Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, TAN SIN CHOW and R. ARAVINTHAN
A MAN has been using ostriches as a mode of transportation for over 10 years in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province, reported Sin Chew Daily.
Identified only as Ah Hwa, he said the ostriches had undergone rigorous training before going on the road.
Citing an example, the 32-year-old said he would make a prolonged whistle sound to get the ostrich to “stop”.
“The ostrich I am riding now even has an advanced skill. It weighs over 150kg and when I tell it to sit, it would sit down.
“I weigh 68kg, and when I sit on its back and blow the whistle, it can lift both of us up together,” said Ah Hwa, 32.
He acknowledges that riding an ostrich on the road does not comply with traffic regulations, but said that he always makes sure everything is done in a safe environment.
> China Press reported that residents living in a high-rise building in Wenshan District, Taipeh City, have been complaining about the water tasting odd for several days.
They then contacted a worker to clean the rooftop water tank, only to discover the remains of a man inside it.
The police were immediately called following the gruesome discovery yesterday.
Investigations showed that a ladder to the water tank was broken, suggesting that the man, who was wearing work boots, might have been climbing on it when it gave way, causing him to fall into the tank and drown.
Authorities said the man had been dead for more than two days.
There were no external injuries, but the body was severely bloated and emitting a foul odour.
Police also said the man was not a resident of the building.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.
