Taiwan has a magic noodle mountain and the world is reeling from the loss of both Bowie and Alan Rickman.

Take a look at these and our selection of other great feature stories scoured from across the web this week.

Amidst the jungle-covered mountains of southern Taipei, the Noodle Masters of Taiwan live in a strange world of giant noodles and pineapple cakes, creating some of the best hand-pulled noodles the East has to offer.

Can you pinpoint the precise moment a singer becomes a star?

For writer David Hepworth, it was that shining moment when Bowie looked down a Top of the Pops camera lens and the world fell in love with Ziggy Stardust.

The target, the plan, the job, the gear and the investigation behind the biggest burglary in English legal history.

"If we get nicked at least we can hold our heads up that we had a last go," said Danny Jones, one of the four ringleaders.

Sit back and marvel at street artist Julien Malland's vivid murals from around the world.

The Parisian has been everywhere from Mexico to Vietnam since the 90s adding a bit of colour along the way.

Noof Hassan's cell phone rings to music from Grey’s Anatomy.

She estimates that she saw Titanic at least ten times when she was a teenager; movie theaters are prohibited in Saudi Arabia which makes this quite a feat.

Meet the women redefining boundaries in conservative Saudi Arabia.

As Harry Potter fans raise their wands to the sky, Ian McKellen, Sigourney Weaver, Ruby Wax, Stephen Poliakoff, Richard Wilson and others remember a peerless actor and friend.

When Mexican security forces captured Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, he was wearing a white vest, covered in grime from his escape through the sewers of Los Mochis, a city in his home state of Sinaloa.

Bruised and bloodied, he did not look like one of the men on Forbes' list of the world's richest people.

So what is the real story behind the the country's most wanted drugs lord and how did Sean Penn end up interviewing him?

Have you ever considered giving up small talk and asking strangers about their deepest hopes and fears?

A revealing reader-submitted essays explores some of the issues faced when you become newly single.

Litter pickers, ceremonial mace bearers, first aid service, goldfish feeders and bulb-changers - an anonymous university security guard gives a candid account of campus life.

"I don’t know what led me into security. I’ve always liked being around people but I’m not a good talker, so it was either security guard or monk, and monks don’t get walkie-talkies."