Today in Pictures, May 5, 2025
An ondel-ondel puppet is seen in an alley in Jakarta on May 4, 2025. Ondel-ondel are giant traditional puppets from Jakarta's Betawi culture, originally used in rituals and festive parades to ward off evil spirits. Typically appearing as a male-female pair, with a performer inside and traditional music playing, they are now commonly used in street performances to collect tips.
PHOTO: AFP
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Business Times
2 hours ago
- Business Times
Sober clubbing brews fresh beat for Singapore's Gen Z
[SINGAPORE] Swaying to dance music and TikTok-fuelled pop under a disco ball, young punters are packed shoulder to shoulder while sipping on coffee, their energy powered by pour-overs rather than pints. This is no underground rave, nor a brunch gone wild. It's a caffeine-powered daytime clubbing sesh – part of a growing wave of alcohol-free, Gen Z-driven events gaining traction in Singapore and elsewhere in the world. At a recent event in Singapore's trendy Duxton district, the space was jammed by 4.00 pm, with baristas churning out fancy coffees and DJs spinning back-to-back sets. The crowd grooved with energy, even without the usual liquid courage. 'A lot of people think alcohol gives you the high, but caffeine sometimes can do that too,' said Aden Low, 21, co-founder of Beans and Beats which organises coffee raves at different venues. 'That's why the atmosphere at our events tends to be quite energetic.' The parties blend curated music with specialty coffee served in white paper cups. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The vibe is light, friendly and very Gen Z. 'It's also the idea that this is a safe space,' said Esther Low, 31, who was at the event in Duxton. 'When you go to a club setting, there's usually this underlying intention to hook up. So, for me, that's personally why I would prefer this.' Several reports say Gen Z is chugging fewer pints than previous generations, with the sober curious movement gaining popularity on social media. Sober curious people cut back on drinking or abstain altogether, often citing health reasons and better mental acuity. 'Changes in alcohol use have been observed in population surveys and cohort studies. Generally, alcohol use among young adults has decreased,' the World Health Organization said in a 2024 report. Club culture update From London to Los Angeles and Melbourne, similar coffee raves have swept up the social scene, appealing to young partygoers who also want to avoid hangovers. Ashley Chean, a Singaporean student who has been alcohol-free for a year, said she appreciates these sober gatherings. 'When I lived in Paris, I realised I had a lot of alcoholic tendencies and I didn't want that to be my lifestyle,' the 20-year-old told AFP. 'More and more of my friends are sober or sober curious.' The coffee clubbing events are usually held in cafes and other spaces such as rooftop bars – as long as there's room for DJs and baristas to do their thing while people dance. The parties typically end by late afternoon, just in time for golden hour selfies. Besides the health benefits of avoiding alcohol, the events appeal to cost-conscious youth in Singapore, one of the most expensive cities in the world. The excess drinking and hard-partying ways of Gen X – fuelled by anthems such as the Beastie Boys' Fight for Your Right (to Party) and hip-hop videos glamourising club culture – are fading for members of Gen Z. While organisers don't see Singapore's glitzy nightlife and clubbing being replaced, they hope their combination of beats and brews will keep the dance floor buzzing. 'As long as we bring the vibes, we'll be OK,' said Ashley. AFP
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
A dream wedding for Jeff Bezos in Venice? No way, locals say
People gather to protest against the planned wedding of Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice on June 13. PHOTO: AFP A dream wedding for Jeff Bezos in Venice? No way, locals say VENICE – If a bunch of irate Venetians have their way, the star-studded dream wedding that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee, Ms Lauren Sánchez, are planning in the ancient city at the end of June could be a nightmare. On June 13 evening, representatives of various citizens groups gathered in a square near Rialto Bridge and vowed to organise a series of protests on June 26-28, when hundreds of guests are expected to descend on the lagoon city for the lavish nuptials of Mr Bezos and Ms Sánchez, a journalist. Although details of the festivities have been wrapped in secrecy, 'we have our moles', said Ms Federica Toninello, a protest organiser, revealing that one of the venues could be the Misericordia, a former charity-turned-events hall. 'Bezos will never get to the Misericordia,' she vowed, urging the roughly 300 people present to take a stand. 'We will line the streets with our bodies, block the canals with lifesavers, dinghies and our boats,' she said to loud applause. She spoke under a large banner that read, 'No Space (an image of a spaceship) for Bezos,' playing on his ownership of Blue Origin, a spaceflight venture. 'We have to block Bezos; we have to block this idea of this city' as a tourist haven that has driven up housing costs so that most ordinary Venetians can no longer afford to live here, she said. Representatives for Mr Bezos and Ms Sánchez did not respond to a request for comment. Their wedding coincides with peak season in Venice, as tens of thousands of visitors arrive in the city daily, prompting City Hall to impose a controversial entry fee on weekends and holidays. Protesters said they were also concerned that the logistics of the wedding, including security for some top-tier guests, will further disrupt the life of Venice's dwindling resident population. The guest list is not public, but Vogue reported that it could include Katy Perry, some of the Kardashians and Eva Longoria, all friends of the bride-to-be. And TMZ reported that Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King had been invited. Reported estimates of what the wedding might cost have been as high as US$21.5 million (S$27.5 million). Part of that cost involves taking a fleet of water taxis out of circulation. One taxi driver who will be involved in transporting guests for the wedding said he had been booked to be on call on June 25-30. City hall officials said that only 30 of the city's 280 water taxis had been booked, and that since Venice was accustomed to hosting major events, citizens would not be inconvenienced. More than 600 couples marry each year in Venice, 'recognised as a city of love on an international level', and this was just one wedding more, the statement said. Some Venetians think it's one wedding too many. On June12, activists unfurled a large banner with a bold red X over Mr Bezos' name from the steeple of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, on an island that will be another of the Bezos-Sánchez wedding venues. 'Let's make sure that Venice is not remembered as a postcard venue where Bezos had his wedding, but as the city that did not bend to oligarchs,' said another protester Na Haby Stella Faye. 'We have a chance to disrupt a US$10 million wedding; let's do it.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
‘A really special feeling': Pop star Dua Lipa engaged to actor Callum Turner
British-Albanian singer-songwriter Dua Lipa and British actor Callum Turner arrive for the 2025 Met Gala on May 5. PHOTO: AFP British-Albanian pop singer Dua Lipa and British actor Callum Turner are getting married. In an interview with British Vogue magazine's July issue, the month's cover star shares how she feels 'invincible' and that being engaged is 'very exciting'. Lipa, 29, and Turner, 35, first met at The River Cafe in London, where she was having dinner with her father. Turner was there with his friends. They were introduced by the restaurant's co-founder Ruth Rogers. A year later, the pair reconnected in Los Angeles, where Lipa's chance encounter with Turner led them to the realisation that they were reading the same book - Trust (2002) by American writer Hernan Diaz. The couple began dating in January 2024. She shares that she has been obsessed with the engagement ring Turner made for her, which involved him consulting her best friends and her sister. 'It's nice to know the person that you're going to spend the rest of your life with knows you very well,' Lipa tells British Vogue. Wedding plans have not been made, as she is on her Radical Optimism world tour to promote her 2024 album of the same name. The tour commenced in Singapore in November 2024 - where she performed two concerts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium - are is set to conclude in Mexico City in December 2025. Turner is best known for playing Theseus Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts fantasy film series (2016 to 2022). Lipa added: 'This decision to grow old together, to see a life and... be best friends forever - it's a really special feeling.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
