Odd News Roundup: Turkmenistan erects giant gilded dog monument; Brazil artist paints masks for those who want to show their face and more

Ogawa Studios, a small producer in Saitama, north of Tokyo, starting making rubber Biden masks earlier this year but since his election win last week, it has ramped up production.

Following is a summary of current odd news briefs.

Two tonnes of cocaine worth $250 million seized in British Virgin Islands

A record 2.35 tonne haul of cocaine worth more than $250 million has been discovered in the British Virgin Islands after a covert operation that led to the arrest of one local police officer, the islands' police force said. When police arrived at the property, several people fled but officers discovered 2,353 kg of cocaine in a container unit.

Captain's Corner: Grounded Malaysian pilot's noodle stall takes off

Every morning, Malaysian pilot Azrin Mohamad Zawawi puts on his white uniform and black captain's hat before heading to work. But rather than going to the airport, as he has done for two decades, he heads to a small noodle stall he now runs in a suburb just outside the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Brazil artist paints masks for those who want to show their face

Jorge Roriz, 65, used to create the magical world of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival with its colorful costumes and fantastic floats. Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he is using his art to make masks that don't attempt to disguise or accentuate but to be as real as possible.

Waste not, want not: Dutch students build electric car from recycled material

Dutch students have created a fully functioning electric car made entirely out of waste, including plastics fished out of the sea, recycled PET bottles and household garbage. The bright yellow, sporty two-seater which the students named 'Luca', can reach a top speed of 90 kilometres (56 miles) per hour and has a reach of 220 kilometres when fully charged, the Technical University of Eindhoven said. Smooth transition:

Japanese mask maker dumps Trump, embraces Biden

For a mask producer in Japan, the transition from President Donald Trump to Joe Biden has been a smooth one, as it switches production to masks of the Democrat president-elect. Ogawa Studios, a small producer in Saitama, north of Tokyo, starting making rubber Biden masks earlier this year but since his election win last week, it has ramped up production.

Brazilian duo glide through Sao Paulo streets with broomsticks for Muggles

In the famously traffic-choked streets of Brazilian megalopolis Sao Paulo, two men have invented a novel way of getting from point A to B - and they are raising a lot of eyebrows in the process. On a recent Saturday, Vinícius Sanctus, 39, and Alessandro Russo, 28, could be seen coasting down the city's main thoroughfares on a pair of broomsticks, each one attached to a single motorized wheel.

Turkmenistan erects giant gilded dog monument

A huge gilded statue of a dog has been unveiled on a busy traffic circle in the capital of Turkmenistan by the country's longtime leader, who has also written an ode to the local breed and gifted one to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The statue, with a screen showing Turkmenistan's beloved Alabai dogs in action wrapped around the pedestal, joins another on a different major junction, also coated in gold, of President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov himself, seated on a horse.

Japan's 'Jo Baiden' feels affinity to U.S. president-elect

Meet Japan's Joe Biden - the mayor of a remote town who's become an internet sensation for having a name that can be pronounced the same as that of the U.S. president-elect. Yutaka Umeda, the 73-year-old mayor of Yamato - a town of 15,000 in southwestern Japan - first realized that the Chinese characters used to write his name could, if said differently, sound like "Joe Biden" while watching television coverage of the U.S. vote count with his family.

Palestinian baker keeps lion cubs as pets on Gaza rooftop

On the roof of an apartment block in one of Gaza's most crowded cities, two lion cubs prowl among the water tanks and dine on slaughtered chickens as children take selfies. It is a bizarre sight even in a war-scarred Gaza Strip that has become accustomed to the unaccustomed.

Arsenal's mascot Gunnersaurus returns from brink of extinction

Arsenal brought Gunnersaurus back from the brink of extinction on Tuesday, barely a month after the club's beloved mascot was made redundant as part of a cost-cutting effort aimed at mitigating the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jerry Quy, who entertained home fans at the Emirates Stadium by dressing up as a green dinosaur, was let go by the club at the start of October and his departure did not go down well, with fans flocking to social media to make their feelings known.

(With inputs from agencies.)