This & That
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University of Ninja
A Japanese university is planning what it says will be the world’s first research center devoted to ninja — the black-clad assassins known for secrecy and stealth. While mostly confined…
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A Pledge to Palau
Visitors to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau are being made to sign a promise to respect the environment, an innovative move that authorities hope will curb ecological damage caused…
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Super Suction
The clinging power of octopus tentacles has inspired a breakthrough adhesive patch that works on wet and oily surfaces with potentially huge medical and industrial uses, according to South Korean…
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Out-of-pocket Expense
A superstitious passenger delayed a flight from Shanghai for several hours in June 2017 after throwing coins at the plane’s engine for good luck, Chinese officials said. The elderly woman was…
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Elephant showers
Trained elephants sprayed motorists and passers-by with water in Thailand’s old capital city of Ayutthaya in April 2017 to welcome the Buddhist New Year, known as “Songkran.” The jumbos from…
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Bald ambition
More than 30 bald men gathered at a hot spring facility in Tsuruta City, Japan, in February 2017 to show off their hairless heads and have fun. Members of the…
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Bottled Air
Even as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledges to ensure that blue skies never become a luxury, a state-backed firm is doing brisk business selling 48 yuan (U.S. $6.95) cans of…
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Running with Scissors
Doctors in Vietnam have removed surgical forceps from a man who unknowingly carried them inside his body for 18 years, national television network VTV reported. Ma Van Nhat, 54, said…
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Shrine For Pet Blessings
Pet owners have been flocking to the Ichigaya Kamegaoka Hachimangu shrine in Japan since it introduced New Year ceremonies for dogs and cats in 2000 — and numbers have skyrocketed…
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Potty Training
Japan’s toilet chiefs say they have come up with a plan to stop tourists from getting their knickers in a twist over the country’s mind-bogglingly high-tech loos. Under new guidelines,…
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