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StrangeSights: Australian PM wades into beach cabana debate; Moldovan first dog’s NYE day out; and, Taiwan’s nonagenarian weightlifters

DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…


People on Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, on 6th March, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Jaimi Joy/File photo

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has waded in to a debate over the use of portable cabanas to reserve prime spots on the nation’s beaches, saying the practice was “not on” and against the country’s egalitarian spirit. Famous for its sunshine and sandy beaches, Australia is currently in the middle of its summer period, where temperatures in some parts of the country have already topped 40 degrees Celsius. Portable gazebo-like beach cabanas, which usually take up more space than umbrellas and offer shade in a country with the highest skin cancer rates in the world, have become increasingly popular. But photos of dozens of empty cabanas on beaches in Australia posted on social media in recent weeks have sparked furious online and media debate, with some calling the act “un-Australian”, while others applauded the ingenuity. “One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, [where] you go and you’ve got to pay to go to the beach, here, everyone owns the beach,” Albanese said during an appearance on “]Today, one of the country’s most popular breakfast television shows. “It’s a place where every Australian is equal. And that’s a breach of that principle, really, to think that you can reserve a little spot as just yours.” – ALASDAIR PAL, Sydney, Australia/Reuters



• Moldovan President Maia Sandu’s dog, notorious for biting the Austrian President, was safely home in the official residence last week after going missing on New Year’s Eve. Codrut, which means small forest in Moldova’s official language of Romanian, bolted during fireworks. Capital residents rallied, posting sightings of the golden-haired pet on social media, and he was brought home hours later. “Our good friend Codrut had an unpleasant experience,” presidential press secretary Igor Zaharov wrote on social media. “He is safe at home.” The mixed breed canine, who is missing a leg, was adopted by Sandu in 2023 after he was hit by a car. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen suffered a minor hand wound when Codrut bit him during a November 2023 state visit. Codrut is not the only presidential dog with a biting problem. US President Joe Biden successively banished two German Shepherd pets from the White House due to biting. – ALEXANDER TANAS, Chisinau, Moldova/Reuters


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Cheng Chen Chin-Mei, 90, lifts 45 kilograms as she breaks her personal record, at a weightlifting competition in Taipei, Taiwan, on 21st December, 2024. PICTURE: Reuters/Ann Wang.

Cheng Chen Chin-Mei beamed broadly as she hoisted a 35 kilogram weightlifting bar to her waist, dropped it and waved confidently to the enthusiastic crowd in a competition in Taipei. Cheng Chen, 90, has been pumping iron since last year, encouraged by her grand-daughter to take up the sport after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She credits the regimen with helping to fix her posture. Three generations of her family were among a couple of hundred people watching Cheng Chen and 44 others aged 70 or over in a weightlifting competition on 21st December. In the three-round competition, Cheng Chen lifted as much as 45 kilograms using a hexagonal-shaped bar that is said to allow the lifter more stability and options for gripping. “I want to tell all the old people to join the workout,” Cheng Chen told Reuters after the competition. “You don’t need to work extremely hard, but this is to stay healthy.” Cheng Chen was not the only nonagenarian in the competition. The oldest participant is 92. Taiwan is projected to become a “super-aged society” next year, with 20 per cent or more of its 23 million people aged 65 or older, according to National Development Council data. The government has set up fitness centres across the island with equipment suitable for older people, to encourage them to train, according to the Health Promotion Administration, which encourages healthy lifestyles. “The hex bar dead-lift is an easy workout. It is similar to squats or sitting down and standing up,” said Cheng Yu-shao, head coach at LKK Wellness, which organised the event. It can help prevent muscle loss and minimise the risk of falls, he told Reuters during a training session with Cheng Chen this week. During the workout, Cheng Chen said weight training has helped with some of her health issues. “My shoulders have become lighter after some time of continuous workouts,” she said. Cheng Chen won only a medal and a certificate for her performance but received the adulation of the crowd and the chance to wave like a superstar. – ANGIE TEO and ANN WANG, Taipei, Taiwan/Reuters

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