Starbucks finds imperial palace a forbidding market

A controversial Starbucks coffee shop in the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace at the heart of Beijing, has closed its doors after years of opposition. A campaign for its closure has been brewing since early this year, when a television anchor complained that the American chain's presence in the symbol of the Chinese nation was trampling on Chinese culture. The outlet opened in 2000 prompting a media backlash so severe that the museum authorities considered revoking its lease after a couple of months. It has operated without the usual outward corporate Starbucks bunting in recent years. "Starbucks shouldn't be here. Why bring something so Western to an ancient place like this?" steamed an Australian tourist who gave his name as Justin. The shop closed on Friday. By Saturday morning, newspapers covered the windows while a crew of workers set up a souvenir shop inside. Eden Woon, Starbucks vice-president for Greater China, said the museum management had decided to introduce its own branded stores and merchandise after a year-long review. Starbucks was offered the option to revamp the outlet as a "coffee shop" selling domestic coffee and other beverages alongside its own brew, but decided it wanted to maintain its own brand. "We have always been in touch and on good terms," Woon said. "My understanding is the decision was amicable and not aimed at Starbucks."

BETTER LATTE THAN NEVER "It's a shame. I would have enjoyed a coffee if they had it," said Sarah from Texas, touring the palace on a cloudy summer weekend. The rectangular Forbidden City, formally known as the Palace Museum, covers 74 hectares (183 acres) surrounded by a moat to the north of Tiananmen Square and has a fabled 9,999 rooms. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987. Its outer courtyards are lined with stalls selling trinkets, Olympics souvenirs and drinks, with a makeshift basketball court tucked to one side. The Starbucks store was located inside the vast complex, where the museum management also operates cafes and eateries selling coffee, tea and beer. "I don't have a problem with Starbucks, because all the other coffee shops here already make it kind of commercial," said Wu Haiying, who had traveled to Beijing to show the palace to her seven-year-old son. "Why shouldn't we adopt Western things that are good?"

Master of magic comes up with own Hogwarts

A top Indian magician is set to open a version of Harry Potter's fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hoping that a master's degree in magic will help keep the ancient art form alive.

P.C. Sorcar Jr., famous for astonishing thousands by making the Taj Mahal "vanish," said he plans to give away the secrets behind his illusions, perfected by his family over eight generations. "The over 2,000-year-old craft of street magicians was passed on through word of mouth before," Sorcar Jr. said. "It would be a loss for Indian magic if this art was not preserved." The 61-year-old magician, who is known for mammoth illusions, substituting traditional tricks such as pulling a rabbit out of a hat with producing a horse out of an empty bag, said it was important to nurture this unique tradition. Magic has entertained Indians through the ages and formed a vibrant part of many social occasions. However, the advent of television and the Internet has forced magicians to hone their craft to meet the needs of a generation hooked to video games and Western sitcoms. Veteran magicians say it is still a lucrative career if the government could do its bit by giving some funds and infrastructure to train youngsters. "DRAMAGIC" The Masters degree course in "Dramagic" -- as Sorcar Jr. calls it due to the dramatic illusions that will be taught -- will begin next year at the renowned government-run Visva-Bharati University in eastern India.

As part of the syllabus, the illusionist plans to bring in street magicians and performers known as "madaris" to teach students the tricks of their trade. "For thousands of years foreign tourists spoke of Indian magic in their travelogues," Sorcar Jr. said. "They said they saw men at street corners make a rope dance to the music of their flute or rise straight up in broad daylight with no apparent support. In 2000, Sorcar Jr. led thousands of spectators to believe the Taj Mahal had disappeared for nearly 90 seconds. He later explained light rays had been refracted to create the illusion. His other famous tricks include disappearing after being sealed in a box which was crushed by a road-roller and cycling smoothly through the busy streets of London and San Francisco with his eyes bandaged and plastered. Sorcar Jr. said he and his daughter Maneka, who is also a magician, had initially planned an illusion to ride a bicycle across the Red Sea, but later abandoned the plan fearing it could hurt religious sentiments. He now plans to recreate the illusion on Dal Lake, in India's scenic Himalayan state of Kashmir, where a 17-year separatist insurgency has hurt tourism. "It will be good for Kashmir's tourism," he said.

Ice cream stick ship's Atlantic bid

A 15-metre replica of a Viking ship made from five million ice cream sticks has set sail in preparation for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The ship named "Thor" was glued together by Robert McDonald, his son and more than 5,000 children from 18 schools in the Netherlands . It's taken four years to complete.

Plane returns after drunken brawl on board

A Russian plane flying from St Petersburg in Russia to Doloman in Turkey had to turn back midflight after a drunken brawl over a young woman spun out of control, police said in a statement Friday. Three young Russians boarded the plane drunk Thursday and "continued their party on board." "One of them took a fancy to a girl but she did not want to socialize with the new admirer," police said. On rejection, the passenger slapped the woman on her face several times. Another passenger immediately rose to defend her. "A fight began, the situation started to get out of hand and the crew made the only right decision -- to turn back." The three drunk men were detained on landing at /a St Petersburg airport. They faced fines of "dozens of thousands of dollars," police said. The woman received medical treatment at the airport and the plane resumed its flight to Turkey.