Life Travel

Big Man's burgers are turning Japanese

TOKYO: It is a few minutes before 10 am, and the shopping mall is still empty, yet the crew at Big Man is already at battle stations. The grill has been greased, the bacon sliced and the first load of eggs fried and just in time too. When the doors to the food court fly open, a swarm of diners makes a beeline for the counter and the delicacies beyond.

Once upon a time in Almeria

ALMERIA, Spain: "What was he thinking?" That's my first impression upon seeing the Desierto de Tabernas, in Spain's southeastern Almeria region. The only semi-desert in Europe, Tabernas averages only three days of rain annually, and with temperatures reaching 45C in summer, it can seem a stark, unwelcoming place. But for 15 years, beginning in the early 1960s, it served as a Mecca for filmmakers.

Life Culture

Can you dig it?

Under the guidance of the State Administration of Culture Heritage (SACH), China's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2006 were crowned on Sunday. These 10 significant finds were selected from 24 nominations in an annual competition held by the Chinese Society of Archaeology and the administration's newspaper China Culture Relics News.

Up close with creatures great and small

The "Beauty of Animals" exhibition opened on Friday in Beijing Museum of Natural History two years after the American philanthropist Kenneth E Behring signed an agreement to supply $10 million worth of stuffed animals to the museum.

Discovery links the Roman Greek empires

ATHENS: Greek archaeologists discovered a Roman tomb filled with glass, copper and gold artefacts and an amphitheatre on the island of Cephalonia, which they say must have been an important link between ancient Greece and Italy.

Unearthed tombs reveal life of mysterious military master

HOHHOT: Archaeologists have discovered more than 5,000 items dating back 2,000 years from a complex of 385 tombs uncovered at a construction site in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Life People

Legal eagle waiting for the right time to buy

Young lawyer Chen Mingliang and his new wife are breaking tradition and are doing what most young Chinese newlyweds are not doing. They are still living in a rented apartment.

Property particulars

A central bank survey conducted in 50 cities in late February showed home buyer willingness in the first quarter had dropped 1 percent compared to the last quarter. However, the Beijing market bucked this trend, rising 1 percent compared to that of last quarter.

Capital investment

The four-day Beijing Spring Property Fair opened last week and was a noisy and crowded scene. Advertising leaflets were handed to visitors wandering the hall. Home sellers took every possible means to lure more visitors, either inviting beautiful models dressed in mini-skirts, or hiring salesman to stand up in the middle of the pathway striking up a conversation with the passers-by, or providing a free shuttle bus for people to visit their new buildings.