Tag Archives: offbeat

Tokyo, Japan | AFP |  A Japanese minister in charge of cyber security has provoked astonishment by admitting he has never used a computer in his professional life, and appearing confused by the concept of a USB drive. Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, is the deputy chief of the government’s cyber security …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has laughed off a suggestion his coaching is “better than sex”. The comment was reportedly made by Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves, who is currently promoting a documentary about his time at Barcelona playing under Guardiola. Before Sunday’s Premier …

Uganda’s Museveni under fire for saying men shouldn’t cook Kampala, Uganda | AFP |  Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni came under fire Monday for saying he had not stepped into the kitchen since he got married, and that it was not a man’s role to cook. “The head of the home …

Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazil’s first lady Marcela Temer leapt fully clothed into a lake at the presidential palace to rescue her pet dog — then got roasted on social media. The 34-year-old former beauty queen jumped into the lake after her Jack Russell named Picoly went after some …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A naked statue of Donald Trump, complete with a distended belly and jowly sneer, is to go on display at a Haunted Museum after a paranormal investigator bought it at auction. Julien’s Auctions announced Wednesday it sold the artwork — believed to be …

What is a reasonable tip at a restaurant? Chicago, United States | AFP | For most Americans, the answer is likely — at most — 20 percent. But how about 260 percent? For one patron at a Chicago restaurant, a normal tip was not enough to show his appreciation after …

Manila, Philippines | AFP | Clad in underwear, loincloths, tutus or body paint, hundreds of semi-naked young people pounded the streets of Manila on Sunday in an unusual race that brought a sweaty spectacle to the capital of the conservative, mainly Catholic Philippines. The city’s first-ever “Underpants Run” drew crowds …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Two Burundi officials have been arrested after their town’s football team allegedly “roughed up” President Pierre Nkurunziza who was playing during a match with his personal team, legal sources and witnesses said Friday. A legal source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the administrator …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court has fined a self-styled prophet who sprayed his followers in the face with insecticide as a supposed cure for illness. Pastor Lethebo Rabalago was found guilty by a court in the northwest town of Limpopo of five charges of grievous assault …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Church spires across Britain will be used to boost broadband, mobile phone and WiFi connectivity in rural areas, under a deal struck between the government and the Church of England, it was announced Sunday. “This agreement with the Church of England will mean that …