sunlight
It’s the dark days of one of the rainiest British winters on record. So some London commuters were surprised to hear their trains had been delayed ... -
Offbeat | Moscow police looking into no-pants subway ride
Moscow police are looking into the weekend’s no-pants subway ride for a possible misdemeanor. Despite freezing temperatures, several dozen people joined the global annual event on ... -
Offbeat | Cincinnati Zoo names baby penguin ‘Bowie’ after singer
Having already earned a measure of “Fame” as the Cincinnati Zoo’s first animal birth of 2016, a newborn penguin chick has been named “Bowie.” The decision ... -
Offbeat | Record-breaking ‘Star Wars’ movie opens in China
The record-breaking “Star Wars” opened Saturday in China, where it is far from certain to draw in enough moviegoers to knock off “Avatar” as the world’s ... -
Offbeat | DiCaprio’s happy leaders taking climate change more seriously
Leonardo DiCaprio feels optimistic that the debate over climate change has begun to wane and world leaders are finally starting to take it more seriously. “The ... -
Offbeat | Two-year twins: Babies born Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in San Diego
Twins in San Diego are getting some attention because, though born just minutes apart, one has a birthday in 2015 and one in 2016. Jaelyn Valenica ... -
Offbeat | Kyrgyzstan to deport Briton who ‘insulted country’
Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry says a British citizen who made rude remarks about the country on social media is to be deported within a day. The statement ... -
Offbeat | The perfect match: Girlfriend to give boyfriend a kidney
A New Hampshire man found his perfect match in more ways than one when he first met his girlfriend on a golf course last summer. Forty-nine-year-old ... -
Offbeat | Priest rebuked for riding hoverboard during Mass
Philippine Roman Catholic Church officials have reprimanded a priest for riding a hoverboard and singing a song during Christmas Eve Mass. The Diocese of San Pablo, ... -
Offbeat | Player fired for posting ‘offensive’ tweets
Barcelona says one of its youth teams fired a player eight hours after signing him because the club discovered he posted “offensive tweets” on his Twitter ... -
Offbeat | World’s busiest airport welcomes 100 millionth passenger
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said it hit a major milestone Sunday. The airport that calls itself the world’s busiest announced on its social media sites said ... -
Offbeat | Ruling upholds rule allowing more Hawaii bigeye tuna fishing
A federal judge has ruled longline fishermen in Hawaii may continue catching more bigeye tuna, or ahi, than the maximum set by international regulators. U.S. District ... -
Offbeat | Prague zoo claims to have the longest salamander on Earth
Prague Zoo says it likely has the longest Chinese giant salamander now on Earth. The critically endangered animal is the largest amphibian on the planet. In ... -
Offbeat | Polish geology experts: No hidden Nazi train
Polish geology experts said they have found no traces of a train at a site allegedly hiding a World War II Nazi train. Experts from the ... -
Offbeat | Firefighters spray wrong plane with foam at Chinese airport
When crew members of a passenger plane reported sparks coming from an engine while taxiing at an airport in southern China, eight fire trucks responded within ... -
Offbeat | Israel’s ‘1st canine’ quarantined for biting Hanukkah guests
Israel’s first canine is in the doghouse after biting two guests at the Prime Minister’s Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony. Benjamin Netanyahu posted a family portrait — ... -
Offbeat | Moscow authorities to offer free Wi-Fi at cemeteries
As part of their campaign to bring Wi-Fi to crowded public spots in the Russian capital, Moscow authorities are connecting up an unlikely new location: cemeteries. ... -
Offbeat | Austrian police find more than 100,000 euros in Danube river
The banknotes were wet, but Austrian police are not treating the find of more than 100,000 euros found in the Danube river as a classic case ... -
Offbeat | New images show seaplane that sank in Pearl Harbor attack
New images of a large U.S. Navy seaplane that sank in Hawaii waters during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor show a coral-encrusted engine and reef ... -
Offbeat | San Francisco approves USD290,000 payout for Journey wedding
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors this week approved a USD290,000 payout to settle a lawsuit by the guitarist of rock band Journey that claimed the ... -
Offbeat | Drake is Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year globally
Spotify users are clearly listening to Drake. The rapper was the most streamed artist of the year globally. Spotify announced its end-of-the-year list yesterday and said ... -
Offbeat | Fiji sevens team to the rescue as passenger taken ill
The world champion Fiji sevens rugby team has been praised after stepping in to assist cabin crew during a medical emergency on a flight from Fiji ... -
Offbeat | Baby red pandas at Philly zoo named Betsy and Ben, of course
Two baby red pandas at the Philadelphia Zoo have been named after two of the city’s most famous residents: Betsy and Benjamin. Zoo officials said Friday ... -
Offbeat | Irish dad whose selfie video was a YouTube hit back in Vegas
The clueless Irish dad whose accidental selfie video of his Las Vegas vacation was watched by millions was back in Sin City to get a do ... -
Offbeat | Zimbabwe’s Mister Ugly pageant has record number of entries
The man who reigns as Zimbabwe’s Mister Ugly has tough competition in this year’s pageant, with organizers saying they received a record number of entries for ... -
Offbeat | Indonesia uses trained elephants to control forest fires
Forest fires difficult to control? Call in the pachyderm patrol. Officials in Indonesia are using trained elephants outfitted with water pumps and hoses to help control ... -
Offbeat | UNESCO rejects membership for Kosovo
Members of the U.N. cultural agency have narrowly rejected Kosovo’s bid for membership, in a victory for Serbia and Russia and a blow to Kosovo’s mission ... -
Offbeat | Man to play iconic lead in ‘Hello Dolly’
A Boca Raton production of “Hello Dolly” is breaking ground with a male taking on the iconic lead role made famous by Carol Channing and Barbra ...
